NESFA® Treasury Procedures – Table of ContentsLast updated 12-Jan-2014

NESFA® Treasury Chart of Accounts

The NESFA chart of accounts codes the account type into the account key.  The name is xx-name, where xx is two upper case letters which specify the account class and name is the account name. 
Between July 2005 and now, many changes have occurred in the Chart of Accounts.  They are not yet all documented here. 

The following classes and specific accounts exist:

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AD-name Personal advance accounts.  These are ordinary asset accounts, but they are distinguished so that reporting is easier.  Personal advance accounts normally end with the person's or the couple's last name.  Couples get a single account, unless they request otherwise.  If couples do not share a last name, the account goes under the name of whomever had an active account first.
AS- Assets:  All asset accounts except for personal advance accounts.
AS-Bnn Boskone nn cross-charge account.  All transfers between Boskone and NESFA books are done using these accounts.  Closing these accounts to zero is an essential part of close a particular Boskone.
AS-BOOKnnn An asset account to hold expenses for a book while it is production.  See Use of an asset account to accumulate book expenses.  In the past, these were used and reüsed, but more recently, once one is assigned to a book, it remains for that book.  In particular, AS-BOOK000 is reserved for the occasional buying in of hurt books.
AS-organization An asset account handing cross-charges with other organizations (E.g., Albacon, Lunacon, MASSFILK, etc.).  It is possible that these accounts will be changed to have a prefix AX- some time in the near future.
AS-Bosk Sov Ckg One of two Boskone checking accounts.  This one is at Sovereign Bank.  Boskone treasurers usually alternate between using this and AS-BoskBankNCkg.
AS-BoskBankNCkg One of two Boskone checking accounts.  This one is at TD Bank, but is separate from our main checking account there. (The name derives from Bank North, the old name of TD Bank.)  Boskone treasurers usually alternate between using this and AS-Bosk Sov Ckg.
AS-Build Improv As asset account to hold capitalized Clubhouse improvements.  Normally only large expenditures go in this account.  It is depreciated along with the initial Clubhouse purchase price.
AS-Building The asset account holding the Clubhouse purchase price.
AS-Checking BN Our main checking account, presently at TD Bank.  (The account used to be at BankNorth, before it was taken over by TD Bank.  Earlier, it was at MetroBank West.)
AS-Equipment The asset account holding the value of capitalized equipment.
AS-Fellowship A pass-through account sometimes used to collect the cost of the Fellowship Banquet from individuals, and then the club pays the whole bill at the restaurant.  This is not always used.
AS-FidelityMMkt Our Fidelity Money Market Account.  This was previously called AS-Fidelity, and before that AS-MMA.
AS-Fid-IncStab The Income Stabilization Account specified by the Standing Rules SR §2.8 is kept here.  It is part of the money kept at Fidelity.
AS-PayPal Our account at PayPal.  This is treated almost identically to a deposit-like bank account.  Deposits are made to it; bills may be paid from it; and it can be balanced.
AS-PSS Our escrow deposit at Publisher's Storage and Shipping
AS-UPS Our bulk rate account at the United Parcel Service.  In the past all payments to UPS were charged as SE-Postage, but now the account is used very little.  Expense reports should be turned in when the UPS account is used and the AS-UPS account should be credited, with a corresponding debit to the proper EX- or SE- account, depending upon what is shipped.
AS-US Postal Our bulk rate account at the US Post Office.  When we make deposits to our USPS bulk rate account -- even when they're in the exact amount of a mailing -- we credit the check against this account, and then later debit the bill from the USPS.
AS-US Trust Our defunct credit card account (which used to be at US Trust until it was swallowed by Citizen's Bank).
AX-organization Reserved for cross-charge accounts.  Currently they are in the AS- group.
CG-book Cost of Goods:  When a book is sold its cost is deducted from the book's IV- account and is added to the book's CG account.  This reflects the fact that an asset (a copy of the book) left our hands.  Strictly speaking, it doesn't have to be a book; it could be a book bag, a hurt book, a decal, or any item.
EQ- Ret Earn Equity:  This is a special account used by Peachtree.  Never post to it.
EX- Expenses:  All expense accounts except Sales Expense.
EX-Bnn An expense account for Boskone nn.  Normally the first post to it is Boskone nn's total expenses which is done when Boskone nn closes.  Any late expenses which come in after the Boskone closes are also posted here.
