Table of Contents

Installation & Upgrade Guide

System Requirements

To install and use Reckon Accounts you need:

  • 2.0 GHz Intel® Pentium® IV (or equivalent)
  • Microsoft® Windows® 10 / 11* operating systems and .NET Framework
  • Compatible with Microsoft® Office 2019 / 2021, or 365 (Microsoft® Outlook 32bit only)
  • 185 MB of disk space for Reckon Accounts installation
  • SVGA 1024 x 768 with 16-bit colour recommended
  • Works with any printer supported by Windows® 11* operating systems
  • Internet connection to download the software
  • 24 x DVD-ROM if you have requested for DVD

All online features/services (such as online investment tracking) require Internet access with at least 56 Kbps modem (high speed Internet access recommended)

* Windows 64 bit support for Windows 11 only. Windows 11 requires a minimum of 2GB RAM (64bit)

* The latest Reckon Accounts Personal Range is tested in Windows 11.

Reckon recommends you install the latest service packs for Microsoft® Windows and your internet browser.


Existing users


Changes in this release

Tax line items and personal income threshold

In Reckon Accounts Personal Plus and Home & Business releases we include tax features which allow you to estimate your taxable income for a particular financial year.

The ATO will work out the low income tax offset as well as the low and middle income tax offset when you lodge your tax return. To learn more, visit: https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/Offsets-and-rebates/Low-and-middle-income-earners/


Upgrading a data file from Quicken 2004 or earlier versions

If you are upgrading from Quicken 2004 or earlier versions to Reckon Accounts and have passwords associated with your data files, you should remove passwords from your data files before upgrading.

Savings accounts created in Quicken 2004 or earlier versions do not include an Account Location field. However, in Reckon Accounts the Account Location field cannot be empty. Thus, after upgrading from Quicken 2004 or earlier versions to Reckon Accounts, savings accounts will display “Spending” in the Account Location field.

The new In / Out / What’s left feature allows users to immediately see where their money is going using various charts and tables. This feature displays information using the savings accounts that show Spending in the Account Location field.

If you are upgrading from Quicken 2004 or an earlier version to Reckon Accounts and have savings accounts set up, you should change the value in the Account Location field from Spending to Saving. This ensures the In / Out / What’s left feature displays the correct information.

To change the value in the Account Location field:

  1. Place the cursor over the account name in the at-a-glance bar.
  2. Right-click on the account name and select Edit Account.
    The Account details window opens.
  3. Change the Account Location field from Spending to Saving.

If you upgrade a data file that contains a linked account

The Reckon Accounts Investment Activity Report reports on all transactions from linked accounts. New transactions entered in the linked accounts in Reckon Accounts will continue to appear in the Investment Activity Report.


Upgrading from CashBook 2003 or CashBook 2004

The Itemised Category Report in Reckon Accounts does not include account balances forward by default.

To include account balances forward:

  1. Open the Itemised Category Report.
  2. Click Customise.
  3. Click the Advanced tab.
  4. Select Include All from the Transfers drop-down list.

If you have at any stage had ‘return of capital’ transactions entered in an investment account that has a linked bank account, the Itemised Category Report will not add the return of capital transactions to the total.


Opening your original data file after upgrading to Reckon Accounts from any earlier version of Quicken or CashBook

When you upgrade to Reckon Accounts, a backup copy of your original data file is automatically placed in a folder called OldFiles, which is located in the same folder as the data file you are upgrading. Use this backup copy if you need to view your original file in your previous version. You can choose File menu > Restore or File menu > Open to open the file.


Opening Reckon Accounts 2009 and later data files

Quicken 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and Reckon Accounts 2013 and later data files will not go through the upgrade process and they should open without any changes. However it is strongly recommended that you do not attempt to re-open a Reckon Accounts file in Quicken 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and earlier versions of Reckon Accounts as it could lead to data corruption due to new features not being available in the earlier release. You should manually create a backup prior to opening your file for the first time in the latest version of Reckon Accounts.


Deleting Categories

In Reckon Accounts, categories are labels that track how much you’re spending on particular types of items. If you try to delete an existing category, make sure that no transactions have been assigned to that category. This is to ensure that the reports you run display figures correctly as there will be no uncategorised income or expenses as a result of deleting a category which has previously been used.


Other installation problems

If you experience any other problems during installation, consider whether any of the following may be the source of your problems:

  • Are you logged onto your PC as the Administrator?
  • Have you shut down all applications?
  • Is your anti-virus software blocking your installation of Reckon Accounts?

