Most Lebanese businesses trade in US dollars, pay some costs in Lebanese pounds and still need their books and tax figures in LBP. Good accounting software for Lebanon lets you enter every document in the currency it really happened in, works out the exchange differences for you, and gives your accountant the statutory LBP report from the same entries. This guide explains how that works, what to check before you buy, and how to move from Excel or an old program.
Why two currencies belong in one set of books
Many companies in Lebanon ended up with two sets of figures: a USD sheet that shows how the business is really doing, and an LBP set that the accountant rebuilds for tax. Every month someone converts, copies and reconciles by hand. Small errors creep in, and nobody is sure which version is right.
One set of books with two currencies fixes this. Each invoice, purchase and payment is recorded once, in its own currency. The system keeps the LBP value next to it. The owner reads the business in USD, the accountant reads it in LBP, and both look at the same entries.
This matters for three reasons:
- One source of truth. A sales figure is never typed twice, so it cannot be different in two places.
- Real balances per currency. You see what a customer owes you in USD and what you owe a supplier in LBP, without converting in your head.
- Cleaner tax work. VAT and statutory reports come from the same documents as your management reports.
How entries in USD and LBP work
In MAPOS accounting, you can enter any invoice, purchase or payment in USD or in LBP. You pick the currency on the document, the same way you pick the customer or the date.
- The document keeps its own currency. A USD invoice stays a USD invoice. It is not silently turned into LBP.
- The LBP value is stored with it. MAPOS keeps the LBP value at the rate you set, so the statutory figures can be produced later without guessing.
- Totals per currency on every report. Ledgers show columns per currency, so you can read USD and LBP side by side.
- Payments can cross currencies. A customer billed in USD can pay in LBP, or the other way round, and the payment still settles the right invoice.
Rates change, and the rate that applies to a document is a question for your accountant. That is why the software should let you set the rate rather than lock you into one. This guide does not quote a rate on purpose.
Exchange differences that post themselves
Here is a simple example, with no real figures. You invoice a customer in USD. The LBP value is recorded at the rate on the invoice. A few weeks later the customer pays, and the rate is different. The USD amount is the same, but the LBP value is not.
That gap is an exchange gain or loss. In a spreadsheet, someone has to notice it, calculate it and book a journal entry. Most months, nobody does, and the LBP books drift away from reality.
In MAPOS, exchange gains and losses post automatically, including on payments made in a different currency from the invoice. For balances still open at a period end, FX revaluation restates them at the rate you choose, so your balance sheet is not carrying old values. Your accountant reviews the result instead of building it.
The statutory LBP report
Your accountant needs the books in Lebanese pounds. In MAPOS the statutory LBP report is one click. It is built from the same entries as your USD reports, using the LBP values stored on each document.
Alongside it, the accountant gets the usual statements: balance sheet, income statement and cash-flow statement. The chart of accounts is the Lebanese chart, ready to use, editable, and with Arabic account names.
VAT in LBP
Lebanese VAT is 11%, with some goods and services exempt. VAT reporting to the state is in Lebanese pounds, so USD invoices must be converted consistently. If every invoice carries its own LBP value, the VAT figures come out of the system rather than out of a separate sheet.
MAPOS supports this with:
- 11% VAT and per-item exemptions, so taxable and exempt items can sit on the same invoice.
- Taxable and exempt purchase accounts, so input VAT stays clean.
- A VAT declaration report for any period, produced from the same entries as the statutory LBP report.
- VAT period closing, which locks a declared period so nobody edits it afterwards.
MAPOS prepares the figures and the report. Your accountant reviews them, closes the VAT return and handles the filing. The same goes for the year end: MAPOS has a year-end close with inventory variation and retained earnings, and the accountant is the one who runs it. For the full VAT process, read our guide on preparing the Lebanese VAT declaration from your ERP.
What the rest of the system adds
Accounting is only as good as the documents that feed it. When sales, stock and payroll live in the same system, fewer figures are typed by hand.
- POS sales flow into accounting, and the Z-report shows a combined USD total.
- Payroll in the HR module handles NSSF and progressive payroll tax, with rates you can update, and runs by period inside your accounting.
- Receivables: customer statements and payment reminders go out on WhatsApp.
- Bank reconciliation and budgets compared with your profit and loss.
- Control: an account audit log, ledger integrity checks, documents attached to journal entries, and bulk review and approval of draft journals for the accountant.
For more on running several currencies day to day, see our multi-currency management guide.
What to ask any vendor
Whatever system you look at, ask these questions in the demo, and ask to see the answer on screen.
- Can I enter one invoice in USD and the next in LBP? Or does the system force one home currency for everything?
- Who sets the rate on a document, and can I change it? Your accountant will want control here.
- What happens when a USD invoice is paid in LBP? Watch where the exchange difference goes. If the answer is "you book it by hand", expect month-end work.
- Is there FX revaluation for open balances?
- Show me the statutory LBP report. Is it built from the same entries, or exported and fixed in Excel?
- Is the Lebanese chart of accounts ready, and can my accountant edit it?
- How is VAT handled? Ask about exempt items, taxable and exempt purchases, the declaration report and closing a period.
- Do POS sales and payroll post into the same books?
- Who helps my staff, and in which language?
How to move from Excel or an old program
Moving is less painful than most people expect, if you plan it.
- Pick a clean cut-off date. The start of a month or of a VAT period works best.
- Export what you have. Customers, suppliers, items, opening balances and history, from your old software or from Excel.
- Map your accounts. The MAPOS team brings your data across and maps your accounts onto the Lebanese chart.
- Check opening balances with your accountant, in both currencies, before the first new invoice.
- Train the team. MAPOS has step-by-step video guides in Arabic and English for every workflow, plus your own client portal.
- Go live with support. A local team in Lebanon answers on WhatsApp, in Arabic and English.
Start with a demo on data like yours. It is the fastest way to see whether the currency handling fits how you actually trade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I invoice in USD and still report in LBP?
Yes. You invoice in the currency you trade in. MAPOS keeps the LBP value at the rate you set and produces the statutory LBP report and the VAT declaration from the same entries.
Do I need two sets of books for USD and LBP?
No. With MAPOS, each document is recorded once in its own currency, and every report shows totals per currency. The owner and the accountant work from the same entries.
How are exchange differences recorded?
Exchange gains and losses post automatically, including when a payment is in a different currency from the invoice. FX revaluation restates open balances at a period end.
Does MAPOS file my VAT return?
No. MAPOS prepares the VAT figures and the declaration report. Your accountant reviews them, closes the VAT return and handles the filing.
Which exchange rate should I use?
Ask your accountant. Rates change, and the right rate depends on the document. MAPOS lets you set the rate rather than fixing one for you.
Can you move our data from Excel?
Yes. We bring across customers, suppliers, items, opening balances and history from Excel or your current software, and check the opening balances with your accountant.
See your own USD and LBP books in one place. Book a demo or message us on WhatsApp.
