Your LedgerLite database is stored in a single file. To discover its location go to the Help menu, select About and look for the Database File. This is the full path to your LedgerLite.LLD file. (You need to ensure this file is included in your regular backup.)

It's a good idea to move both the database and the LedgerLite.EXE files to a location on your computer away from your desktop or download folder where they can be easily deleted. We suggest creating a new folder somewhere on your computer specifically to contain these two files (LedgerLite.EXE and LedgerLite.LLD.)

Then make a desktop shortcut to LedgerLite.EXE for easy access. (And please remember to add the new folder you created to your backup procedure!)

To backup LedgerLite simply copy the program file (LedgerLite.EXE) and the database file (LedgerLite.LLD) to a USB stick or external hard drive. These two files are all that's needed to run LedgerLite with your data on any Windows computer. Ideally you should try to make multiple copies on various media and put these in different locations. Do this on a regular basis.

If you're concerned about someone gaining access to your LedgerLite data you can encrypt your data by setting up a Database Authentication Password on the Global Configuration screen. This feature will prevent anyone from accessing your database without the password. (Be warned however that we have no way of breaking into an encrypted database if you forget the password!)

Yes you can. If you'd like more time trialling LedgerLite but the 30 days are up, then simply delete the LedgerLite.LLD file. When you restart LedgerLite a new empty database file will get created automatically and the free trial period will begin again.

Yes. You can share LedgerLite with a friend by simply giving them a copy of the program file LedgerLite.EXE. (Your financial and registration data are stored inside the LLD file, not the EXE file, so don't give them this unless you want them to have a copy of your data!)

LedgerLite is shareware and we'd be thrilled if you'd share it as widely as possible with anyone who could benefit from a copy of the world's simplest, most reliable accounting software. We don't have a marketing budget so our only means of promotion (apart from our website) is word of mouth and social media. However nothing beats a recommendation from someone they know and trust.

Whenever LedgerLite is run it creates a new empty LLD database file in the current folder if there isn't one there already. The creation date gets recorded inside this file in order to determine the 30-day free trial period. Once the 30 days have elapsed LedgerLite will refuse to allow access until a valid registration name/code combination are entered. Both the name and the code get recorded inside the database file and only need to be entered once to permanently unlock it.

For more information please see our YouTube video LedgerLite - Software Registration

Yes. It's easy. In fact you can create PDF files from any Windows application using this free PDF printer.

Yes indeed you can! Because LedgerLite uses only the most basic Windows API's it will run reliably on any version of Windows including WINE for Linux or any Windows emulator (& WineBottler) for the Mac (or any other operating system for that matter!)

Options include WineBottler (http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/) and CodeWeavers (https://www.codeweavers.com/).

LedgerLite works with most Windows printers because they use a standard interface but we've noticed with some new printers they sometimes do cause problems. I think this may be because the printer manufacturers have not fully tested their printer driver software with older programs like LedgerLite. You may be able to fix this problem by updating the printer driver software or by doing Windows updates.

If this doesn't work the workaround is to print to a PDF driver so the report goes to a PDF file. Most Windows computers these days have a PDF printer driver already installed. However if not there's a free one you can download here:- https://www.bullzip.com/products/pdf/info.php. Once you've installed this the PDF printer driver will appear in the printer list so you can select it as if it was any other normal printer. Then when you print it will automatically prompt whereabouts you would like to create the PDF file. You should then be able to open the PDF file and send it to the printer.

This happens by design. It allows users on different computers to tailor the report layouts to suit themselves without affecting the other users. You can bring a layout through from another workstation as follows:
     - go to the Reports menu
     - select Get Layouts From Other Workstation
     - select the workstation or user name you wish to get the layouts from

The latest (and greatest!) release of LedgerLite.EXE is version 1.91.0.0.

It's simple - LedgerLite is so cheap because it's so reliable.

Most accounting software incurs a monthly subscription to cover ongoing maintenance and support. However, because LedgerLite is able to eliminate these issues entirely, we only charge a one-off registration fee. There are no ongoing costs for your continued use of LedgerLite so we have no reason to charge you. Of course we hope once you discover how good it is you'll want to share it with others who'll also become registered users.

