Startup chart of accounts.
A clean, GAAP-friendly chart of accounts built for SaaS and software startups. Use the structure below as your starting point, then get the editable version to drop into QuickBooks, Xero, or a sheet.
Assets
1000-1999- 1000 Operating bank account
- 1010 Savings / treasury
- 1050 Stripe / clearing
- 1200 Accounts receivable
- 1400 Prepaid expenses
- 1500 Property and equipment
- 1510 Accumulated depreciation
- 1600 Capitalized software
Liabilities
2000-2999- 2000 Accounts payable
- 2050 Credit cards
- 2100 Accrued expenses
- 2200 Payroll liabilities
- 2300 Deferred revenue
- 2400 SAFEs / convertible notes
- 2500 Long-term debt
Equity
3000-3999- 3000 Common stock
- 3100 Preferred stock
- 3200 Additional paid-in capital
- 3900 Retained earnings
- 3950 Accumulated deficit
Income
4000-4999- 4000 Subscription / SaaS revenue
- 4010 Services revenue
- 4020 Usage / metered revenue
- 4100 Discounts and refunds
- 4900 Other income
Cost of revenue
5000-5999- 5000 Hosting and infrastructure
- 5010 Inference / compute
- 5100 Payment processing fees
- 5200 Third-party APIs and data
- 5300 Support and delivery payroll
Operating expenses
6000-6999- 6000 Salaries and wages
- 6010 Payroll taxes and benefits
- 6100 Contractors
- 6200 Software and subscriptions
- 6300 Marketing and advertising
- 6400 Rent and office
- 6500 Legal and professional
- 6600 Travel and meals
- 6900 Bank and interest
Get the editable template
We'll email you the full chart of accounts as a Google Sheet and Excel file, with notes on what posts where, so you can set up clean books from day one. No spam.
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Or skip the setup and let us do your books.
Median sets up your chart of accounts and does your books every day, with a real accountant on them. Connect your bank and Stripe and you're current by the morning.