---
title: How Do I View and Understand the Chart of Accounts
description: view and understand the chart
---
[Skip to content](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-view-and-understand-the-chart-of-accounts#main-content)
Open main navigation
Close main navigation
How can we help you?
- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.
1. [HOA Start - Empower](https://help.hoastart.app/?hsLang=en)
2. [Budgets & Expenses](https://help.hoastart.app/budgets-expenses?hsLang=en)
# How Do I View and Understand the Chart of Accounts
Financials \> Chart of Accounts is the master list of every accounting account an organization's books are built on. Every Manual GL Entry, invoice, expense, and financial report ultimately posts to one of these accounts. Think of it as the organization's filing system for money: instead of one giant pile of transactions, every dollar in or out gets filed under a specific labeled account (like "Operating Cash" or "Late Fees").
##### **How to Get There**
Click Financials in the left nav, then Chart of Accounts.
##### **The Six Account Categories**
Each category has its own reserved account-number range and its own "+ Add Account" button:
- Assets (1000-1999) — things the organization owns or is owed, other than cash, such as Accounts Receivable - Assessments (member dues owed) or Prepaid Insurance (insurance paid in advance).
- Assets Cash (1000-1999) — the cash-specific subset of Assets: actual bank/cash accounts such as Operating Cash (primary checking account), Reserve Cash (reserve fund account), and Petty Cash (small cash on hand).
- Liabilities (2000-2999) — what the organization owes, such as Accounts Payable (vendor invoices owed) or Security Deposits Held (key/amenity deposits).
- Equity (3000-3999) — the organization's net worth accounts, such as Operating Fund Balance (retained operating funds) and Reserve Fund Balance (retained reserve funds).
- Revenue (4000-4999) — money coming in, such as Assessment Income (regular dues), Late Fees (penalties for late payment), or Amenity Fees (pool, clubhouse, etc.).
- Expenses (5000-5999) — money going out, such as Administrative - General (office supplies, postage), Insurance (D&O, liability, property), or Grounds Maintenance (landscaping, irrigation).
##### **Filtering and Searching**
At the top of the page:
- Search Chart of Accounts — searches by account number, name, or description across every category at once.
- The Active/Retired/All dropdown — filters the whole list by status. It defaults to Active, so retired accounts are hidden unless you switch this to Retired or All.
- Sort — opens a menu where you can order the rows by Account #, Name, or Status, in Ascending or Descending order. The order applies inside each category.
##### **Activity Log**
The Activity Log button (top right of the page) opens a window titled Chart of Accounts Activity. It lists every account that was created, edited, retired, or reactivated, with who made the change and when. For an edit, a DETAILS line shows what changed (for example, the old and new name). Use it to answer questions like "who retired the old Landscaping account and when." To add an account, see [How Do I Add a New Account to the Chart of Accounts](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-add-a-new-account-to-the-chart-of-accounts?hsLang=en). To change or retire one, see [How Do I Edit or Retire an Account in the Chart of Accounts](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-edit-or-retire-an-account-in-the-chart-of-accounts?hsLang=en). To post a correcting entry between accounts, see [How Do I Add a Manual GL Entry](https://help.hoastart.app/how-do-i-add-a-manual-gl-entry?hsLang=en).
- [Dashboard & Reporting](https://help.hoastart.app/dashboard-reporting?hsLang=en)
- [Members](https://help.hoastart.app/members?hsLang=en)
- [Properties](https://help.hoastart.app/properties?hsLang=en)
- [Documents](https://help.hoastart.app/documents?hsLang=en)
- [Email & Communication](https://help.hoastart.app/email-communication?hsLang=en)
- [Budgets & Expenses](https://help.hoastart.app/budgets-expenses?hsLang=en)
- [Invoicing & Billing](https://help.hoastart.app/invoicing-billing?hsLang=en)
- [Payments](https://help.hoastart.app/payments?hsLang=en)
- [Bank Reconciliation](https://help.hoastart.app/bank-reconciliation?hsLang=en)
- [Organization Settings](https://help.hoastart.app/organization-settings?hsLang=en)
- [Support](https://help.hoastart.app/support?hsLang=en)
[](https://hoastart.com/)
Copyright © 2026, HOA Start