Two Ways to Start: Fresh Start or Import Your Data

Every organization gets its books to an accurate starting point a different way. Pick whichever matches your situation.

Option 1: Fresh Start

Most organizations do this at the beginning of a new fiscal year — you’re not bringing over old transaction history, you’re starting your books in BeeKeeper as of a specific date and going forward from there.

1. Set up your chart of accounts. BeeKeeper creates a standard PTA chart of accounts automatically when your organization is created (see Chart of Accounts). Review it and add, rename, or archive accounts to match how your organization actually spends and raises money.
2. Enter your opening balances. This is the most important step. For every balance-sheet account — your checking account, savings, any liability like pass-through dues you’re currently holding — go to the account’s page and click Enter Opening Balance, then enter its balance as of your start date.

Checks that haven’t cleared, deposits that haven’t posted

Your opening balance should reflect your book balance — what your own records say you have — not necessarily what the bank statement shows on that exact day. Those two numbers are often different (see Book Balance vs. Bank Balance), and the gap is almost always a check you wrote that hasn’t been cashed yet, or a deposit you made that the bank hasn’t posted yet.

Here’s how to handle it:

1. Enter your bank statement balance as of your start date as the account’s opening balance.
2. For every check you’ve written that hasn’t cleared yet, record it now as its own transaction, dated on or before your start date, against the expense account it belongs to.
3. For every deposit you’ve made that the bank hasn’t posted yet, record it the same way, against the income account it belongs to.

This brings your book balance to the true number, and gives BeeKeeper something on the books to match against the bank later instead of an unexplained gap. Once those checks and deposits actually clear, your first reconciliation will tie them out cleanly.

Option 2: Import Your Data

If you already have historical transactions somewhere else, you can bring them into BeeKeeper instead of starting from a blank slate.

You don’t have to import anything beyond the current fiscal year — most organizations don’t. But if you want prior years’ history in BeeKeeper too, for reference, you’re welcome to import as far back as you’d like.

Whatever date range you import, you still need an accurate opening balance as of the day your imported history begins, the same as a Fresh Start above (unless you use the full MyPTEZ migration below, which brings its own carry-over balances with it).

BeeKeeper supports importing from:

• Excel or CSV — a spreadsheet of transactions using BeeKeeper’s column template
• QuickBooks format (.qbo, along with .qfx/.ofx) — a standard bank download file
• MyPTEZ — a one-time, full migration of your chart of accounts and transaction history in a single step

See Data Import & Export for the full walkthrough of each format.

About the Opening Balance

Whichever path you take, your opening balance is recorded as its own transaction, posted against a system equity account called Opening Balance Equity — it’s how BeeKeeper balances the books without treating your starting cash as income.

You can’t edit an opening balance directly once it’s set. If you need to change it, delete the opening balance entry from the account’s transaction list and enter a new one — BeeKeeper offers the Enter Opening Balance option again as soon as it’s gone.

If you connect your bank account first (see Connect Your Bank, below), BeeKeeper can calculate a suggested opening balance for you automatically from your bank’s reported balance.

First Steps After Setup

1. Connect Your Bank

Link your checking and savings accounts for automatic transaction importing:

1. Go to Settings > Linked Accounts
2. Click Add Connection
3. Search for your bank
4. Log in with your banking credentials
5. Select which accounts to connect

2. Invite Your Team

Add board members with appropriate access:

1. Go to Settings > Team
2. Click Invite User
3. Enter their email address
4. Select their permission level:
   • Admin: Full access, can manage users
   • Editor: Can create and modify transactions
   • Viewer: Read-only access to reports

3. Create Your Budget

If you have an approved budget, enter it into BeeKeeper:

1. Go to Budgets
2. Click Add Budget
3. Choose a starting point: start fresh, copy a previous budget, use the last 12 months, or import from a file
4. Add line items for each income and expense category
5. Submit for approval when ready

Tips for Success

• Start with current year: Don’t try to enter years of historical data at once
• Reconcile monthly: Compare BeeKeeper balances to bank statements each month
• Use consistent naming: Establish naming conventions for payees and descriptions
• Train your team: Ensure all users understand their role and responsibilities
• Back up exports: Periodically export your data for safekeeping

Limitations

• BeeKeeper is designed for nonprofit organizations; it may not suit for-profit businesses
• Historical data import supports CSV, Excel (XLSX), and OFX/QFX/QBO bank files, plus a one-time full migration from MyPTEZ
• Bank connections require Stripe Financial Connections support (most major banks)

Common Questions

Can I import data from QuickBooks or other software? Yes, export your data to CSV, Excel (XLSX), or an OFX/QFX/QBO bank file and use BeeKeeper’s import feature.

Can I change my opening balance after I enter it? Not directly. Delete the opening balance entry from the account’s transaction list and enter a new one.

What if our fiscal year doesn’t start in July? New organizations default to a July fiscal year start, but you can configure any month afterward in your organization Settings.

Can multiple people work in BeeKeeper at the same time? Yes, BeeKeeper supports multiple concurrent users with real-time updates.

Is our financial data secure? Yes, BeeKeeper uses bank-level encryption and secure cloud hosting on Google Cloud Platform.