This chart of accounts is suitable for use with US GAAP.
US GAAP approaches accounting from a reporting-focused perspective, with emphasis on recognition, measurement, and financial statement presentation and disclosure. As such, it does not prescribe bookkeeping procedures or a standard chart of accounts. Entities operating in the United States may define any COA provided it yields a financial report consistent with US GAAP guidance.
Nevertheless, as designing a workable COA is a time consuming and laborious process, many entities prefer to use an off the self-version particularly if it can be, with minimal effort be adjusted to reflects the entity’s financial structure.
In its basic form, it is suitable for a small business and is available free of charge.
As a general rule, only publicly traded entities have a formal obligation to apply IFRS or US GAAP guidance. As such, their accounting system must be robust enough to fulfill the extensive recognition and measurement guidance outlined in these standards.
Non-public entities in jurisdictions that do not mandate accounting practices have more flexibility and may elect to use any structure they choose. Nevertheless, a sound account structure will help any business, regardless of size, optimize its operational efficiency and fuel data-driven decision-making. Equally important, it allows the entity to fulfill the tax reporting obligation shared by all entities, regardless of size or ownership structure.
Since the ASC non-public entity guidance is the backbone of accounting for all entities, COAs that reflect this guidance are useful to all but the smallest businesses.
Businesses whose accounting consists of tracking cash flow so they can report income to a tax authority have no need for a COA or any formal accounting system. Their accounting needs can be met by simply downloading a bank statement and adding up all their cash receipts and disbursements.
As anyone who has ever started a business knows, starting a business is the easy part. Keeping it running smoothly and profitably is where the real challenge lies. To help those just starting out, this site publishes workable, basic COAs, that can be expanded as needed, free of charge. After all, every business that survives the startup phase makes the business community richer and more diverse so is in everyone's best interest.
In its advanced form, it is scalable and may be used by businesses of any size.
Its advanced version is suitable for a single large entity as well as a group of entities. Its expanded version is designed for entities facing complex tasks such as accounting for various financial instruments or consolidating subsidiaries operating in foreign jurisdictions, particularly where they are also subject to non‑GAAP accounting and/or reporting requirements. For publicly traded entities, its XBRL cross‑referenced version is designed to assist in drafting the machine‑readable financial reports required by some regulators.
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US GAAP COA (basic version)
|
Account Title |
Account # |
Depth |
Balance |
1 |
|
Assets |
1 |
0 |
Dr |
2 |
|
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Short-term Investments |
1.1 |
1 |
Dr |
3 |
|
Cash and Cash Equivalents |
1.1.1 |
2 |
Dr |
4 |
|
Investments |
1.1.2 |
2 |
Dr |
5 |
|
Receivables and Contracts |
1.2 |
1 |
Dr |
6 |
|
Accounts, Notes and Loans Receivable |
1.2.1 |
2 |
Dr |
7 |
|
Contracts With Customers |
1.2.2 |
2 |
Dr |
8 |
|
Nontrade and Other Receivables |
1.2.3 |
2 |
Dr |
9 |
|
Inventory |
1.3 |
1 |
Dr |
10 |
|
Merchandise |
1.3.1 |
2 |
Dr |
11 |
|
Raw Material, Parts and Supplies |
1.3.2 |
2 |
Dr |
12 |
|
Work in Process |
1.3.3 |
2 |
Dr |
13 |
|
Finished Goods |
1.3.4 |
2 |
Dr |
14 |
|
Other Inventory |
1.3.5 |
2 |
Dr |
15 |
|
Accruals and Additional Assets |
1.4 |
1 |
Dr |
16 |
|
Prepaid Expense |
1.4.1 |
2 |
Dr |
17 |
|
Accrued Income |
1.4.2 |
2 |
Dr |
18 |
|
Service Provider Work in Process (Classified as Accrual) |
1.4.3 |
2 |
Dr |
19 |
|
Additional Assets |
1.4.4 |
2 |
Dr |
20 |
|
Property, Plant and Equipment |
1.5 |
1 |
Dr |
21 |
|
Land and Land Improvements |
