Chart of accounts

The chart of accounts is the list of every account that LedgerLite posts to: Cash, Sales Revenue, Rent and the rest. See Accounting basics for the main ones. This screen only manages the list. Adding, renaming, grouping, archiving or adding accounts from a template posts nothing to your books, and creates no balance.

Where

Accounting › Chart of accounts (the tab beside Journals)

Number

None. Each account has a code that you choose. The app suggests the next free one

Posts to

Nothing. The screen changes the list of accounts, not any balance

Who

Admins add, change, archive and use templates. Managers can look

What it’s for

• See every account with its type, its normal side, its status and its totals.
• Add an account of your own, for example a new kind of expense.
• Group accounts: put an account under a parent, so reports can add the sub-accounts up.
• Rename an account, or change its code.
• Archive an account you no longer use, and bring it back later.
• Add a ready-made set of expense accounts with Add from business template.
• Open the entries of an account in the Account ledger report, with View entries.

Accounts are never deleted. An account that is not wanted any more is archived. Its history stays in your reports.

How accounts are grouped

• A top-level account sits on its own, such as 6100 Rent Expense.
• A sub-account sits under a parent account. It has the same type and normal side as its parent. Its code looks like 6100-01 unless you type another.
• You can go two levels below a top-level account, and no deeper.
• A posting account takes transactions. A summary-only group takes none. It only adds up its sub-accounts. You choose which one it is when you create the account, and you cannot change it afterwards.
• A parent’s totals include its sub-accounts. This is for reading only. No extra entry is made.
• Standard accounts are the accounts the app posts to for you: cash, sales, VAT, stock and so on. They show a System badge. The app finds them by an identity that you cannot see or change, not by their name or code. So you may rename them or change their code, but you cannot delete them, archive them or change their type or normal side.
• Control accounts are standard accounts kept by another screen: Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory, Customer Deposits, Supplier Advances, Goods Received Not Invoiced, Unbilled Receivables, Input Tax Recoverable, Output Tax Payable, Payroll Payable, Pending POS Cash, Stock owed (estimated cost), Staff Advances and VAT due to/from FTA. They cannot have custom sub-accounts.

Fields

The filters above the list

They change only which accounts you see. They apply as you change them, and the list goes back to page 1.

Field	What it means	What it changes
Search	Type part of a code or a name. A parent’s name also finds its sub-accounts	Lists only the matching accounts
Account type	All types, Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Revenue or Expenses	Lists one type
Status	Active (the default), Archived or All statuses	Lists accounts in use, archived ones, or both
Totals up to	The date the debit and credit totals run to. Press Refresh ledger to read the totals again	Changes the totals only

The list shows 10 accounts per page. You can choose 10, 25 or 50. The line under the list says, for example, “Showing 1–10 of 38 accounts”. The page remembers your page number and page size.

The columns

Column	What it shows
Code	The account code
Account	The account name, indented under its parent. Under it: Under ‹parent› for a sub-account and Includes sub-accounts for a parent. A standard account has a System badge. The name opens the details panel
Type	Asset, liability, equity, revenue or expense
Normal	The side the balance usually sits on: debit for assets and expenses, credit for income, what you owe and equity
Status	Active or Archived
Debit and Credit	Two totals of posted journals up to the Totals up to date. They are not one balance. The start date of the period does not change them. A parent shows its own totals plus its sub-accounts’
Actions	The ⋯ menu of the row

The details panel

Press an account’s name to open Account details. It shows the status (and whether the account is a System account (protected) or a Custom account), the purpose (posting account or summary-only group), what it sits under, its type and normal side, its debit and credit totals, and whether it has posted journal lines. For a parent it shows the direct totals and the totals with the sub-accounts. A note says why the type is locked, if it is.

The account form

New account and Add sub-account open Create account. Edit account opens Edit ‹code›.

Field	What it means	What it changes
Parent account (optional)	Search by code or name. Leave empty for a top-level account. Only active accounts that can still take a sub-account are offered. Use a top-level account clears the choice	The account joins that parent. It takes the parent’s type and normal side, and the suggested code changes
Account purpose	Posting account — record transactions or Summary-only group — no transactions. Fixed after the account is saved	A group cannot be used in a journal or a document
Account code (required)	Letters, numbers and hyphens, up to 30. The app turns letters into capitals. It must be new	A top-level account is offered the next free four-digit code of its type, in steps of 10 (assets from 1000, liabilities 2000, equity 3000, revenue 4000, expenses 5000 to 6999). A sub-account is offered the parent’s code plus a number, such as 6100-01. You can type another code
Account name (required)	2 to 160 characters	The name shown in lists and pick lists
Account type (required)	Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue or Expense. New accounts start as Expense	Which reports and totals the account belongs to. Changing it also changes the suggested code and the normal side
Normal balance	Under Accounting details, folded away while it is the default for the type. It opens by itself when it is not (a contra account)	Debit for assets and expenses, credit for the others, unless you choose otherwise

The type and normal side are locked, with a note, when:

• the account is a standard account;
• the account has journal lines;
• the account has sub-accounts;
• the account has a parent, because it must match its parent.

