Chart of Accounts

Build and maintain a well-structured account framework for your business -- designed for professional accountants with multi-company management in mind.

Understanding Account Types

Kantivo follows widely recognized accounting classifications so your books conform to professional standards right out of the box:

Creating an Account

1. Navigate to Chart of Accounts using the sidebar menu
2. Press Add Account
3. Complete the form with the following information:
   • Account Number - A unique numeric code (optional but strongly encouraged for organized reporting)
   • Account Name - A clear, descriptive label
   • Account Type - Choose the appropriate classification from the dropdown
   • Parent Account - Leave blank for a top-level account, or pick a parent to nest this as a sub-account
   • Description - Additional context about the account's purpose (optional)
4. Press Save to add it to your chart

Sub-Accounts & Hierarchy

Kantivo lets you nest accounts beneath parent accounts so you can track granular detail while still seeing aggregated totals at a glance:

• Bank Accounts (parent)
  • Checking Account (sub)
  • Savings Account (sub)
  • Petty Cash (sub)

To Create a Sub-Account:

1. Use the Add Sub-Account action, or assign a parent account during the creation process
2. The new sub-account will be displayed with an indent beneath its parent in the chart
3. The parent account automatically reflects the combined balance of all its children

A parent's register lists the entries of every level below it, so it ends on the same figure the chart shows.

Linking Sub-Accounts from a QuickBooks Import

Some imports store a sub-account under its full name, such as Auto:Fuel, with no link to Auto. When Kantivo finds these, it asks once, listing every link it would make before anything changes:

• Link nests each one under its parent. Account names, balances and transactions stay as they were.
• Not now asks again next session. Don't ask again ends the question for that company on that computer.

Bank and credit card accounts are left out, so their registers keep matching their statements. Companies with nothing to link never see the question.

Detail Types

A detail type is an optional second classification under the account type. Where the type says Expense, the detail type says what kind: Advertising/Promotional, Auto, Rent or Lease of Buildings, Utilities. It's the same idea QuickBooks Online uses, so anyone moving over will recognise it, and it makes a long chart easier to read and to sort through.

1. Open Chart of Accounts and click New Account, or Edit on an existing one.
2. Choose the Account Type first.
3. Click in Detail Type (Optional). Kantivo lists QuickBooks' standard detail types for that account type, plus any you've already used. Pick one or type your own.
4. Save. The detail type appears in grey beside the account name in the chart.

Detail types are for your own organisation and don't change how an account posts or where it appears on your financial statements. That's still decided by the account type. Importing from QuickBooks Online fills them in automatically; see Coming from QuickBooks Online.

Account Register

Drill into the transaction-level detail for any individual account:

1. Press the Register button adjacent to the account you want to examine
2. Review every debit, credit, and the running balance over time
3. Narrow results by date or use the search bar to locate particular entries
4. Select any row to open the full transaction for editing or review

Sort newest-first or oldest-first

The Order selector at the top of the register controls which entry appears first:

• Oldest first keeps the classic ledger flow — earliest entry on top, latest at the bottom — and is what you'll see out of the box.
• Newest first flips the list so your latest entry leads, and the view starts already scrolled to the top. No more wondering where your data went when you first open an account that only has a few transactions.

Whatever you choose is remembered for next time and carries across all of your registers automatically, so it's a one-time setting. Either way, the running-balance figures stay correct.

Account Views

Switch between three display modes using the toggle buttons at the top of the Chart of Accounts screen:

Working from the Keyboard

Find an account by typing

On the Chart of Accounts screen, just start typing. A search box opens with matching accounts by name or number.

Inside the register

Open a register from the Chart of Accounts and a blank new line is ready, with the cursor in Payee. Opening one from a report skips the new line, since you're there to review a figure. To open registers without it, turn off Open a new transaction line in the register under Company Settings > My Preferences.

A bar under the register shows the keys that apply at that moment. Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable registers don't open a line on their own, because those lines need a customer or vendor. Entering a Payment clears Deposit, and the reverse.

Account, customer and vendor dropdowns

The same keys work wherever you choose an account, customer or vendor from a type-to-search list, on forms and filters throughout the app:

• Type part of a name or number to narrow the list, then use the arrow keys and Enter to choose. Space also chooses once you've used the arrows; before that it's simply a space in what you're typing.
• + Add stays at the top of the list on forms. If nothing matches it's already highlighted, so Enter opens the add window with your text filled in, and the new record is selected when you return.
• While you type in an account list, matches stay under their parent accounts, indented, with the closest match highlighted.
• Adding a contact asks Customer or Vendor: use the arrows and Enter, or press C or V. The new-record window opens on its first field, Enter creates the record, and Esc takes you back to the field you came from.
• A short hint at the foot of each list shows the keys.

Importing Chart of Accounts

Migrating from QuickBooks or another system? Kantivo can ingest your existing account structure:

1. Head to Data Migration > QuickBooks Import
2. From QuickBooks, export your Chart of Accounts in IIF or Excel format
3. Upload the exported file into Kantivo and map each column to the correct field
4. Preview the results, then confirm to finalize the import into your local database