Back to Resources
SETTINGS FIELDS CONFIGURATION CUSTOM FIELDS

Fields Configuration & Custom Fields

Fields Configuration & Custom Fields lets you control what information your firm tracks for every company—and how it appears across the Companies module and tables.
How to Use Bookwits
8 min read
Important: this is a global team setting You’ll find it in Settings → Fields Configuration. Any changes apply to the whole team and to all current + future companies. If a field is enabled/visible, it will be visible consistently across your workspace.

1) What Company Fields Configuration is (plain English)

Think of this as your firm’s standard company profile layout. If a field is Visible, your team sees it and can use it. If it’s not enabled/visible, it won’t clutter screens or tables.
The goal
Track what your team actually uses to run work and keep company data consistent across staff.
Because this lives in Settings → Fields Configuration, it’s the right place to define “how we do it here” for your whole team.

2) Company Profile Fields (built-in)

These are core company identity fields. In your configuration, these are Visible:
Company Name Main legal name of the entity
Business Number CRA Business Number (BN)
Company revenue Revenue information
Business Activity Description of industry/operations
Company Year-End Fiscal year end date (MM/DD)
Corporation/Company key Internal “must-know” identifier for your firm
How to use these fields
  • Company Name + BN: prevent duplicates and keep records accurate
  • Company Year-End: supports planning and deadline tracking
  • Business Activity + Revenue: complexity notes and staffing decisions
  • Company key: predictable place for internal identifiers

3) Tax Registrations & Obligations (workflow switches)

These are yes/no questions that act as compliance flags. In your configuration, these are Visible:
  • GST/HST: “Is the company GST/HST registered?”
  • WSIB: “Does the company have WSIB?”
  • Payroll remittances: “Does the company pay payroll remittances?”
  • PST: “Is the company PST registered?”
  • EHT: “Does the company have EHT?”
Why these matter
These flags become your “at a glance” compliance view. They help your team determine:
  • Should this company be included in GST/HST workflows?
  • Does the company have payroll requirements to manage?
  • Is there WSIB reporting to track?
  • Is PST relevant?
  • Does EHT apply?
Even if you don’t have every answer on day one, keeping these fields visible ensures your team collects the same info in the same place.

4) Tax & Payroll Forms Configuration

Enable or disable specific filing forms per company profile (structured “what filings exist” tracking).
Visible in your configuration
T4 T5 T5018 T4A Standby Charge
How to use this
  • Capture filings in a consistent, filterable way
  • Reduce missed filings (especially when work changes hands)
  • Makes it easier to set up recurring tasks and lists later
Example: a company may need T4 + T4A but no T5; construction contexts often require T5018.

5) Address Synchronization (Client ↔ Company)

Client Address Matching “Is the client's address the same as the company's address?”
When this is useful
If enabled later, it helps when client + company addresses usually match and you want to avoid maintaining two separate values. If it stays disabled, it typically means your firm prefers company address to be managed independently.

6) Custom fields in the Create/Update Company form

In Create/Update Company, the Custom fields section lets you track firm-specific info that isn’t universal—but is critical to how you run work.
Supported field types
Text Text area Date Number Checkbox
Creating a custom field (steps)
  1. Click Add custom field
  2. Select the custom field type
  3. Enter Custom field name (required)
  4. Choose whether to Apply to all companies
  5. Save

7) “Apply to all companies” vs company-only fields (critical rule)

Rule
Only custom fields set to Apply to all companies will appear as columns in the Companies table.
What happens in each case
  • Apply to all companies: becomes a standardized field across the workspace and applies to all current + future companies.
  • Company-only: exists only on that company profile and does not become a global table column.
Why this matters
This prevents your Companies table from being polluted by one-off fields, while still letting you track unique data when needed. If you want your team to use a field consistently, mark it Apply to all companies so it becomes a reliable table column.

8) Editing, ordering, and deleting custom fields

Editing
In Edit custom fields, select the field and update the name/settings, then save.
Reordering
You can reorder custom fields. If you enable “Apply custom field order change to all companies”, the new order becomes the standard sequence across your workspace.
Deleting: two scopes
  • Delete for this company: removes the custom field only from the current company (cannot be undone).
  • Delete for all companies (Delete all): permanently removes the custom field from all companies (cannot be undone).
Safe approach: remove from one company first if you’re unsure it should be removed globally.

9) Table Settings: hide columns anytime

Even if a field appears as a table column, you can control visibility using Table Settings.
Key points
  • Fields can be enabled globally, but still hidden in the table view
  • This is the best way to keep the Companies table scannable day-to-day
  • Custom fields show in the Companies table only if they are Apply to all companies
  • Turn off any columns you don’t want visible (no need to delete fields)
If the table gets cluttered, hide columns first. Delete fields only when you’re sure they’re not needed.

10) Recommended workflows and best practices

Recommended workflow: company onboarding setup
  1. Fill essentials: Company Name, Business Number, Company Year-End
  2. Answer registrations: GST/HST, Payroll, WSIB, PST, EHT
  3. Enable forms: T4 / T4A / T5 / T5018 / Standby Charge as needed
  4. Add a small set of global custom fields (Apply to all companies)
Good “Apply to all companies” custom field examples
  • Accounting system (Text)
  • Engagement start date (Date)
  • Internal complexity rating (Number)
  • CRA access granted (Checkbox)
  • Bookkeeping frequency (Text)
Best practices (keep it clean and scalable)
  • Keep global custom fields to the minimum set that drives decisions
  • Use Checkbox fields for process tracking (“done / not done”)
  • Use Number/Date only when you’ll filter/sort/report with it
  • If a field is only relevant for one unusual company, don’t apply it globally
  • If the table gets cluttered, hide columns in Table Settings rather than deleting fields immediately

11) Custom fields in Personal Tax templates (same idea, different location)

There’s a similar custom field builder when creating Personal Tax checklist templates. The field types are the same (Text, Text area, Date, Number, Checkbox), but the purpose is different:
  • Company custom fields = internal operational tracking on business entities
  • Personal tax template custom fields = intake questions a client answers for a tax year
Same mechanism, different intent: companies = internal ops; personal tax = client intake.
Want a clean “default company profile” for your firm? Book a demo and we’ll help you choose the right built-in fields, define a minimal global custom field set, and keep the Companies table scannable with Table Settings.
Book a demo → Start free trial