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Getting Started

From signup to your first transactions

Getting Started

Reading time: 6 minutes

Go from sign-up to your first transactions in Atlas. This checklist walks you through the essential setup steps to get your accounting running.

Step 1: Sign Up and Verify

  1. Visit the Atlas signup page
  2. Enter your name, email, and password
  3. Check your inbox for the verification email
  4. Click the verification link to activate your account

Step 2: Create Your Organization

After verifying your email:

  1. Enter your organization name (your business or group name)
  2. This is the top-level container for all your companies and users
  3. You are automatically assigned the Owner role

Step 3: Create Your First Company

  1. Enter the company name
  2. Set the base currency (cannot be changed later)
  3. Choose your industry — Atlas generates a default Chart of Accounts based on this
  4. Set your fiscal year start month (defaults to January)
  5. Click Create

You are now inside your company dashboard.

Step 4: Configure Company Settings

Navigate to Settings > Company and complete:

SettingWhy It Matters
Business AddressAppears on invoices and official documents
Company LogoDisplayed on invoices and reports
Payment TermsDefault due date for new invoices (e.g., Net 30)
Invoice NumberingPrefix and starting number for invoices
Tax SettingsTax rates for your jurisdiction

Step 5: Set Up Your Chart of Accounts

Atlas created a default COA based on your industry. Review and customize:

  1. Go to Settings > Chart of Accounts
  2. Add accounts you need (e.g., specific bank accounts, revenue streams)
  3. Remove accounts you will not use
  4. Set up parent/child hierarchy for grouped reporting

See the Chart of Accounts guide for details.

Step 6: Add Your Bank Accounts

  1. Go to Settings > Bank Accounts
  2. Click Add Bank Account for each account
  3. Enter the account name, type, currency, and corresponding GL account
  4. Import your first bank statement to start reconciling

See the Banking guide for import details.

Step 7: Invite Your Team

  1. Go to Settings > Team
  2. Click Invite User for each team member
  3. Assign roles based on their responsibilities:
    • Admin — full access
    • Accountant — accounting and period close
    • Bookkeeper — daily transaction entry
    • Viewer — reports only

See the RBAC guide for role details.

Step 8: Import Your Data

If migrating from another system:

  1. Chart of Accounts — Import via CSV at Settings > Chart of Accounts
  2. Customers — Import at Contacts > Customers > Import
  3. Vendors — Import at Contacts > Vendors > Import
  4. Opening Balances — Create a journal entry with your starting balances as of your go-live date

See the Quick Start Guides for platform-specific migration paths.

Step 9: Your First Transactions

You are now ready to start transacting:

ActionWhere
Create an invoiceInvoicing > New Invoice
Enter a billBills > New Bill
Record a journal entryAccounting > New Journal Entry
Import a bank statementBanking > Import Statement
Log an expenseExpenses > New Expense

Step 10: Run Your First Reports

  1. Navigate to Reports
  2. Start with:
    • Trial Balance — verify your opening balances are correct
    • Profit & Loss — see income and expenses
    • Balance Sheet — see your financial position

Setup Checklist

Use this checklist to track your progress:

  • Account created and email verified
  • Organization created
  • First company created with correct base currency
  • Company settings configured (address, logo, terms)
  • Chart of Accounts reviewed and customized
  • Bank accounts added
  • Team members invited with appropriate roles
  • Data imported (if migrating)
  • First transaction created
  • First report run and reviewed