Overview
The Chart of Accounts allows finance administrators to create, manage, and organize accounting codes used to classify company expenses.
Administrators can also configure automated mapping rules that assign accounting codes to expenses based on attributes such as expense categories, business activities, subsidiaries, and projects.
This eliminates the need to manually assign accounting codes to matching expenses, helping maintain consistent financial reporting and reducing administrative work.
This article explains how to navigate the Chart of Accounts, create and manage accounts, and configure automated expense mapping.
Who This Is For
This article is intended for Finance Administrators and Account Administrators responsible for managing their organization's accounting structure.
It covers creating and managing accounting accounts, configuring automated expense mapping rules, and maintaining accurate expense classifications for financial reporting.
Access the Chart of Accounts
To Access Chart of Accounts:
- Log in to your Admin or Finance account.
- From the left-hand navigation menu, under My Org, select Chart of Accounts.
- The page displays your organization's existing accounting accounts.
Each account includes the following information:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Accounting Code | The unique accounting code associated with the account. |
| Account | The account name used for expense classification. |
| Type | The account classification, such as Expense. |
| Mappings | The number of automated mapping rules associated with the account. |
| Subsidiary | The subsidiary associated with the account, if applicable. |
| Currency | The currency assigned to the account. |
| Default | Indicates whether the account is designated as a default account. |
You can also:
- Search for specific accounts by name or accounting code.
- Filter accounts using the available filter options.
- Switch between Active, Archived, and All accounts.
- Export your account list or Import accounting data.
- Use the settings icon to customize which columns appear in the grid.
Create a New Account
To create a new accounting account:
- From the Chart of Accounts page, click the green + button in the upper-right corner.
- The Add Account form will open.
- Complete the applicable fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Subsidiary | Select the subsidiary associated with the account, if applicable. |
| Accounting Code | Enter the accounting code used for financial reporting. |
| Account | Enter a descriptive account name, such as IT - Hardware. |
| Type | Select the appropriate account type. |
| Description | Add a description to help identify the account's purpose. |
| Currency | Select the currency associated with the account. |
| Set as Default Account | Enable this option to designate the account as a default. |
| External ID | Enter an external accounting identifier, if applicable. |
- Review the account information.
- Click Add Account to save.
The new account will appear in your Chart of Accounts.
View and Manage Existing Accounts
You can review and update existing accounting accounts directly from the Chart of Accounts page.
- Locate the account you want to manage.
- Click the three-dot menu beside the account.
- Select one of the available actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| View Details | Review the account's information and settings. |
| Edit Account | Modify the account's existing details. |
| Delete | Delete the selected account, when permitted. |
| Copy ID | Copy the account's unique system identifier. |
To edit an account, select Edit Account, update the necessary fields, and save your changes.
You can also select an account to open its details panel, where you can switch between the Details and Mapping tabs.
Configure Automated Account Mapping
One of the most useful features of the Chart of Accounts is the ability to automatically assign accounting codes to expenses based on predefined rules.
Rather than requiring employees or finance administrators to manually classify every expense, Custodia can determine the appropriate accounting account using the information already associated with the expense.
Example: Automatically Mapping IT Hardware Expenses
Imagine your company regularly purchases computer equipment, such as laptops, monitors, and other hardware.
You want these purchases to be automatically assigned to your IT - Hardware accounting account whenever they meet specific conditions.
Instead of manually selecting the accounting code for each expense, you can create a mapping rule using the following attributes:
| Attribute | Example |
|---|---|
| Accounting Account | IT - Hardware |
| Accounting Code | 60050 |
| Expense Category | IT/Hardware |
| Business Activity | IT |
| Subsidiary | 10-1001 Fun Inc |
Once configured, expenses matching these conditions are automatically assigned to IT - Hardware (60050).
For example, if an employee purchases a laptop under the IT/Hardware expense category, associated with the IT business activity and the specified subsidiary, the platform will automatically apply the correct accounting code.
The result: Matching expenses are classified automatically without requiring employees or finance administrators to manually select an accounting account.
Create a Mapping Rule
- From the Chart of Accounts page, locate the IT - Hardware account.
- Click the account to open its details panel.
- Select the Mapping tab.
- Click the green + button to create a new mapping rule.
- Under Match When, select the attributes that should determine when the accounting code is assigned.
- For this example, configure:
- Expense Category: IT/Hardware
- Business Activity: IT
- Subsidiary: 10-1001 Fun Inc
- If needed, select Add Attribute to include additional conditions, such as Customer, Project, Currency, Class, Cost Center, or Line Item Category.
- Click Save to activate the mapping rule.
The new rule will appear under the account's Mapping tab.
Understanding Mapping Priority
The platform evaluates mapping rules based on their specificity. When multiple rules could apply to an expense, the rule with the highest matching score takes priority.
For example, your organization might configure the following rules:
| Rule | Conditions | Accounting Account |
|---|---|---|
| General Rule | Expense Category: Digital Goods | General IT Expenses |
| Specific Rule | Expense Category: IT/Hardware + Business Activity: IT + Subsidiary: 10-1001 Fun Inc | IT - Hardware |
An expense categorized as Digital Goods may match the general rule.
However, when the expense also matches the specified business activity and subsidiary, the more specific rule takes priority, assigning the expense to IT - Hardware (60050).
This allows organizations to maintain general accounting rules while creating more targeted classifications for specific departments, subsidiaries, or business activities.
Please Note: Mapping rules are evaluated using a specificity score. The highest-scoring matching rule determines which accounting account is assigned.
Review and Manage Mapping Rules
Administrators can review existing mapping rules and adjust their configurations as business requirements change.
- Open the applicable account.
- Select the Mapping tab.
- Review the existing rules displayed beneath the search bar.
- Expand a rule to review its configured attributes.
- Use the available controls to manage the rule or create additional mappings.
The number of mapping rules associated with an account is also displayed in the Mappings column on the main Chart of Accounts page.
You can create multiple mapping rules for the same accounting account to support different expense classifications.
Import and Export Accounts
The Chart of Accounts also provides options for importing and exporting accounting data.
Export Accounts
- Navigate to Chart of Accounts.
- Click Export in the upper-right corner.
- Follow the available options to export your account data.
Import Accounts
- Navigate to Chart of Accounts.
- Click Import.
- Follow the import instructions to upload your accounting data.
These options are particularly useful for organizations managing a large number of accounting codes.
Important Notes
- Automated Mapping: Expenses that match configured mapping rules can be assigned accounting codes without manual account selection.
- Mapping Priority: When multiple rules match an expense, the platform prioritizes the rule with the highest specificity score.
- Multiple Rules: A single accounting account can have multiple mapping rules to support different expense scenarios.
- Subsidiaries: Accounts can be associated with specific subsidiaries to support your organization's accounting structure.
- Account Management: Administrators can review, edit, and manage accounts from the Chart of Accounts page.
By configuring your Chart of Accounts and automated mapping rules, your organization can reduce manual expense classification and maintain more consistent accounting data across company spending.
Need Help?
If you need assistance creating accounting accounts, configuring automated mapping rules, or managing your Chart of Accounts, our support team is here to help.
Contact support@custodia.ai for guidance on setting up your accounting structure and ensuring expenses are mapped correctly.