Nonprofit Chart of Accounts Template (Free Excel Download)

A free starter chart of accounts for a small nonprofit: 80 numbered accounts with type, normal balance, net asset class and functional class. One CSV file. No signup, no email.

Download the free template (CSV)

Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice.

What is a nonprofit chart of accounts?

A chart of accounts is the numbered list of every account your books use to record money: what you own, what you owe, your net assets, your revenue and your expenses. Every transaction is posted to one or more of these accounts, and your financial statements are totals of them. A nonprofit chart has the same bones as a business chart, with changes to reflect that you have net assets instead of owner's equity and that donors can restrict how a gift is used.

Funders look at your books. A clean chart is part of showing you can manage grant money; see why grant applications get rejected for how reviewers weigh organizational capacity.

How is a nonprofit chart of accounts different from a business one?

Three differences matter most. First, there are no owner's equity or retained earnings accounts. There are net assets, reported in two classes: without donor restrictions and with donor restrictions, the two class names used in FASB Accounting Standards Update 2016-14. Second, revenue is organized by source (contributions, grants, fees), and each gift or grant needs a restriction class. Third, expenses are reported by function as well as by type, so each expense carries a functional class: program services, management and general, or fundraising.

Source for the net asset class names: FASB, Accounting Standards Update 2016-14, Not-for-Profit Entities (Topic 958), August 2016. The update changed how classes are reported; confirm current requirements with your accountant.

What accounts should a small nonprofit start with?

Start with the accounts you will use in the first year, not every account you can imagine. A small nonprofit usually needs one or two bank accounts, receivables if you are paid after the fact, accounts payable, payroll liabilities, the two net asset classes, a handful of contribution and grant accounts, and expense accounts for salaries, rent, insurance, supplies, professional fees, travel and program costs. The free template lists 80 accounts you can delete from. Adding an account later is easier than merging two that overlap.

The template numbers accounts in five ranges:

1000 to 1999. Assets: what you own or are owed.
2000 to 2999. Liabilities: what you owe.
3000 to 3999. Net assets: split into without and with donor restrictions.
4000 to 4999. Revenue: contributions, grants, fees, investment income.
5000 to 5999. Expenses: costs by type, each assigned to a function.

The free template has these columns:

Account number and name. Four digits, grouped by type, with gaps so you can add accounts later without renumbering.
Account type. Asset, Liability, Net assets, Revenue or Expense.
Normal balance. Debit or Credit. It is the side that increases the account. Contra accounts such as accumulated depreciation carry the opposite side.
Net asset class. For net asset and revenue accounts: without donor restrictions, with donor restrictions, or a note that the donor decides per gift. Assets and liabilities are marked n/a.
Functional class (expenses). Program, Management and general, Fundraising, or Assign per transaction for costs that are shared.
Notes. A short reminder on what belongs in the account and where to check with your accountant.

How do I track restricted grants and gifts?

Record the money in a revenue account and tag it with its net asset class. When the restriction is met, record a release from restrictions, which moves the amount from net assets with donor restrictions to net assets without. Many organizations also track each restricted grant by fund or class in their accounting software so they can report spending against it. The template includes a release account (4900) and notes on each revenue account about who decides the class. Ask your accountant how to set up fund tracking in your software.

How to set up the template

Download and open the template. Download the CSV and open it in Excel or import it into Google Sheets.
Delete the accounts you will not use. Remove rows that do not fit your organization. Keep the number ranges so related accounts stay together.
Rename accounts to match how you talk. Change names, such as Contributions: individuals, to match your reports. Keep one name per number.
Add your own accounts in the gaps. Use unused numbers inside the right range. Give each new revenue account a net asset class and each new expense a functional class.
Set up restricted gifts and grants. Decide how you will tag restricted money, by fund, class or separate accounts, and tell whoever enters transactions.
Have your accountant review it. Before you load it into your accounting software, ask your accountant or return preparer to check the structure for your organization.

When you outgrow the free list

The free CSV is a list. It does not check itself, map accounts to the Form 990, or do any bookkeeping. If you want those, Palavir, the company behind FindGrants, sells two Excel workbooks on Etsy. Details below come from each listing.

Nonprofit Chart of Accounts ($19.00)

For a chart you can customize with built-in checks and a Form 990 line for each revenue and expense account.

Excel workbook with 117 standard accounts across assets, liabilities, net assets, revenue and expenses
Revenue and net asset accounts carry a donor restriction class; expense accounts carry a functional class
Every revenue and expense account is mapped to a line of the 2025 Form 990, or marked with a note that it is deliberately not on one
Customize tab to rename, renumber, deactivate or add up to 40 accounts; Checks tab with 17 checks
Tested in desktop Excel and in Google Sheets; not tested in Excel for Mac, Excel on the web or Numbers
Does not include an accounting software import file. Form 990 lines change from year to year, so check the current form

View on Etsy

Nonprofit Accounting Template ($29.00)

For keeping the books too: enter bank transactions once and get the statements.

Excel workbook that runs on a modified cash basis: you enter bank transactions in a Register and the statements follow
Statement of Activities, Statement of Financial Position and Statement of Functional Expenses
Restricted fund tracker with a release log, monthly bank reconciliation, budget vs actual and a Checks tab
Statement names and net asset classes follow FASB ASU 2016-14
About 30 accounts built in with room for 10 more; one bank account and one fiscal year per file; not audited or reviewed financial statements