Your first step in the Ledger Dashboard is to connect your bank accounts.
You have two options:
An automatic connection through Plaid, or a manual setup.
Option A — Connect via Plaid (Recommended)
Plaid provides a secure, automatic connection to your bank. Transactions will flow into your ledger
automatically once linked.
Navigate to the Dashboard and click Connect Accounts.
Select Connect to Plaid from the options presented.
Follow the Plaid prompts to securely log in to your bank and authorize the connection.
Confirm the connection. Your account will appear in the Accounts tab and transactions will begin syncing automatically.
Option B — Add an Account Manually
If your bank is not supported by Plaid or you prefer manual entry, you can add an account yourself. Transactions will not sync automatically — you will need to import them via CSV or enter them by hand.
Click Connect Accounts on the Dashboard.
Select Add Account Manually.
Enter the Account Name. This is how you will identify the account (e.g., "Chase Business" or "Operating Account").
Enter the Bank Name (e.g., "JPMorgan Chase" or "Truist").
Select the Account Type (Checking, Savings, Credit Card, etc.).
Click Add Bank Account. The account will now appear in your Accounts tab and in transaction import dropdowns.
Important
If you plan to import transactions manually, the associated bank account must be connected or added
before you can upload transactions for it.
Importing Transactions via CSV
For manually added accounts, you can bulk-import transactions by uploading a CSV file exported from your bank.
1. Go to the Accounts tab in the left-hand navigation.
2. Click Import CSV.
3. Select the bank account the transactions are associated with from the dropdown menu.
4. Upload your CSV file by dragging it into the upload area or browsing for the file.
5. Click Analyze CSV. The system will parse the file and map the columns to the appropriate fields.
6. Review the imported data and confirm the import.
CSV Tip
Most banks allow you to export transactions as a CSV from their online banking portal. Make sure the file
includes the date, description, and amount columns at a minimum.
Navigating the Transaction Screen
The Transactions screen is where all of your financial activity lives — both transactions synced via Plaid and those added manually.
Filtering Transactions
Use the filter tabs at the top of the screen to view:
Filter | What It Shows |
All | Every transaction across all accounts |
Income | Revenue and incoming payments only |
Expenses | Outgoing payments and costs only |
Transfers | Movements between accounts |
Searching Transactions
Use the search bar at the top of the transaction list to quickly find specific
transactions by vendor name, amount, category, or description.
Managing Your Accounts
The Accounts tab displays all of your connected and manually added bank accounts. You can filter your view using the following tabs:
All — View every account in your ledger
Business — Show only business-designated accounts
Personal — Show only personal accounts
From the Accounts tab you can also import CSV files for any of your manually added accounts.
Handling Duplicate Transactions
The Duplicate Transactions screen automatically flags transactions that may have been recorded more than once — for example, when a Plaid-synced transaction is also included in a CSV import. Review flagged items regularly to keep your books accurate.
Creating Rules for Automation
Rules allow you to automate how transactions are categorized as they flow into your ledger. Instead of manually classifying each transaction, you can define conditions and actions that are applied automatically.
How to Create a Rule
Navigate to the Rules tab in the left-hand navigation.
Click Add Rule.
Define your Conditions. These determine which transactions the rule applies to. For example: Vendor equals Costco.
Define your Actions. These determine what happens when conditions are met. For example: Set Category to Office Expenses.
Choose whether to apply to historical transactions or only to new transactions going forward.
Save the rule.
Power Tip
You can add multiple conditions and multiple actions to a single rule for precise automation. For example, categorize transactions from a specific vendor above a certain dollar amount into a particular expense category.
Chart of Accounts
Your ledger comes with a default Chart of Accounts already configured. This is the list of categories used to classify every transaction in your books (e.g., Revenue, Office Expenses, Rent, Utilities).
You can customize the Chart of Accounts at any time by adding new accounts or removing ones that are not relevant to your business.
Journal Entries
The Journal Entries tab allows you to record manual accounting adjustments. Common use cases include payroll adjustments, depreciation entries, and corrections.
To add a journal entry, navigate to the Journal Entries tab and click the add button. Enter the debit and credit accounts, amounts, date, and a description of the adjustment.
Running and Downloading Reports
The Reports tab is where you generate and download your financial statements. Finally Ledger supports the following report types:
Report | Description |
General Ledger | Complete record of all transactions by account |
Profit and Loss | Revenue and expenses for a given period |
Balance Sheet | Snapshot of assets, liabilities, and equity |
Transaction List by Vendor | All transactions grouped by vendor |
Trial Balance | Summary of all account balances |
Date Range Options
By Account — Select a specific account to narrow the report scope
Full Year — Automatically covers the entire current year
Custom Dates — Set a specific start and end date for any timeframe you need
Download Options
Once your report is displaying correctly, click Download and choose from the following options:
Format — Excel (.xlsx) or PDF
Orientation — Portrait or Landscape
Headers — With or without repeating headers
Managing Vendors
The Vendors tab displays all vendors that have been registered in your ledger. Vendors are created automatically as transactions are processed, and you can also add new vendors manually. Keeping your vendor list clean helps improve the accuracy of AI classification and reporting.
Account Settings and AI Classification
Your Settings tab contains:
Personal Information — Your name and contact details
Company Information — Business name, EIN, address, phone, email, and website
AI Classification Settings — Toggle AI-powered automation on or off
AI Classification
When enabled, AI Classification automatically assigns vendors and chart-of-account categories to transactions as they flow into your ledger. This significantly speeds up the bookkeeping process and helps you close your books faster.
In some cases, the AI may not be able to detect a vendor or assign a category. When this happens, you will need to manually review and classify those transactions.
Getting the Most from AI Classification
The more transactions your ledger processes, the better the AI becomes at recognizing vendors and assigning categories. Regularly reviewing and correcting unclassified transactions helps improve accuracy
over time.
Managing Users
You can invite team members to access your Finally Ledger account directly from the Settings tab. Each user is assigned a role that determines what they can see and do within the account.
How to Invite a User
Go to Settings then select Theme, then Invite User.
Type in the user's email address.
Check 'Create a new login' only if the user does not already belong to an existing Finally account. If they already have an account, leave this unchecked.
Select their role from the dropdown (see role descriptions below).
Send the invite. The user will receive an email from [email protected] saying the primary admin has invited them to join the company. They must accept the invite to gain access.
User Roles
Role | Permissions |
Primary Admin | Full access to all features. The only role that can revoke access for any other team member |
Admin | Can do everything a Primary Admin can do, except remove other users from the account. |
Team Member | Can connect accounts, add manual accounts and transactions, and download reports. Cannot add or manage other users. |
Accountant | Access granted to Accountants/ Bookkeepers who manage the company's books. Can connect accounts, add manual accounts and transactions, and download reports. Cannot add or manage other users. |
View Only | Can run and download reports, view tabs on the account, and use search bars. Cannot make any changes or additions. |
Important
Only create a new login for a user when they do not already have an existing Finally account.