The parent field is locked in the first three cases. Once an account has been used in a journal, its type and normal side are permanent.

A contra account is an account whose normal side is the opposite of its type, for example an allowance that reduces an asset. Open Accounting details to set its normal side.

Buttons

Button	When you see it	What happens	Accounts
New account	Top of the list, for admins	Opens Create account	No change
Add from business template	Top of the list, for admins	Opens the template screen. See below	No change
The account’s name	Every row	Opens Account details	No change
View entries	⋯ menu, for people who may open the Account ledger	Opens the Account ledger report for this account and the dates on screen	No change
Add sub-account	⋯ menu, for admins	Opens Create account with this account as the parent. Greyed out with the reason when it cannot be used	No change
Edit account	⋯ menu, for admins	Opens Edit ‹code›	No change
Archive account	⋯ menu of an active account, for admins. Last in the menu, in red	Opens Archive ‹code› - ‹name›?. Nothing changes until you press Archive account again	No change to entries
Reactivate account	⋯ menu of an archived account, for admins	Makes it active at once	No change to entries
Create account / Save account	The account form	Saves the new or changed account	No change
Cancel	The account form, the archive question and the template screen	Leaves without saving. If you typed something, the app asks first: “Discard the unsaved account details?” on the account form, “Discard the selected account template?” on the template screen	No change
Check status	After a save when no answer came back	Sends the same request again, so the account is not made twice	No change

Statuses you will see: Active and Archived.

A saved account shows “Account ‹code› saved”. An archive shows “Account ‹code› archived”, and a reactivation “Account ‹code› reactivated”.

Archiving an account

An archived account stays in your historical reports and keeps its history. It cannot be chosen for new entries. The question tells you whether the account has journal activity: “This account has journal activity. That activity stays exactly as it is.” or “This account has no journal activity yet.”

The app does not check the balance before it archives. An account that still has a balance can be archived, and that balance stays in your reports. Reactivate it if you need to post to it again.

Archive its active sub-accounts first. An account with active sub-accounts cannot be archived.

A standard account cannot be archived. Its Archive account is greyed out and says “System account: posting workflows use it, so it can’t be archived.”

Add from business template

A template adds a few ready-made expense accounts, each under the matching standard expense account. Nothing is created until you press Add selected accounts. No balance and no entry is made, and the till and the other screens keep posting as before.

The screen opens with General / mixed business chosen. The buttons at the top are Basic accounts for now (add nothing), General / mixed business and Retail / electronics. Each suggestion has a tick box, a code and a name. You can untick the ones you do not want and rename or recode the others. If you change template after editing, the app asks “Discard the current template selections and account names?”

Account (suggested code)	Goes under	In
Software subscriptions (6700-SOFT)	Office and Administration Expense	Both
Professional fees (6700-PRO)	Office and Administration Expense	Both
Internet and telephone (6200-NET)	Utilities Expense	Both
Shop rent (6100-SHOP)	Rent Expense	Retail / electronics
Warehouse rent (6100-WH)	Rent Expense	Retail / electronics
Selling and packaging supplies (6900-PACK)	Other Expense	Retail / electronics
Marketplace fees (6600-MKT)	Bank and Merchant Fees	Retail / electronics
Outbound delivery (6400-OUT)	Delivery and Freight Expense	Retail / electronics

An account you added from a template already is shown as “Already added” and cannot be ticked again. Use both templates if you like: the shared accounts are added only once. When it is done the screen says, for example, “3 accounts added; 0 already added”. The new accounts are ordinary custom accounts. You can rename, archive or put sub-accounts under them.

What gets posted

Nothing. Creating, changing, archiving, reactivating or adding accounts from a template changes the list of accounts only. No journal entry, stock movement or VAT line is made, and no account gets a balance. Entries appear on an account only when another screen posts to it, for example Journals or a sale.

An account does take part in your books in these ways:

• A new account can be chosen on the screens that let you pick an account, such as a manual journal or an expense. A summary-only group cannot be chosen for a journal.
• An archived account can no longer be chosen for new entries. Its old entries stay.
• Renaming or recoding an account changes how it is shown. Entries stay on the same account, and your old figures do not change.