We tried to make LedgerLite free but we had to at least cover the cost of hosting and maintaining our website and providing support for new users. However we've tried to keep this charge to an absolute minimum. After you've paid the initial registration fee LedgerLite is essentially free from then on.

It's simple - we don't and won't pay accountants to recommend LedgerLite. Most accountants recommend leading brands of software because they get a commission. However we're more interested in providing a permanent solution to your accounting problems than we are in making money!

You can't (at least not directly.) Because LedgerLite is a double-entry system you can't set the opening balance of a ledger account by itself. One of the first principles of double-entry bookkeeping is that the accounts must always balance. This means total debits must equal total credits.

If you want to set an account balance you need to create a ledger entry where the total debits equal the total credits. This means you need to set at least one other account balance at the same time. In LedgerLite the easiest way to do this is create a single ledger entry that sets all opening balances at the same time.

Essentially you need to do these three things:
     - decide how you'd like the Balance Sheet to look at the opening date
     - edit your chart of accounts so that it matches your desired Balance Sheet
     - create a single multi-line entry that sets all account balances as at the opening date

For more information please see our YouTube video LedgerLite - Setting Opening Balances

1. Create a ledger account for each bank account or credit card in the Chart of Accounts. (Normally a bank account will be of type Asset and a credit card of type Liability.)

2. Also create a cashbook for each account and link it to its corresponding ledger account.

3. Set up your opening Balance Sheet by making a multi-line entry on the Entries screen to set up all the opening balances of your ledger accounts and make the bank accounts and credit cards match the balances on your statements as at the opening date.

4. Also on the Cashbooks screen go to each cashbook and make an opening entry that matches the statement. (When you make an opening entry in a cashbook don't select an account from the drop-down Ledger Account list. This will prevent an entry being created in the ledger accounts. You don't need this because you have already set up the opening balances as part of the opening Balance Sheet.) All your cashbook balances should now match both their statement balances and their corresponding ledger account balances as at the opening date.

5. When you make a transaction that affects a bank account or credit card enter it through the Cashbooks screen but don't put a check in the On Statement check box.

6. When you receive your statement and want to do a reconciliation go to the File menu and select Configure. Put a check in the check box labelled End Viewing Period and set the date to the closing date of the statement. You can also set the Begin Viewing Period to the opening date of the statement if you like. Then click on the OK button.

7. Go to the Cashbooks screen and select the cashbook from the drop down list. Go through the statement and match each transaction on the statement to a transaction in the cashbook. If they match then double-click on the transaction to toggle the On Statement flag to the "on" position. Write a check mark next to each transaction as you match them. Fix any transactions that don't match the statement by editing them or making additional entries for any transactions that are on the statement but not in the cashbook, putting a check in the On Statement check box.

8. Look at the balances shown at the top of the screen. If everything has been reconciled correctly all three balances, Statement Balance, Cashbook Balance and Account Balance should be the same at both the start and end of the viewing period and should match the balances shown on the statement.

To show the most recent entries at the top of the Accounts and Cashbooks screens go to the File menu and select Configure. Put a check next to Show Recent Entries First (On Screens). Then click on the OK button.

Although LedgerLite has an Import function it's only designed to import data in CSV format into a cashbook, for example a file downloaded from an online bank account. It isn't intended for importing general ledger entries from other accounting systems.

If you're switching to LedgerLite from another system we recommend keeping your existing system for your historical data and transferring only the balances of your Asset, Liability and Equity accounts as at the date you decide to switch over.

To do this, print a Balance Sheet from your old system as at the switch-over date. Use this to set up your chart of accounts in LedgerLite and make a single multi-line entry that sets up all the balances. This will ensure the Balance Sheets in both systems match as at the switch-over date. You can then post new entries into LedgerLite from that date onwards. You can also add new Income and Expense accounts to the chart of accounts as you need them.

As time goes by you'll find the data in the old system becoming less relevant, if not irrelevant!

