The problem
Worker co-operatives in Argentina operate under a specific legal framework — Law 20.337 — with its own rules for surplus distribution, member contributions and balance filing. Generic accounting software doesn't handle these cases. The result is that most small co-ops run everything on spreadsheets.
How it works
Cooperativa Simple centralises the member register, the record of contributions and advances, and the surplus calculation at year end — automatically applying the legal distribution percentages to the reserve fund, member returns and co-operative education.
Reports follow the forms required by INAES and the provincial bodies, which cuts the accountant's work down to reviewing rather than building from scratch.
Current state
In active development. Member management and the advances module are done. The surplus distribution engine is being validated against real cases.
Stack and technical decisions
Astro for the public site and React for the application. Supabase for the database and authentication — a small co-op doesn't need, and can't pay for, dedicated infrastructure. Terraform so the whole thing is reproducible.