Accounting for Beginners.
Free. Open. Self-Paced.

A complete 33-lesson course covering the full beginner accounting curriculum — from accounting basics to standard costing. Worked examples, inline diagrams, India-context numbers throughout. 100% free, no signup.

33 lessons ~7 hours total No signup 100% free

What you’ll learn

The course covers the full beginner accounting curriculum in 33 lessons across five blocks: foundations (Lessons 1-11), financial statements (12-15), financial-statement analysis and current-asset management (16-23), capital structure (24-26), and managerial cost accounting (27-33). By the end you’ll be able to journal any transaction, build and read the three financial statements, compute key ratios, evaluate investments, and understand how cost accounting drives manufacturing decisions.

Course outline · 33 lessons

1Lesson 1 · Free · ~10 minAccounting BasicsWhat accounting really is, why every business needs it, and the foundational vocabulary you’ll use in the next 32 lessons.→ 2Lesson 2 · Free · ~10 minAccounting PrinciplesGAAP, IFRS, Ind AS — different rulebooks, shared principles. Accrual, matching, going concern, conservatism, and five others you’ll meet every quarter.→ 3Lesson 3 · Free · ~10 minThe Accounting EquationMaster the single equation that underpins every balance sheet ever written: Assets = Liabilities + Equity. Once it clicks, everything else follows.→ 4Lesson 4 · Free · ~10 minDebits and CreditsThe vocabulary of accounting. Learn DEAD CLIC and you’ve cracked 80% of bookkeeping forever.→ 5Lesson 5 · Free · ~10 minChart of AccountsThe index card of your books. Five top-level categories, numeric coding, contra accounts, and how to design a chart that scales.→ 6Lesson 6 · Free · ~10 minJournal EntriesThe first place every transaction is recorded. Learn the format, the recipe, and the 10 entries you’ll write most often.→ 7Lesson 7 · Free · ~10 minT-Accounts & The General LedgerFrom journal to ledger. Learn to group transactions by account and compute closing balances the right way.→ 8Lesson 8 · Free · ~10 minTrial BalanceThe one-page proof that your books balance — and the limits of what it actually proves.→ 9Lesson 9 · Free · ~10 minBookkeepingThe full eight-step cycle that turns raw transactions into reportable financials. Double-entry, books maintained, hygiene rules, software choices.→ 10Lesson 10 · Free · ~10 minAdjusting EntriesThe matching principle in action. Accruals, deferrals, depreciation, and bad-debt provisions explained with worked entries.→ 11Lesson 11 · Free · ~10 minClosing EntriesZero out temporary accounts, roll net income into Retained Earnings, and complete the full accounting cycle.→ 12Lesson 12 · Free · ~10 minFinancial Statements OverviewThe four-statement set explained. How net income connects to retained earnings and how cash flow ties back to the balance sheet.→ 13Lesson 13 · Free · ~10 minThe Income StatementThe Profit & Loss statement, line by line. Understand revenue, gross profit, operating income, and the bottom line.→ 14Lesson 14 · Free · ~10 minThe Balance SheetA snapshot of assets, liabilities, and equity. Plus three ratios any analyst checks first.→ 15Lesson 15 · Free · ~10 minStatement of Cash FlowsWhy a profitable business can still go bankrupt. Master operating, investing, and financing cash flows.→ 16Lesson 16 · Free · ~10 minFinancial RatiosFour families of ratios — liquidity, solvency, profitability, efficiency. Plus the DuPont decomposition and the rules for not getting fooled by a single number.→ 17Lesson 17 · Free · ~10 minWorking Capital & LiquidityThe cash a business needs to keep operating. Cash conversion cycle, the great negative-working-capital businesses, and how to manage all five components.→ 18Lesson 18 · Free · ~10 minBank ReconciliationWhy your books and your bank never match — and how to find every difference. The 6-step process plus the journal entries that follow.→ 19Lesson 19 · Free · ~10 minAccounts Receivable & Bad DebtsCustomers who owe you. Aging analysis, bad-debt provisions, write-offs, and the three KPIs every CFO watches.→ 20Lesson 20 · Free · ~10 minAccounts PayableWhat you owe suppliers. The P2P cycle, payment terms, fraud controls, and the math behind early-payment discounts.→ 21Lesson 21 · Free · ~10 minInventory & Cost of Goods SoldThree categories, three costing methods, one COGS formula. FIFO vs LIFO vs Weighted Average — and why LIFO is banned under IFRS.→ 22Lesson 22 · Free · ~10 minDepreciationSpreading a long-term asset’s cost across its useful life. Straight-line, WDV, units-of-production — and why India runs two methods in parallel.→ 23Lesson 23 · Free · ~10 minPayroll AccountingGross to net, employer-side statutory costs, three monthly entries, India-specific items (PF, ESI, TDS, gratuity) and how to prevent payroll fraud.→ 24Lesson 24 · Free · ~10 minBonds PayableLong-term loans in tradable form. Why bonds sell at par, discount, or premium — and how the discount or premium amortises through the bond’s life.→ 25Lesson 25 · Free · ~10 minStockholders’ EquityThe owners’ chair — share capital, premium, retained earnings, treasury stock. Plus preferred shares, dividends, buybacks, and bonus issues.→ 26Lesson 26 · Free · ~10 minNonprofit AccountingNo owners, no profit motive — but the same double-entry mechanics. Net assets by restriction, fund accounting, and India-specific items (12A, 80G, FCRA, CSR).→ 27Lesson 27 · Free · ~10 minBreak-even PointHow many units do you need to sell to stop losing money? Fixed vs variable costs, contribution margin, margin of safety, operating leverage.→ 28Lesson 28 · Free · ~10 minImproving ProfitsOnly four levers exist — raise prices, sell more, cut variable cost, cut fixed cost. Each one’s mechanics, trade-offs, and when to pull it.→ 29Lesson 29 · Free · ~10 minEvaluating Business InvestmentsNPV, IRR, Payback — three techniques every CFO uses to evaluate multi-crore decisions. Plus sensitivity analysis to stress-test your assumptions.→ 30Lesson 30 · Free · ~10 minTime Value of MoneyThe single most important concept in finance. Present value, future value, annuities, perpetuities — and the Rule of 72.→ 31Lesson 31 · Free · ~10 minManufacturing OverheadFactory costs that can’t be traced to a single product — and how to absorb them into inventory using a predetermined rate.→ 32Lesson 32 · Free · ~10 minActivity-Based CostingWhen traditional overhead allocation produces misleading product costs, ABC fixes it with multiple cost pools and activity drivers.→ 33Lesson 33 · Free · ~10 minStandard CostingSet planned costs, compare to actuals, analyse the variances. The six core variances and how to investigate them.→

