> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bumara.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is Bumara?

> What Bumara does for a Zambian business, who it is built for, and how the pieces fit together.

Bumara is one place for the two halves of running a Zambian business that usually live apart:
the operational work (invoicing customers, paying staff, tracking stock) and the statutory work
(PACRA, ZRA, NAPSA, NHIMA). The first half generates the numbers the second half asks for, so
Bumara connects them — your payroll run fills in your PAYE return, your sales fill in your
turnover tax figures, and your certificates land in a vault attached to the filing they belong to.

## The problem it solves

Most small businesses in Zambia track this work across WhatsApp, spreadsheets, email and a
folder of PDFs. That works until a deadline is missed, and the regulator is the one who reminds
you — with a penalty.

Bumara replaces that with:

| Instead of                                | You get                                                   |
| ----------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| A calendar reminder nobody maintains      | Obligations that appear automatically with real due dates |
| Chasing colleagues for documents          | A checklist that shows exactly what is still missing      |
| Evidence scattered in WhatsApp and email  | A vault where every document is attached to a filing      |
| Wondering whether something was submitted | A timeline showing who did what and when                  |
| Logging in to four regulator portals      | One workspace per regulator inside Bumara                 |

## Who it is built for

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Business owners" icon="user-tie">
    You wear several hats and mostly work from your phone. You want one screen showing money
    due, filings due, and what is at risk — and the ability to approve things without training.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bookkeepers and accountants" icon="calculator">
    You post invoices and receipts daily, reconcile payments, and prepare statutory packs.
    You want validations, evidence attached to every entry, and a clean month-end.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compliance consultants" icon="briefcase">
    You handle several clients. You want per-client separation, one obligation calendar
    across the portfolio, and proof of every submission.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How the pieces fit together

<Steps>
  <Step title="You set up your business">
    You tell Bumara what kind of entity you are, which regulators you are registered with,
    and what your financial year end is. See [Set up your business](/start/set-up-your-business).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Bumara works out what you owe">
    Based on your entity type and regulators, Bumara creates your **obligations** — the
    recurring things you must file. Each obligation produces a **filing** for every period,
    with a due date calculated for you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Each filing comes with a checklist">
    A filing is not just a deadline. It arrives with **tasks** — enter these figures, upload
    that document, confirm these details — and a list of required documents. When the checklist
    is complete, the filing becomes ready to submit.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Your operational work feeds the filings">
    Run payroll and your PAYE, NAPSA and NHIMA figures are ready. Issue invoices and your
    turnover tax figures are ready. You are not re-typing numbers you already entered.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Bumara submits on your behalf">
    When a filing is ready, you request submission. The Bumara team takes it to the regulator,
    files it, and returns the acknowledgement to your vault. See
    [Submitting to a regulator](/compliance/submitting-to-a-regulator).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What each part of Bumara covers

| Area                                           | What you do there                                                                |
| ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Compliance](/compliance/overview)             | See your obligations, work through filings, upload evidence, request submissions |
| [Regulators](/regulators/overview)             | A dedicated workspace per regulator — PACRA, ZRA, NAPSA, NHIMA                   |
| [Invoicing](/invoicing/overview)               | Quotes, invoices, payments, customers, vendors, and ZRA Smart Invoice            |
| [Payroll](/payroll/overview)                   | Employees, monthly inputs, pay runs, payslips, loans, statutory returns          |
| [Inventory](/inventory/overview)               | Items, stock movements, counts, the till, expenses and stock value               |
| [Your account](/account/organisation-settings) | Business details, team, roles, reminders, documents, plan and billing            |

## What Bumara does not do

Being clear about the boundaries saves surprises:

* **Bumara is not your accountant.** It prepares and files what you tell it. It does not give
  tax advice or decide what is deductible.
* **Bumara does not invent figures.** If your payroll is wrong, your PAYE return will be wrong.
  Every calculated figure is shown for you to review before it is submitted.
* **Bumara does not act without you.** Nothing is filed with a regulator until you request
  submission for that specific filing.

<Note>
  Ready to begin? Start with [Create your account](/start/create-your-account), then
  [Set up your business](/start/set-up-your-business).
</Note>