Set up your books

The books hold the church's accounts and funds, and every entry. Owners, treasurers and accountants set them up once.

Steps

1. On the home page, press Set up the books. Or open Books from the list.
2. Type a Name, for example Church.
3. If you've added your charity's details, choose the Charity these books belong to.
4. Under Start with, choose:
   • A church chart of accounts, already matched to the T3010, if you're starting fresh. You can change it afterwards.
   • Only the essentials, if you'll bring your chart and history in from QuickBooks. See Bring your books in from QuickBooks.
5. Press Set up the books. The chart of accounts opens.

Separate books for a school

If the school is kept in its own QuickBooks file, or is registered as its own charity, give it its own books:

1. Open Books and fill in Set up another set of books.
2. Name it School, and choose the school's charity if it has its own.
3. Press Set up the books.

If the school is part of the church's charity and books, don't set up separate books. Use a School fund instead. See Fund accounting in plain words.

Good to know

• Every set of books starts with a General fund and the accounts every set of books needs: Due to / due from other funds, Fund balances and Transfers between funds.
• The year-end comes from the charity's details (December 31 unless yours is different).
• To add or change accounts and funds, see Change the chart of accounts and funds.
• From the chart of accounts, Entries lists everything entered and Make an entry records a bill or transfer. See Make an entry in the books.
• Reconcile checks the books against each bank statement. See Reconcile the bank account each month.
• Deposits puts recorded gifts into the books when they go to the bank. See Deposit gifts so they're in the books.
• Bank files brings in the transactions you download from online banking. See Bring in your bank's file and sort it.