Quickstart Guide

This guide will walk you through creating your first organization, company, and journal entry in Accountability.

Prerequisites

Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
Email address for account registration

Create Your Account

Navigate to the registration page and create your account:

Enter your email address
Choose a display name
Create a strong password (minimum 8 characters with uppercase, lowercase, and number)
Click Create Account

Accountability supports multiple authentication methods:

Local authentication (email/password)
Google OAuth
WorkOS SSO (for enterprise)

After registration, sign in with your credentials.You’ll be automatically redirected to create your first organization.

Create Your Organization

An Organization is the top-level container that holds all your companies.

Enter Organization Details

On the Create Organization page:

Name: Enter your organization name (e.g., “Acme Holdings Inc”)
Reporting Currency: Select the currency for consolidated reports (typically your home country currency)
- USD - United States Dollar
- EUR - Euro
- GBP - British Pound Sterling
- And many more…

{
  "name": "Acme Holdings Inc",
  "reportingCurrency": "USD"
}

Configure Settings (Optional)

Expand Advanced Settings to customize:

Default Locale: en-US, en-GB, etc.
Default Timezone: UTC, America/New_York, etc.
Default Decimal Places: 0-4 (default: 2)

You can change these settings later in Organization Settings.

Create Organization

Click Create Organization.You’ll be redirected to the organization dashboard.

Create Your First Company

A Company represents a legal entity with its own chart of accounts and financial records.

Navigate to Companies

From the organization dashboard:

Click Companies in the sidebar
Click New Company button

Enter Company Information

Fill in the company details:Basic Information

Name: Company name for display (e.g., “Acme Corporation”)
Legal Name: Official registered name
Jurisdiction: Country of incorporation (US, GB, etc.)

Currency Settings

Functional Currency: The currency of the company’s primary economic environment (ASC 830)
- For a US company: USD
- For a UK company: GBP
- For a company primarily operating in Europe: EUR

Functional Currency is the currency in which the company primarily generates and expends cash. This is different from Reporting Currency which is used for consolidated reports.

Fiscal Year

Fiscal Year End: Select month and day (e.g., December 31)
The system automatically calculates fiscal periods based on this date

{
  "name": "Acme Corporation",
  "legalName": "Acme Corporation Ltd.",
  "jurisdiction": "US",
  "functionalCurrency": "USD",
  "fiscalYearEnd": {
    "month": 12,
    "day": 31
  }
}

Create Company

Click Create Company.The system automatically:

Creates the company
Generates fiscal periods for the current fiscal year
Sets up a basic chart of accounts structure

Set Up Chart of Accounts

The Chart of Accounts defines the accounts you’ll use to record transactions.

Navigate to Accounts

From the company detail page:

Click Accounts in the submenu
Review the default accounts created automatically

Add Custom Accounts

Click New Account to add accounts specific to your business:Example: Adding a Bank Account

Account Number: 1010 (Cash and Cash Equivalents range)
Name: “Chase Business Checking”
Account Type: Asset
Account Category: Current Asset
Normal Balance: Debit
Is Postable: ✓ (allows direct posting)
Currency: USD (or leave blank for any currency)

{
  "accountNumber": "1010",
  "name": "Chase Business Checking",
  "accountType": "Asset",
  "accountCategory": "CurrentAsset",
  "normalBalance": "Debit",
  "isPostable": true
}

Account Number Ranges follow US GAAP convention:

1000-1499: Current Assets
1500-1999: Non-Current Assets
2000-2499: Current Liabilities
2500-2999: Non-Current Liabilities
3000-3999: Equity
4000-4999: Revenue
5000-5999: Cost of Sales
6000-7999: Operating Expenses
8000-8999: Other Income/Expense

Create Your First Journal Entry

A Journal Entry records financial transactions using double-entry bookkeeping.

Navigate to Journal Entries

From the company detail page:

Click Journal Entries in the submenu
Click New Entry button

Enter Header Information

Fill in the journal entry header:

Transaction Date: Date when the economic event occurred
Description: Brief explanation of the transaction
Reference: Optional external reference number

Fiscal Period is automatically calculated based on the transaction date and your company’s fiscal year end. You cannot manually select it.

Add Entry Lines

Add debit and credit lines to record the transaction:Example: Recording Initial Capital Investment

Line	Account	Description	Debit	Credit
1	1010 - Chase Business Checking	Initial capital	$10,000.00	-
2	3000 - Share Capital	Initial capital	-	$10,000.00

Click Add Line for each entry line:

Select the account from the dropdown
Enter line description (optional)
Enter debit OR credit amount
Select currency (defaults to company’s functional currency)

The system validates in real-time that Total Debits = Total Credits. The entry cannot be submitted until balanced.

