Dollars and lira at the same desk: handling USD and LBP in your gym

Running a business in Lebanon means working in two currencies. Most gyms price memberships in dollars, but members still pay a drink at the fridge in lira, a supplier wants his bill in LBP, and the generator subscription arrives in whatever currency the neighbourhood uses this year. Most software was not built for that. Either everything is forced into one currency, or the totals quietly add dollars and lira together as if they were the same thing.

GymLeb keeps each amount in the currency it was paid in, and lets you see every total in USD or LBP at your gym's own exchange rate. This guide explains how that works and how to set it up.

Each amount keeps its own currency

When you create a membership plan, a PT package, a product, an expense or a recurring bill, you choose its currency: USD or LBP. When a member pays, the payment is stored in that currency. Nothing is converted or rewritten behind your back.

That matters for two reasons. First, your records match reality: a payment of 900,000 lira is stored as 900,000 lira, which is what you will find in the drawer. Second, if the rate changes, your history does not.

Choose how amounts are shown

The dashboard header has a Show amounts in switch: USD or LBP. On wide screens it also shows your current rate, for example "1 USD = 89,500 LBP". The same switch appears on the report pages, and the choice is remembered on that computer.

The switch only changes how amounts are displayed. When you view in USD, lira payments are converted to dollars for the totals, and the other way round. Totals also tell you how much was actually paid in the other currency, for example "includes 3,500,000 LBP", so the converted number never hides how the money came in.

Your gym's exchange rate, with history

Every gym sets its own rate, because the rate you accept at the desk is a business decision, not a market feed.

Setting the first rate. The first time, the owner is asked to Set your exchange rate: type how many lira you accept for one dollar and press Save rate. Until a rate is set, a default rate is used for conversions, so set yours before you rely on any converted total.

Changing it later. Go to Gym Settings, then Business, then Exchange rate, and enter the new rate. A new rate applies from now on. Payments made before keep the rate that was in effect on the day they were paid. Your March revenue in dollars does not change because the rate moved in October.

Fixing a mistake. If someone typed the wrong rate, choose the option to correct the current rate instead of adding a new one. The corrected rate replaces the wrong one everywhere it was used.

History. A Recent rates list shows each earlier rate and the date it started, and every change is recorded in the audit log with who made it. The owner and staff allowed to edit gym settings can change the rate; everyone else can read it.

How conversions are worked out

• Past payments are converted at the rate in effect on the day they were paid.
• Money still owed and forecasts use today's rate, since that is what you would collect today.
• Staff pay conversions use one rate per month, from the start of the month, so a payslip does not wobble within a month.

This is what lets the profit and loss report show a monthly result in dollars even when half the expenses were paid in lira.

Closing the day in two currencies

At the end of a shift, the Print summary button on the dashboard's Today's Transactions card prints revenue and expenses per payment method and a table by currency as paid. The cashier counts dollars and lira separately, and the summary tells them how much of each should be in the drawer. Converting the drawer into one currency before counting is how mistakes hide.

Practical tips

• Price in the currency you actually want to receive. If you want dollars for memberships, price the plans in USD. If the fridge works in lira, price drinks in LBP.
• Update the rate when your desk changes it, not when the news does. The rate in GymLeb should be the rate your cashier uses.
• Use the correction option for typos only. A real change in your rate should be a new rate, so the past stays accurate.
• Read the "includes ... LBP" note in totals. A month with a lot of lira income may look different once the rate moves.
• Pick one display currency for meetings. Most owners review in USD; the accountant may prefer LBP. The switch is per computer, so both can have their own.

Good to know

GymLeb supports USD and LBP. It does not fetch a live market rate, by design, and it does not let staff type a different rate on each payment; the rate always comes from your gym's history. The display currency and exchange rate are included in every plan.

If you are also tracking balances, read our guide to partial payments and unpaid memberships, and for selling products in lira see the point of sale guide. Questions about your setup? Talk to us, or see the FAQ.