Skip to main content

Set Up and Manage Your Chart of Accounts

Updated

What this does: Set up your Chart of Accounts so it matches your accounting software, then add, edit or deactivate accounts as your structure changes.

Applies to: GrowthZone AMS. Requires permission to edit billing settings.

Before you start:

  • The Chart of Accounts is on the Billing Settings page: go to Finance, Administrative section, click Billing Settings and select Chart of Accounts.
  • Have your current accounting structure (account names and numbers) from your accounting software on hand.
  • Deactivate, don’t delete, accounts you no longer use, so their history is kept.

Time needed: 30–60 minutes for first-time setup; a few minutes for each later change.

Set up your chart of accounts for the first time

A sample chart of accounts is created when your database is set up. It is only a starting point.

  1. Go to Finance, Administrative section, click Billing Settings and select Chart of Accounts.
  2. Compare the sample accounts with your accounting software.
  3. Edit the accounts that should stay, add the ones that are missing, and deactivate the ones you won’t use. The steps for each are below.
  4. To load many accounts at once, see Import Chart of Accounts.

Checkpoint: every account you bill to in your accounting software has a matching active account here, with the same name and number.

Common pitfall: leaving the sample accounts in place. Match the chart to your real accounting structure before you start billing, or your financial data won’t line up with your records.

Add an account

Before You Begin:

  • You need billing/finance setup permissions to edit the Chart of Accounts.
  • Have the exact account name and number from your general accounting software on hand — the name must match exactly.
  • QuickBooks Desktop only: If your QuickBooks Chart of Accounts contains sub-accounts and you plan to use the Accounting Transaction Export, you must enter the account numbers in the Chart of Accounts. See more about the Accounting Transaction Export in Accounting Transaction Report.
    Chart of Accounts page with the Number column boxed, showing populated account numbers including a sub-account

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Go to Finance, Administrative section, click Billing Settings and select Chart of Accounts. A list of the accounts currently configured in your system will be displayed.
    Chart of Accounts page with Billing Settings boxed in the Administrative section of the Finance rail
  2. Click the Add button.
    Add Account window showing the Name, Number, Account Description, Is Active, Type and Chapter fields, with the ADD button boxed on the Chart of Accounts page behind it
  3. Configure the following settings:
    • Name: This is the name of the account. This name must match exactly the name of the account in your general accounting software.
    • Number: This is the number associated with this account.
    • Account Description: Enter a description of this account. This is for informational purposes only.
    • Is Active: Select the check-box to activate this account. If the account is not activated, it will not be available for use within the software.
    • Type: Select the type of account from the drop-down list.
    • Chapter: If applicable, select the chapter associated with this account.
  4. Click Done to save the new account.

Common Pitfalls

  • Account name mismatch: If the account name does not match the name in your general accounting software exactly, the Accounting Transaction Export will not map correctly. Copy the name verbatim, and (QuickBooks Desktop with sub-accounts) be sure to enter the account number.

Edit an account

Before You Begin:

  • You need staff access to billing/finance settings.
  • Have the account you want to change identified before you start.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Go to Finance, Administrative section, click Billing Settings and select Chart of Accounts. A list of the accounts currently configured in your system will be displayed.
    Chart of Accounts page with Billing Settings boxed in the Administrative section of the Finance rail
  2. Click on the link for the account you wish to edit and make the desired edits.
    Edit Account window for an existing account with the editable fields shown and the account name link boxed on the list behind it
  3. Click Done to save the changes.

Common Pitfalls

  • Forgetting to save: Your edits are not applied until you click Done. Navigating away first will discard your changes.

Deactivate an account

Before You Begin:

  • You need staff permission to access and edit Billing settings.
  • Know which account you want to de-activate. De-activating (rather than deleting) keeps all historical financial data associated with the account intact in the database.

Step-by-Step Instructions

When you no longer wish to use an account, best practice is to de-activate the account. By de-activating you ensure that all historical financial data associated to this account is maintained in the database. By de-activating, the account is no longer visible when assigning accounts to goods/services.

  1. Go to Finance, Administrative section, click Billing Settings.
  2. Click Chart of Accounts. A list of the accounts currently configured in your system will be displayed.
    Chart of Accounts page showing account Active status, with Billing Settings boxed in the Administrative section of the Finance rail
  3. Click on the link for the account you wish to de-activate.
    Edit Account window with the Is Active check-box boxed
  4. Clear the Is Active check-box.
  5. Click Done.

Common Pitfalls

  • Deleting instead of de-activating: Avoid deleting an account you no longer use. De-activating preserves all historical financial data tied to the account, while still hiding it from the list of accounts available to assign to goods/services.

Related articles