If none of the above appear to be causing your problem, try installing Reckon Accounts in Safe Mode. For instructions on restarting your PC in Safe Mode, refer to your Windows Help. After you have installed Reckon Accounts in Safe Mode, do not try to open it immediately. First, restart your PC in normal mode and make sure you are connected to the Internet. Open Reckon Accounts and enter your Installation Key Code to Activate. If you do not have an Internet connection, click Cancel to close any activation messages and call Reckon Customer Service to Activate over the telephone.

Still having problems? Check the Reckon Accounts Help articles and search the database for “error message”.


Determine your upgrade path

Find your current software version in the list below and check the upgrade path. If there is a tick in the row for your current version, then you can upgrade directly to Reckon Accounts.

For example, if ‘CashBook v8’ appears in the row for your current version, then you must first upgrade your data file to CashBook 2004. Follow the upgrade instructions on the following pages carefully.

Your current version

Home & Business

Personal Plus

Home & Business 2016 or later

✔

Personal Plus 2016 or later

✔

✔

Home & Business 2015

✔

Personal Plus 2015

✔

✔

Home & Business 2013

✔

Personal Plus 2013

✔

✔

Personal 2013

✔

✔

Home & Business 2012

✔

Personal Plus 2012

✔

✔

Personal 2012

✔

✔

Home & Business 2011

✔

Personal Plus 2011

✔

✔

Personal 2011

✔

✔

Home & Business 2010

✔

Personal Plus 2010

✔

✔

Personal 2010

✔

✔

Home & Business 2009

✔

Personal Plus 2009

✔

✔

Personal 2009

✔

✔

Home & Business 2008

✔

Personal Plus 2008

✔

✔

Personal 2008

✔

✔

Home & Business 2007

✔

Personal Plus 2007

✔

✔

Personal 2007

✔

✔

Home & Business 2005/2006

✔

Personal Plus 2006

✔

✔

Personal 2006

✔

✔

Personal Plus 2005

✔

✔

Personal 2005

✔

✔

CashBook 2004+@

✔

Personal Plus 2004@

✔

✔

Personal 2004@

✔

✔

CashBook 2003+@

✔

Personal Plus SE 2002@

✔

✔

Personal 2002@

✔

✔

CashBook v8+@

CashBook 2004*

Personal Plus v8@

CashBook 2004*

Personal Plus 2004*

Personal v8@

CashBook 2004*

Personal Plus 2004*

+Some CashBook features do not exist in Home & Business.

*CashBook 2004 and Personal Plus 2004 Trials are available from Reckon’s website. Links:

@If you are upgrading a file to Reckon Accounts directly from Quicken 2004 (or earlier) and receive the following data conversion error:

Unable to load DLL: C:\Program Files\Quicken\convert03\qd3.dll
Required dlls for converting your data file is missing

Then you will need to upgrade your file through the following intermediate versions of Quicken:

  • Home & Business 2005/06 if upgrading from CashBook 2004
  • Personal Plus 2006 if upgrading from Personal Plus 2004.
  • Personal 2006 if upgrading from Personal 2004.

Upgrade Software

IKC

CashBook 2004

Personal Plus 2004

Home and Business 2005/06

KNZY62XJL6HR

Personal Plus 2006

GCTZTRBXQJ3B

Personal 2006

GAY69KLCSJCK

Internet connection is required to download and use the Quicken trials (Home & Business 2005/06, Personal Plus 2006 & Personal 2006) due to an activation process.

If you need to upgrade through one of the Quicken trials (Home & Business 2005/06, Personal Plus 2006 or Personal 2006) but don’t have internet access then you will need to contact Reckon support to get assistance with upgrading your file.

Note: This doesn’t apply to the CashBook 2004 or Personal Plus 2004 trial versions.

