Monthly Reporting

Export profit and loss JSON for every entity, compare periods, and archive reports for client delivery using verified Kick CLI commands.

Generate P&L JSON for every entity (read)

To archive profit and loss data for each entity in a workspace, resolve ledger ids and export JSON. The CLI does not emit PDF; save JSON and convert externally if you need PDF.

The Script

#!/bin/bash
# monthly-pl-reports.sh

WORKSPACE_ID="<workspace-id>"
START_DATE="2026-01-01"
END_DATE="2026-01-31"
OUTPUT_DIR="./reports/${START_DATE}-to-${END_DATE}"

mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"

kick workspaces list --include-entities --fields id,name,entities --output json | \
  jq -r --arg ws "$WORKSPACE_ID" '.[] | select(.id == $ws) | .entities[]? | "\(.id)\t\(.name)"' | \
while IFS=$'\t' read -r entity_id entity_name; do
  ledger_id=$(kick --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" accounting ledgers get --entity-id "$entity_id" --output json | jq -r '.ledgers[0].id')
  safe_name=${entity_name// /-}

  echo "Generating P&L for $entity_name (entity $entity_id)..."

  kick --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" reports profit-loss \
    --entity "$entity_id" \
    --ledger-id "$ledger_id" \
    --start-date "$START_DATE" \
    --end-date "$END_DATE" \
    --cycle month \
    --output json \
    > "$OUTPUT_DIR/pl-${safe_name}-${START_DATE}.json"

  echo "Saved $OUTPUT_DIR/pl-${safe_name}-${START_DATE}.json"
done

echo "All reports saved in $OUTPUT_DIR"

How to Customize

• Change START_DATE and END_DATE to the period you are closing
• Add --comparisons previous_period to include a comparison column in the report output
• Filter entities in the jq step if you only need active clients

What It Outputs

• One JSON file per entity in ./reports/<start>-to-<end>/
• Filename format: pl-Entity-Name-2026-01-01.json

Compare month-over-month with built-in comparisons (read)

To see current-period profit and loss beside the previous period for one entity, use the report comparison flags instead of running two separate exports.

The Script

#!/bin/bash
# mom-pl-comparison.sh

WORKSPACE_ID="<workspace-id>"
ENTITY_ID=123
START_DATE="2026-02-01"
END_DATE="2026-02-28"

ledger_id=$(kick --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" accounting ledgers get --entity-id "$ENTITY_ID" --output json | jq -r '.ledgers[0].id')

kick --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" reports profit-loss \
  --entity "$ENTITY_ID" \
  --ledger-id "$ledger_id" \
  --start-date "$START_DATE" \
  --end-date "$END_DATE" \
  --cycle month \
  --comparisons previous_period \
  --output json | jq .

How to Customize

• Change ENTITY_ID and the date range
• Add --comparison-diffs amount or --comparison-diffs percent to control how differences display
• Run for multiple entities by looping over ids from kick workspaces list --include-entities

What It Outputs

• Formatted JSON profit and loss with a previous-period comparison column
• Pipe through jq to extract the rows you need for a spreadsheet

Archive trial balance before statements (read)

To snapshot trial balance rows before you prepare statements, export JSON for one entity.

The Script

#!/bin/bash
# trial-balance-export.sh

WORKSPACE_ID="<workspace-id>"
ENTITY_ID=123
START_DATE="2026-01-01"
END_DATE="2026-01-31"
OUTPUT_FILE="trial-balance-${ENTITY_ID}-${END_DATE}.json"

ledger_id=$(kick --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" accounting ledgers get --entity-id "$ENTITY_ID" --output json | jq -r '.ledgers[0].id')

kick --workspace "$WORKSPACE_ID" reports trial-balance \
  --entity "$ENTITY_ID" \
  --ledger-id "$ledger_id" \
  --start-date "$START_DATE" \
  --end-date "$END_DATE" \
  --cycle month \
  --output json \
  > "$OUTPUT_FILE"

echo "Saved $OUTPUT_FILE"

How to Customize

• Add --fields to limit columns when the full row set is too large
• Use --limit and --cursor to page through very large trial balances

What It Outputs

• A JSON file with trial balance rows for the entity and period