Account types and detail types

Every account in your chart of accounts has two labels:

• Account Type: what kind of account it is, for example Bank, Accounts Receivable or Expense. The account type decides where the account appears on your financial statements, and whether it normally carries a debit or a credit balance.
• Detail Type: a more specific description within that type. A Bank account, for example, can be Checking, Savings or Money Market.

Bokeping currently supports 23 account types and 159 detail types. This article lists all of them and explains how to use them when you create or import accounts.

Where to find them

• Creating an account: go to Accounting → Chart of Accounts, click New, and open the Account Type and Detail Type lists.
• Importing a chart of accounts: fill in the Account Type and Detail Type columns of your file with the names in this article. See Tips for importing a chart of accounts at the end.

How the two work together

• Choose the account type first. Each detail type belongs to exactly one account type, so the Detail Type list only shows options that match the account type you picked. For example, Sales Tax Payable appears only after you choose Tax Payable.
• Detail Type is optional. If you leave it empty, Bokeping uses the account type’s default detail type, marked (default) in the tables below.
• Pick the closest match. Detail types help keep your books organized and make reports easier to read. If none fits exactly, choose the closest one. The account type is what matters most for your statements.

Asset account types

Account Type	Use it for	Detail Types
Cash	Cash on hand, and money received but not yet deposited	Cash on Hand (default), Undeposited Funds
Bank	Checking, savings and other bank accounts	Checking (default), Money Market, Rents Held in Trust, Savings, Trust Account
Accounts Receivable	Money customers owe you	Accounts Receivable (A/R) (default)
Inventory	The value of stock you hold for sale	Inventory (default)
Other Current Asset	Other assets you expect to use or convert to cash within a year	Other Current Assets (default), Allowance for Bad Debts, Development Costs, Employee Cash Advances, Investment - Mortgage/Real Estate Loans, Investment - Tax-Exempt Securities, Investment - U.S. Government Obligations, Investments - Other, Loans to Officers, Loans to Others, Loans to Shareholders, Prepaid Expenses, Retainage
Fixed Asset	Long-lived physical and intangible assets	Other Fixed Assets (default), Buildings, Depletable Assets, Fixed Asset Computers, Fixed Asset Copiers, Fixed Asset Furniture, Fixed Asset Other Tools Equipment, Fixed Asset Phone, Fixed Asset Photo Video, Fixed Asset Software, Furniture & Fixtures, Intangible Assets, Land, Leasehold Improvements, Machinery & Equipment, Vehicles
Accumulated Depreciation	Depreciation, amortization and depletion built up against fixed assets	Accumulated Depreciation (default), Accumulated Amortization, Accumulated Depletion
Non-Current Asset	Other long-term assets	Other Long-term Assets (default), Accumulated Amortization of Other Assets, Goodwill, Lease Buyout, Licenses, Organizational Costs, Security Deposits

Liability account types

Account Type	Use it for	Detail Types
Accounts Payable	Money you owe vendors on bills	Accounts Payable (A/P) (default)
Credit Card	Company credit card balances	Credit Card (default)
Tax Payable	Taxes you’ve collected or owe	Sales Tax Payable (default), Federal Income Tax Payable, Payroll Tax Payable, State/Local Income Tax Payable
Other Current Liability	Other debts due within a year	Other Current Liabilities (default), Deferred Revenue, Insurance Payable, Line of Credit, Loan Payable, Payroll Clearing, Prepaid Expenses Payable, Rents in Trust - Liability, Trust Accounts - Liabilities, Undistributed Tips
Long Term Liability	Loans and other debts due after more than a year	Other Long-term Liabilities (default), Debts Related to Participating Interests, Notes Payable, Shareholder Notes Payable
Non-Current Liability	Other long-term obligations	Non-Current Liabilities (default)

Equity account types

Account Type	Use it for	Detail Types
Equity	The owners’ investment and the profits kept in the business	Owner’s Equity (default), Accumulated Adjustment, Common Stock, Estimated Taxes, Health Insurance Premium, Health Savings Account Contribution, Opening Balance Equity, Paid-In Capital or Surplus, Partner Contributions, Partner’s Equity, Personal Income, Preferred Stock, Retained Earnings
Drawings	Money and assets taken out of the business by its owners	Partner Distributions (default), Personal Expense, Treasury Stock