For a demonstration of the Asset Register please see our YouTube video LedgerLite - Asset Register

The main reason for putting an asset in the Asset Register is to allow LedgerLite to automatically calculate and apply the depreciation to the general ledger. (Please note that in LedgerLite the Asset Register is not directly connected to the general ledger. This means whenever you add a record to the Asset Register you also need to make the appropriate general ledger entries for the asset's book value to appear on the Balance Sheet.)

If you're switching from another accounting system and you've accumulated depreciation from previous years you can simply include this in the multi-line entry you make in LedgerLite to set up your opening Balance Sheet. However when you put an asset in the Asset Register you need to enter the Acquisition Date as the switch-over date. You also need to enter the Cost as the original cost less the accumulated depreciation and reduce the Useful Life by the amount of time elapsed since the original acquisition date. (These adjustments are required for the depreciation to be calculated correctly going forward.)

When you select Depreciate Asset Accounts on the Maintain menu depreciation gets applied to the general ledger as at the end of each calendar month beginning in the month following the month of the Acquisition Date up until the current date. If the switch-over date is the first day of the month and you wish depreciation to be applied at the end of that same month you should set the Acquisition Date to the day immediately preceding the switch-over date (i.e. the last day of the previous month.) To maintain consistency it is a good idea to set the date of your opening Balance Sheet to this date as well (e.g. if you decide to start using LedgerLite from 1st July you should set both the date of your opening Balance Sheet and the asset Acquisition Date's to 30th June.)

The shaded entries indicate the start of each new month. To change to weeks instead of months go to the File menu and select Configure. Then put a check next to Show Weekly Indicator (On Screens) and click on the OK button.

To delete a line from a multi-line entry on the Entries screen first select the line in either Edit Mode or New Entry mode. Then hold down the <Ctrl> key and press the <Delete> key.

To move a line up or down on the Entries screen first select the line (in either Edit Mode or New Entry mode.) Then hold down the <Ctrl> key and press the <Up Arrow> or <Down Arrow> key.

When you make an entry in a cashbook and select an account from the Ledger Account drop down a double-entry is automatically created in the general ledger accounts and linked to the cashbook entry. This linked double-entry will be created consistent with the cashbook entry.

You can then edit this linked double-entry (for example where you wish to split a transaction among multiple accounts) however you should not modify the line that matches the cashbook entry otherwise the cashbook balance will not match the account balance and you will see *Inconsistent*. When you modify a linked double-entry in a way that is consistent with the cashbook entry you will see *Modified*.

Once a linked double-entry has been modified you will no longer be able to edit the cashbook entry unless you first delete the linked double-entry. If you then edit and re-save the cashbook entry another linked double-entry will automatically be created in the general ledger accounts.

There are a number of reasons why you may not be able to edit an entry in a ledger account or cashbook.

1. The date of the entry is prior to the Close Books Date. This is a date you can set on the Global Configuration screen to prevent entries or edits prior to the specified date. To fix this change the Close Books Date to a date prior to the date of the entry.

2. The program is in multi-user mode and the user is not an administrator. To fix this go to the server program and change the users Administrator field from N to Y.

3. The program has been switched to Trust Mode which permanently prevents any editing on either the Cashbooks or Entries screens. Any errors in this mode must be corrected by making another entry.

4. The program is in multi-user mode and the user is a "view only" user. To fix this go to the server program and change the users View Only field from Y to N.

5. The program is in multi-user mode and the user is restricted to a subentity different from the one the entry has been assigned to. To fix this go to the server program and change the users Restrict To Sub field from Y to N.

6. A cashbook entry was created automatically by an entry in another cashbook that was essentially a transfer between the two cashbooks. You can only change the entry by editing the original one in the cashbook where it was initially entered.

7. A ledger entry linked to a cashbook entry has been modified indirectly via the Entries screen. To fix this go to the linked ledger entry and delete it first.

LedgerLite is designed to work with multiple companies with each company's data stored in a separate file. When you first run LedgerLite it will create a file called LedgerLite.LLD. If you are using more than one company you need to rename this file keeping the LLD extension. For example rename it from LedgerLite.LLD to ABC Limited.LLD.

When you restart LedgerLite it will create another new file called LedgerLite.LLD. You can then rename this to the other company name you are using e.g. XYZ Limited.LLD. The next time you start LedgerLite it will notice there is more than one file and will prompt for which one you want to work with.

