CA-led migration from Tally ERP 9 or Tally Prime to Zoho Books for Delhi SMEs, traders and companies
Moving from desktop Tally to Zoho Books comes down to one decision and one check. The decision is the cut-over date and what moves: for most Delhi businesses, masters, closing balances and open invoices and bills, with older years left in Tally as a read-only archive. The check is that the Zoho trial balance on that date agrees with Tally, ledger by ledger, before anyone stops posting in Tally. CorporateWalla's CA team plans both, sets up GST and e-invoicing so billing carries on without a break, and hands your auditor a file they can review. Fixed fee from ₹9,999.
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| From | Tally ERP 9 or Tally Prime, single or multiple companies |
| To | Zoho Books, India edition |
| What usually moves | Chart of accounts, customers, vendors, items, opening balances, open invoices and bills |
| What usually stays | Closed years, as a read-only Tally archive |
| Best cut-over | 1 April, using finalised 31 March balances; a month-end works if you cannot wait |
| Audit trail rule | Binds companies under Rule 3(1), Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014; not proprietorships, firms or LLPs |
| GST continuity | Same GSTINs; new invoice series and e-invoicing connection set up in Zoho Books |
| Our fee | From ₹9,999 one-time, excluding GST; Zoho subscription paid by you to Zoho |
Move when the problem is access, not accounting. The usual Delhi trigger is a Tally licence on one computer in the shop or office, a staff accountant who has to be physically present to raise an invoice, and an owner who wants to see receivables from the phone. Zoho Books runs in the browser, lets several users and your CA log in at the same time, and connects to the e-invoicing and e-way bill systems from inside the invoice screen.
Stay, or move part of the business, when Tally is doing heavy inventory work. A manufacturer in Okhla or Bawana running bills of material, job-work and godown-wise stock may find that Zoho Books alone does not cover the same ground, and Zoho itself points advanced inventory users to Zoho Inventory. We tell you that at assessment rather than after the import.
A migration is a change of system, not a clean-up. If the Tally books are not reconciled, we will say so and quote the clean-up first.
Areas are named only to describe where our clients trade. The work is delivered remotely, with meetings at our Delhi office when needed.
Only if you are a company. For financial years starting on or after 1 April 2023, the proviso to Rule 3(1) of the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 requires a company keeping books in software to use software that records an audit trail of every transaction, logs each edit with its date, and cannot have the trail switched off. Rule 11(g) of the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 then requires the auditor to report on it.
| Entity | Rule 3(1) audit trail | What we prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Private limited, OPC, public or Section 8 company | Applies | Plan for preserving Tally's edit log, Zoho audit trail settings, migration file for the Rule 11(g) review |
| LLP | Not under Rule 3(1) | Archive and migration file as good practice for tax and GST records |
| Partnership firm or proprietorship | Does not apply | Archive and migration file as good practice |
For a company, the migration has three consequences. The Tally data, with its edit log, has to be kept and remain readable, because the books for earlier years still live there. Rule 3(5) requires backups of electronic books on servers physically located in India, taken daily. And Rule 3(6) requires the company to report the software service provider's details, and for cloud books the address given by the provider, to the Registrar with its financial statements. We list these in the migration file so your company secretary and auditor see them in one place.
Sources: Rules 3(1), 3(5) and 3(6), Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, as amended; Rule 11(g), Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014. Confirm the evidence your auditor wants before cut-over.
The migration date is the date of the Tally trial balance you carry into Zoho Books, and everything else follows from it.
| Cut over on 1 April | Cut over at a month-end during the year | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening figures | 31 March balances, after year-end entries | Provisional balances that may change when the year is finalised |
| Year's accounts | Drawn from Zoho Books alone | Combined from Tally (before) and Zoho Books (after) |
| GST returns | Every period prepared in Zoho Books | Earlier periods stay with the Tally data |
| Company audit trail | One system for the year | Two systems in one year; both trails reviewed |
| When to start | Assessment in January or February | At least a month before the chosen month-end |
For Delhi traders with long credit cycles, the most important opening balance is not the bank: it is party-wise receivables and payables. We move those as open invoices and bills with their original dates and numbers, so ageing and collection follow-up continue in Zoho Books from day one instead of starting with a single lump balance per party.
