What is this page about: A step-by-step checklist for getting Light fully set up and operational, from account activation and organization configuration through team roles, integrations, bank connectivity, testing, and go-live.
On this page
- Account setup
- Organization configuration
- Chart of accounts
- Team setup
- Integrations
- Bank connectivity
- Financial operations setup
- Data migration
- Testing
- Go-live preparation
- Post-go-live (first week)
- Optimization (first month)
- Tips for success
- Estimated timeline
- Get help
- Next steps
- Related articles
Terms used on this page: GL = General Ledger, AR = Accounts Receivable, AP = Accounts Payable, SSO = Single Sign-On, VAT = Value Added Tax, HRM = Human Resource Management, CSV = Comma-Separated Values.
Use this checklist to get Light set up and operational. Most organizations complete these steps in a few hours.
Account setup
- ☐ Log in to Light using the link in your welcome email (accounts are created for you by Light or your company admin)
- ☐ Set up your profile (name, time zone)
Organization configuration
- ☐ Review your company details and base currency (set up for you by Light during onboarding)
- ☐ Add legal entities (subsidiaries, regional offices, etc.)
- ☐ Configure all currencies you'll use
- ☐ Upload your company logo
- ☐ Set up invoice and receipt email addresses
Chart of accounts
Light ships with a default chart of accounts you can build on.
- ☐ Review the default chart of accounts
- ☐ Add custom GL (General Ledger) accounts for your business
- ☐ Organize accounts into logical hierarchies
- ☐ Map expense categories to GL accounts
Team setup
- ☐ Identify team members who need Light access
- ☐ Add users with the Company admin role (your Light administrators). Users are created by an admin and receive a welcome email
- ☐ Add accounting staff with the Controller role
- ☐ Add specialist users (AR clerk, AP clerk, AP preparation, Invoice approver, Purchase requester, Vendor management, Auditor, Report viewer roles)
- ☐ Add employees for expense submission (Reimbursement and Cardholder roles)
- ☐ Set approval limits and authority levels
- ☐ Configure approval workflows
Integrations
- ☐ Connect Slack for notifications and approvals
- ☐ Connect Microsoft Teams for notifications and approvals
- ☐ Connect Salesforce (if you use it) to sync customer data
- ☐ Connect HubSpot (if you use it) for revenue visibility
- ☐ Connect Gmail for automatic receipt matching
- ☐ Connect Avalara for e-invoicing
- ☐ Connect HMRC for VAT filing (UK)
- ☐ Connect Finch for HR/HRM data
- ☐ Connect Stripe (if you process payments)
- ☐ Connect Airwallex (if you use it for payments)
Separately from the integrations above, set up SSO/Auth0 under authentication settings if your company uses single sign-on.
Bank connectivity
Link your bank accounts so Light can pull in transactions automatically.
- ☐ Connect your primary operating bank account via Plaid (US banks), GoCardless (non-US banks), or Stripe, or import transactions manually via CSV
- ☐ Connect any secondary bank accounts
- ☐ Verify all accounts show correct balances
- ☐ Map bank accounts to GL accounts for reconciliation
- ☐ Confirm transaction feeds are active
Financial operations setup
- ☐ Create expense categories matching your business
- ☐ Set up reimbursement categories for employee expenses
- ☐ Configure approval workflows for expenses, invoices, and bills
- ☐ Set up Cards (physical or Expense cards) if issuing spend cards to your team
- ☐ Configure spending limits and policies
Data migration (if transitioning from another system)
Moving to Light from another system? Get your data ready with these steps.
- ☐ Export chart of accounts from legacy system
- ☐ Import customer list (if AR-heavy)
- ☐ Import vendor list (if AP-heavy)
- ☐ Export outstanding invoices and bills
- ☐ Plan migration date for accounts and transactions
Testing
- ☐ Create a test invoice and send to a test customer
- ☐ Create a test bill and process approval workflow
- ☐ Submit a test expense report with receipt
- ☐ Test bank reconciliation with a recent transaction
- ☐ Verify approvals route correctly to team members
- ☐ Test Slack notifications for approvals
Go-live preparation
- ☐ Schedule go-live date with your team
- ☐ Create internal documentation on Light workflows
- ☐ Plan training sessions for end users
- ☐ Set up handover process from legacy system
- ☐ Prepare FAQ for common questions
- ☐ Designate a Light admin for ongoing support
Post-go-live (first week)
- ☐ Monitor that transactions are flowing correctly
- ☐ Address any user questions or issues
- ☐ Review initial reconciliation discrepancies
- ☐ Gather feedback from team members
- ☐ Make any workflow adjustments based on actual usage
Optimization (first month)
Now that Light is part of your daily workflow, fine-tune it to fit your team.
- ☐ Review AI categorization accuracy for expenses
- ☐ Refine approval workflows based on volume
- ☐ Set up custom dashboards for your role
- ☐ Create financial reports for stakeholders
- ☐ Identify automation opportunities (e.g., recurring invoices)
Tips for success
Start with core functionality first. Get invoicing, AP, and bank reconciliation working before adding advanced features like revenue recognition or multi-entity consolidation.
Involve your team early. Have each team member complete onboarding in their role so they understand their responsibilities in Light workflows.
Use defaults intelligently. Light comes with sensible defaults for most configurations. Don't customize everything, focus on what's unique to your business.
Test thoroughly. Spend time in a test environment (or with test data) before going live. Test approval workflows, notifications, and edge cases.
Get admin training. Make sure your Company admin understands settings, user management, and troubleshooting. They'll be your primary internal resource.
Start small, expand gradually. You don't need every feature on day one. Implement core AR, AP, and expense workflows first, then add bank reconciliation and advanced features.
Estimated timeline
For a typical mid-market organization:
- Weeks 1-2: Account setup, organization configuration, team onboarding
- Weeks 2-3: Bank and integration connectivity, workflow configuration
- Week 3-4: Testing and refinement
- Week 4: Go-live
For larger organizations with complex requirements:
- Add 2-4 weeks for data migration and legacy system integration
- Add 1-2 weeks for custom role and workflow configuration
For simple organizations or startups:
- Reduce to 1-2 weeks total with focused setup
Get help
If you're stuck on any step:
- Check the detailed help articles for that feature
- Contact Light support with your company ID
- Schedule an onboarding call with your Light implementation specialist
Next steps
Once you've completed this checklist, move on to:
- Go-live readiness
- Creating and sending invoices
- Processing bills and payments