Chart of Accounts

The chart of accounts defines how financial transactions are organised and classified in SpeyBooks.

Every transaction posts to one or more accounts. Reports are generated by aggregating account balances.

Default UK chart of accounts

When you create a new organisation, SpeyBooks provisions a UK-specific chart of accounts aligned with common accounting and reporting conventions.

You can use this chart as-is or extend it with additional accounts.

Assets (1000–1999)

Code	Name	Description
1000	Bank account	Main business bank account
1100	Accounts receivable	Money owed by customers
1200	Prepayments	Expenses paid in advance

Liabilities (2000–2999)

Code	Name	Description
2000	Accounts payable	Money owed to suppliers
2100	VAT output	VAT collected on sales
2110	VAT input	VAT paid on purchases
2200	Corporation tax	Corporation tax liability
2300	Director's loan	Loans to or from directors

Equity (3000–3999)

Code	Name	Description
3000	Share capital	Issued share capital
3100	Retained earnings	Accumulated profits
3200	Dividends	Dividends declared

Revenue (4000–4999)

Code	Name	Description
4000	Sales	Primary trading revenue
4100	Interest income	Bank interest received

Expenses (5000–8999)

Code	Name	Description
5000	Cost of sales	Direct trading costs
6000	Salaries	Staff wages and salaries
6100	Employer NI	Employer National Insurance
7000	Rent	Office rent
7100	Software	SaaS subscriptions
7200	Professional fees	Accountancy and legal fees
8000	Bank charges	Bank fees and charges

Custom accounts

You can create additional accounts to suit your business using the API.

curl -X POST https://api.speybooks.com/v1/accounts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "code": "7150",
    "name": "Cloud hosting",
    "accountType": "expense"
  }'

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "acc_7150",
    "code": "7150",
    "name": "Cloud hosting",
    "accountType": "expense",
    "isSystem": false,
    "isActive": true,
    "createdAt": "2026-01-31T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Custom accounts integrate seamlessly with reporting and VAT calculations.

Account codes

Account codes follow standard UK conventions:

1xxx — Assets
2xxx — Liabilities
3xxx — Equity
4xxx — Revenue
5xxx–8xxx — Expenses

SpeyBooks does not enforce specific codes, but following these ranges ensures reports align with UK accounting norms.

Key principles

Accounts are structural, not transactional — they define categories, not movements
Balances are derived from posted transactions — no manual balance entry
System accounts are protected — VAT and control accounts cannot be modified
Custom accounts extend the chart without breaking reports

The chart of accounts defines where money lives. Transactions define how it moves.

Default UK chart of accounts​

Assets (1000–1999)​

Liabilities (2000–2999)​

Equity (3000–3999)​

Revenue (4000–4999)​

Expenses (5000–8999)​

Custom accounts​

Account codes​

Key principles​

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