Income account types

Account Type	Use it for	Detail Types
Income	Revenue from your main business activities	Other Primary Income (default), Non-Profit Income, Sales of Product Income, Service/Fee Income, Unapplied Cash Payment Income
Contra Income	Amounts that reduce income, such as discounts and refunds given	Discounts/Refunds Given (default)
Other Income	Income from outside your main business activities	Other Miscellaneous Income (default), Dividend Income, Interest Earned, Other Investment Income, Tax-Exempt Interest

Cost and expense account types

Account Type	Use it for	Detail Types
Cost of Goods Sold	Direct costs of the products and services you sell	Cost of Goods Sold (default), Cost of Labor - COS, Equipment Rental - COS, Other Costs of Services - COS, Shipping, Freight & Delivery - COS, Supplies & Materials - COGS
Contra Cost of Goods Sold	Amounts that reduce cost of goods sold, such as supplier rebates	Purchase Discounts and Rebates - COS (default)
Expense	Day-to-day operating expenses	Other Business Expenses (default), Advertising/Promotional, Auto, Bad Debts, Bank Charges, Charitable Contributions, Communication, Cost of Labor, Dues & Subscriptions, Entertainment, Entertainment Meals, Equipment Rental, Finance Costs, Insurance, Interest Paid, Legal & Professional Fees, Office/General Administrative Expenses, Other Miscellaneous Service Cost, Other Selling Expenses, Payroll Expenses, Payroll Tax Expenses, Payroll Wage Expenses, Promotional Meals, Rent or Lease of Buildings, Repair & Maintenance, Shipping, Freight & Delivery, Supplies & Materials, Taxes Paid, Travel, Travel Meals, Unapplied Cash Bill Payment Expense, Utilities
Other Expense	Expenses outside your main operations, plus depreciation, amortization and vehicle and home-office costs	Other Miscellaneous Expense (default), Amortization, Depreciation, Exchange Gain or Loss, Gas and Fuel, Home Office, Homeowner Rental Insurance, Mortgage Interest Home Office, Other Home Office Expenses, Other Vehicle Expenses, Parking and Tolls, Penalties & Settlements, Property Tax Home Office, Rent and Lease Home Office, Repairs and Maintenance Home Office, Utilities Home Office, Vehicle, Vehicle Insurance, Vehicle Lease, Vehicle Loan, Vehicle Loan Interest, Vehicle Registration, Vehicle Repairs, Wash and Road Services

Tips for importing a chart of accounts

Account Type is required, and Bokeping accepts a few spellings. Besides the names above, the importer also recognizes common variations, so a file exported from another accounting program usually works as it is:

Bokeping account type	Also accepted
Accounts Receivable	Accounts Receivable (A/R)
Accounts Payable	Accounts Payable (A/P)
Other Current Asset	Other Current Assets
Fixed Asset	Fixed Assets
Non-Current Asset	Other Assets
Other Current Liability	Other Current Liabilities
Long Term Liability	Long Term Liabilities
Expense	Expenses

You can also put a detail type in the Account Type column, for example Checking or Prepaid Expenses, and Bokeping works out the account type from it.

Don’t use broad categories as the account type. Asset, Liability and Equity describe a whole group of account types, not a single one, so the importer can’t use them.

Detail Type is optional, but it must belong to the account type. If a row shows “Detail type needs attention” on the review screen, the name in your file isn’t one of Bokeping’s detail types, or it belongs to a different account type. Click the cell and pick the closest option from the list. Two cases come up often:

In your file	Choose in Bokeping
A sales tax account with the detail type Global Tax Payable	Account Type Tax Payable, Detail Type Sales Tax Payable. Change the account type first; Sales Tax Payable only appears under Tax Payable.
Other Long Term Liabilities	Other Long-term Liabilities

Need a starting point? On the import page, click Download template for a sample file that shows every column and some example accounts.

For every column the chart-of-accounts import accepts, see the import field reference.