Moving from Peachtree to an ERP in Ethiopia: a step-by-step guide
Updated October 2026
Peachtree (now Sage 50) is still the accounting package many Ethiopian companies and accountants know best. When a company adds branches, stock and Ministry of Revenue e-invoicing, it usually moves to an ERP. This guide covers what to bring over, when to switch and how to run the change without losing a month of books.
Why companies move on from Peachtree
Each office keeps its own company file; branches send files to head office to be combined
No Ethiopian calendar and no Amharic
Not connected to the Ministry of Revenue's e-invoicing system out of the box
Stock, sales and payroll kept apart from the accounts and reconciled by hand
What to bring over
The chart of accounts, mapped to the new structure
Opening balances on the switch-over date
Customers and suppliers with their open invoices
Items with quantities and costs per store
Fixed assets with depreciation to date
Employees and salary structures, if payroll moves too
When to switch
The cleanest moment is the start of the Ethiopian fiscal year, Hamle 1 (around 8 July), or the first day of a month. Closing Peachtree at the end of a month gives clean opening balances for the new system.
A month in parallel
Set up the ERP and load the data
Train the people who will use it
Enter one month in both systems and compare the results
Fix the differences, then stop new entries in Peachtree
Keep the Peachtree files for reference and audit
What the ERP adds
VAT, 3% withholding and payroll tax worked out automatically
Invoices registered with the Ministry of Revenue as they are issued (e-invoicing)
The Ethiopian calendar and Amharic
Branches, stock and sales in one system, up to date
