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 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.
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:
ChurchTrac doesn't use a chart of accounts
In ChurchTrac, you use Categories to identify or designate how money is received or spent.
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.
ChurchTrac uses an Income Statement (also known as a Profit & Loss Statement)
In fund accounting, the “Profit & Loss Statement” is commonly called an Income Statement. Both refer to the same report showing income and expenses over a period of time. Churches typically use the term Income Statement to reflect a focus on stewardship rather than profit, but the report itself is the same.
Next Steps
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.