Follow these steps to set up a general ledger accounting system in Excel. A small business can use Excel as a substitute for expensive accounting software.

Move Your Accounting Data into Excel Of course, your business data probably exists in your accounting software or your other small business software, so before you begin you need to get it into Excel.

Excel has all of the tools needed to create and maintain a general ledger, but it requires a solid understanding of basic accounting and attention to detail.