You can add account numbers in QuickBooks Online by using the batch edit tool in your Chart of Accounts. The process takes just a few clicks, and you can number all your accounts at once without editing them one by one.
How to Add Account Numbers
QuickBooks Online lets you assign numbers directly from your Chart of Accounts using the batch edit feature. Here’s the path:
- Go to All apps, then Accounting, then Chart of accounts.
- Select the Batch edit pencil icon above the Action column.
- Type your account numbers into the Number column next to each account.
- Select Save when you’re done.
This is the fastest method because you can see every account on one screen and fill in numbers without opening each account individually. Once saved, the numbers appear alongside account names throughout QuickBooks, including in dropdown menus, reports, and journal entries.
Choosing a Numbering System
Before you start typing numbers, it helps to have a plan. Most businesses follow a standard convention that groups accounts by type using number ranges. A common structure looks like this:
- 100s: Asset accounts (checking, savings, accounts receivable, inventory)
- 200s: Liability accounts (credit cards, loans, accounts payable)
- 300s: Equity accounts (owner’s equity, retained earnings)
- 400s: Revenue accounts (sales, service income)
- 500s: Expense accounts (rent, utilities, payroll)
You can use three-digit, four-digit, or five-digit numbers depending on how detailed your chart of accounts is. A small business with a handful of accounts might use simple three-digit numbers like 100, 200, 300. A larger operation with dozens of accounts typically uses four or five digits to leave room for subcategories. For example, you might number your main utilities account 5300 and then number gas at 5310, electric at 5320, and telephone at 5330.
Leave gaps between numbers so you can insert new accounts later without reorganizing everything. If your first two expense accounts are 500 and 501, you have no room to add anything between them. Starting at 5000, 5100, 5200 gives you plenty of space.
Importing Account Numbers From a Spreadsheet
If you’re setting up a new company file or overhauling your chart of accounts, importing from a spreadsheet can be faster than batch editing inside QuickBooks. Your file needs these columns:
- Account Name (required)
- Type (required, such as Bank, Expenses, or Income)
- Detail Type (required, such as Checking, Utilities, or Sales of Product Income)
- Account Number (optional, but this is where your numbers go)
For subaccounts, format the Account Name column with the parent account and subaccount separated by a colon. For example, “Utilities: Gas” tells QuickBooks that Gas is a subaccount under Utilities. Save the file as an Excel workbook (.xlsx) or CSV, then import it through the Chart of Accounts screen.
Here’s what a few rows might look like in your spreadsheet:
- 112720 | Checking | Bank | Checking
- 63200 | Utilities: Gas | Expenses | Utilities
- 68100 | Utilities: Telephone | Expenses | Utilities
The Type and Detail Type values need to match exactly what QuickBooks expects. If you’re unsure which detail type to use, export your current chart of accounts first. That gives you a template with the correct formatting already filled in, and you can add account numbers to the exported file before re-importing it.
How Account Numbers Appear in QuickBooks
Once you assign numbers, they show up in front of the account name everywhere that account appears: transaction forms, dropdown lists, financial reports, and the Chart of Accounts itself. Your Checking account becomes “112720 Checking,” for example. This makes it faster to find accounts in long dropdown menus because you can type the number instead of scrolling through names.
Account numbers also make your financial reports easier to read, especially if you share them with a bookkeeper, accountant, or business partner. Reports sort accounts by number rather than alphabetically, which keeps assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and expenses in their logical order on your balance sheet and profit and loss statement.
If you ever want to change a number, go back to the batch edit screen and overwrite it. QuickBooks does not restrict you from renumbering accounts after they’ve been used in transactions. The historical data stays intact; only the display changes going forward.