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Setting Up Custom Accounts: Map Categories to Your Chart of Accounts

· 4 min read

Custom accounts let you export transactions with your specific Chart of Accounts codes—ready for direct import into QuickBooks, Xero, or any accounting software.

What Are Custom Accounts?

By default, TraceEntry assigns general expense categories like "Office Supplies" or "Software & Subscriptions" to your transactions. These work great for quick expense analysis, but most accounting software needs specific account codes.

Custom accounts bridge this gap. When you configure your Chart of Accounts in TraceEntry, the AI assigns both a category and your specific account code to each transaction.

Example Output

Without custom accounts, your export looks like:

  • Date | Vendor | Amount | Category
  • 11/15 | Staples | -$45.00 | Office Supplies

With custom accounts configured:

  • Date | Vendor | Amount | Category | Account
  • 11/15 | Staples | -$45.00 | Office Supplies | 6100 - Office Expense

Why Use Custom Accounts?

Direct Import Ready

Export files that match your accounting software's Chart of Accounts exactly. No manual mapping needed after import.

Consistency Across Clients

If you manage multiple clients with similar account structures, set up once and reuse. The AI learns your account preferences.

Audit Trail

Having both category and account in your export creates a clear audit trail showing the classification logic.

Note: Custom accounts is a premium feature available to paid users. Free accounts can see the feature but need to purchase credits to use it.

Setting Up Your Accounts

Step 1: Navigate to Accounts

Log into TraceEntry and go to Dashboard → Accounts. You'll see the accounts management page.

Step 2: Add Your Accounts

Click "Add Account" and enter:

  • Account Number — Your Chart of Accounts number (e.g., 6100)
  • Account Name — The account name (e.g., Office Expense)
  • Account Type — Expense, Income, Asset, Liability, or Equity

Step 3: Import from File (Optional)

Have a lot of accounts? Export your Chart of Accounts from QuickBooks or Xero as a CSV and import it directly. TraceEntry will parse and add all accounts at once.

Tip: You need at least 10 accounts configured for the custom accounts feature to activate during processing. This ensures the AI has enough options to make meaningful assignments.

How Account Assignment Works

When you process a file with 10+ accounts configured, TraceEntry's AI performs two separate classifications:

  1. Category Assignment — Based on industry template (e.g., "Office Supplies")
  2. Account Assignment — Based on your Chart of Accounts (e.g., "6100 - Office Expense")

These are independent—the AI looks at your actual account names and descriptions to find the best match, not just the category. This means:

  • A "Software" category might map to "6200 - Computer Expense" in your books
  • "Meals" might map to "6350 - Meals & Entertainment" or "6360 - Client Meals" depending on context

Working with Accounts During Review

On the review page, you'll see both Category and Account columns when custom accounts are active. You can:

  • Edit either independently — Change the category without affecting the account, or vice versa
  • Bulk update accounts — Select multiple transactions and assign the same account
  • Filter by account — See all transactions assigned to a specific account

When Category and Account Don't Match

It's normal for a category like "Travel" to map to different accounts depending on your Chart of Accounts ("6400 - Travel" vs "6410 - Airfare" vs "6420 - Lodging"). The AI uses transaction context to pick the most specific account.

Exporting with Account Codes

When you click Export, you'll see options for what to include:

  • Categories only — Standard export with Category column
  • Categories + Accounts — Includes both columns
  • Accounts only — Just your Chart of Accounts codes

Choose the format that works best for your accounting software import process.

Best Practices

Use Descriptive Account Names

The AI reads your account names to make assignments. "6100 - Office" is less helpful than "6100 - Office Supplies & Equipment". More detail = better matching.

Include Sub-Accounts

If you use sub-accounts in your Chart of Accounts (e.g., 6400 Travel with 6410 Airfare, 6420 Lodging), add them all. The AI will pick the most specific match.

Review Low-Confidence Assignments

Account assignments also have confidence scores. Pay attention to low-confidence accounts—these may need manual review.

Start with Core Accounts

You don't need to add every account. Start with your 20-30 most common expense accounts. Add more as needed.

Managing Your Accounts

From the Accounts page, you can:

  • Edit accounts — Update names or numbers
  • Delete accounts — Remove accounts you no longer use
  • Export your list — Download your configured accounts as CSV
  • Bulk import — Upload a CSV to add multiple accounts

Troubleshooting

"Custom accounts not available"

You need at least 10 accounts configured. Add more accounts in Dashboard → Accounts.

Wrong account assignments

Try making your account names more descriptive. Instead of "Misc Expense", use "Miscellaneous Operating Expense". The AI needs context.

Account column not showing in export

Make sure you select "Categories + Accounts" or "Accounts only" in the export options. The default is categories only.

Next Steps

  1. Set up your accounts (need 10+ for activation)
  2. Upload a file to test account assignment
  3. Review and refine your account names based on results

Questions about custom accounts? Contact us for help.