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Ledger account types

Every ledger account type, grouped, and which financial statement each one drives.

Written by Matt Spurr

Every ledger account in your chart of accounts has a type. The type controls how the account behaves and where its balance lands on your financial statements. Revenue and expense types flow to the Statement of Activities. Asset, liability, and equity types sit on the Statement of Financial Position. Choosing the right type is what keeps your reports tying out.

You set an account's type when you create or edit it on the Chart of Accounts page.

This article lists every account type, grouped into the five top-level groups, and shows which groups drive which statement.

How the type shapes a report

Account types roll up into five standard groups, and the group determines the statement:

Group

Appears on

Assets

Statement of Financial Position

Liabilities

Statement of Financial Position

Equity (Net Assets section)

Statement of Financial Position

Revenue

Statement of Activities

Expense

Statement of Activities

Asset, Liability, and Equity types appear on the Statement of Financial Position, where equity-type accounts roll up under the Net Assets section. Revenue and Expense types appear on the Statement of Activities. Pick the group first, then the specific type within it.

Asset types

Assets are what your organization owns or is owed. These types roll up to the Statement of Financial Position.

Type

What it's for

Bank

Cash held in a bank or similar account.

Current Asset

A resource expected to be used or converted to cash within a year.

Non Current Asset

A longer-term resource held beyond a year (e.g., equipment, long-term investments).

Contra Asset

Reduces the carrying value of a related asset (e.g., accumulated depreciation).

Inventory

Goods held for use or sale.

Receivable

Money owed to you (e.g., pledges or invoices outstanding).

Liability types

Liabilities are what your organization owes. These types roll up to the Statement of Financial Position.

Type

What it's for

Current Liability

An obligation due within a year.

Non Current Liability

A longer-term obligation due beyond a year (e.g., a multi-year note).

Payable

Money you owe (e.g., bills or invoices awaiting payment).

Control

A reconciling or clearing account used to hold balances in transit.

Reconciliation

An account used to reconcile balances between systems or processes.

Control and Reconciliation are specialized holding accounts. If you're not sure which one fits a situation, check how the matching account is set up in your accounting system, or ask before assigning one.

Net Assets (Equity) types

Net assets are what remain after liabilities are subtracted from assets. You classify these accounts as type Equity. On your Statement of Financial Position they appear under the Net Assets section.

Type

What it's for

Equity

Net assets: what remains after liabilities are subtracted from assets.

Revenue types

Revenue is the income your organization earns. These types populate the Statement of Activities.

Type

What it's for

Operating Revenue

Income from your core mission activity (e.g., grants, program fees, contributions).

Non Operating Revenue

Incidental income outside core operations (e.g., interest or gains).

Expense types

Expenses are the costs your organization incurs. These types populate the Statement of Activities.

Type

What it's for

Operating Expense

Costs of running your core mission activity.

Non Operating Expense

Costs outside core operations.

Direct Expense

Program or direct costs attributable to a specific activity.

Overhead Expense

Shared or indirect costs not tied to one program (e.g., administration).

Other Expense

Costs that don't fit the other expense types.

Interest Expense

The cost of borrowing.

Tax Expense

Taxes incurred (e.g., unrelated business income tax).

Setting an account's type

You assign the type when you create or edit a ledger account on the Chart of Accounts page. Choose the group first (asset, liability, equity, revenue, or expense), then the specific type within it. The type takes effect immediately and determines where the account's balance reports.

If your chart of accounts comes from your accounting system, the type is set to match the source account. Review imported types so each account reports on the statement you expect.

You can change an account's type later by editing it. Because the type controls which statement the account reports on, changing it moves the account's balance from one statement to the other, so review your reports after a change.

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