Academies chart of accounts and automating the accounts return
Financial data structure and guide for automating academy trust financial returns.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
This guidance is for academy trusts.
The academies chart of accounts is the Department for Education’s (DfE) standard for financial data that underpins the academies accounts return and budget forecast return.
The ‘guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts’ explains how to use the academies chart of accounts.
The ‘academies chart of accounts’ spreadsheets provide the account codes and show how they map to DfE’s financial returns.
The ‘account codes guidance’ shows what should be included in the account codes.
You can use automated technology to submit trial balance data from the academies chart of accounts directly to DfE. We will then use it to pre-populate:
- a large percentage of your accounts return
- draft financial statements
- one third of the budget forecast return
The ‘detailed user guide’ and ‘quick automation guide’ explain how this works and how to do it.
You can use the ‘draft trust financial statement template’ to populate the document manually.
Webinars, workshops and Q&A sessions
We host webinars and dial-in sessions on Eventbrite. You can view planned sessions and book your space at DfE academies chart of accounts and automation.
Further enquiries
Academies chart of accounts or automation
For queries about the academies chart of accounts or automation, contact us via the customer help portal. Put either ‘Academies chart of accounts’ or ‘Automation/API’ at the top of your enquiry, as appropriate.
Financial management software provider
For queries about financial management software providers, contact us via our support service.
Updates to this page
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Updated the academies chart of accounts 2025 to 2026 to correct known errors.
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Added 'Academies chart of accounts 2025 to 2026' and 'Academies chart of accounts: account code guidance 2025 to 2026'. Removed 'Academies chart of accounts 2023 to 2024' and 'Academies chart of accounts: account code guidance 2024 to 2025'. Updated 'Guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts'.
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Updated to reflect that the academies accounts return (AR) 2023 to 2024 submission deadline has now passed. Also updated 'Academies chart of accounts: account code guidance 2024 to 2025'.
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Added 'Quick guide to automation added' and 'Academies chart of accounts 2023 to 2024 v6.4.0'. Updated 'Detailed user guide for sending automated data the the accounts return and draft financial statements' and 'Draft trust financial statements template for 2023 to 2024'.
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Within the 'Academies chart of accounts and automating the accounts return' homepage, the webinars, workshops and Q & A sessions section has been updated with an Eventbrite link and a list of the sessions we hold.
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Details for the new Core Schools Budget Grant added to the 'Academies chart of accounts 2024 to 2025' and 'Academies chart of accounts: account code guidance 2024 to 2025'. We've added new dates for webinar, workshops, and Q&A sessions. We've included a link to a new FMS provider helpdesk.
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Added 'Academies chart of accounts 2024/25' and 'Academies chart of accounts: account code guidance 2024/25'. Removed 'Academies chart of accounts 2022/23' and 'Academies chart of accounts: account code guidance 2023/24'. Updated sections 4.2.10 and 4.2.11 of 'Guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts'. New dates added for Technical Update webinar sessions and Mapping Review workshops. Automation availability updated in 'User guide for automating the academies accounts return and draft financial statements'.
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Academies chart of accounts 2023 to 2024 has been updated to version 6.3.0 to show the latest mappings to the budget forecast return (BFR) 2024.
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Additional sessions have been added to 'Webinar: Introduction to the academies chart of accounts and automation' and 'Workshop: Academies chart of accounts mapping review'.
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Added content on income from insurance claims to 'Guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts'.
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Dial in and webinar dates have been updated.
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We've updated the section about latest webinars. We have also updated the automation guidance for the for FMS provider status, and the CoA 2022-23 version has been updated to include the most up to date mappings to the Department for Educations financial returns.
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New dates added to the 'Webinars, workshops and Q&A sessions' section. Academies chart of accounts 2023/24 updated in amended BFR mapping column Account code guidance 2023/24 added to.
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Updated 'User guide for automating the academies accounts return and draft financial statements' New workbook added: 'Draft financial statements 2022/23
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An updated version has been added for 2023/24 'Account code guidance: acadamies chart of accounts' Updates have been made to the 'Guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts'
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Updates to webinar dates and recording of Academies CoA technical update webinar added.
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Updated academies chart of accounts 2023-24 file: updated mapping to the BFR fields, see rows 208 to 223 on the change control tab for details.
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Chart of Accounts 2023/24 file updated. The 'Change control' tab updated as missing four new accounts codes included within the 'Structures and mappings' tab.
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- Academies chart of accounts 2023/24 added - Academies chart of accounts 2021/22 removed - Guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts, section 4 'Updates', updated to document changes between CoA versions for 2022/23 and 2023/24 - New dates for webinars and dial in sessions
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We've added new webinar dates.
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We have: updated the dial-in sessions and webinar dates; published an updated version of the 'Draft trust financial statements' template; updated videos to add reference to 2021/22 AR form; updated the 'Guide to academies chart of accounts' section 3.10.5 to correct error '16 to 19 Bursary Fund'; updated guidance on section 5.5 'Calculated fields - opening balances' in the 'User guide for automation'; and updated guidance on section 5.6 'Calculated fields - funds' in the 'User guide for automation'.
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October and November webinar dates cancelled.
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Link to the live accounts return form has been added to the landing page.
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Updates include - updated 'Use guide for automation of the accounts return and draft financial statements; - updated 'Academies account code guidance'
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We have added webinar dates for academies chart of accounts and automation introductory presentations.
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We have updated this page with an Excel template that uses a trust’s automated data to produce draft financial statements. We have also added to the change control sheet on the 'Academies chart of accounts 22-23' file to delete one account code.
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We have updated this page with the updated academies chart of accounts (CoA) for 2022/23 and guide.
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We have updated this page with information about monthly dial-in sessions to ask questions about the DfE chart of accounts and automation.
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We have updated the guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts with new sections covering the chart of accounts structure and recharges, and an update to the guidance about Salix loans.
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We have updated this page with additional guidance for downloading automated draft financial statements. This is included within the 'Quick start guide to automating the academies accounts return and financial statements'.
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We have updated the "Quick start guide to automation" and the "Guide to automating the academies accounts return" for the 2020/21 accounts return. We have also updated the "Guide to adopting the academies chart of accounts" to explain the accounting treatment for COVID-19 funding in the 2020/21 accounts return.
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We have updated the academies chart of accounts for financial year September 2021 to August 2022.
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We have updated this page adding a new information video about automating the academies accounts return.
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Sections 3.4 and 3.5 of the chart of accounts guidance has been expanded to include new guidance to help trusts with specific issues raised.
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We have updated this page to add the guide to automation for academies accounts return for 2019/20.
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We have updated the academies chart of accounts for the academic year 2020/21.
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First published.