# Migrating to OneBooks

> Bring customers, suppliers, items, opening balances and Tally data into OneBooks, and what to enter by hand.

Canonical: https://docs.getonebooks.com/getting-started/migrating/
Language: en
Documentation index: https://docs.getonebooks.com/llms.txt

Moving from a spreadsheet, another accounting app or Tally follows the same order: master data first, then opening balances as of your cut-over date, then day-to-day work in OneBooks. Historical documents stay in the old system unless you bring them through Tally.

## 1. Pick a cut-over date

Choose the first day of a fiscal year or month. Balances are entered **as of the day before** that date, and everything from the date onward is recorded in OneBooks. Set **Financial year starts in** first — see [Set up your business](https://docs.getonebooks.com/getting-started/set-up-business/).

## 2. Import master data

**Data → Import / Export** imports **Customers**, **Suppliers** and **Items** from CSV or Excel.

![The Import / Export page listing the entities that can be imported and exported](https://docs.getonebooks.com/screenshots/en/data-import-hub.webp)

1. Download the **template** for the entity, fill it in, and upload the file.
2. Review the **preview** — OneBooks maps columns and shows the first rows.
3. Fix anything flagged by **Validate**, then **Commit**.

Details and column lists: [Import and export](https://docs.getonebooks.com/data/import-export/).

## 3. Enter opening balances

Opening balances make the balance sheet right on day one.

- **Customers who owe you** and **suppliers you owe** — import with the **Opening balances** template (one row per customer or supplier), or open each customer or supplier and use **Opening balance**. Each one becomes a real, unpaid document so future payments settle it.
- **Bank, cash, fixed assets, loans and capital** — open **Accounting → Chart of Accounts** and set the opening balance on each balance-sheet account.

![The Opening balances import tab with its template download](https://docs.getonebooks.com/screenshots/en/data-import-opening-balances.webp)

Opening balances post against **3050 Opening Balance Equity** and are excluded from profit-and-loss activity. They are only allowed on balance-sheet accounts; year-to-date income and expenses of a mid-year migration are entered as a dated journal entry. See [Opening balances](https://docs.getonebooks.com/accounting/opening-balances/).

## 4. Migrating from Tally

The Tally migration pulls ledgers, outstanding receivables and payables, and vouchers from a live Tally server through the OneBooks Tally Connector, and lets you review everything in the import wizard before committing. Vouchers are recorded at their original dates, so last year's sales land in last year's profit and loss. Ask support to enable it for your business. See [Tally](https://docs.getonebooks.com/integrations/tally/).

## 5. Verify

- **Reports → Trial balance** as of the cut-over date should match the old system's trial balance.
- **Sales → Receivables** and **Purchasing → Payables** should list every open balance.
- Reconcile the first bank statement early — [Bank reconciliation](https://docs.getonebooks.com/banking/reconciliation/).

## What is not migrated automatically

- Historical invoices and bills from systems other than Tally (keep the old system for reference, or export them to PDF).
- Bank history before the cut-over date.
- Inventory quantities — OneBooks does not track stock; see [Inventory fields](https://docs.getonebooks.com/items/inventory-fields/).

## Related

  - [Opening balances](https://docs.getonebooks.com/accounting/opening-balances/)
  - [Import and export](https://docs.getonebooks.com/data/import-export/)
  - [Tally](https://docs.getonebooks.com/integrations/tally/)