This tour shows how the parts of the app fit together. Each part has its own guide with more detail.

Watch the walkthrough: App overview, 12 minutes. The video predates some changes to the app. Where they differ, follow this page.

The matters list

The matters list is the first thing you see after you sign in. It shows the matters in your workspace. You can search them by name and filter them by tag. Click a matter to open it.

Inside a matter

The matter's name and tags show at the top. Click Edit Matter next to the name to change them. Below the name are the matter's totals for Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Income, and Expenses.

A matter has three tabs: Accounts, Transactions, and Reports.

Accounts tab

The Accounts tab holds the Chart of Accounts. It has five sections.

Asset Accounts. Categories and the specific assets under them. An example estate might have Financial Assets with an estate checking account and the decedent's checking account under it, Retirement Accounts with an IRA under it, Real Estate with a primary residence, and Vehicles with one car.
Liability Accounts. Debts, such as a mortgage.
Equity Accounts. Opening Balance Equity and Net Income (Loss). You use Opening Balance Equity when you record opening balances.
Income Accounts. The categories your reports use for money received. In Wisconsin, for example, the probate court requires Schedule A for added property, Schedule B for dividends, Schedule C for interest, Schedule D for capital gains, and Schedule E for other receipts. Other states differ, so your income accounts may differ too.
Expense Accounts. The categories your reports use for money paid out. These often follow a statute as well. You can add subaccounts, such as several kinds of administration expense, to show how money was spent.

Transactions tab

There are two ways to reach an account's transactions.

Click the Transactions tab and choose the account in View transactions for.
Click an asset or liability account's name on the Accounts tab.

The ledger lists the account's transactions with a running Balance. Take the decedent's checking account in the example estate.

An opening balance of $20,000 on the date of death, with Opening Balance Equity as the other account.
A $15 interest deposit later that month, with the Schedule C interest account as the other account. It is tagged Taxable so it appears on a separate report. The balance is now $20,015.
A $20,015 payment the next month, with the estate checking account as the other account. This is the transfer that closes the account.

The balance is now zero. That means every dollar in the account has been accounted for.

Each row has a Date, an optional Check #, a Description, an amount in the Deposit or Payment column, the other Account, and optional Tags. Click a row to edit it. Use the Add Transaction row to enter a new one.

You always enter a transaction from an asset or liability account. Two views under Views in the same dropdown let you look at the books another way.

Account Ledgers. Every account that has activity, including income and expense accounts. Use it to see everything recorded under a category such as taxes paid. You cannot enter transactions here, but each entry has an Edit button that opens it in the ledger where it was entered.
General Journal. Every transaction in the matter in one list. It is read-only.

Reports tab

Pick a report from the menu at the top of the Reports tab. Its options appear in the side panel.

Inventory Report. The estate's assets and liabilities as of one date, usually the date of death.
Income Statement. All income and expenses between two dates.
Combined Account. An opening inventory, the income and expenses for the period, and a closing inventory, with an optional summary.
Tagged Transactions. Transactions grouped by tag, such as everything tagged Taxable.

You can change the Report Name. The Report Subtitle is shared by every report in the matter, so it is a good place for a case number. Click Export to download a report as PDF, Excel, or CSV.

Workspaces and settings

Click your profile picture in the top right to switch workspaces or open Workspace Settings and Account Settings. Most firms need only one workspace, but you can create more.

Press Cmd+K on a Mac or Ctrl+K on Windows to search the app or ask the assistant from any page.

Tour of Estate Bookkeeper