Upgrading to Home & Business 2005/06 trial
  1. To run the Home & Business 2005/06 trial installation, download the version from our website, open it once the download is finished and follow the wizard (check the link on Prior Versions)
  2. The Home & Business 2005/06 trial IKC is KNZY62XJL6HR
  3. For more information on installing Home & Business 2005/06 & upgrading data files to Home & Business 2005/06, double click Conversion Notes.pdf (unless you change the default location, you can find this file at C:\Temp\Home_and_Business_2005_Trial\Conversion Notes.pdf )

Upgrading to Personal 2006 trial
  1. To run the Personal 2006 trial installation, download the version from our website, open it once the download is finished and follow the wizard (check the link on Prior Versions)
  2. The Personal 2006 trial IKC is GAY69KLCSJCK
  3. For more information on installing Personal 2006 & upgrading data files to Personal 2006, double click Quicken 2006 Upgrade Notes.pdf (unless you change the default location, you can find this file at C:\Temp\Quicken 2006 AU Trial\Quicken2006 Upgrade Notes.pdf )
Upgrading to Personal Plus 2006 trial
  1. To run the Personal Plus 2006 trial installation, download the version from our website, open it once the download is finished and follow the wizard (check the link on Prior Versions).
  2. The Personal Plus 2006 trial IKC is GCTZTRBXQJ3B
  3. For more information on installing Personal Plus 2006 & upgrading data files to Personal Plus 2006, double click Quicken 2006 Upgrade Notes.pdf (unless you change the default location, you can find this file at C:\Temp\Quicken 2006 AU Trial\Quicken 2006 Upgrade Notes.pdf )

Prepare your company data file for upgrade

We strongly recommend that you follow the steps below to protect your company data and ensure its accuracy.

  1. Back up your data file
    1. In Reckon Accounts, open the data file you want to back up.
    2. Choose File menu > Backup.
    3. In the Select the disk drive and path to backup folder field, identify the drive that contains the backup media.
    4. Click OK to start the backup.
      For more information on how to back up, please refer to the User Guide (available on the Reckon’s website) or in-product Help for “Backing up your data”.
  2. Validate your data file
    Ensure the data file you are using is validated before upgrading your software. Validating a data file allows Reckon Accounts to verify its integrity. Choose File menu > File Operations > Validate. Find the data file you want to validate and click OK. You will need to repeat this process for every data file you want to upgrade.
  3. Remove any passwords associated with your data file
    To remove your password from your data file, choose File menu > Passwords > File or Transaction.
  4. Print a selection of Reports from the data file in your currently installed version
    Print a record of all business Tax reports for previous periods (e.g. Tax Detail, BAS). You can use these Reports after upgrading to confirm the data which appears in the upgraded version is correct.
    Note: Some reports in Reckon Accounts have different default settings to previous versions. In some cases, these reports may require you to customise the report to obtain the same figures.
  5. Ensure ALL unapplied Adjustments/Credits are applied to an Invoice or deleted
  6. Delete all Scheduled Invoices and Payments (taking note of details)
  7. Take note of your Reckon Accounts Settings / Preferences
    Some of the settings within your company file revert to the default settings of Reckon Accounts. Make a note of your personal settings and preferences so you can apply these to your upgraded data file.
  8. Saved Reports may not be available after the conversion
    We recommend that you print any Saved Reports from your current version beforehand, for your reference.
  9. ABN and Branch number may need to be re-entered in your data file after conversion
  10. If you have customised templates
    Customised Invoice and Estimate templates from your previous version only convert directly to Reckon Accounts Home & Business if you install Home & Business in the same installation directory as your previous version of the software, once the previous version has been uninstalled.
  11. If you have a linked investment account
    If you upgrade a company file that contains a linked investment account, the Investment Activity Report in Reckon Accounts will always report on all transactions from both accounts. To avoid this, you should un-link the accounts in your previous version prior to upgrading.

Upgrading your software

Reminder: before upgrading, have you:

  • Printed a selection of reports from your original program.
  • Created a backup of your original company file and validated it.

To upgrade from Personal v8 or Personal Plus v8 or CashBook v8, start from here.

To upgrade from a different version, start from next section.


Upgrading from Personal v8 or Personal Plus v8 or CashBook v8

In order to convert your data file to Reckon Accounts, you need to step upgrade your data file through Quicken 2004 (either Personal Plus 2004 or CashBook 2004 - refer to the upgrade chart determine which trial version of 2004 you require). The 2004 trials are provided on the Reckon website. See Prior Versions.

Install Quicken 2004 Trial

  1. Make sure that your current version of Quicken (Personal v8 or Personal Plus v8 or CashBook v8) data file is backed up then uninstall Quicken v8.
  2. Download the version from the link Prior Versions.
  3. Install the version by opening the downloaded file and follow the wizard
  4. Select where you would like to install and click Next.
    Note: You should install in the same installation directory as your previous version (default location is C:\Program Files\Quickenw).
  5. Click Yes when prompted to install.
  6. Restart your computer to complete the installation.
  7. Launch Quicken 2004 and upgrade your company file. If you have more than one company file, each must be upgraded by choosing File menu > Open and selecting the company file.
  8. Once you have completed upgrading your file(s) to Quicken 2004, follow the instructions from the next section
Note: If you encounter the message “The file contains one or more accounts that require access to features not currently activated in this copy”, you will need to read this article.

