Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Clarth in 5 minutes. This guide walks you through account setup, connecting your bank, and recording your first transaction.

Prerequisites

• A UK bank account (business or personal)
• Your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) if you're self-employed
• Your company number if you're a limited company

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Step 1: Create Your Account

1. Go to clarth.co.uk/sign-up

2. Enter your email address and create a password

3. Select your business type:

   • Sole Trader — Self-employed individuals
   • Landlord — Property rental income
   • Contractor — CIS and freelance work
   • Limited Company — Registered companies

4. Verify your email address via the link sent to your inbox

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Step 2: Complete Your Profile

Navigate to Settings > Business Profile and fill in:

• Business name — Your trading name or company name
• UTR number — 10-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference
• Address — Your registered business address
• VAT number — If you're VAT registered (optional)
• Fiscal year end — Usually 5 April for sole traders, your year-end for companies

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Step 3: Connect Your Bank

1. Go to Banking > Connect Account
2. Select your bank from the list (supports 50+ UK banks)
3. Authorise the connection via Open Banking
4. Select which accounts to import:
   • Current account — Daily transactions
   • Savings account — If relevant
   • Credit card — Business credit cards

Clarth will import the last 12 months of transactions automatically.

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Step 4: Set Up Your Chart of Accounts

Clarth comes with a pre-built chart of accounts tailored to your business type. To review or customise:

1. Go to Accounting > Chart of Accounts
2. Browse the default categories
3. Add custom categories if needed:
   • Click Add Category
   • Enter the account name and code
   • Select the account type (Asset, Liability, Income, Expense)

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Step 5: Categorise Your First Transactions

1. Go to Banking > Transactions
2. Click on an uncategorised transaction
3. Choose a category from the dropdown, or let Clarth's AI suggest one
4. Add a description or reference (optional)
5. Click Save

Tip: Create rules to auto-categorise recurring transactions. Click the Create Rule button on any transaction to set up pattern matching.

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Step 6: Record Your First Transaction

Manual Entry

1. Go to Accounting > Journal Entry
2. Select the date
3. Add the debit and credit entries:
   • Debit: Expense category (e.g., Office Supplies)
   • Credit: Bank account
4. Add a description
5. Click Post Entry

Quick Add

Use the + button in the top navigation for quick entry:

• Invoice — Create a sales invoice
• Expense — Record a business expense
• Payment — Log a payment received or made
• Transfer — Move money between accounts

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Step 7: Run Your First Report

1. Go to Reports in the navigation
2. Select a report type:
   • Profit & Loss — See your income vs expenses
   • Balance Sheet — Assets, liabilities, and equity
   • Cash Flow — Money in and out over time
3. Set the date range
4. Click Generate Report
5. Export as PDF or CSV if needed

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What's Next?

• Your First Invoice — Create and send a professional invoice
• Accounting — Learn about the double-entry ledger
• Tax — Set up MTD compliance and tax filing
• Integrations — Connect additional tools and services

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Need Help?

• In-app chat — Click the chat icon in the bottom right
• Email — [email protected]
• Phone — 0800 123 4567 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)