EX-Bank fees Bank fees aside from credit card fees (they go into SE-PmtCardFees)
EX-Boskone Expense for closed Boskones without a separate EX-Bnn account.
EX-Build Depr Building depreciation.  This account accumulates depreciation.
EX-CH Cleaning Professional cleaning of the clubhouse
EX-CH Food Purchases of snacks and soda for the clubhouse
EX-CH Maint Clubhouse maintenance which is not large enough to be capitalized
EX-CH OfcSupply Pens, pencils, rulers, paper clips, and the like
EX-CH Oil tank Expenses associated with removing the old oil tanks.  This account is marked as inactive, but can be reactivated if necessary.
EX-CH Phone. Telephone and fax expenses
EX-CH Snow Snow removal
EX-CH Trash Trash removal
EX-CH Utils Electricity, gas, water, but not internet, phone, nor fax
EX-CompHardware Computers, peripherals, etc.
EX-CompInternet Internet-related expenses:  Connectivity; web site, etc.
EX-CompSoftware Software, licenses, fees, etc.
EX-Computer All computer-related expenses except internet charges (EX-Internet) and capitalized equipment purchases (AS-Equip).
EX-DuesForgiven When the E-Board forgives someone's dues, the IN-Dues account gets credited as normal, and the debit goes here instead of to a money account.
EX-Dummy Used only for zero postings when an expense or income account is needed.
EX-Equip Depre Accumulated equipment depreciation
EX-Errors Treasury or any other errors 
EX-IM Post Postage for Instant Message
EX-IM Supp Supplies for IM
EX-Index All NESFA Index-related expenses
EX-Insurance Clubhouse and Boskone insurance
EX-Legal Paying the lawyers, e.g., trademark expenses.
EX-Lexiclave Expenses relating the running Codclave or Lexicon.  Inactive.  Perhaps someday NESFA will run another of these relaxacons.
EX-Library Expenses for NESFA library, mostly book and magazine acquisitions.
EX-MW Expenses for the Monty Wells Project, now -- alas -- defunct.
EX-Membership Expenses (other than publications) to do with membership and membership committee
EX-Mbshp Outrch Expenses for parties (e.g., a Halloween party), or other functions undertaken to attract new members, and for flyers and similar promotional publications.
EX-Mimeo In-house copying expenses, including paper, ink, and mimeo purchase and maintenance. 
EX-Misc NP Exp Non-Program Service expenses with no home elsewhere.
EX-Misc P Exp Program service expenses with no home elsewhere.  In particular, expenses for the Skylark and Gaughan awards should go here.
EX-Old Invoices It's not clear what this account was used for.
EX-Scholarship Used when NESFA Press brings someone to Boskone
EX-Treasury Misc. Treasury expenses.  Does not include auditing fees.
EX-TreasurySvc Expenses for accounting professional services only.  This is where accountants fees go.  All other treasury-related fees go into EX-Treasury or EX-BankFees.
EX-V/MC — moved to SE-PmtCardFees
IN- Income:  All income accounts except Sales Income
IN-Bnn Income for Boskone nn.  E.g., IN-B40 is is the income account for Boskone 40.
IN-Donations Donations to NESFA.  Cash donated by 3rd parties, MCFI's rental donation, pun fines, etc.
IN-Dues NESFA membership dues.
IN-Dummy Used only for zero postings when an expense or income account is needed.
IN-Interest Interest earned on any NESFA account.
IN-Lexiclave Income from Lexiclave, include memberships.
IN-Library Income from selling surplus library books, etc.
IN-MW Income from the Monty Wells project.  (inactive)
IN-Mimeo Payments received for using NESFA resources, such as the fax machine, printers, and paper, and telephone, for non-NESFA use.  Originally it was for use of Mr. G., our old mimeograph machine.
IN-Misc NP Any income which is not otherwise categorized which is for non-program service activities.
IN-Misc P Any income which is not otherwise categorized which is for program service activities.
IN-PB Proper Boskonian income.  (inactive)
IV- Inventory:  Accounts for each inventory item which holds the value of the books we have printed and/or bought, but not sold.
IV-Hurt Books The value of hurt books gets transferred here from the IV-book account of the book that was hurt.  When hurt books are sold, it is this account that gets reduced.
LI- Liability:  Accounts for each asset where we normally owe money to a another party.
LI-organization  
LI-BoskoneLife Obsolete.  Was used to hold the money in the now-abolished Boskone Life account.
