Cybooks

Set your opening balances

Enter your account balances from a previous accounting system so that Cybooks starts with accurate financial data.

When you switch to Cybooks from another accounting system, you need to bring across the closing balances from your old system as opening balances in Cybooks. This ensures your balance sheet, profit and loss, and other reports are correct from day one. You'll set a migration date (the date you start using Cybooks) and enter a debit or credit amount for each account that has a balance.

Before you start

Prepare the following from your previous accounting system:

  • A trial balance or balance sheet as at the day before your migration date
  • The closing balance for each account (assets, liabilities, equity, income, and expense)
  • Decide on your migration date -- the date you began (or will begin) processing all transactions in Cybooks. It's easiest to set this to the start of a tax period (e.g. 1 January or 1 July)

Set the migration date

The migration date tells Cybooks when you started using the system. Opening balances are recorded as at the day before this date.

  1. Go to Settings and select Opening Balances from the sidebar.

  2. Click Edit.

  3. Click Migration Date.

  4. In the Migration Date modal, select the Month and Year that you began processing transactions in Cybooks.

    The modal displays the date you need to enter balances as at. For example, if you select January 2026, your opening balances should be as at 31 December 2025.

  5. Click Confirm.

Enter opening balances

  1. Go to Settings and select Opening Balances from the sidebar.

  2. Click Edit.

  3. Your chart of accounts is displayed in expandable sections grouped by account type: Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Income, and Expense. Click a section to expand it.

  4. For each account that has a balance, enter the amount in either the Debit or Credit column:

    • Entering a value in Debit automatically clears the Credit field for that account, and vice versa
    • The Available Balance column shows the current closing balance for each account, with a DR or CR badge indicating the direction
    • Only enter amounts for accounts that have a balance -- leave the rest at zero

  5. If you need an account that does not appear in the list, click Add new account at the bottom of any section to create one.

  6. Review the summary at the bottom of the page:

    • Total shows the sum of all debits and credits
    • Opening Balance Adjustments shows any difference between total debits and total credits
    • Total amount includes the adjustment and should show equal debits and credits

  7. Click Continue.

  8. If your debits and credits do not balance, a warning modal appears explaining the difference. You can:

    • Click Go back to adjust your balances
    • Click Continue to proceed -- the difference will be posted to the Opening Balance Adjustment account automatically

  9. Review the confirmation screen. This shows only the accounts with balances and the final totals, including any adjustment entry.

  10. Click Confirm to save.

After saving, a success modal confirms your opening balances have been recorded. Cybooks creates journal entries with the transaction type "Opening Balance" for each account.

Edit or delete opening balances

Edit opening balances

  1. Go to Settings > Opening Balances.

  2. Click Edit.

  3. Adjust the debit and credit amounts as needed, then click Continue and Confirm.

Saving again overwrites the previous opening balance entries.

Delete opening balances

  1. Go to Settings > Opening Balances.

  2. Click Delete.

  3. In the confirmation modal, confirm the deletion.

This removes all opening balance journal entries from your accounts.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if my debits and credits don't balance? Cybooks automatically posts the difference to an Opening Balance Adjustment equity account. This keeps your books balanced. You can go back and correct the amounts later if needed.

Can I change the migration date after saving? Yes. Click Edit on the Opening Balances page, then click Migration Date to select a new month and year. You will need to make sure the account balances are correct as at the new date.

What date are the opening balance journal entries recorded on? They are recorded on the day before your migration date. For example, if your migration month is January 2026, the entries are dated 31 December 2025.

Do I need to enter balances for every account? No. Only enter balances for accounts that had a balance in your previous system. Accounts left at zero are ignored when saving.

Can I add new accounts while entering opening balances? Yes. Click Add new account within any account type section to create a new chart of accounts entry without leaving the page.

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