Cloud Accounting Services on Zoho Books, QuickBooks & Xero
We set up, migrate and run your books on cloud accounting software, with GST, TDS and Companies Act rules met. For Indian companies that means an audit trail that cannot be switched off and a daily backup on servers in India.
What it is
Cloud accounting means your books live in software you open in a browser or app, not on one office computer. Bank feeds, invoices and bills flow in, and everyone works on the same live data. Our cloud accounting services cover the set-up, the monthly book-keeping and the filings that run from it.
The law allows it. Section 128 of the Companies Act, 2013 lets a company keep its books in electronic mode, and the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 set the conditions: an audit trail of every change, a daily backup on servers physically located in India, and a yearly disclosure of the service provider to the Registrar. If you want us to handle accounting and compliance together, see our compliance and accounting management service.
Who it applies to
You are tired of emailing backup files
Think of a Faridabad garment exporter whose books sit on one office PC. The owner wants sales, dues and cash on the phone, not a backup file posted to the accountant each month.
You used QuickBooks before it left India
Intuit withdrew QuickBooks from India and announced it would no longer be available here from 31 January 2023. Old QuickBooks data needs a home in software that handles Indian GST.
Your parent company abroad uses Xero or QuickBooks
A subsidiary whose parent reports in Xero or QuickBooks still has to keep Indian books that meet the Companies Act and GST rules, and map them to the group’s chart of accounts.
Why it matters
See today’s numbers
With bank feeds and online invoicing, cloud accounting services keep your books days behind at most, not months. Check what a customer owes before you call.
File returns from the same data
GST returns, e-invoices and TDS come from the same entries, so returns match books.
Walk into a clean audit
Your statutory auditor must report on the audit trail under Rule 11(g) of the Audit Rules. Software set up correctly from day one leaves the auditor little to flag.
What your software must do under Indian law
| Requirement | Where it comes from | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Audit trail (edit log) of every transaction, which cannot be disabled | Proviso to Rule 3(1), Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, from 1 April 2023 | The feature is on for all users, for the whole year |
| Daily backup on servers physically located in India | Rule 3(5) | The provider’s data location, or your own backup routine |
| Service provider and server location disclosed to the ROC every year | Rule 3(6) | Details ready for your annual filing |
| Books, including the audit trail, kept for eight financial years | Section 128(5), Companies Act, 2013 | Data export before any subscription is cancelled |
| E-invoice with IRN when aggregate turnover exceeds ₹5 crore | GST e-invoicing notifications | Software integration with the Invoice Registration Portal |
Here is the catch: these Companies Act rules apply to every company, small companies and OPCs included.
Documents required
To set up
- Certificate of incorporation, PAN and GSTIN
- Last audited balance sheet or trial balance
- Bank account list and opening balances
To migrate
- Export from your current software (masters and ledgers)
- Open customer and vendor balances
- Stock list with quantities and values
Every month
- Bank statements, if no live feed
- Purchase bills and expense receipts
- Payroll summary and loan statements
How it works
Choose the right software for your business
We look at your volumes, GST profile, stock and users, and recommend a plan. You buy it in your own name, so the data stays yours.
Set it up and migrate opening balances
Chart of accounts, tax settings, bank feeds and user roles. Opening balances are tied to your last balance sheet.
Keep the books every month
We record bills and expenses, reconcile banks, and match purchase credit with GSTR-2B, as part of our online book-keeping routine.
File GST and TDS from the books
GST returns, TDS statements and e-invoices are prepared from the same data, so nothing has to be keyed in twice.
Close the year for audit
We post year-end entries, confirm the audit trail and backup, and give the auditor read access.
Timelines
One to three weeks to go live
It depends on how much data moves across and how clean the opening balances are. In practice, a Gurugram consultancy with one bank account can go live in days; a trader with stock in three godowns takes longer.
30 days to report e-invoices
Businesses with aggregate turnover of ₹10 crore or more must report an invoice to the IRP within 30 days of its date, so the software link must work every day.
Eight years of records
Companies keep books and the audit trail for eight financial years. Export your data before you switch software or stop paying for it.
What happens if the set-up is wrong
The auditor reports it
If the audit trail was off or tampered with, the statutory auditor must say so in the audit report under Rule 11(g). Lenders read that report.
Section 128 fines
Failure to keep proper books can lead to a fine of ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh on the managing director, whole-time director in charge of finance, CFO or other person responsible.
Invalid invoices
For businesses covered by e-invoicing, an invoice without an IRN is not a valid invoice, and your buyer cannot claim input tax credit on it.
Frequently asked questions
Which cloud accounting software is best for an Indian business?
For most Indian small and mid-sized businesses, we recommend software built around Indian GST, such as Zoho Books, or TallyPrime if your team already knows it. The right choice depends on stock handling, users and e-invoicing needs. We compare two or three options against your actual volumes before you buy anything.
Is QuickBooks still available in India?
No. Intuit stopped taking new QuickBooks subscriptions in India in 2022 and announced that QuickBooks would no longer be available in India from 31 January 2023. If you still have QuickBooks data exported from those years, keep it safely, because companies must preserve books for eight financial years. We can bring the balances into your current software and keep the old records accessible.
Can an Indian subsidiary keep its books in Xero or QuickBooks?
It can follow the group’s software if the Indian conditions are met: an audit trail that cannot be disabled, a daily backup on servers in India, and GST returns and e-invoices that tie to the books. Many keep Indian books in an India-ready package and send the parent a mapped trial balance monthly. We set up whichever route your group prefers and document the mapping.
What is the audit trail rule for accounting software?
Since 1 April 2023, every company using accounting software must use one that records an edit log of each change to each transaction, with the date, and the feature must not be capable of being disabled. This comes from the proviso to Rule 3(1) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014. The auditor reports on it under Rule 11(g). We confirm it is switched on for every user.
Does my accounting data have to stay in India?
For companies, a backup of the books kept in electronic form must be maintained on servers physically located in India on a daily basis, under Rule 3(5) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules. The Registrar must also be told each year who the provider is and where its servers are. We check your provider’s data location and, where needed, set up a daily Indian backup.
Can you migrate our data from Tally or another package?
Yes. We export masters and ledgers, bring in opening balances as of a cut-off date, and tie them back to your last balance sheet. Open invoices and bills move across so receivables and payables ageing continue without a break. Older years stay available as exports for the eight-year retention period. The cleanest cut-off is the start of a financial year or quarter.
Will we need to change how our team works?
A little. Your team raises invoices and uploads bills in the software, and we do the bookkeeping, reconciliations and filings behind them. Each person gets only the access their job needs, nothing more. We give a short walkthrough at go-live, and most teams settle into the new routine within the first month.
Who pays for the software subscription?
You do, directly to the software provider, and the account stays in your company’s name. That way the data is always yours, even if you change accountants. Our fee covers set-up, migration and the monthly accounting and compliance work. We help you pick a plan that matches your volumes, and you can upgrade later.
What it costs
Our fee plus the government fee that applies to your case, quoted before you commit. Tell us the situation and we will price it exactly.
There is no government fee for setting up accounting software. The subscription is paid by you to the software provider.
Ready to begin?
Tell us what software you use today and how many invoices you raise a month, and we will propose the set-up and a go-live date.