Companies, years, voucher volume, ledgers, godowns, GSTINs and any TDL customisations. We flag suspense balances, unreconciled banks and duplicate parties.
A written scope: what moves, what stays in Tally, the migration date and who signs off.
Each Tally group and ledger is mapped, dormant ledgers are left behind, and Schedule III groupings are kept where a company needs them.
Organisation, financial year, GSTIN, tax rates, invoice series, users and roles, and inventory settings where used.
Chart of accounts, then customers and vendors, then items with opening stock, then opening balances, then open transactions, following Zoho's own Tally migration guide.
Zoho trial balance against Tally on the migration date, ageing against Tally outstanding reports, stock value against the stock summary. Differences are traced, not adjusted away.
First invoices, first e-invoice and e-way bill, first bank reconciliation, and the Tally period locked.
Your GSTINs do not change when your software does, but almost everything around them is re-entered. We plan the switch so that no invoice goes out in the first week without the right series, tax rate or e-invoice.
Our GST e-invoicing and GST return filing services can run alongside the migration if you want the first returns from Zoho handled by us.
Sources: Notification 10/2023-Central Tax; Zoho Books help on e-invoicing and e-way bills (zoho.com/in/books/help).
Many Delhi businesses hold a second registration for a warehouse in Gurugram or Noida. Each GSTIN files its own returns, so the Zoho Books set-up has to keep each one's sales, purchases, stock and tax apart. We decide at assessment whether that is best done as GSTINs within one organisation or as separate organisations, carry over any stock-transfer balances between your own registrations, and check that the Zoho plan you subscribe to allows the number of GSTINs you hold.
Zoho's plan features and prices change; confirm them on zoho.com/in/books/pricing when you subscribe. We do not resell subscriptions.
| Plan | Professional fee | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Essential Migration | From ₹9,999 | One company, one GSTIN: assessment, mapping, masters, opening balances, Zoho set-up and tie-out |
| Standard Migration | Custom quote | Open invoices and bills, current-year transactions, GST and e-invoicing set-up, inventory items |
| Complex Migration | Custom quote | Several companies or GSTINs, multi-year history, godown-wise stock or manufacturing |
One-time fee. Zoho Books subscription is paid by you directly to Zoho.
Every price is a professional fee and excludes GST and any government or third-party charges. Payment is 50% upfront, 50% on delivery.
All fees and charges listed are indicative only and do not constitute a binding offer. Final amounts may vary depending on the volume of work and the complexity involved.
Many Delhi SMEs have a long-standing CA who finalises the accounts and files the returns, and the migration should make that relationship easier, not harder. Before go-live we agree with your CA which opening figures they accept. Afterwards they get accountant access to Zoho Books and a migration file containing:
If your CA prefers to keep finalising in Tally for one more year while billing moves to Zoho, we can set that up as a parallel run, but it doubles the posting and should end at the next 1 April.
| In Tally | In Zoho Books |
|---|---|
| Bill-wise references on old party ledgers | Only open bills move; settled references stay in the Tally archive |
| Broker or commission-agent ledgers in trade books | Recreated as vendors or accounts after review |
| Godown-wise stock | Mapped to warehouses or locations where the plan supports it; otherwise assessed separately |
| Cost centres | Usually rebuilt as reporting tags |
| TDL customisations and custom reports | Not imported; rebuilt using Zoho reports or custom fields where needed |
| Payroll | Run in a payroll system; only the accounting entries post to Zoho Books |
We are a CA and CS practice operating under DSG CORPORATE FINANCIAL ADVISORS LLP, with a Delhi office at 04 Malook Singh Marg, Arjun Nagar, Krishan Nagar, Delhi 110051, and we have supported 2,500+ companies across our practice.
| Reference | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Rule 3(1) proviso, Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 | Audit trail in accounting software for companies, from financial years starting 1 April 2023 |
| Rule 3(5) and 3(6), Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014 | Daily backup on servers in India; annual intimation of service provider details to the Registrar |
| Rule 11(g), Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014 | Auditor's report on the audit trail |
| Notification 10/2023-Central Tax | E-invoicing for aggregate turnover above ₹5 crore, from 1 August 2023 |
Authority sources: Ministry of Corporate Affairs at mca.gov.in, ICAI at icai.org, the GST portal at gst.gov.in and Zoho Books help at zoho.com/in/books/help.
