Custom Accounts
Create, edit, disable, and delete user-defined accounts.
Custom accounts are created for industry-specific needs — project cost tracking, department expense accounts, additional bank accounts, special income streams, loan accounts, or any classification not covered by the accounts the app creates for you. They appear with a "Custom" source badge in the Chart of Accounts list.
Creating a Custom Account
Navigate to: Finance → Chart of Accounts → New
The New Account modal walks you through the classification in sequence. Each step filters the options in the next.
Five pill buttons: Asset | Liability | Equity | Income | Expense
This is the most consequential choice. It determines which financial statement the account appears on and whether its normal balance is a debit or credit.
A scrollable list of the sections valid for the chosen element, indented as they nest. Contra groups are marked with a Contra badge. Choosing a group pre-selects a matching Type.
| Field | Required? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Yes | Filtered by the chosen element. Sets how the account groups within reports. |
| Sub Type | No | Filtered by Type. The field reads "Optional", or "No subtypes" when the type has none. |
| Field | Required? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Account Name | Yes | Placeholder: "e.g. Main Operating Account". Appears on all reports. |
| Code | No (auto) | The next number after the highest code already used by that type is suggested. Tick "Custom" to enter your own: numeric, 4–6 digits, unique across the whole chart. |
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Description (optional) | Brief description of this account's purpose. |
| Locations | Multi-select, shown when your business has centers. Leave empty ("All") to make the account available to every center; set it to restrict posting to specific branches. |
| Parent Account (optional) | Nests this account under a parent for hierarchical reporting. |
Click Save. The account is immediately available across all modules — invoicing, bills, journals, payroll, and reports.
Editing a Custom Account
Click any row in the Chart of Accounts list to open the ledger, then click the edit link in the account header. The edit modal is the same as the creation modal with all fields pre-populated.
| Field | Editable later? |
|---|---|
| Account Name | Yes — does not affect historical reporting |
| Code | Yes |
| Description | Yes |
| Locations | Yes — adds or removes center restrictions going forward |
| Parent Account | Yes |
| Element / Statement group / Type / Sub Type | Yes for custom accounts. Nothing is re-posted, but every entry the account already carries moves with it to the new section of each report. Locked for system accounts. |
Disabling a Custom Account
Tick the account in the list and choose Disable. A disabled account stops appearing when creating documents and journals; nothing already posted changes and every report stays exactly as it is. Filter the list by Status → Disabled to find it again, then Enable to restore it.
Deleting a Custom Account
Tick the account and choose Delete. Deletion is refused when:
- it has posted entries — "Account has N posted ledger entries. Reclassify or reverse them before deleting."
- it carries a balance — "Account has a balance of …"
- it is a system account — "System account cannot be deleted."
Each refused account is named with its reason in a dialog; nothing is skipped silently.
An account with posted entries can never be deleted — its ledger lines would be orphaned and historical reports would change. Do not try to reach zero by voiding its entries; disable it instead. Disabling takes it out of the pickers while leaving every posted figure untouched.
Common Custom Account Patterns
| Business Need | Element | Statement group → Type | Example Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additional operating bank account | Asset | Cash & Cash Equivalents → Cash (Bank Account - Current) | Example Bank — Savings |
| Petty cash fund | Asset | Cash & Cash Equivalents → Cash (Petty Cash) | Office Petty Cash |
| Shareholder loan from owner | Liability | Long-Term Borrowings → Long term debts and leases | Director Loan Account |
| Department-specific expense | Expense | Administrative Expenses → Operating Expenses | Marketing Department — Software |
| Product line revenue | Income | Operating Revenue → Operating Income | Subscription Revenue |
| Government grant received | Income | Other Income → Non-operating Income | Grant Income |
| Leasehold improvement | Asset | Property, Plant & Equipment → Fixed assets | Office Fit-Out — Toronto |
| Accrued audit fees | Liability | Accrued Liabilities → Accruals | Accrued Professional Fees |
Related
- Chart of Accounts — the classification system every report draws from
- Account types & hierarchy — the five elements and what sits beneath them
- IFRS account groups — the statement groups an account is filed under
- System accounts — the accounts the app posts to on your behalf
- Importing accounts — bulk-load a chart from a spreadsheet