For more information please see our YouTube video LedgerLite - Multiple Companies

LedgerLite is designed to work with multiple users in a client/server configuration. To set this up you need to create two shortcuts to the LedgerLite.EXE file on your desktop. Rename these shortcuts LedgerLite Server and LedgerLite Client.

Right-click on the LedgerLite Server shortcut and select Properties. Then click on the Shortcut tab. In the Target field after the "...\LedgerLite.exe" filename (and outside the quotation marks) add the command line parameter /s and then click on the OK button.

Right-click on the LedgerLite Client shortcut and select Properties. Then click on the Shortcut tab. In the Target field after the "...\LedgerLite.exe" filename (and outside the quotation marks) add the command line parameter /c and then click on the OK button.

To run the LedgerLite server double-click on the LedgerLite Server shortcut. You should see the LedgerLite server icon appear on your system tray. You should then be able to double-click on this icon to display the LedgerLite server main screen. You can then go to the File menu and select Users to set up the users' names and passwords. You can specify which users are to have adminstrator privileges and, if subentities exist, you can set a default subentity for each user.

To run the LedgerLite client double-click on the LedgerLite Client shortcut. You will then be prompted to enter the LedgerLite server's IP address and port number which you can read off the LedgerLite server main screen. You will then be prompted to enter the user's name and password to initiate the connection.

NOTE: On each of the users' computers you only need to create the LedgerLite Client shortcut.

For more information please see our YouTube video LedgerLite - Multiple Users

LedgerLite allows you to maintain a table of subentities that can be used to keep track of projects, divisions or subsidiary companies. To create a new subentity go to the Maintain menu and select Subentities. Press the <Insert> key and fill in the Abbreviation and Name fields.

A new Subentities menu will appear allowing you to choose either an individual subentity or the consolidated accounts. When you select a subentity its name will appear in the title bar at the top of the screen and all screens and reports will show only those ledger entries that belong to that specific subentity. To work with all entries in the ledger select Consolidated from the Subentities menu. To work only with those entries that have not been assigned to a subentity select Unassigned.

On both the Entries and Cashbooks screens a new Subentity drop-down will appear allowing you to assign individual ledger or cashbook entries to specific subentities.

If you're using LedgerLite in a multi-user client/server configuration you can set a default subentity for each user and/or restrict them to a specific subentity on the Maintain Users screen of the LedgerLite server.

Unfortunately a ledger or cashbook entry can only be assigned to one subentity at a time. If you have a single transaction that affects multiple subentities you will need to split the amount manually between each individual subentity and enter each one separately.

LedgerLite allows you to setup and maintain a table of taxes that can be applied to any ledger account. You can create as many of these as you need.

In the taxes table specify:
     - the ledger account the tax applies to
     - the ledger account to be debited
     - the ledger account to be credited
     - the tax rate as a percentage

Simply click on the Tax button when making a ledger entry. Or even easier, if you make an entry in a cashbook, the tax gets applied automatically.

For more information please see our YouTube video LedgerLite - Taxes

Here in New Zealand we have a tax on goods and services (GST) at the rate of 15%. To set this up in LedgerLite create two additional accounts in your chart of accounts:
     1. An expense account named GST Expense.
     2. A liability account named Provision for GST.

In the taxes table create a new record as follows:
     Account: Sales Income Account
     Debit: GST Expense Account
     Credit: Provision for GST Account
     Rate: 13.0434783% (i.e. 15/115)

Also in the taxes table create additional records for each GST claimable expense as follows:
     Account: Claimable Expense Account
     Debit: Provision for GST Account
     Credit: GST Expense Account
     Rate: 13.0434783% (i.e. 15/115)

In Australia the goods and services tax (GST) is 10%. To set this up in LedgerLite create two additional accounts in your chart of accounts:
     1. A liability account named GST Collected.
     2. An asset account named GST Paid.

