Getting Started with Tally

Common issues

• Problem: I uploaded a document and it's still pending.

  • Why: extraction takes a few seconds. Larger PDFs and multi-page receipts take longer.
  • What to do: refresh the list. If still pending after a minute, see Troubleshooting.

• Problem: Tally extracted the wrong vendor or amount.

  • Why: handwritten notes, low-resolution scans, or unusual layouts can throw extraction off.
  • What to do: edit the document inline and approve. Tally learns from corrections — the same vendor will be cleaner next time.

• Problem: I'm a bookkeeper and I want to try Tally on my own books before inviting clients.

  • Tally supports this directly. You can provision your firm as its own demo client and try the full workflow on your own data first. See Bookkeeper workspace for the firm-self-client flow.

If you're a bookkeeping or accounting firm

Tally was built first for firms managing many clients. The path is:

1. Sign up at the firm path. You become the workspace owner.
2. Add your first client workspace. You can choose to bill the client directly or pay on their behalf — both flows are supported.
3. Invite team members if you have them, with the right access level (view, review, or full).
4. Upload a sample of documents for the client — invoices, receipts, or a CSV of historical transactions to give Tally context fast.
5. Review what Tally extracted. She'll show you vendor name, amount, date, category, and any flags (missing fields, possible duplicates, anomalies).
6. Approve, correct, or reject. Each decision teaches Tally how your firm handles that vendor or category.
7. Connect QuickBooks for the client when you're ready to push reviewed work through.
8. See what Tally learned on the client's Memory page — vendor patterns, approval history, autonomy progress.

After 5–10 reviews per common vendor, Tally will start suggesting how to handle similar documents automatically. After more, she earns the right to handle them on her own (with your override always available).

If you're a small business owner

Tally works directly for SMBs too:

1. Sign up at the business path.
2. Upload your first invoices and receipts. Either drop them in directly, forward them to your Inbox address (Pro), or import a CSV of past transactions.
3. Review what Tally extracted. She'll show vendor, amount, date, category, and any flags.
4. Approve, correct, or reject. This is where Tally learns your business — your vendors, your categories, what's normal and what isn't.
5. Optional — connect your bank to bring transactions in automatically (Starter tier and up).
6. Optional — connect QuickBooks to push reviewed documents through to your books (Starter tier and up).
7. Visit the Memory page to see what Tally has learned: which vendors she recognizes, what your spending patterns look like, what's pending.

You don't need to do everything in week one. The most important thing is to review the documents Tally surfaces — that's how she learns your business.

What's next

• Documents — upload, review, approve
• How Tally learns — why imports give Tally context but reviews give her authority
• Connect QuickBooks
• Bookkeeper workspace
• Plans and billing

What you'll do

• If you're a bookkeeper or accounting firm: create your workspace, add your first client, upload some documents, review what Tally extracted, and see what she learned.
• If you're a small business owner: create your account, upload a few documents, review the exceptions, and (optionally) connect QuickBooks or your bank.

By the end, Tally will know enough about your vendors and patterns that the next month is faster than the first.