5 Things You Should Know About the Chart of Accounts in QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks Online doesn't require deep knowledge of accounting principles. Still, there are concepts you should understand.

You probably didn't expect you'd have to become an accounting expert when you started your business. You knew you'd have to deal with recording income and expenses - maybe track your inventory and process a payroll. But you may not have understood just how complex financial bookkeeping could be.

That's why you decided to use QuickBooks Online, or are at least considering it. The service is an expert on accounting, and it simplifies the process. It knows exactly how you have to document transactions to stay compliant with the rules that accountants and other businesses follow. This is good practice, and it's absolutely necessary if, for example, you ever have to apply for financing.

One of the features of accounting systems you should understand is the Chart of Accounts. You won't have to alter it in any way-in fact, we strongly advise against it-but you'll encounter it when you work with transactions. Here are five things you should know about it.

What is it?

These three columns from QuickBooks Online's Chart of Accounts display account Names, Types, and Detail Types.

QuickBooks Online's Chart of Accounts is a list of financial categories that are used to classify your company's transactions when you record them. If you were doing your accounting manually, you would have to create your own Chart of Accounts. But QuickBooks Online builds one for you based on the company type and industry you choose when you're setting up the site.

Why is the Chart of Accounts important?

Some people refer to the Chart of Accounts as the "backbone" of your company file. All transactions flow to it. Its primary importance can be summed up in one word: reports. Your reports will not be accurate if your Chart of Accounts is poorly constructed or if you categorize transactions incorrectly. This becomes as issue when you want to:

Prepare taxes. Your income tax return will not reflect your reportable income and deductible expenses if transactions are not assigned to the right classifications.Apply for financing, take on an investor, sell your company, etc.Monitor your finances. You won't get a true picture of your income and expenses, which makes it difficult to analyze your company's fiscal health and plan for the future.

What's in the Chart of Accounts?

There are two types of accounts. One contains information that's used in the Balance Sheetreport. These accounts will have a number in the QuickBooks Balance column that's based on all transactions up to the current date. They include Assets (bank accounts, accounts receivable, inventory, etc.), Liabilities (unpaid bills, credit cards, payroll and sales taxes, loans, etc.), and Equity.

The remainder of the accounts are used in the Profit and Loss report, otherwise known as the Income Statement. They're divided into Income (sales, discounts given, etc.), Cost of Goods Sold (labor, shipping, materials and supplies, etc.), Expenses (advertising, insurance, payroll, etc.), Other Income, and Other Expense. You won't see a number in the QuickBooks Balance column for these accounts because the Profit and Loss report changes based on the date range selected.

Should I ever make any modifications to my Chart of Accounts?

You can set up bank and credit card accounts in QuickBooks Online's Chart of Accounts.

As we stated earlier, we strongly recommend that you never modify your Chart of Accounts without consulting us. However, there are two exceptions to this. You'll want to create entries for your bank and credit card accounts. To do this, first open the Chart of Accounts by clicking the gear icon in the upper right and selecting Chart of Accounts under Your Company. When it opens, click New in the upper right corner. Choose Bank or Credit Card and fill in the blanks.

Do I need to use account numbers in the Chart of Accounts?

Generally, the smaller the business, the less need there is for this. If your business is big enough that you have dedicated A/P and A/R individuals, you may want to post transactions to account numbers.

Understanding Reports

QuickBooks Online makes it possible for you to view the Chart of Accounts and those two critical reports, Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss. Customizing and analyzing them, though, is something you should do under professional supervision. We're happy to help here and in other advanced areas of the site. Contact us for a consultation.