In the taxes table create a new record as follows:
     Account: Sales Income Account
     Debit: Sales Income Account
     Credit: GST Collected Account
     Rate: 9.090909% (i.e. 10/110)

Also in the taxes table create additional records for each GST claimable expense as follows:
     Account: Claimable Expense Account
     Debit: GST Paid Account
     Credit: Claimable Expense Account
     Rate: 9.090909% (i.e. 10/110)

NOTE: The above setup is for a 10% GST rate. For differing rates you need to set the Rate to the percentage the GST component represents as a fraction of the total GST inclusive price (e.g. if GST is 5.5% then the Rate should be 5.2132701% (i.e. 5.5/105.5).)

In Canada the harmonized sales tax (HST) is 15%. To set this up in LedgerLite create two additional accounts in your chart of accounts:
     1. An expense account named HST Expense.
     2. A liability account named Provision for HST.

In the taxes table create a new record as follows:
     Account: Sales Income Account
     Debit: HST Expense Account
     Credit: Provision for HST Account
     Rate: 13.0434783% (i.e. 15/115)

Also in the taxes table create additional records for each HST claimable expense as follows:
     Account: Claimable Expense Account
     Debit: Provision for HST Account
     Credit: HST Expense Account
     Rate: 13.0434783% (i.e. 15/115)

NOTE: The above setup is for a 15% HST rate. For differing rates you need to set the Rate to the percentage the HST component represents as a fraction of the total HST inclusive price (e.g. if HST is 13% as it is in Ontario then the Rate should be 11.5044248% (i.e. 13/113).)

It doesn't exactly. It uses instead what we call a "group" on the Balance Sheet or Income Statement screens. A group allows multiple accounts to appear on the report as if they're a single account. Essentially groups are the same as subaccounts except the other way 'round. Consequently it may be helpful to think of a group as a kind of "superaccount."

The ability to create groups means you can create as many accounts as you like without the worry of cluttering up your reports. For example you could create a separate ledger account for each of your customers and then create a group called Customers on the Balance Sheet. Then drag and drop all the individual customer accounts into the Customers group so that it appears as a single Customers item on the Balance Sheet.

For more information please see our YouTube video Report Layouts

Create a new equity account in your chart of accounts for each type of restricted funds. Also create a new income account named Restricted Funds Released.

When you receive restricted funds debit the bank account (or cash account) and credit the relevant restricted funds account. If there's a mixture of restricted funds create a multi-line entry that splits the amount of the receipt into each of the relevant funds.

When you spend restricted funds debit the expense account and credit the bank account (or cash account) in the usual way. In addition also debit the restricted funds account and credit the Restricted Funds Released account.

LedgerLite doesn't have any built-in concept of "closing off" or "financial years." Reports can be produced for any arbitrary date or period without the need for a period close or roll-over which means you don't need to make closing entries unless you really want to.

However if you do wish to zero your income and expense accounts at a particular date (old habits die hard!) you can use this procedure:
     - create an equity account called Retained Earnings
     - create a multi-line entry that zeroes all I & E a/c's with the balance to Retained Earnings
     - on the Balance Sheet create a group called Retained Earnings
     - drag and drop both Retained Earnings items into this group

This last step will cause both Retained Earnings items to appear as a single item on the Balance Sheet. Of course the downside to zeroing your income and expense accounts is that any Income Statement produced for a period that spans the cut off date will no longer be meaningful. On the other hand this may not be an issue for you.

For more information please see our YouTube video Periods and Rollovers

Unfortunately because a LedgerLite registration consists of a company name together with its registration code, if you wish to change the company name after you've registered, you'll need to purchase a new registration for the new name. This is the name that appears on all the LedgerLite reports in place of "Unregistered Software."

Absolutely yes it can! LedgerLite can be configured to use the Microsoft SQL Server database server. To run LedgerLite using SQL Server you need to create a new SQL Server database and name it LEDGERLITE. (You don't need to create any tables because LedgerLite will create these automatically the first time it connects.)

Next configure LedgerLite to run in client/server mode according to the instructions for multiple users. On the LedgerLite Server shortcut add the command line value /m after the /s i.e. the command line should read /s /m after the filename in the Target field.

