By the end of these seven steps, you'll have a fully working AccountEdge file — accounts, contacts, tax codes, and (if you need them) inventory items all in place and ready for your first transaction. Most people get through it in an afternoon.
The steps are laid out in a specific order because each one builds on what you set up before it. Your chart of accounts feeds into your tax codes, your tax codes get assigned to customers and vendors, and your contacts need to exist before you can record transactions. Following this sequence means everything connects cleanly the first time through.
Step One: Installation
Install AccountEdge on your Mac or PC. If you're upgrading from a previous version, you'll install the new version first, then upgrade your company file in Step Two.
Step Two: Create or Upgrade Your Company File
If you're brand new, use the New Company File Assistant to create your company file. This is where you'll set your fiscal year, conversion month, and number of accounting periods — details that are locked in once you start recording transactions, so it's worth getting them right. If you're coming from an earlier version of AccountEdge, see Upgrading a Company File instead.
Step Three: Create or Import Your Chart of Accounts
Your chart of accounts is the foundation of your bookkeeping — every transaction you record gets posted to an account. Set it up next — see Getting Started with Accounts.
Step Four: Set Up Your Tax Codes
Tax codes get assigned to customers, vendors, and items, so they need to exist before you create those records. See Setting Up Tax Codes.
Step Five: Create or Import Your Contacts
Now add your customers, vendors, and other contacts — see Getting Started with Cards.
Step Six: Create or Import Items (optional)
If you sell products or track inventory, create your items now. Items link to your accounts and tax codes, which is why those come first. If you're service-only, you can skip this.
Step Seven: Enter Inventory Opening Balances (optional)
If you already have inventory on hand, enter your opening balances so AccountEdge starts with accurate stock counts.
Setup Complete
You've covered the essentials. From here, you're ready to start entering transactions — recording sales, paying bills, and running your business in AccountEdge.