Interactive Study Hub

Practice every concept with quizzes, flashcards & crosswords

Every topic in this course is mirrored in the free Study Hub — 5,400 quiz questions, 2,160 flashcards, words-scramble puzzles, and interactive crosswords across 108 finance & accounting topics. No login needed.

Quizzes50 / topic

Flashcards20 / topic

Word Scramble20 / topic

Crossword12-word grid

Open the Study Hub →

Practical next steps

Apply what you’ve learned

Recommended platforms for Indian readers who want to track real transactions or start investing. International readers — please check whether these are available in your country.

Zerodha

India’s largest broker. Open a free demat account to practise reading the financial statements of listed companies.

Open Free Account →

Groww

Beginner-friendly investing app. Great for applying ratio analysis on mutual funds and stocks.

Open Free Account →

QuickBooks / Xero / FreshBooks

Industry-standard accounting software for small businesses and freelancers.

Coming soon

Zoho ONE

All-in-one business suite — accounting, CRM, invoicing, payroll, projects and 40+ apps in one subscription.

Get Free Trial →

Who is this for?

BCom and MBA students who need to master accounting before exams. Small-business owners who want to read their own books. Founders preparing for investor due diligence. Career switchers exploring finance. Cost accountants brushing up on managerial topics. Anyone who’s ever stared at a balance sheet and felt lost.

The course assumes zero prior knowledge. If you can do basic arithmetic, you can follow every lesson.

Start Lesson 1 — Accounting Basics →

Accounting for Beginners.Free. Open. Self-Paced.