Free tool

Startup chart of accounts template (CSV and Excel)

A startup chart of accounts needs about 40 accounts: cash, receivables, prepaid costs and equipment; card balances, payables and payroll; preferred stock, common stock and SAFEs; subscription and services revenue; hosting and payment fees as cost of revenue; and operating expenses from payroll to software. This template has 40, each with a code, what goes in it and the closest QuickBooks and Xero type. Download it as CSV or Excel.

40 accounts in 8 groups

Asset8
Liability5
Equity5
Revenue4
Cost of revenue2
Expense14
Other income1
Other expense1

Free template

CSV and Excel

Code, name, type, what goes in each account, and the closest QuickBooks and Xero account types.

Rename the bank and card accounts to yours. Both files are built in your browser.

The startup chart of accounts
Code	Account	Type	What goes here	QuickBooks type	Xero type
1000	Mercury Checking	Asset	Your main checking account. Rename it to your bank.	Bank · Checking	Bank
1010	Mercury Treasury	Asset	Treasury or money market funds held at your bank.	Bank · Money Market	Bank
1020	Mercury Savings	Asset	A savings account.	Bank · Savings	Bank
1050	Stripe Balance	Asset	Money Stripe holds before it pays out to your bank.	Bank · Cash on hand	Bank
1090	Transfers in Transit	Asset	Money moving between two of your own accounts, so a transfer is never counted as income or spend.	Other Current Assets · Other Current Assets	Current Asset
1200	Accounts Receivable	Asset	Invoices customers owe you.	Accounts receivable (A/R) · Accounts Receivable (A/R)	Current Asset
1300	Prepaid Expenses	Asset	Costs paid ahead, such as a year of insurance, spread over the months they cover.	Other Current Assets · Prepaid Expenses	Current Asset
1500	Computer Equipment	Asset	Laptops and other equipment you keep for more than a year.	Fixed Assets · Machinery & Equipment	Fixed Asset
2000	Accounts Payable	Liability	Bills you owe vendors.	Accounts payable (A/P) · Accounts Payable (A/P)	Current Liability
2100	Brex Card	Liability	Your company card balance. Rename it to your card.	Credit Card · Credit Card	Bank
2200	Payroll Liabilities	Liability	Payroll taxes withheld and not yet paid.	Other Current Liabilities · Payroll Tax Payable	Current Liability
2250	Payroll Clearing	Liability	Payroll posts here and the bank payment clears it, so pay is counted once.	Other Current Liabilities · Payroll Clearing	Current Liability
2300	Accrued Expenses	Liability	Costs incurred this month that you haven't been billed for yet.	Other Current Liabilities · Other Current Liabilities	Current Liability
3000	Preferred Stock	Equity	Money raised from preferred stock rounds.	Equity · Preferred Stock	Equity
3050	Opening Balance Equity	Equity	Balances brought in when the books start, cleared once history is in.	Equity · Opening Balance Equity	Equity
3100	Common Stock	Equity	Founders' and employees' common stock.	Equity · Common Stock	Equity
3200	SAFE Notes	Equity	SAFEs you have raised, until they convert. Ask your CPA where they belong.	Equity · Paid-In Capital or Surplus	Equity
3900	Retained Earnings	Equity	Past years' profit or loss.	Equity · Retained Earnings	Equity
4000	Subscription Revenue	Revenue	Recurring subscription revenue.	Income · Sales of Product Income	Revenue
4100	Services Revenue	Revenue	One-off services, setup and consulting.	Income · Service/Fee Income	Revenue
4900	Refunds and Discounts	Revenue	Refunds and discounts given, which reduce revenue.	Income · Discounts/Refunds Given	Revenue
4990	Uncategorized Income	Revenue	Money in that still needs a category. Keep it at $0 at month-end.	Income · Sales of Product Income	Revenue
5000	Hosting and Infrastructure	Cost of revenue	Hosting, cloud and other costs of delivering the product.	Cost of Goods Sold · Other Costs of Services - COS	Direct Costs
5100	Payment Processing Fees	Cost of revenue	Stripe and other payment processing fees.	Cost of Goods Sold · Other Costs of Services - COS	Direct Costs
6000	Salaries and Wages	Expense	Gross pay for employees.	Expenses · Payroll Expenses	Expense
6010	Payroll Taxes	Expense	The employer's share of payroll taxes.	Expenses · Payroll Expenses	Expense
6020	Employee Benefits	Expense	Health insurance and other benefits the company pays.	Expenses · Payroll Expenses	Expense
6100	Software and Subscriptions	Expense	Software subscriptions and tools.	Expenses · Office/General Administrative Expenses	Expense
6200	Rent	Expense	Office and coworking rent.	Expenses · Rent or Lease of Buildings	Expense
6300	Legal Fees	Expense	Lawyers and legal filings.	Expenses · Legal & Professional Fees	Expense
6310	Accounting Fees	Expense	Bookkeeping, tax preparation and audit fees.	Expenses · Legal & Professional Fees	Expense
6400	Advertising and Marketing	Expense	Ads, sponsorships and marketing tools.	Expenses · Advertising/Promotional	Expense
6500	Travel and Meals	Expense	Flights, hotels and meals on company business.	Expenses · Travel	Expense
6600	Office Supplies	Expense	Office supplies and small equipment.	Expenses · Supplies & Materials	Expense
6700	Contractors	Expense	Contractors and freelancers (the payees who may need a 1099).	Expenses · Legal & Professional Fees	Expense
6800	Insurance	Expense	Business insurance.	Expenses · Insurance	Expense
6900	Bank Fees	Expense	Bank and wire fees.	Expenses · Bank Charges	Expense
6990	Uncategorized Expense	Expense	Money out that still needs a category. Keep it at $0 at month-end.	Expenses · Other Miscellaneous Service Cost	Expense
7000	Interest Income	Other income	Interest earned on cash and treasury.	Other Income · Interest Earned	Other Income
8000	Income Taxes	Other expense	Federal and state income taxes.	Other Expense · Other Miscellaneous Expense	Expense

The startup chart of accounts

Accounts in all: 40
Asset accounts, from checking to equipment: 8
Operating expense accounts: 14
With QuickBooks and Xero types: CSV and Excel

How it's calculated

Codes follow the usual blocks: 1000s assets, 2000s liabilities, 3000s equity, 4000s revenue, 5000s cost of revenue, 6000s operating expenses, 7000s other income and 8000s other expenses.
Hosting and payment fees sit in cost of revenue, so gross margin shows what it costs to serve customers.
Transfers in transit and payroll clearing keep a transfer between your own accounts, and a payroll run, from being counted twice.
The QuickBooks and Xero columns are the closest account types in each tool. Check them when you import, since both ask for a type on every account.
It is the same chart every new company in Accountable starts with.

Questions founders ask

How many accounts should a startup have?

Thirty to fifty is plenty. More accounts make every report longer without making it clearer; use tags or classes for detail such as department or product.

Where do SAFEs go?

Most startups carry SAFEs in equity until they convert, and this template does. Some CPAs record them as a liability, so ask yours before the year-end.

Can I import this into QuickBooks or Xero?

Yes. Both import a chart of accounts from a spreadsheet; map the name, code and type columns, and check each type before you finish.