1.5.1 |
2 |
Dr |
22 |
|
Buildings, Structures and Improvements |
1.5.2 |
2 |
Dr |
23 |
|
Machinery and Equipment |
1.5.3 |
2 |
Dr |
24 |
|
Furniture and Fixtures |
1.5.4 |
2 |
Dr |
25 |
|
Right of Use Assets (Classified as PP&E) |
1.5.5 |
2 |
Dr |
26 |
|
Additional Property, Plant and Equipment |
1.5.6 |
2 |
Dr |
27 |
|
Agricultural Biological Assets |
1.5.7 |
2 |
Dr |
28 |
|
Construction in Progress |
1.5.8 |
2 |
Dr |
29 |
|
Intangible Assets Excluding Goodwill |
1.6 |
1 |
Dr |
30 |
|
Intellectual Property |
1.6.1 |
2 |
Dr |
31 |
|
Computer Software |
1.6.2 |
2 |
Dr |
32 |
|
Trade and Distribution Assets |
1.6.3 |
2 |
Dr |
33 |
|
Contracts and Rights |
1.6.4 |
2 |
Dr |
34 |
|
Right of Use Assets |
1.6.5 |
2 |
Dr |
35 |
|
Crypto Assets (Classified as Intangible) |
1.6.6 |
2 |
Dr |
36 |
|
Additional Intangible Assets |
1.6.7 |
2 |
Dr |
37 |
|
Acquisition in Progress |
1.6.8 |
2 |
Dr |
38 |
|
Goodwill |
1.7 |
1 |
Dr |
39 |
|
Liabilities |
2 |
0 |
(Cr) |
40 |
|
Payables |
2.1 |
1 |
(Cr) |
41 |
|
Trade Payables |
2.1.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
42 |
|
Accounts Payable, Interest-bearing |
2.1.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
43 |
|
Interest Payable |
2.1.3 |
2 |
(Cr) |
44 |
|
Dividends Payable |
2.1.4 |
2 |
(Cr) |
45 |
|
Other Payables |
2.1.5 |
2 |
(Cr) |
46 |
|
Payables (Foreign Currency) |
2.1.6 |
2 |
(Cr) |
47 |
|
Accruals, Deferrals and Additional Liabilities |
2.2 |
1 |
(Cr) |
48 |
|
Accrued Expenses |
2.2.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
49 |
|
Deferred Revenue and Refund Liabilities |
2.2.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
50 |
|
Taxes Other Than Payroll |
2.2.3 |
2 |
(Cr) |
51 |
|
Additional Liabilities |
2.2.4 |
2 |
(Cr) |
52 |
|
Financial Labilities |
2.3 |
1 |
(Cr) |
53 |
|
Notes Payable |
2.3.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
54 |
|
Loans Payable |
2.3.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
55 |
|
Bonds |
2.3.3 |
2 |
(Cr) |
56 |
|
Other Debts and Borrowings |
2.3.4 |
2 |
(Cr) |
57 |
|
Lease Obligations |
2.3.5 |
2 |
(Cr) |
58 |
|
Derivative Liabilities |
2.3.6 |
2 |
(Cr) |
59 |
|
Commitments and Contingencies |
2.4 |
1 |
(Cr) |
60 |
|
Customer Related Contingencies |
2.4.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
61 |
|
Litigation and Regulatory |
2.4.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
62 |
|
Additional Obligations |
2.4.3 |
2 |
(Cr) |
63 |
|
Equity |
3 |
0 |
(Cr) |
64 |
|
Equity, Attributable to Parent |
3.1 |
1 |
(Cr) |
65 |
|
Stockholders Equity at Par |
3.1.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
66 |
|
Additional Paid-in Capital |
3.1.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
67 |
|
Retained Earnings (Accumulated Deficit) |
3.2 |
1 |
(Cr) |
68 |
|
Appropriated |
3.2.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
69 |
|
Unappropriated |
3.2.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
70 |
|
Deficit |
3.2.3 |
2 |
Dr |
71 |
|
In Suspense |
3.2.4 |
2 |
Zero |
72 |
|
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income |
3.3 |
1 |
Dr or (Cr) |
73 |
|
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment |
3.3.1 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
74 |
|
Remeasurements Available-for-sale Financial Assets |
3.3.2 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
75 |
|
Remeasurements Cash Flow Hedges |
3.3.3 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
76 |
|
Remeasurement Defined Benefit Pension Plans |
3.3.4 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
77 |
|
Remeasurement Fair Value Option Financial Liability |
3.3.5 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
78 |
|
Other Equity Items |
3.4 |
1 |
Dr or (Cr) |
79 |
|
ESOP Related Items |
3.4.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
80 |
|
Stock Receivables |
3.4.2 |
2 |
Dr |
81 |
|
Treasury Stock |
3.4.3 |
2 |
Dr |
82 |
|
Additional Equity Items |
3.4.4 |
2 |
(Cr) |
83 |
|
Owners Equity |
3.5 |
1 |
(Cr) |
84 |
|
Partner's Capital |
3.5.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
85 |
|
Member's Equity |
3.5.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