Where it shows up

Place	What changes
Journals	A new active posting account can be chosen on a manual journal line. Archived accounts and summary-only groups cannot
Expense bills and paid expenses	An expense account is an expense category. A new expense account can be chosen as a category
Cash and bank accounts	A cash or bank account is linked to one account of the chart. Archiving a cash or bank account there archives its linked account here too
Reports	Account names, codes, types and parents decide where an account is listed. A parent’s totals add up its sub-accounts. The Account ledger shows the entries of one account

Creating an account from another screen

Some screens let an admin add an account without leaving the screen. Type a name that is not in the list and choose + Create “‹name›”:

• Manual journal line, account field. Opens Create ledger account: Name, Parent (group accounts only), Type and Code. The type follows the parent. A code is suggested once you choose a parent. Without a parent, type one. The button is Create and select ledger account.
• Expense category on an expense bill or a paid expense, and in the cash review. Opens Create expense category. The type is Expense. The parent and code are under Accounting details. If your chart has a group called Expenses, the account goes under it and a code is suggested. If not, type a code. If a category with that name exists, the app warns you, and on some screens offers Use existing. The button is Create and select expense category.
• Owner money in the cash review. Opens Create owner account: a liability account, such as a loan from the owner.

A person who may not add accounts sees the option greyed out with a short reason, such as “You don’t have permission to add expense categories.”

What the app blocks

Problems with the form are shown under the field, and the first one takes the focus.

Situation	What you see
No code	Enter an account code.
Code too long	Use 30 characters or fewer.
Code has a space or another symbol	Use only letters, numbers, and hyphens.
Name too short or too long	Enter at least 2 characters. or Use 160 characters or fewer.
The code is already used by another account, archived ones included	This account code already exists. under the code
Several fields wrong	Check the highlighted fields. in the bar below the form
A parent that cannot be used	Under Parent account (optional): Choose an active parent account from this company., Use the same account type and normal balance as the parent., Use at most a parent and two sub-account levels. An account cannot be its own ancestor. or This control account is maintained through customers, suppliers, inventory, VAT or payroll. Choose another parent.
Changing the parent of an account that has entries, sub-accounts or a cash or bank link	Accounts with activity, sub-accounts or banking mappings cannot change parent or classification.
Changing the type or normal side of an account that has journal lines	This account has journal history. Archive it and create a new account to change classification. beside the field
Changing the type or normal side of an account linked to a cash or bank account	A ledger account mapped to a financial account must remain an asset account. and A ledger account mapped to a financial account must keep a debit normal balance.
Add sub-account on an account that cannot take one	Greyed out with Reactivate this account first., Control accounts can’t have custom sub-accounts. or Sub-accounts go two levels deep at most.
Archive on a standard account	Greyed out with System account: posting workflows use it, so it can’t be archived.
Archive an account that has active sub-accounts	Archive the active sub-accounts before archiving this account. then Check the chart, then try again.
Reactivate a sub-account whose parent is archived	Choose an active parent account from this company. Reactivate the parent first
Change or archive the account of a card machine or a Pay by link provider	Not saved: A terminal clearing ledger is maintained by card terminal settings Change it on the card machine or provider settings instead
Someone else changed the account after you opened it	This account changed after you opened it. Refresh and try again.
No answer came back when you saved	We couldn’t confirm this account was saved and the form locks until you press Check status
A template code or name matches an account that exists	Code or name already exists. Rename or deselect this suggestion. beside the suggestion. If it still reaches the server: An account code or name is already in use. Refresh the chart and rename or deselect the conflicting suggestion. Nothing was added.
No answer when you add a template	We couldn’t confirm the template was added and Check status. Do not start another template meanwhile
The template was saved but the list could not refresh	‹number› accounts were saved, but the chart could not refresh. Close the screen and reload. Do not add them again
No account matches	No accounts match these filters. and Adjust the search or filters to continue.
The chart is empty	No accounts yet. and Add a business template or create an account to start your chart.

Who can do it

Action	Admin	Manager	Cashier
Open Chart of accounts, search, filter, Account details	Yes	Yes	No
New account, Add sub-account, create from another screen	Yes	No	No
Edit account	Yes	No	No
Archive account, Reactivate account	Yes	No	No
Add from business template	Yes	No	No
View entries (Account ledger)	Yes	No	No

A manager sees the list and the details panel, with no ⋯ menu. These are the standard roles. Your administrator can give a custom role each action separately in Settings › Users & access.

Fixing a mistake

1. The name or the code is wrong. Use Edit account. This works on standard accounts too. Entries stay on the account.
2. The type is wrong, and the account has no entries yet. Use Edit account and change the type. Once the account has entries, the type is locked. Archive it, create a new account with the right type, and move the amounts with a manual journal on Journals.
3. The account sits under the wrong parent. Use Edit account and choose another parent. If it has entries or sub-accounts, archive it and create a new one instead.
4. You made an account by mistake. Accounts cannot be deleted. Use Archive account. If it has active sub-accounts, archive those first.
5. You archived an account by mistake. Set Status to Archived or All statuses, then use Reactivate account in its ⋯ menu.
6. A standard account needs a different type, or must go. It cannot be changed or archived. Rename it. If you need another account, add one of your own.
7. You applied the wrong template. The accounts are ordinary accounts. Archive the ones you do not want.
8. You cannot find an account when you post. It may be archived, or it may be a summary-only group. Check Status here, and the account’s purpose in Account details.
9. You are not sure a new account was saved. Press Check status. It sends the same request again and cannot make the account twice.