Before you start you should know:

Current Fiscal Year

This is the fiscal year you want to start recording transactions in your company file for.

Last Month of Fiscal Year

This is the month you fiscal year ends. For most businesses the last month is December.

Conversion Month

This is the earliest month you want to record transactions for.

Number of Accounting Periods

You can choose to have 12 or 13 accounting periods.

List of Accounts

Accounts are where you will allocate each of your transactions to. When you create a company file, you need to select how you will set up your accounts. You can:

Start with an account list provided by AccountEdge. You can select a predefined accounts list suitable for your business based on Industry and Business Type.

Import a list of accounts. You can import an account list from another file or from one that has been provided by your accountant.

Build your own list. You can start with an account list that has the minimum required accounts and then add to it.

Note: You can modify your accounts list after creating your company file for all of the above selections.

To Create a New Company File

1. Launch AccountEdge. A Welcome Window will appear. Click 'Create New Company File'.
2. The New Company File Assistant Introduction window will launch. Click 'Next'.
3. Company Information - Enter you business contact information in the appropriate fields. Click 'Next'.
4. Accounting Information - Enter your fiscal year and conversion month details. Click 'Next'. Confirm that all details are correct. Click 'Next'.
5. Accounts List - Choose how you would like to set up your Account List. Click ‘Next’. If you choose to start with an account list provided by AccountEdge, continue to step 6. If you choose to import a list of accounts, continue to step 7. If you choose to build your own list, continue to step 7.
6. Select the type of industry and business that best matches your own business. Click 'Next'.
7. Company File - Confirm or change where you would like to save your AccountEdge company file. Click 'Next'.
8. Conclusion - Confirmation that your new AccountEdge company file has been created.

Additional Resources

We also have two videos that explain what is necessary for setting up the Company File and the steps for creating it. These videos are specifically for AccountEdge Basic but the process is very similar for all versions of the software.

Using the New Company File Assistant to Create a Company File

Next Steps

Once you've created your company file you can continue on to creating or importing your Chart of Accounts.