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choosing accounts: updates

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Simon Michael
2025-10-19 14:19:10 -10:00
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src/Choosing-accounts.md
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% Choosing accounts % Choosing accounts
Some rules of thumb: Your chart of accounts is an important factor in the success of your accounting system.
Here are some rules of thumb when choosing account names:
- You don't need to try to pick the perfect set of accounts at the start. - You don't need to try to pick the perfect set of accounts at the start.
They can always be changed later with search and replace. This is plain text accounting - account names can always be changed later with search and replace.
- Your chart of accounts is an important factor in the success of your accounting system. - Expect your chart of accounts to change, as your accounting know-how and accounting needs do.
Expect it to change, as your accounting know-how and accounting needs do.
It's worth investing time to review and improve it periodically. It's worth investing time to review and improve it periodically.
- If you are required to use some legally mandated chart of accounts, start with that. - If you are required to use some legally mandated chart of accounts, start with that.
@@ -42,9 +42,10 @@ Some rules of thumb:
Spaced names look nice to humans, but tend to cause headaches in command lines and scripts, requiring extra work. Spaced names look nice to humans, but tend to cause headaches in command lines and scripts, requiring extra work.
- For categorising, should you use accounts, tags, descriptions, or other fields? - For categorising, should you use accounts, tags, descriptions, or other fields?
Use accounts for your primary categorising as they are best supported. Use accounts primarily, as they are the best supported.
Consider using tags if you have cross-cutting categorising schemes. For adhoc/infrequent categorising, some matchable text in the description can be enough.
For adhoc/infrequent categorising, some matchable text in the description might be enough. If you have cross-cutting categorising schemes, tags can be handy.
More on this [in the FAQ](https://plaintextaccounting.org/FAQ#should-i-categorise-with-account-payee-description-tags...).
- Beancount account names are more restrictive than hledger's/Ledger's. - Beancount account names are more restrictive than hledger's/Ledger's.
If you might be exporting to Beancount in future (say, to use the Fava web UI), If you might be exporting to Beancount in future (say, to use the Fava web UI),