86 |
|
Non-share Equity |
3.5.3 |
2 |
(Cr) |
87 |
|
Non-controlling Minority Interest |
3.6 |
1 |
(Cr) |
88 |
|
Revenue |
4 |
0 |
(Cr) |
89 |
|
Recognized Point of Time |
4.1 |
1 |
(Cr) |
90 |
|
Goods |
4.1.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
91 |
|
Services |
4.1.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
92 |
|
Recognized Over Time |
4.2 |
1 |
(Cr) |
93 |
|
Products and Projects |
4.2.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
94 |
|
Services |
4.2.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
95 |
|
Adjustments |
4.3 |
1 |
Dr |
96 |
|
Variable Consideration |
4.3.1 |
2 |
Dr |
97 |
|
Consideration Paid Payable to Customers |
4.3.2 |
2 |
Dr |
98 |
|
Other Adjustments |
4.3.3 |
2 |
Dr |
99 |
|
Expenses |
5 |
0 |
Dr |
100 |
|
Expenses (Classified by Nature) |
5.1 |
1 |
Dr |
101 |
|
Material and Merchandise |
5.1.1 |
2 |
Dr |
102 |
|
Employee Benefits |
5.1.2 |
2 |
Dr |
103 |
|
Services |
5.1.3 |
2 |
Dr |
104 |
|
Rent, Depreciation, Amortization and Depletion |
5.1.4 |
2 |
Dr |
105 |
|
Expenses (Classified by Function) |
5.2 |
1 |
Dr |
106 |
|
Cost of Revenue |
5.2.1 |
2 |
Dr |
107 |
|
Selling, General and Administrative Expense |
5.2.2 |
2 |
Dr |
108 |
|
Other Non-operating Income and Expenses |
6 |
0 |
Dr or (Cr) |
109 |
|
Other Revenue and Expenses |
6.1 |
1 |
Dr or (Cr) |
110 |
|
Other Revenue |
6.1.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
111 |
|
Other Expenses |
6.1.2 |
2 |
Dr |
112 |
|
Gains and Losses |
6.2 |
1 |
Dr or (Cr) |
113 |
|
Foreign Currency Gain or Loss |
6.2.1 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
114 |
|
Investments Gain or Loss |
6.2.2 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
115 |
|
Derivatives Gain or Loss |
6.2.3 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
116 |
|
Crypto Asset Gain or Loss |
6.2.4 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
117 |
|
Disposal of Assets Gain or Loss |
6.2.5 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
118 |
|
Debt Related Gain or Loss |
6.2.6 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
119 |
|
Credit Losses |
6.2.7 |
2 |
Dr |
120 |
|
Asset Impairment Loss |
6.2.8 |
2 |
Dr |
121 |
|
Other Gains and Losses |
6.2.9 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
122 |
|
Taxes Other Than Income and Payroll and Fees |
6.3 |
1 |
Dr |
123 |
|
Real Estate Taxes and Insurance |
6.3.1 |
2 |
Dr |
124 |
|
Highway Road Taxes and Tolls |
6.3.2 |
2 |
Dr |
125 |
|
Direct Tax and License Fees |
6.3.3 |
2 |
Dr |
126 |
|
Excise and Sales Taxes |
6.3.4 |
2 |
Dr |
127 |
|
Customs Fees and Duties (Not Classified as Sales or Excise) |
6.3.5 |
2 |
Dr |
128 |
|
General Insurance Expense |
6.3.6 |
2 |
Dr |
129 |
|
Administrative Fees |
6.3.7 |
2 |
Dr |
130 |
|
Fines and Penalties |
6.3.8 |
2 |
Dr |
131 |
|
Miscellaneous Taxes |
6.3.9 |
2 |
Dr |
132 |
|
Other Taxes and Fees |
6.3.10 |
2 |
Dr |
133 |
|
Income Tax Expense or Benefit |
6.4 |
1 |
Dr or (Cr) |
134 |
|
Intercompany and Related Party Accounts |
7 |
0 |
Dr or (Cr) |
135 |
|
Intercompany and Related Party Assets |
7.1 |
1 |
Dr |
136 |
|
Intercompany Balances Eliminated in Consolidation |
7.1.1 |
2 |
Dr |
137 |
|
Related Party Balances Reported or Disclosed |
7.1.2 |
2 |
Dr |
138 |
|
Investments in and Advance to Affiliates, Subsidiaries, Associates, and Joint Ventures |
7.1.3 |
2 |
Dr |
139 |
|
Intercompany and Related Party Liabilities |
7.2 |
1 |
(Cr) |
140 |
|
Intercompany Balances Eliminated in Consolidation |
7.2.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
141 |
|
Related Party Balances Reported or Disclosed |
7.2.2 |
2 |
(Cr) |
142 |
|
Intercompany and Related Party Income and Expense |
7.3 |
1 |
Dr or (Cr) |
143 |
|
Intercompany and Related Party Income |
7.3.1 |
2 |
(Cr) |
144 |
|
Intercompany and Related Party Expenses |
7.3.2 |
2 |
Dr |
145 |
|
Income Loss From Equity Method Investments |
7.3.3 |
2 |
Dr or (Cr) |
146 |
Updated: January 2026.
The 2026 XBRL version has been updated with cross-references to the 2026 FASB issued XBRL taxonomy.
The COA published on this page may be republished provided the following citation is provided: