Switching Accounting Software: A Practical Preparation Checklist

Decide what needs to move

List the records you need in the new system and the history you need to retain elsewhere. Contacts, a chart of accounts, opening balances and bank transactions are different import tasks. A company connection or successful contact import does not prove that every historical transaction and attachment has moved.

Before choosing software, try the workflows you rely on and compare the current plan limits. If you are considering Xero and Ledra, use the Xero alternative comparison to check the selected packages and their differences. Keep copies of exports and reports from the old system.

Agree the opening position

• Agree the cut-over date and accounting start date with your bookkeeper or accountant.
• Review financial-year and GST settings for the organisation.
• Identify the opening balances and outstanding customer and supplier amounts required at that date.
• Choose the first bank-statement period to import, so it does not overlap work already recorded.

Keep a written record of what the opening totals include. An unexplained balance should be investigated before migration rather than hidden in a convenient account.

Review a small import first

Use the original Setup workflow and the supported template for the record type. Review column mappings and resolve highlighted validation issues. Confirm that account codes, types, contacts and amounts mean what you expect before importing the rest.

Example: you plan to move a contact list and a chart of accounts. Test a small reviewed file, check the resulting records and then prepare the remaining files without duplicating the first batch. This is a preparation example, not a promise of automatic historical migration.

Check totals before new activity

Compare the opening position with your retained source reports. Review bank-account setup, outstanding amounts and any unresolved import rows. Agree how you will keep the old system's records accessible before ending that subscription.

Payroll history and STP year-to-date information need their own controlled review. Do not assume an accounting import completes a payroll transfer, or submit duplicate payroll reports as a migration shortcut. Obtain advice about your circumstances where needed.

The sole-trader accounting workflow provides a starting point for day-to-day work. The existing Help Centre import article covers product instructions. This checklist helps you prepare the move; it does not replace an accountant's review of opening records.