What is an opening balance?
The opening balance is a summary of all values (assets, liabilities and equity) at the point when you start using Catacloud. You record it once, usually as of 31 December of the previous financial year – or 1 January of the first year you start using the system.
It is not a requirement to record an opening balance before you start bookkeeping. The built-in shortcut (Option 1) disappears in three cases: once you have completed the opening balance, if you manually dismiss the "Getting started" card on Overview, or automatically three months after the company was created – regardless of whether you have posted other vouchers in the meantime. If the shortcut is gone for any of these reasons, use one of the manual options below.
Option 1: Built-in feature (during a transition period)
This option is only shown on the Overview page during a transition period after the company is created (see above for when it disappears) – it is not conditional on whether the company has any vouchers or not.
Go to Overview (the start page in Catacloud).
Click Record opening balance in the welcome box.
Fill in the form:
Voucher date – usually 31 December of the previous financial year, e.g. 31.12.2024.
Description – e.g. "Opening balance 31.12.2024".
General ledger accounts – add all balance sheet accounts (account + amount). Use debit for assets and credit for liabilities/equity.
1500 Accounts receivable – Open items – add open items per customer with amounts.
2400 Accounts payable – Open items – add open items per supplier with amounts.
Check that Control sum shows 0.00. Debit and credit must balance.
Click Create voucher.
Option 2: Advanced voucher (if the button is gone)
If the built-in shortcut (Option 1) is no longer available, or you want to record the opening balance manually for other reasons, you can do it as a regular advanced voucher.
Go to Accounting → Vouchers → New voucher and select Advanced voucher.
Set the voucher date to 31 December of the previous financial year.
Name the voucher OPENING BALANCE.
Add all balance sheet accounts with the correct debit and credit amounts.
Make sure the voucher nets to zero (debit = credit) and post it.
Note: The name OPENING BALANCE is purely a human label to help you recognize the voucher later – the system does not read the voucher name itself. An advanced voucher is recorded with a different voucher type than the form in Option 1, and the rules that apply there (including that only one opening balance can exist per client, and the requirement of 0% VAT) do not apply to an advanced voucher. If you have already recorded the opening balance using Option 2 or 3, the system will not warn you if you later also try Option 1 – be careful not to record the opening balance twice.
Option 3: Import from SAF-T
If you're switching from another accounting system, you can import the opening balance directly from a SAF-T file. Go to Overview → SAF-T Accounting import and follow the wizard. Remember to choose to import the file as opening balance if you only want the opening balance figures – not the full accounts.
See the separate article: How to switch to Catacloud from another accounting system.
Common questions and issues
Error message: "This accounting period is locked"
The opening balance is posted to the period you specify as the voucher date. If the period is locked, it must be unlocked first. Go to Administration → Accounting → General and use "Lock accounting period" to open the period temporarily.
The control sum is not zero
Debit and credit are not in balance. Check that you have entered all accounts and that the amounts and direction (debit/credit) are correct.
I don't see the opening balance in the trial balance
Check that you are looking at the correct year and that the voucher has been posted (not saved as a draft). The opening balance appears in the IB (opening balance) column in the trial balance.
When should you contact us?
Contact us if you experience an error message other than those described above, or if you cannot get the control sum to zero. Please have ready: company name, voucher date, and a description (or screenshot) of the error message.