Tally Tutorial – Learn Tally ERP 9 Step by Step
This Tally ERP 9 tutorial provides a structured learning path for creating companies, configuring accounting features, maintaining ledgers, recording vouchers, managing inventory and reviewing financial reports. Beginners can follow the lessons in order and practise each task in a separate educational company.
Tally ERP 9 is an earlier generation of Tally software. Its menus and terminology remain relevant when working with an existing Tally ERP 9 installation, although some screens and procedures differ in TallyPrime. Check which product and release you use before following a menu path.
Prerequisites for Learning Tally ERP 9
- A basic understanding of debit, credit, assets, liabilities, income and expenses is helpful, but the lessons can also be followed while learning accounting fundamentals.
- Access to a working Tally ERP 9 installation is required for hands-on practice.
- Create a practice company instead of entering exercises in live business data.
- Keep sample transactions such as purchases, sales, receipts and payments ready for voucher-entry practice.

What You Will Learn in This Tally ERP 9 Tutorial
- How a company is created, selected, altered, shut and deleted.
- How accounting, inventory, statutory and configuration options affect company data.
- How predefined groups, user-created groups and ledgers organise accounts.
- How voucher types represent common business transactions.
- How cost centres are used to classify income and expenses for internal reporting.
- How to review entries and identify common configuration or posting mistakes.
Tally ERP 9 Learning Path
Follow the tutorial in stages. First learn the application interface and company controls. Next configure the company and create accounting masters. After that, record vouchers and inspect the resulting reports. This order makes it easier to understand how a transaction moves from a voucher into ledgers and financial statements.
- Accounting foundation: Understand account classifications and the debit-credit effect of common transactions.
- Company setup: Create a practice company and verify its financial year, books-beginning date, currency and statutory settings.
- Masters: Create groups, ledgers, units, stock groups and stock items as required.
- Voucher entry: Record contra, payment, receipt, journal, purchase and sales transactions.
- Verification: Review the Day Book, Trial Balance, Profit and Loss Account, Balance Sheet and inventory reports.
- Correction and backup: Practise altering entries, checking effective dates and taking a backup before major changes.
Tally ERP 9 Training Syllabus
Use the following topic-wise syllabus as the main navigation for this Tally ERP 9 course. Complete the company and configuration lessons before moving to ledgers, vouchers and cost centres.
- What is Tally
- How to download and Install Tally.ERP 9
- How to start Tally on computer
- Tally Screen Components
- Create Company in Tally
- Alter/ Delete / Shut Company in Tally
- Accounting Features in Tally
- Company Features in Tally
- Inventory Features in Tally
- Statutory & Taxation in Tally
- Configurations in Tally
- What are groups in Tally
- How to create groups in Tally
- Create single ledger in Tally
- Create multiple ledgers in Tally
- Voucher types in Tally
- Create single voucher in Tally
- Create multiple vouchers in Tally
- Create single cost centre in Tally
- Create multiple cost centres in Tally
Core Tally ERP 9 Voucher Types
A voucher records a transaction in Tally ERP 9. Select the voucher according to the business event rather than according to the ledger you want to affect.
| Voucher | Typical use | Common example |
|---|---|---|
| Contra | Movement involving cash and bank accounts | Depositing cash into a bank account |
| Payment | Money paid by cash or bank | Paying office rent |
| Receipt | Money received by cash or bank | Receiving payment from a customer |
| Journal | Non-cash adjustment or transfer entry | Recording depreciation |
| Purchase | Purchase of goods or services | Recording a supplier invoice |
| Sales | Sale of goods or services | Recording a customer invoice |
| Debit Note | Purchase return or another debit adjustment | Returning goods to a supplier |
| Credit Note | Sales return or another credit adjustment | Accepting goods returned by a customer |
The exact fields shown during entry depend on enabled features and configuration. Review the accounting effect after saving instead of relying only on the voucher label.
Tally ERP 9 Function Keys and Common Shortcuts
Function keys provide access to frequently used actions. Their behaviour is context-sensitive, so a key may perform a different action or remain unavailable on some screens.
| Key | Common action in Tally ERP 9 |
|---|---|
| F1 | Select a company; use Alt+F1 for detailed or expanded views where available |
| F2 | Change the working date |
| Alt+F2 | Change the reporting period |
| F3 | Access company selection or company-related options, depending on the screen |
| F4 | Open a Contra voucher from Accounting Vouchers |
| F5 | Open a Payment voucher |
| F6 | Open a Receipt voucher |
| F7 | Open a Journal voucher |
| F8 | Open a Sales voucher |
| F9 | Open a Purchase voucher |
| F10 | Access another voucher or report-specific function shown on the active screen |
| F11 | Open company features |
| F12 | Open configuration settings for the current context |
| Ctrl+A | Accept or save a form |
| Esc | Return to the previous screen or leave the current field |
Read the button bar displayed on the active Tally screen before using a shortcut. This is more reliable than memorising a key without considering the current context.
Practice Exercise for Tally ERP 9 Beginners
Create a sample company and complete the following exercise. Use fictional names and amounts so the work remains separate from actual business records.
- Create ledgers for Capital, Cash, Bank, Rent, Purchases, Sales, one supplier and one customer.
- Record capital introduced into the business.
- Record a cash purchase and a credit purchase.
- Record a cash sale and a credit sale.
- Pay rent through the bank and receive money from the customer.
- Open the Day Book and verify that every voucher appears on the intended date.
- Review the supplier and customer ledgers to confirm their closing balances.
- Check the Trial Balance and investigate any amount posted to an unexpected group.
Tally ERP 9 Entry and Configuration Checks
- Confirm that the selected company is the intended practice company before entering a voucher.
- Check the current date and reporting period displayed in Tally ERP 9.
- Verify each ledger’s parent group because incorrect grouping affects financial reports.
- Use the correct voucher type for the transaction and check whether the entry is in Accounting Invoice, Item Invoice or voucher mode as required.
- Confirm reference numbers, bill dates, amounts and debit-credit effects before accepting an entry.
- Review the Day Book and relevant ledger after each practice set.
- Back up company data before changing features, deleting masters or altering many vouchers.
Frequently Asked Questions About Learning Tally ERP 9
Is Tally ERP 9 easy to learn for a beginner?
A beginner can learn the interface and routine voucher entry through regular practice. Correct accounting treatment still requires an understanding of account groups, debit and credit, voucher selection and the effect of entries on reports.
Can I learn Tally ERP 9 at home?
Yes. Use a practice installation, follow the syllabus in order and enter a small set of fictional transactions. Compare each saved voucher with the Day Book, ledgers and Trial Balance to understand its effect.
How do I install Tally ERP 9 step by step?
Begin with the linked download and installation lesson in this tutorial. Obtain software only through an authorised source, confirm that the release is suitable for the company data you need to use, run the installer and select the required program and data locations. Back up existing data before opening it with a different release.
What should I learn first in Tally ERP 9?
Start with basic accounting terms, the Tally screen, company creation and company features. Then learn groups and ledgers before entering vouchers. Reports should be reviewed throughout the course rather than treated as a separate final topic.
Are Tally ERP 9 and TallyPrime procedures the same?
No. The products share many accounting concepts, masters and voucher types, but their navigation, interface and some workflows differ. Use instructions written for the product installed on your computer.
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