GL Categories

GL Categories group your Chart of Accounts into big-picture buckets for reporting. Instead of showing every individual account on a balance sheet or income statement, GL Categories roll accounts up into familiar accounting headings like Current Assets, Operating Expenses, or Cost of Goods Sold.

Think of the Chart of Accounts as the full list of every "box" money can flow into or out of. GL Categories are the labels on the filing cabinet drawers those boxes live in. Your accountant uses both, but most reports only need the category level.

Where to Find GL Categories

From anywhere in include GO, click the Settings icon in the left sidebar (near the bottom). In the Settings sidebar that opens, under the Financial Setup section, click GL Categories.

Navigation path: Dashboard → Settings → Financial Setup → GL Categories

The Default Categories

A fresh install of include GO comes with nine standard categories set up for you:

Code	Name	Type	Parent
`ASSET`	Assets	Asset	—
`ASSET-CUR`	Current Assets	Asset	Assets
`ASSET-FIX`	Fixed Assets	Asset	Assets
`LIAB`	Liabilities	Liability	—
`LIAB-CUR`	Current Liabilities	Liability	Liabilities
`EQUITY`	Equity	Equity	—
`REVENUE`	Revenue	Revenue	—
`COGS`	Cost of Goods Sold	Expense	—
`EXP-OPEX`	Operating Expenses	Expense	—

These match the categories on most standard financial reports. Your Chart of Accounts gets auto-assigned to them based on account type and number, so for a lot of businesses you can leave this list alone and move on.

The GL Categories Page

The page shows a table of all your categories. Like most settings pages in include GO, you add and edit categories right in the table itself — click a cell, type, save. No separate popup window.

GL Categories page

What you see on this screen

#	Element	What it does
1	Add button	The blue button in the top-right. Click to start adding a new category. A new empty row appears at the top of the table.
2	Include Archived checkbox	Off by default. Turn it on to also show categories you've archived — useful for bringing one back.
3	Code column	A short uppercase identifier like `ASSET-CUR`. Used internally and on reports.
4	Category Type column	The financial classification: Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue, or Expense. Determines where the category appears on financial statements.
5	Linked Accounts column	Read-only count showing how many Chart of Accounts entries are assigned to this category. Helps you see which categories are actively used.

The grid also shows an ID column (auto-generated number), a Name column (the human-readable label like "Current Assets"), a Parent Category column (for nesting), a Description column for free-text notes, and a Status column (Active/Archived badge).

Adding a New Category

Click the Add button in the top-right. An empty new row slides in at the top of the table, with the cursor already placed in the Code cell.

Adding a new GL Category

What to fill in

Cell	Required?	What to enter
Code	Yes	A short uppercase identifier, max 50 characters. Must be unique. Examples: `ASSET-CUR`, `EXP-LABOR`, `REV-SERVICE`. The code is auto-converted to uppercase as you type. Pick a pattern and stick with it so categories sort well on reports.
Name	Yes	The friendly display name, max 100 characters. Examples: Current Assets, Cost of Goods Sold, Labor Expense. This is what shows up on financial reports.
Category Type	Yes	Pick one from the dropdown: Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue, or Expense. This controls which financial statement the category appears on (Balance Sheet for Asset/Liability/Equity, Income Statement for Revenue/Expense).
Parent Category	No	Pick a parent from the dropdown if you want to nest this category under another one (e.g., "Labor Expense" nested under "Operating Expenses"). Leave as Top Level if this is a root-level category. You can't pick a category as its own parent or ancestor.
Description	No	Optional free text explaining what kinds of accounts belong here. Helpful when your team is deciding where to assign a new Chart of Accounts entry.

The ID, Linked Accounts, and Status cells are filled in automatically. New categories start as Active.

Saving or canceling

Press Enter from any cell to save. The row moves into the main list.
Or click the green checkmark (✓) on the right side of the row to save.
Press Escape, or click the red X, to cancel and discard the new row.

If something's wrong: A red message appears above the table. The most common issue is a duplicate Code — each one has to be unique.

Editing a Category

Click any editable cell — Code, Name, Category Type, Parent Category, or Description — and type the new value. The Save (green checkmark) and Cancel (red X) buttons appear on the right side of the row. Changes don't save until you click the checkmark or press Enter.

