Non-profit Accounting | Nancy Church | Portland, Oregon

SAMPLE CHART OF ACCOUNTS
This is included as Appendix A-4 in Not-for-Profit Accounting: A Very Practical Manual for Bookkeepers, Accountants and Finance Directors of Small Nonprofits. If you have downloaded the book, read Chapters 2 and 19, and keep them handy to refer to as you take a look at this chart of accounts. The chart of natural accounts below is a framework for you to start with.Modify it to suit your organization. Be sure to leave plenty of room in the numbering sequence, just as you see here. In accounting software with the capacity for four segments, they indicate the natural account, the function/program, the grant, the level of restriction. Using the accounts below, the whole account number for a temporarily restricted grant (#51) awarded to program #1 by a foundation is: 4100-01-51-2.

Natural Accounts
*Assets*
Financial Statement Titles	Account Titles	Account Numbers
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Operating checking	1000
	Savings/Money Market	1010
	Savings: Restricted grants	1020
Receivables
	Program svc fees receivable: clients/tenants/etc	1100
	Program svc fees receivable: government contracts	1110
	Payroll advances	1120
	Grants receivable	1130
	Allowance for uncollectible receivables	1190
Prepaid Expenses
	Prepaid insurance	1200
Investments
	Mutual fund #1	1300
	Common stock	1310
Property, Furniture & Equipment
	Land	1300
	Buildings	1310
	Building improvements	1320
	Furniture	1330
	Equipment	1340
	Software	1350
	Accumulated depreciation	1390
Notes Receivable
	Note receivable #1	1410
	Note receivable #2	1420
	Note receivable #3	1430
Other Assets
	Rent deposit	1900

*Liabilities*
Accounts Payable
	Accounts payable	2000
Payroll, Payroll Taxes
	Payroll payable	2100
& Withholding
	FICA & Hosp. payable	2110
	Fed. W/H payable	2120
	State W/H payable	2130
Accrued Expenses	Accrued fees	2200
	Accrued interest	2210
Other Current Liabilities
	Accrued vacation	2300
	Deferred revenue	2310
	Current portion of long-term debt	2320
	Refundable advances	2330
Long-Term Liabilities
	Notes payable	2400
	Capital lease	2410
	Mortgage payable	2420
*Net Assets*
	Unrestricted net assets	3000
	Temporarily restricted net assets	3100
	Permanently restricted net assets	3200

*Revenue & Support*
Contributions
	Contributions – individuals	4000
	Contributions – foundations	4100
	Contributions – corporations	4200
	Grants – government	4300
	Transfers to/from temp. restricted fund	4400
In-kind contributions
	In-kind contributions – goods	4500
	In-kind contributions – services	4600
Program service fees
	Program service fees	4700
Special events
	Special event #1 – net	5400
	Special event #2 – net	5410
Investment income
	Dividends and interest	5600
	Realized gain/loss on sale	5610
	Other revenue & support
	Miscellaneous revenue	5900
	Miscellaneous support	5910

*Expenses*
Salaries & wages
	Salaries & wages	6000
Payroll taxes
	FICA & Medicare	6100
	State unemployment	6110
Benefits
	Health insurance	6120
	Dental insurance	6130
	Workers compensation insurance	6140
	Retirement contribution	6150
Accounting/bookkeeping	Accounting/bookkeeping	7000
Auditing	Auditing	7010
Miscellaneous	Bank fees	7020
Books & publications	Books & publications	7030
Depreciation	Depreciation	7040
Dues & subscriptions	Dues & subscriptions	7050
Equipment lease	Equipment lease	7060
Donated goods	In-kind expense – goods	7070
Donated services	In-kind expense – services	7080
Insurance	Insurance	7090
Interest	Interest	7100
IT support	IT support	7110
Legal fees	Legal fees	7120
Licenses and fees	Licenses and fees	7130
Miscellaneous	Miscellaneous	7140
Office supplies	Office supplies	7150
Postage	Postage	7160
Printing	Printing	7170
Rent	Rent	7180
Repair & maintenance	Repair & maintenance	7190
Staff training	Staff training	7200
Telephone	Telephone	7210
Travel & mileage	Travel & mileage	7220
Utilities	Utilities	7230

Program (Function) Numbers The function segment should be long enough to represent the programs you have, with some flexibility for change. Usually two digits are enough. Use the first one to indicate the function and reserve the second one for sub-programs or changes to the original program. This approach gives you nine major function numbers. Two to three of them will be needed for Admin & General and Fundraising; if yours is a membership organization, you’ll need one for Membership Development, too.

If you’re a small organization and you think you have more than six or seven programs, take another look at your mission statement and the literature you prepare for public distribution. Based on what you read there, make a list of your programs. When you think generally about your organization’s functions, you are likely to find that it has three or four. In QuickBooks, use the class and sub-class designations for your programs/functions and subprograms. You can use words rather than numbers to describe your classes, but sticking with numbers can make relationships between programs and subprograms more apparent.

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