Creating Multiple Ledgers Simultaneously in Tally ERP.9

Setting up a new company in Tally ERP.9 usually means creating dozens of ledgers before you can record a single transaction. Going through the full ledger creation screen for every account, one at a time, gets repetitive fast, especially when several accounts belong to the same group. This is exactly the problem multiple ledger creation solves. Instead of opening and closing the ledger creation screen again and again, you get a single grid where you can add several ledgers in one sitting. Let’s look at how this feature works, when it makes sense to use it, and where it falls short.

What is multiple ledger creation in Tally ERP.9 🔗

Multiple ledger creation is a data-entry mode in Tally that lets you add several ledger accounts on one screen instead of repeating the single ledger creation process for each account. You can access it by going to Gateway of Tally > Accounts Info > Ledgers > Create (Multiple Ledgers). This opens what Tally calls the Multi Ledger Creation screen, where you first pick a group and then keep typing ledger names in a table-like grid, one row per account.

The core idea is speed. If you already know that a set of accounts belongs to the same group, or even to a mix of groups, you don’t need to navigate back to the main menu after every single ledger. You stay on one screen, keep entering names, and save the whole batch together.

Multiple ledger creation vs single ledger creation 🔗

Single ledger creation and multiple ledger creation both end up producing the same masters in your books, but they are not identical experiences. Single ledger creation asks for a fuller set of details, such as address, contact information, and statutory details for party ledgers. Multiple ledger creation, by design, sticks to the essentials: name, group, and opening balance.

Neither mode is “better” in an absolute sense. The right choice depends on how much detail a particular ledger actually needs.

When should you use multiple ledger creation? 🔗

This feature earns its place whenever you are creating several accounts that are structurally similar. The classic textbook example is setting up fixed asset accounts. Suppose a business wants separate ledgers for Furniture A/c and Plant & Machinery A/c, both classified under the Fixed Assets group. Rather than creating each one through the single ledger screen, you can select the Fixed Assets group once and then list both ledger names, one after another, on the same screen.

Other everyday situations where this saves real time include creating several branch-wise debtor ledgers under Sundry Debtors, setting up multiple bank ledgers under Bank Accounts, or adding a batch of expense heads under Indirect Expenses. As one Tally walkthrough notes, in earlier versions this mode only allowed ledgers under a single group at a time, but current versions let you pick multiple groups together using the “All Items” option, so accounts belonging to different groups can be created in the same sitting.

Step-by-step process for creating multiple ledgers 🔗

The workflow is straightforward once you know where each field sits on the screen.

Step 1: Open the multiple ledger creation screen 🔗

From the Gateway of Tally, go to Accounts Info > Ledgers, and under the Multiple Ledgers option choose Create. This brings up the Multi Ledger Creation screen described in official Tally documentation.

Step 2: Select the group 🔗

At the top of the screen, you’ll find an Under Group field. Here you select the group under which the ledgers you’re about to create belong, for instance, Fixed Assets. If your list of ledgers spans several groups, selecting All Items in this field lets Tally show a Group column for each row, so you can assign a different group to each ledger individually. You can even create a brand-new group on the fly from this field using Alt+C, without exiting the screen.

Step 3: Enter ledger names and details in the grid 🔗

Once the group is set, a grid appears with columns for the ledger name, the group (auto-filled if you picked a specific group), and the opening balance. You simply type each ledger name and press Enter to move to the next row. For the Fixed Assets example, the entries would look like this:

The opening balance step matters because fixed asset accounts almost always carry a debit balance, since they represent resources the business owns. If this is a new company with no prior books, you can leave the opening balance blank and update it later once actual figures are available.

Step 4: Save the batch 🔗

After entering all the ledgers you need, press Ctrl+A or accept the screen to save the entire batch in one go. All the ledgers you typed are created together, and you’re returned to the Ledger Creation menu, ready to start another batch if needed.

Points to keep in mind 🔗

Multiple ledger creation is fast, but that speed comes with trade-offs worth knowing before you rely on it heavily.

Naming discipline matters 🔗

Because you’re typing several names quickly in a grid, it’s easy to introduce inconsistent naming or stray characters. Tally’s own documentation specifically warns against using noise characters in ledger names, since these get ignored when reports are filtered, which can make an account harder to locate later. Sticking to a clear naming convention, such as always suffixing accounts with “A/c,” helps avoid confusion down the line.

Advanced settings default automatically 🔗

When ledgers are created in bulk, Tally applies default values for advanced options rather than asking you to configure them individually. For example, if cost centres are enabled, revenue-related ledgers automatically get cost centres set to “Yes,” while ledgers created under Sundry Debtors and Sundry Creditors automatically get bill-by-bill tracking switched on. As one detailed walkthrough of this feature explains, if you’re using features like interest calculation or specific inventory value settings, you’ll likely need to go back and edit each ledger individually in single mode afterward to fine-tune these options.

Opening balances still follow standard accounting rules 🔗

Regardless of which mode you use, the basic rule for opening balances doesn’t change: asset accounts normally carry debit balances while liability accounts carry credit balances. This is worth double-checking after a bulk creation session, since a wrong debit or credit entry made quickly in a grid is just as easy to miss as one made in a single ledger screen, and it will throw off your trial balance if left uncorrected.

Why this feature matters for accounting practice 🔗

Beyond the time saved, multiple ledger creation reflects a broader principle in computerised accounting: grouping similar accounts together keeps your chart of accounts organised and your financial statements meaningful. A ledger’s group determines exactly where it appears in the balance sheet or profit and loss account, so creating several related ledgers under the correct group in one pass reduces the chance of misclassification that can happen when accounts are added one by one, often days apart, by different people.

For students working through practical exercises, practising with a small batch, such as the Fixed Assets example above, is a good way to get comfortable with how Tally links a ledger’s group to its place in financial reporting, before moving on to larger, real-world datasets.

What do you think? 🔗

What do you think? If you were setting up a new company’s books from scratch, which accounts would you group together for multiple ledger creation to save the most time? And where do you think it’s worth slowing down and using single ledger creation instead, even if it takes longer?

References

1. https://help.tallysolutions.com/docs/te9rel54/Creating_Masters/Accounts_Info/Creating_a_Ledger.htm
2. https://www.theftnology.com/2017/04/how-to-create-multiple-ledger-in-tally.html
3. https://www.techjockey.com/blog/how-to-create-ledger-in-tally