Common questions
Short answers to the questions bookkeepers ask most about ZeraBooks, from uploading statements to closing the books, each with a link to the full guide.
Getting started
Is there a free trial, and do I need a card?
Yes. The trial lasts 7 days and a card is collected at checkout. Your card is charged when the one-week trial ends. See Start your free trial.
Which currencies can my books use?
USD, CAD or EUR. The books currency can't change after the first transaction, so pick it carefully. See Currency and region.
I'm switching from QuickBooks or Xero. How do I bring my books over?
Choose Books are up to date or Books need catching up when you set up the company, then upload your closing trial balance and any unpaid invoices and bills. ZeraBooks brings in closing balances, not your full transaction history. See Move your books to ZeraBooks.
Banks and statements
Does ZeraBooks connect to my bank automatically?
No. There's no bank feed. You upload each account's statement as a PDF, CSV or Excel file, and ZeraBooks reads it and checks its balances. See Upload a statement.
What files can I upload, and how big?
One account's statement per file, as PDF, CSV or Excel, up to 10 MB and 10,000 rows. There's no page limit. See Upload a statement.
What happens if I upload the same statement twice?
It's refused with Statement already imported. If a new statement repeats rows from another one, nothing is imported; if only the dates overlap, it imports with a warning. See Error messages.
How do I undo a wrong upload?
In Banks & Cards, open Account actions › Remove a statement…. This removes the statement and its transactions permanently. See Remove a statement.
How do I record a credit-card payment or a transfer between my accounts?
Upload both statements. ZeraBooks pairs the two sides as a transfer, so the payment isn't counted as an expense. See Transfers, card payments and owner draws.
What does "need review" mean?
The transaction is Uncategorized or was flagged by the AI. Switch to Edit in Banks & Cards and pick a category, or click Looks right. See Review and fix categories.
Can I fix every transaction from one merchant at once?
Yes. After you change one, ZeraBooks offers Apply to N similar. See Apply a correction to similar transactions.
Categories and the Ledger
Can I delete a category?
No. Deactivate it instead: nothing new can be booked to it until you activate it again. See Add, edit and deactivate categories.
Can I import my chart of accounts?
Yes. Import a CSV, Excel or PDF from your old software. You review every row before anything is saved, and existing categories are kept. See Import a chart of accounts.
How do I record a journal entry?
In Ledger, click Add Transaction and choose Journal. Debits and credits must be equal. See Record a journal entry.
How do I see why the AI chose a category?
Open the transaction and click the Activity tab. It shows how the category was set, for example "Categorized by ZeraBooks AI" or "Category set by you". See Transaction details and activity.
Reconciliation and month-end
Do I have to match every transaction to the bank?
No. ZeraBooks reconciles whole statements: the opening and closing balances prove the month. See How reconciliation works.
How do I reconcile a credit card?
The same way as a bank account: upload its statement. It's checked month by month in Reconciliations, with Payments and Charges instead of deposits and withdrawals. See How reconciliation works.
My month shows an orange !. What do I do?
It doesn't tie. Open it, read Flags & suggestions, and fix the misread balance, missing row or extra row. See Fix a month that doesn't tie.
How do I sign off a month?
Click Finalize… on a tied month, then Finalize, or use Finalize all N tied months. See Finalize a month.
Why did a finalized month say Reopened?
Its checked numbers changed after sign-off. Review what changed, remove the sign-off and finalize again. See Reopened months.
How do I fix a transaction in a closed month?
Reopen the books in Reconciliations, make the change, then close the books again. See Close and reopen the books.
Who records depreciation, loan interest and prepaid expenses?
Autopilot proposes them from your books and records them or asks you first. See Month-end entries.
Autopilot and AI
Does Autopilot run overnight?
No. There's no nightly or scheduled run. It runs when you click Run now, when you open ZeraBooks, and a few seconds after you upload or change something. See What Autopilot does.
Why did ZeraBooks ask me instead of doing it?
It wasn't sure enough for your mode and the risk of the decision. Answer in Needs you. See Answer Autopilot's questions.
Can I undo what Autopilot did?
Yes, from Done by AI, except merged vendors or customers and reminder emails already sent. See Review and undo AI actions.
How do I make ZeraBooks ask before doing things?
Switch to Balanced or Cautious, or turn off individual switches such as Approve bills and invoices. See Choose how much ZeraBooks does.
Bills and invoices
Can I pay bills from ZeraBooks?
No. ZeraBooks records what you owe and matches it to the payment on your bank or card statement. It never sends or moves money. See Match a bill to its payment.
Why is my bill waiting in In Review?
One of the posting checks isn't met, such as a new vendor, lines that don't add up, or a possible duplicate. The bill names what's missing. See Why a bill is waiting.
Can my customers pay invoices online?
No. ZeraBooks doesn't process payments. Payments are matched from the deposits on your uploaded statements, or recorded with Mark as Paid…. See Record payments and credits.
Are payment reminders sent automatically?
Only in Autopilot mode with Send payment reminders on, for invoices you emailed from ZeraBooks that are at least 7 days overdue. Otherwise ZeraBooks asks you first. See Payment reminders.
How do I issue a credit memo?
Create an invoice whose total is negative, using a negative price, then apply it to the customer's unpaid invoice. See Credit memos.
Reports
Can I switch between cash and accrual?
No. There's no cash or accrual switch in Financials. See Statement options.
How do I see the transactions behind a number?
Click any amount in Financials, then Open in Ledger. See Drill into any number.
How do I send financial statements to a client?
In Financials, open the Download menu and choose Email report…. You can send to up to 10 addresses with up to 25 MB of attachments. See Email financial statements.
Clients and your account
How do I add or switch between clients?
Add one with Add a client in ⌘ K or New client on All Clients. Switch from the company menu or by typing the company's name in ⌘ K. See Add a client and Switch between clients.
Is there a charge per client?
Your subscription includes 3 active client companies. Each additional active client is $29 a month, or $290 a year on annual billing. See Billing and your trial.
How do I cancel or change my plan?
Go to Settings › Billing and click Manage billing. Card, invoices, plan changes and cancellation are handled on Stripe's secure portal. See Billing and your trial.
Do you build solutions for accounting firms?
Yes. ZeraBooks builds custom solutions specifically for accounting firms, scoped and priced with each firm. Referrals from top-10 U.S. accounting firms are available as references on request. Contact us to talk about your firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ZeraBooks run payroll?
No. Upload the statements that show your payroll payments and categorize them; ZeraBooks keeps the books, not the payroll.
Can I invite my team or set roles and approvals?
No. ZeraBooks is used by one person per account, with no team roles or approval chains. Bookkeepers keep each client as a separate company.
Where do I find every error message explained?
In Error messages, grouped by screen. For shortcuts and the page map, see Navigation and shortcuts.
Learn more about AI bookkeeping: Autopilot and Ask Zera keep the books inside a real general ledger.
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