When you run the LedgerLite Server you'll be prompted for the User Name and Password to connect to SQL Server. If SQL Server is running on the same computer you can just press enter and it'll use Windows authentication. However if you enter a User Name and Password you'll be prompted for the IP Address and Port Number of the computer where SQL Server is running. (These values can also be added to the command line after the /s /m values separated by spaces in order - user name, password, ip address, port number - to stop you from getting prompted every time.)

To convert the data in an existing LedgerLite.LLD database file create a temporary shortcut to the LedgerLite program and use the command line parameter /w. When you run this it will copy all the tables in the LedgerLite database to the SQL Server LEDGERLITE database. (NOTE: You should only do this with a newly created SQL Server database and also delete the shortcut afterwards so you don't end up with duplicate data in the SQL Server database.)

Yes indeed! LedgerLite can be configured to use the Firebird/Interbase database server. To run LedgerLite using FB/IB you need to create a new alias in the configuration file and name it ledgerlite.

Next configure LedgerLite to run in client/server mode according to the instructions for multiple users. On the LedgerLite Server shortcut add the command line value /f after the /s i.e. the command line should read /s /f after the filename in the Target field.

When you run the LedgerLite Server you'll be prompted for the User Name and Password to connect to FB/IB if it is running on the same computer. If FB/IB is on a different computer you'll need to add the user name, password, ip address and port number in that order on the command line after the /s /f values and separated by spaces.

To convert the data in an existing LedgerLite.LLD database file create a temporary shortcut to the LedgerLite program and use the command line parameter /v. When you run this it will copy all the tables in the LedgerLite database to the FB/IB database. (NOTE: You shouldn't do this with an existing FB/IB ledgerlite database. You should also delete the shortcut afterwards so you don't end up with duplicate data.)

Downloading LedgerLite used to be easy but not now. Unfortunately the big tech companies have made it harder for people to download software from small independent developers such as ourselves who don't use the cloud. But as with most things you'll succeed if you're determined to persevere and jump a few hurdles. (And please believe me when I say downloading the software is the most complicated part!)

The main difficulty seems to occur when the download doesn't complete properly. This is usually because you've failed to respond correctly to all the security warnings. Most browsers now give multiple warnings that require you to confirm you really want to continue with the download. These warning messages are not obvious. Sometimes they appear on the download menu in the top right corner or in the bottom left corner of the browser.

Select Keep and/or Keep Anyway. If you can't find this try clicking on the three small dots ". . . " to show more options. Or try the down arrow next to Show more. (I guess they just want to make sure you really really really want to do this!) And you'll also have to respond to the warnings multiple times. (I've noticed in Edge on Windows 11 you have to confirm at least four times for the download to complete!)

Once you've got through the security checks you may still run into difficulty with your antivirus software. Sometimes antivirus programs delete the LedgerLite program file before you get a chance to run it. We regularly check the download file for viruses so it's very likely to be a false alarm. If this happens you may have to temporarily disable your antivirus software before downloading. (Don't forget to re-enable it afterwards!)

Once the download is complete and you've responded to all the prompts correctly the program file will have the name LedgerLite.EXE (sometimes Windows hides the EXE part) and will appear as a small blue bird icon in your download folder or desktop (if you choose to download it there.) If you don't confirm the download by responding to all the warnings this file will have Unconfirmed somewhere in the name and you won't see the bird icon.

If at first you don't succeed try, try, try again!

LedgerLite has a built in translation table that allows you to enter your own translations for any language that uses a single-byte character set. It defaults to Spanish but we also have a French translation table you can download directly from our downloads page and import into LedgerLite.

To turn on translation go to the File menu and select Configure. Then put a check next to Translate and click on the OK button. To import a translation table go to the File menu and select Import Translation Items. To edit the translation items select Edit Translation Items. To export the translation items to a CSV file select Export Translation Items.

Because LedgerLite is a truly generic accounting system it's suitable for any type or size of organization. It allows you to create and maintain a set of accounts and produce balance sheets and income statements. LedgerLite also lets you keep a set of cashbooks (journals) and reconcile these to your online bank accounts or bank statements. These functions are the same regardless of the type of business you're accounting for. And because LedgerLite is flexible and scaleable it can even be used to track the finances for a city or national government.

Please don't hesitate to email us directly at support@responsive.co.nz. That's what we're here for!