A partnership firm distributing electrical goods, with one Delhi GSTIN and about 600 active parties in Tally Prime, moved to Zoho Books from 1 April. The scope was masters, 31 March balances and open bills only; nine earlier years stayed in Tally. The first tie-out of the Zoho opening trial balance against Tally showed three differences:
| Ledger | Tally (₹) | Zoho first import (₹) | Cause and fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sundry debtors | 48,62,300 | 48,57,300 | An on-account receipt of ₹5,000 not set against any bill; imported as an unapplied payment |
| Sundry creditors | 21,40,800 | 21,40,800 | Agreed |
| Stock-in-hand | 36,15,000 | 36,08,400 | Two items with a different unit in Tally; units corrected and opening stock re-imported |
| Input GST | 1,82,450 | 1,82,450 | Agreed to the electronic credit ledger |
| Suspense | 12,600 | Not imported | Cleared in Tally before cut-over after tracing to a bank charge |
After the fixes the Opening Balance Adjustments account in Zoho Books was nil, the firm's CA accepted the opening figures, and the first invoice went out from the new series on 1 April.
Illustrative scenario based on typical file patterns. Not a named client engagement.
Same city: E-commerce Accounting in Delhi, Accounting and Bookkeeping in Delhi and Zoho Books Accounting in Delhi. Other cities: Tally to Zoho Migration in Bangalore and Mumbai. Nationally: Tally to Zoho Migration, Accounting Health Check and our step-by-step migration guide.
From ₹9,999 one-time for one company and one GSTIN with masters and opening balances. Larger scopes, such as open transactions, several GSTINs or multi-year history, are quoted after we see the file. Fees exclude GST, the Zoho subscription is paid to Zoho, and payment is 50% upfront, 50% on delivery.
Once complete data is received, an opening-balance migration for one company is usually a matter of days, and a migration with open bills and items a little longer. Multi-GSTIN or multi-year work is scheduled after assessment. Books that need reconciling first take longer.
Usually not. Most Delhi businesses move masters, closing balances and open invoices and bills, and keep earlier years in Tally as a read-only archive. History is worth importing only if you need comparatives inside Zoho Books.
That is the sign-off test. We compare the Zoho trial balance with Tally on the migration date, plus party ageing and stock value, and trace each difference to its cause rather than posting a balancing entry.
No. The Rule 3(1) audit trail requirement binds companies. Proprietorships, partnership firms and LLPs are not covered by it, though keeping the Tally archive and a migration file is still sensible for tax and GST records.
Keep the data readable. A company's earlier books, with their edit log, remain in Tally and must be preserved; other businesses still need them for tax and GST records. A read-only installation or a secure backup that can be restored is enough.
Yes. Zoho Books connects to the Invoice Registration Portal and receives the IRN and QR code on the invoice. We set up and test the connection, and the e-way bill link, before your first B2B invoice from Zoho.
Yes. Each GSTIN keeps its own sales, purchases, stock and returns. We decide whether to set them up within one organisation or separately, carry over stock-transfer balances, and check your Zoho plan covers the number of GSTINs.
Yes. Your CA gets accountant access to Zoho Books and the migration file: mapping sheet, import files, trial balance comparison and ageing. We agree the opening figures with them before go-live.
Your Tally version, number of companies and years, approximate voucher count, GSTINs held, whether you track inventory, and your preferred cut-over date. A trial balance as at the last month-end helps us fix the fee.
Tell us what you need and a real CA calls you back, with no scripts and no transfers. Call 72783 76654. Mon - Sat, 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM IST.
Reviewed by CorporateWalla's CA and CS team · Last Updated 23 October 2026 · · Sources: Zoho Books help: Migrate from Tally to Zoho Books, Zoho Books help: e-Invoicing, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, GST portal
Canonical: https://corporatewalla.com/delhi/tally-to-zoho-migration