{
  "transactionDate": "2026-03-03",
  "description": "Initial capital investment",
  "reference": "CAP-001",
  "lines": [
    {
      "accountId": "1010",
      "description": "Initial capital - checking account",
      "debit": 10000.00,
      "credit": 0,
      "currency": "USD"
    },
    {
      "accountId": "3000",
      "description": "Initial capital - share capital",
      "debit": 0,
      "credit": 10000.00,
      "currency": "USD"
    }
  ]
}

Submit Entry

Once balanced:

Click Save as Draft to save without posting (editable)
Click Submit for Approval to post immediately (if you have permission)

Posted entries are immutable. To correct a posted entry, you must create a reversing entry.

Verify Entry

After posting:

View the entry detail page
Verify the fiscal period assignment
Note the sequential entry number assigned
Check the audit trail (created by, posted by, timestamps)

View Financial Reports

Now that you have transactions, generate your first financial reports.

Navigate to Reports

From the company detail page:Click Reports in the submenu

Trial Balance

Start with the Trial Balance to verify your accounts:

Shows all accounts with debit/credit balances
Confirms total debits = total credits
Foundation for all other financial statements

Click Trial Balance to view.

Balance Sheet

View your Balance Sheet (Statement of Financial Position):

Assets = Liabilities + Equity
Shows current vs non-current classification
Real-time calculation from journal entries

Select a date and click Balance Sheet.

Income Statement

Generate an Income Statement (Profit & Loss):

Revenue - Expenses = Net Income
Select start and end date for the period
Shows operating vs non-operating income

Select date range and click Income Statement.

Multi-Currency Transactions (Optional)

If your company transacts in multiple currencies:

Add Exchange Rates

Navigate to Exchange Rates in the organization menu:

Click New Exchange Rate
Select From Currency and To Currency
Enter the exchange rate
Select rate type (Spot, Average, Historical, Closing)
Set effective date

{
  "fromCurrency": "EUR",
  "toCurrency": "USD",
  "rate": 1.0850,
  "rateType": "Spot",
  "effectiveDate": "2026-03-03"
}

Create Multi-Currency Entry

When creating a journal entry:

Select different currencies for different lines
The system validates balance in functional currency
Automatic foreign exchange gain/loss calculation

Next Steps

Add More Companies

Create additional companies for different legal entities within your organization

Set Up Consolidation

Define parent-subsidiary relationships for consolidated financial reporting

Manage Team Access

Invite team members and configure role-based permissions

Automate with API

Integrate with your systems using the OpenAPI-documented REST API

Common Workflows

Recording a Sale

Sale Transaction

{
  "description": "Sale to Customer ABC",
  "lines": [
    {
      "account": "1200 - Accounts Receivable",
      "debit": 1200.00
    },
    {
      "account": "4000 - Product Sales Revenue",
      "credit": 1000.00
    },
    {
      "account": "2100 - Sales Tax Payable",
      "credit": 200.00
    }
  ]
}

Recording a Payment

Payment Transaction

{
  "description": "Payment received from Customer ABC",
  "lines": [
    {
      "account": "1010 - Chase Business Checking",
      "debit": 1200.00
    },
    {
      "account": "1200 - Accounts Receivable",
      "credit": 1200.00
    }
  ]
}

Recording an Expense

Expense Transaction

{
  "description": "Monthly office rent",
  "lines": [
    {
      "account": "6200 - Rent Expense",
      "debit": 2500.00
    },
    {
      "account": "1010 - Chase Business Checking",
      "credit": 2500.00
    }
  ]
}

Need Help?

All financial data is validated in real-time. If you encounter validation errors, check:

Debits equal credits
All required fields are filled
Transaction date falls within an open fiscal period
Selected accounts are postable (not summary accounts)

Posted entries are immutable. To correct a mistake:

Create a reversing entry (reverses the incorrect entry)
Create a new correct entry

This maintains a complete audit trail.

Get Started

Core Features

Advanced Features

Reporting

User Management

Quickstart

Quickstart Guide

Prerequisites

Create Your Account

Create Your Organization

Create Your First Company

Set Up Chart of Accounts

Create Your First Journal Entry

View Financial Reports

Multi-Currency Transactions (Optional)

Next Steps

Add More Companies

Set Up Consolidation

Manage Team Access

Automate with API

Common Workflows

Recording a Sale

Recording a Payment

Recording an Expense

Need Help?

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Advanced Features

Reporting

User Management

​Quickstart Guide

​Prerequisites

​Create Your Account

​Create Your Organization

​Create Your First Company

​Set Up Chart of Accounts

​Create Your First Journal Entry

​View Financial Reports

​Multi-Currency Transactions (Optional)

​Next Steps

Add More Companies

Set Up Consolidation

Manage Team Access

Automate with API

​Common Workflows

​Recording a Sale

​Recording a Payment

​Recording an Expense

​Need Help?

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Quickstart Guide

Prerequisites

Create Your Account

Create Your Organization

Create Your First Company

Set Up Chart of Accounts

Create Your First Journal Entry

View Financial Reports

Multi-Currency Transactions (Optional)

Next Steps

Common Workflows

Recording a Sale

Recording a Payment

Recording an Expense

Need Help?