Desktop Adjustments

Why do accounting teams need desktop adjustments?

Many accounting teams create desktop adjustments on top of accounting data when preparing financial statements. This typically happens when teams lack direct accounting software access (such as in partially outsourced arrangements) or when posting adjustments would complicate ledger transactions. Maintaining these accounting adjustments outside the system in separate spreadsheets is disorganised and manual, creating error risks and tracking difficulties.

For an overview of the workflow, see how to generate a financial statement. For what to prepare before your first engagement, see required files.

How does Luca handle desktop adjustments?

Luca eliminates the need for manual file adjustments or separate spreadsheets. You can pass desktop adjustments directly within Luca, with every change recorded and traceable. This centralises financial statement adjustments, streamlining workflows and improving accuracy.

How does the Supporting feature create an audit trail?

The Supporting feature retrieves all data comprising the financial statements, including original entries and every adjustment made. This creates a complete audit trail without any additional effort — every journal entry and accounting adjustment is captured automatically. The Supporting output can be used for review, working papers, and figure explanation at any point during or after the engagement.

Adjustments are also visible in the practice management interface, giving managers oversight of all changes across engagements without opening each file individually.

How do I make desktop adjustments in Luca?

Adjustments are integrated into the financial statement generation workflow as step 3 of 7.

1. Click + Adjustment to open the spreadsheet-style interface.
2. Enter your adjustments using standard spreadsheet functions.
3. Use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and paste data from other sources.
4. Click column headers to sort data as needed.

The spreadsheet-style interface is designed for accountants and supports the same operations you would perform in a standard spreadsheet, so no additional training is required.