You can also right-click on a row and choose Edit from the menu.

Note: Archived categories can't be edited. Activate them first if you need to make changes (see below).

Using Parent Categories for Hierarchy

You can nest categories under a parent to create a hierarchy. For example:

Assets (parent)
- Current Assets (child)
- Fixed Assets (child)

This lets financial reports show both the rolled-up total (all Assets) and the detailed breakdown (Current vs Fixed). When you create or edit a category, pick its parent from the Parent Category dropdown. Leave it as Top Level if there's no parent.

Rules:

A category can't be its own parent, grandparent, etc. The system blocks circular references automatically.
Only active (non-archived) categories can be used as parents.
The Parent dropdown is searchable — start typing to filter the list if you have a lot of categories.

Archiving and Activating

You can't delete a category that has Chart of Accounts entries linked to it (the Linked Accounts column shows the count). Instead, archive categories you no longer use. Archived categories are hidden from the Parent picker and category dropdowns, but accounts already assigned to them stay assigned and historical reports keep working.

Right-click any row to see the menu:

Action	When you'll see it	What it does
Add New GL Category	Always	Same as clicking the "+ Add" button above the table.
Edit	On active rows	Enables the row for editing, same as clicking a cell.
Archive	On active rows	Hides the category from pickers. A confirmation box appears first.
Activate	On archived rows (after you turn on "Include Archived")	Restores the category to active.

How GL Categories Connect to Chart of Accounts

Every Chart of Accounts entry can be assigned a GL Category. Here's how it plays out:

When you create a new account on the Chart of Accounts page, you pick a GL Category for it.
The app auto-assigns default accounts to categories based on account type and number when the tenant is first set up.
Financial reports can group by category for a clean summary view, or drill down to individual accounts for detail.
The Linked Accounts column tells you at a glance how many accounts point at each category.

If you change a Chart of Accounts entry's category, historical transactions stay where they are but new transactions roll up under the new category.

Who Can Edit This Page?

Anyone with the Settings View permission can see the GL Categories page. Only users with the Settings Manage GL Categories permission can add, edit, or archive categories. By default this means Super Admin and Accountant roles.

If a user can see the page but the Add button is missing, their role is missing the manage permission. An administrator can grant it under Roles & Permissions.

Tips & Best Practices

Start with the defaults. The nine seeded categories cover most standard accounting. Only add more when you find a gap in your reporting.
Use a consistent code pattern. ASSET-CUR, ASSET-FIX, EXP-OPEX, EXP-LABOR — this makes the list self-sorting and easy to scan.
Match standard accounting structure. Your accountant and your reports both expect Current Assets to be a thing. Deviating from standard conventions causes confusion.
Use Parent Categories to reduce reporting noise. A parent of Operating Expenses with children Labor, Materials, and Overhead gives you both the rolled-up total and the breakdown on the same report.
Ask your accountant before major restructuring. Changing the shape of your GL Categories can break comparability with prior-year financials. Not a reason to avoid it, but a reason to plan.

Common Questions

What's the difference between a GL Category and a Chart of Accounts entry? A Chart of Accounts entry is a single "box" where money can flow (e.g., "Cash — Main Operating Account"). A GL Category is a group of those boxes (e.g., "Current Assets" contains Cash, Accounts Receivable, Inventory). Reports roll up to categories for the summary view.

Do I have to use the default categories? No, but you probably should unless you have a specific accounting reason not to. The defaults match standard US accounting conventions, and your accountant will be happier.

What if my business needs a category type that doesn't exist? The five types (Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue, Expense) cover all standard accounting. If you feel like you need a sixth, you probably need a subcategory under one of the existing types instead — use Parent Category to nest it.

Why can't I delete a category? The category has Chart of Accounts entries linked to it (see the Linked Accounts column). Deleting would orphan those accounts. Archive the category instead, or reassign the accounts to a different category first.

I renamed a category. Did it break my old reports? No. The category's ID stays the same; only the display name changes. Old reports show the new name automatically.

Can I change a category from Asset to Expense? Technically yes, but you really shouldn't — all the accounts linked to it will suddenly appear on a different financial statement, which will make current and prior periods look wildly different. Create a new category instead and reassign accounts gradually.

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