LI-BuildingDepr Holds the accumulated building depreciation.  Building current value is AS-Building + AS-Build Improv – LI-BuildingDepr
LI-EquipDepr Holds the accumulated equipment depreciation.  Equipment current value is AS-Equipment – LI-EquipDepr
LI-KeyDeposits Once upon a time, NESFA charged $20 key deposits and they're kept here.  As more people who have not have their key deposits returned are discovered, they should be given refunds from this account.
LI-MA Sales tax As we collect Mass. sales tax, it is put in this account. If we collect sales tax in some other jurisdiction, it should be kept separately.
LI-MbrshpSchshp Debit this account when the e-board waives dues for someone who is technically excluded by the rules.  This account was established in Feb. 2012 by Seth Breidbart.
LI-Misc If a liability doesn't find a home elsewhere, it's welcome here.
LI-NESFALife Obsolete.  Was used to hold the assets of the abolished NESFA Life account.
LI-Old Debts  
LI-Overpayments When we're overpaid for something, put the overpayment here and then charge any refund against it.  (Previously, SI-Refunds was used for this purpose.)
LI-Passthroughn Used to handle cases where NESFA holds money which is not its.  E.g., occasionally, NESFA does a group buy for a book.  As people pay, their payments are put in a pass-through account which is then zeroed when the money is spent for the purchase.
LI-Sales n A group of reüseable sales suspense accounts.  They have names in the description (Readercon, Worldcon, etc.), and you should reüse them accordingly.
LI-UncChecks Reserve for uncashed checks from closed Boskones or other events.
RY-author Royalty:  Accounts for each author and artist to hold monies due.  When royalties are earned they are transferred to the appropriate royalty account and charged either to the book's production (AS-BOOKnnn) account or to the book's Sales Expense account.  A check is then written to pay the royalty due.
SE-book Sales Expense:  All expenses related to selling books.  Besides a few general accounts, there is a sales expense account for each inventory item.
SE-Advent Expenses relating to selling Advent books.  Did not hold cost of buying them.  Those should be in the individual IV-book account, but were previously in IV-Advent.  All Advent books now have individual IV- accounts, but there is still only this one aggregate SE- account for them.
SE-Advertising Sales expense, advertising
SE-B&T Expenses relating to selling to Baker & Taylor.  Mostly unintelligible chargebacks.
SE-Bad Debt Bad debts relating to anyone else
SE-CashRegister Cash register expenses:  supplies, tapes, etc. are in support of sales.
SE-Conventions Sales expenses at conventions:  table costs, shipping, etc.
SE-eCommerce Ecommerce costs other than credit card fees, which go into SE-PmtCardFees.
SE-Fulfillment All costs for fulfillment including fees, but not postage.
SE-Hurt Books Sales expenses related to selling hurt books.
SE-Misc Miscellaneous sales expenses
SE-PmtCardFees Credit card fees, both the fees associated with the credit card account and the percentage-based fees.  The name notwithstanding, this account should be used regardless of the brand of payment card for which we are paying fees, be it MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, JCB, or anything else.  PayPal fees also go here.  This used to be called EX-V/MC, but was changed because it's not limited to just Visa and MasterCard, and most of the charges are related to sales expenses.
SE-Postage Postage and shipping fees spent for sales activities not related to production expenses or specific books.  When a customer pays postage costs, the amount is used to reduce the balance of this account.
SE-Supplies Supplies:  mailing supplies, etc.
SI-book Sales Income:  All income derived from selling books.  There is a sales income account for each inventory item.
SI-Discounts Discounts taken at the cash register via the discount button after a subtotal.  This is a negative balance account, as it is not an expense, but rather it is negative income.  This differs from discounts applied to an item because of the way that the cash register reports the two kinds of discounts. 
SI-Hurt Books Sales income from selling hurt books.
SI-Index Sales income for all printed indexes.
SI-Misc Sales income for all the old and trivial products which we don't keep track of as separate items.  When recording income to SI-misc, be sure to note what the sale was for. 
SI-NESFAproduct Income accounts for the sale of NESFA items, such as pins, tote bags, shield patches, shield decals, and the like.
SI-Postage This account was for postage and handling fees received.  Since these are not actual income, but rather a reduction to postage expense for Sales, SE-Postage is now used to record postage paid by customers, with the effect reducing our postage expense.  The balance in SI-Postage was closed out to SE-Postage at the end of December 2011.  Do not post to this account anymore, except to remove accidental postings, which should then be closed to SE-Postage.
SI-Used books Used book sales
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