{"id":138705,"date":"2023-06-07T17:52:58","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T17:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/?p=138705"},"modified":"2023-06-07T17:53:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T17:53:12","slug":"what-is-a-chart-of-accounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/accounting\/what-is-a-chart-of-accounts\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT IS A CHART OF ACCOUNTS: Definition, Types & Examples","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The filing cabinet that houses your accounting system’s data is called a chart of accounts. It classifies transactions into fundamental accounts like assets, liabilities, equity, costs, and revenues. Transactions can be further categorized using sub-accounts. According to the complexity of the company and the level of detail needed from its financial reporting system, a chart of accounts numbering system assigns a code to each account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The various financial accounts in the general ledger of your business are listed or indexed in charts of accounts. These accounts are broken down into groups like revenue, liabilities, assets, and outlays. Balance sheets accounts like assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity are displayed first on your financial statements, followed by income statement accounts like revenue and expenses. Depending on your specific needs, you may also want to divide the COA for your company into product lines, business divisions, or business functions. In this article, you will find the needed information on a chart of accounts and its numbering system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Chart of Accounts <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A chart of accounts can be used to organize the transactions in your company and show where the money is coming from and going. A chart of accounts is a list of account names that are used to identify transactions and keep track of a business’s finances. It categorizes transactions into groups to make it easier to follow the flow of money into and out of the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An organization’s financial ledger accounts are listed in a chart of accounts. Accounting professionals can refer to each account using its unique number thanks to this chart. Although businesses in various industries may employ a variety of chart types, most charts offer information about a company’s financial transactions over a given period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simple organization should be used when creating charts of accounts. If their accounts are organized correctly, the typical small business shouldn’t go over this cap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does a Chart of Accounts Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For the purpose of organizing your books, each transaction in accounting is classified by its account and sub-account. These accounts, along with their related subaccounts and balances, are listed in the chart of accounts. In contrast to the balance of a liabilities account, which displays the amount of debt your company has, the balance of an expense account, for example, displays the amount of money spent on running your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might also see a “view register” option next to an account name when looking up information in your chart of accounts. This gives you a history of all the transactions connected to that account over time, making it simpler for you and your accountant to identify mistakes and misclassifications. Typically, each account has both an account number and a description.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses can better organize their finances and communicate with shareholders and other interested parties by using a chart of accounts (COA). This is possible and helps to guarantee that the financial statements comply with reporting standards by separating expenses, revenues, assets, and liabilities. A company can list its accounts in the same order they appear in its financial statements. In other words, you list accounts on the balance sheet, including assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity, first, then accounts from the income statement, including revenues and expenses.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chart of Accounts Numbering<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first digit of the account number provided accounting professionals with a way to determine which account a transaction belonged to. For larger businesses, the accounts for assets typically have a number from 100 to 199, and the accounts for liabilities typically have a number from 200 to 299, for example. This keeps the books in their proper order. Small companies with fewer than 250 clients might use a different system of numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of companies employ this reliable, widely used system of account numbers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n