BeeKeeper vs. Xero
The short version
A school group is a different shape. The people spending the money are parents with no login. Two officers have to approve a payment before it goes out. A council wants a report in a format nobody outside PTA has heard of. And in July a new treasurer inherits all of it. That is the gap, and it is not in the ledger.
Side by side
23 things a school group actually needsThe ledger is the part you were never worried about
A business ledger is designed around people who work there. The parent who bought the carnival supplies is not one of them, so her receipt arrives as a text message at 9pm and you type it in yourself.
Two signatures on a disbursement. A budget the membership votes on. An amendment that needs a motion. A business ledger has an owner who decides, and nothing in it is waiting to be told what your bylaws say.
Xero assumes the same person keeps the books next year. You know that is not true. In July someone new inherits the login, the bank, and whatever notes were left behind.
PTA accounting that runs itself
Built for school groups. Free for 30 days, no credit card required.
Don't wait for July
The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today.
Moving from Xero
- 1
Export three things
Chart of accounts, contacts, and a transaction report. We will tell you exactly which ones and how to set the dates.
- 2
We import it with you
Accounts, vendors, budget and history come across. Opening balances and checks that have not cleared are handled deliberately, which is why mid-year is a normal time to move.
- 3
Close your first month here
Connect the bank, reconcile, print the treasurer's report for the next meeting. If a number looks wrong, support gets into the books with you.
Keep looking around
990 & 1099 Filing
BeeKeeper maps your chart of accounts to the Form 990 lines as you go, so the worksheet fills itself from real activity. 1099s come from the vendor payments you already tracked.
Reports
Treasurer's report, balance sheet, profit and loss, trial balance, budget vs. actual, and the annual financial statement in the format your state PTA expects. PDF or Excel.
Check Printing
Print one check or a whole run on plain check stock, with alignment you calibrate once. Voids, reprints and check numbers are all tracked for you.
Audit Kit
One page pulls the year together for your audit committee — and hands you a list of what is still missing while there is time to find it.
FutureFund Sync
Link your FutureFund account once and each payout lands in BeeKeeper as a journal entry — income per campaign, fees grossed up, sales tax where it belongs, deposit matching the bank.
AI Assistance
AI reads receipts, matches them to transactions, and proposes a category and vendor for every import. Nothing posts without a human saying yes.