Upgrading from Personal 2002 or later, Personal Plus 2002 or later, CashBook 2003 or 2004, Home & Business 2005/06 or later

You may directly upgrade your data file to Reckon Accounts.

Note: When you upgrade to Reckon Accounts, a backup of your original file is automatically placed in a folder called Oldfiles in your Quicken directory.

Follow the instructions below to upgrade your data file to Reckon Accounts.

  1. Ensure you have completed the instructions in section “Prepare your data file for upgrade”. Make sure you uninstall your current version of the software before continuing.
  2. Download Reckon Accounts from Reckon Member’s website and open the downloaded installation file
  3. Follow the wizard
  4. Select your region.
  5. Click Begin.
  6. Follow the onscreen instructions.
    Note: You may receive a message requesting that you exit and uninstall your previous version before installing Reckon Accounts. When you uninstall your previous version you may be asked to remove shared files? Select Yes to all. Reckon strongly recommends you uninstall your previous version before you install Reckon Accounts.
  7. You may be requested to restart your PC to complete the installation. Select Yes to restart your computer, and click Finish.
  8. The first time you open Reckon Accounts, you will be required to Activate by entering your Reckon Accounts Installation Key Code (IKC). The activation process will take place automatically over the Internet. If you do not have an Internet connection, click Cancel on the messages that appear and call Customer Service to complete the process over the telephone.
  9. The first time you open your company file in Reckon Accounts, the upgrade process begins. Read the upgrade message and click OK if you want to continue. If you have a large data file, or if you have investment data, the upgrade may take several minutes.
    Note: If you are upgrading from Quicken 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 or Reckon Accounts 2013 or later, your company files will not go through the upgrade process and they should open without changes.
  10. Follow the prompts to set up your company file in Reckon Accounts. Click Done when you have finished.

After you upgrade

Check your data in the upgraded version. Run the same reports you ran before upgrading and compare them to confirm that the data matches. If your data does not match the previous version, try to identify where the problem is. For example, it may relate specifically to categories or transactions.

  • Check the Reckon Accounts settings and preferences against the settings you noted before upgrading your company file.
  • Back up your data file.
DO NOT OVERWRITE YOUR PREVIOUS BACKUP!

You may choose to back up your company file to a DVD-ROM or other storage media. Make sure that you label each disk correctly and store it in a safe place in case you need them later. Do not overwrite this backup. (You can find instructions for backing up your data in the user guide, which is available on the Reckon’s website and from C:\Temp, if you did not change the default location when you ran the setup file that you downloaded from our website).


New Users


Prepare to install Reckon Accounts

Before you install Reckon Accounts, you need to:

  1. Log on to your PC as the Administrator or have Administrator rights.
  2. Close any programs running on your PC.
  3. Disable your anti-virus and firewall applications.

After you have installed Reckon Accounts, be sure to re-enable your anti-virus and firewall applications. Then, reconnect to the Internet so that you can activate your Reckon Accounts product online.


Install Reckon Accounts

To install Reckon Accounts:

  1. Download Reckon Accounts by logging into Reckon Members website
  2. Select your region.
  3. Click Begin.
  4. Follow the onscreen instructions to install Reckon Accounts.
    Note: You will find your Installation Key Code (IKC) by logging into Reckon Members Website
  5. You may be requested to reboot your PC to complete the Reckon Accounts installation. Select Yes.
  6. Double-click the Reckon Accounts icon on your desktop to open Reckon Accounts.
  7. Start a new file, or browse the features of Reckon Accounts using the sample file.


Activate Reckon Accounts

After you have installed and opened your software, you are prompted to activate Reckon Accounts.

You will find your Installation Key Code (IKC) by logging into Reckon Members Website. You need an Internet connection to activate online.

If you can’t activate your product over the Internet, contact us:

  1. Australia
  2. New Zealand

Reckon Accounts End User Licence Agreement

Please review the Reckon Terms & Conditions available here

Need more help?

Ask the Reckon Community at: https://community.reckon.com/

Or Log a Support Ticket: https://www.reckon.com/au/support/

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