How do I get started in FreshBooks?

Welcome to FreshBooks! If you're currently running a business or just getting started while pursuing your passion, we're here to help you make accounting painless and easy.

Feel free to jump to the relevant section, or scroll through:

• Sign up for an Account
• Watch Our Webinars
• Import your Data
• 30 Day Trial & Pricing
• Set Up Online Payments
• Quick Links

Sign up for an Account

When you sign up for FreshBooks, you'll be put on a 30 day trial so you can try out all of our features. To sign up, use the below steps: 

With FreshBooks

1. Go to the signup page here
2. Enter in an Email
3. Next, add a Password (minimum of 8 characters or more)
4. Click on Get Started and you'll be asked a few questions about your business before you can start exploring your account. 
   
   

With Apple

1. Go to the signup page here
2. Click on the Sign in with Apple button
3. Enter in your Apple ID email and click on the arrow button
4. Enter in your Apple ID password, then click on the arrow button
5. Then enter in your two-factor authentication code
6. Click Continue to proceed with setting up Sign in with Apple
7. Edit the name if needed, and choose between Share My Email or Hide My Email to create your FreshBooks account with
8. Click Next and you’ll be taken to your FreshBooks account to finish setting up.

With Google

1. Go to the signup page here 
2. Click on the Sign in with Google button
3. Enter in your Google email and click on Next
4. Enter in your Google password, then select Next
5. Click on Allow to authorize FreshBooks to access your Google Account
6. You’ll be taken to your FreshBooks account to finish setting up.
   
   

Watch Our Webinars

If you prefer to learn alongside with a video, Webinars are run regularly, moderated by our expert support specialists and includes live chat throughout the 30-60 minutes session. We offer two types of webinars:

• 101: Getting Started with FreshBooks - Ideal for new users to learn how to get your account up and running
• 201: Getting the Most out of your FreshBooks Account - Ideal for those who already have accounts and want to get the most out of their accounts, like time tracking and Projects
• Reports (recorded webinar only) - Ideal for those wanting a walk-through of the Profit & Loss, Sales Tax Summary, Invoice Details & Expense Reports; watch the video here

Sign up for either webinars here, or if you can’t make the live webinar, watch our most recent recorded versions here.

Import your Data

You can choose to start fresh, or bring in existing data from anywhere else into your account by importing the below into your account to save time:

• Clients
• Expenses
• Items
• Taxes
• Vendors

Steps to import can be found here.

30 Day Trial & Pricing

If you’ve signed up for one of our 30 day trials, your pricing can be viewed anytime in your account with the below steps:

1. Click on the gear icon
2. Then click on Billing & Upgrade.

You can also view pricing here (varies depending on your geographic region). Upgrade anytime with these steps, and you won’t be charged until your trial ends.

Set Up Online Payments

Accept credit cards, bank transfers (ACH), and direct debit payments on your Invoices and Checkout Links by setting up with any of our payment gateways:

• FreshBooks Payments (WePay)
• Stripe (North America)
• FreshBooks Payments Powered by Stripe (International) which includes BACS (UK) and SEPA (EUR) Direct Debit
• PayPal

Quick Links

As you start creating Clients, Invoices, Estimates and more in your account, feel free to refer to these steps to help you get familiarized with your FreshBooks account even more:

• Add your first Client
• Make your first Invoice (see Invoice customizations here)
• Create your first Estimate
• Log your first Expense
• Track your first time entry
• Upgrade & Invite Team Members
• If you’re utilizing our Accounting features, read on how our Chart of Accounts works first