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 Help Topics / Accounting & Budgets / Getting Started With Accounting

Getting Started With Accounting


ChurchTrac features a complete church bookkeeping software that enables you to record and track church expenses, create church budgets, and keep track of all your different ministry-related funds.

  • Navigating the Accounting Screen
  • Accounting Setup
  • Switching from Quickbooks?
  • Next Steps
  • Additional Resources

Navigating the Accounting Screen

The Accounting toolbar is where you can access your church's Funds, Categories, and Accounts. You can also generate Reports, add Payees, and create Budgets.

Accounting Toolbar

If you need help locating a specific transaction, the Search tab in the toolbar makes that easy.

Accounting Setup

To get started, you will need to set up your funds, categories, and accounts. On our Setting Up Accounting article, you will find a step-by-step video and guide to show you how to get going from start to finish.

Setting Up Accounting ›

Want us to setup your accounting?

ChurchTrac's Limited Accounting Setup Service (CLASS) is available for ministries that want a professional to set things up.

Learn more about CLASS ›
 

Switching from Quickbooks?

ChurchTrac is an easy-to-use Quickbooks alternative for churches needing to track their finances. There are 3 big differences you need to know:

  1. ChurchTrac doesn't use a chart of accounts

    In ChurchTrac, you use Categories to identify or designate how money is received or spent.

  2. Accounts in ChurchTrac are actual accounts

    In ChurchTrac, you will use Accounts to designate actual accounts held at a financial institution. This can include accounts such as checking, savings, a credit card, and more. This is not a chart of accounts.

  3. ChurchTrac doesn't offer a Profit Loss Statement

    In fund accounting, especially in non-profits and government entities, the emphasis is on tracking the sources and uses of funds, rather than profitability. For this reason, an income statement is used rather than a P&L Statement.

ChurchTrac is a single-entry, fund accounting software for churches. If you are coming from another double-entry bookkeeping software similar to Quickbooks or Aplos, the setup will be different than what you're accustomed to. If you attempt to setup ChurchTrac like other programs, it will not work as designed. Learn more about Double-Entry vs Single-Entry Accounting ›

Next Steps

Import Transactions
Create Import Rules
Add Your Payees
Create Your Budget

Additional Resources

Our downloadable Accounting Chart to give you a visualization of how these three things are connected in the software.

We also have a great article that dives deeper into the basic terminology and examples of funds, categories, and accounts.

Accounting features (including budgeting) are only included in the ChurchTrac Plus Plan.
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