BlackLine home page Financial Close Management
Close faster with complete and accurate results.
Empower Accounting to manage and control the end-to-end financial close process by automating accounting workflows, providing a centralized and secure workspace to perform period-end accounting activities, and streamlining financial reporting.
Account Reconciliations
Standardize, control, and streamline reconciliations.
Increase accuracy and efficiency across your account reconciliation process and produce timely and accurate financial statements. Drive accuracy in the financial close by providing a streamlined method to substantiate your balance sheet.
Task Management
Drive visibility, accountability, and control across every accounting checklist.
Standardize, accelerate, and centrally manage accounting processes – from month-end close tasks to PBC checklists – with hierarchical task lists, role-based workflows, and real-time dashboards.
Transaction Matching
Match, analyze, and reconcile millions of transactions in minutes.
Streamline and automate detail-heavy reconciliations, such as bank reconciliations, credit card matching, intercompany reconciliations, and invoice-to-PO matching all in one centralized workspace.
Journal Entry
Centralize, manage, and automate journal entries.
Create, review, and approve journals, then electronically certify, post them to and store them with all supporting documentation. Automatically create, populate, and post journals to your ERP based on your rules.
Compliance
Elevate control in the cloud.
Unify all compliance documentation, projects, and stakeholders in one globally accessible, cloud platform to maximize visibility. Link controls to related risks, narratives, and projects, and ensure version control.
Variance Analysis
Continuously monitor for risk with automated fluctuation analysis.
Calculate and identify account balance and activity fluctuations automatically to continuously monitor for risk, ensure the effective and timely execution of critical management review controls, and support agile decision-making.
Smart Close for SAP
Simplify, standardize, and automate your financial close in SAP.
Streamline and automate activities in SAP with task scheduling and execution, activity monitoring, and outcome verification.
Accounts Receivable Automation
Maximize working capital and release cash from your balance sheet.
Maximize working capital with the only unified platform for collecting cash, providing credit, and understanding cash flow. Transform your accounts receivable processes with intelligent AR automation that delivers value across your business.
Cash Application
Apply customer payments to invoices automatically.
Transform your order-to-cash cycle and speed up your cash application process by instantly matching and accurately applying customer payments to customer invoices in your ERP.
Credit & Risk Management
Create and operate risk polices with dynamic insights.
Understand customer data and performance behaviors to minimize the risk of bad debt and the impact of late payments. Monitor changes in real time to identify and analyze customer risk signals.
Collections Management
Release cash from customers and reduce DSO.
Improve the prioritization of customer calls, reduce days sales outstanding, and watch productivity rise with more dynamic, accurate, and smarter collection management processes.
Disputes & Deductions
Resolve customer disputes promptly to collect debt.
Accelerate dispute resolution with automated workflows and maintain customer relationships with operational reporting. Unlock full control and visibility of disputes and provide better insight into how they impact KPIs, such as DSO and aged debt provisions.
Team & Task Management
Maximize your time with data-driven prioritization.
Make the most of your team’s time by automating accounts receivables tasks and using data to drive priority, action, and results. Monitor and analyze user performance, ensuring key actions quickly.
AR Intelligence
Turn payment data into actionable, real-time intelligence.
Automatically process and analyze critical information such as sales and payment performance data, customer payment trends, and DSO to better manage risk and develop strategies to improve operational performance.
Intercompany Financial Management
Unlock growth capacity with tax-effective intercompany operations.
Centralize, streamline, and automate end-to-end intercompany operations with global billing, payment, and automated reconciliation capabilities that provide speed and accuracy. Ignite staff efficiency and advance your business to more profitable growth.
BlackLine Intercompany
Centralize and streamline end-to-end intercompany operations.
Structure and automate intercompany transactions to maximize operational efficiency while improving deductibility and reducing tax leakage.
BlackLine for Midsize Organizations
Get set up quickly for a streamlined and automated close.
The path from traditional to modern accounting is different for every organization. BlackLine’s Modern Accounting Playbook delivers a proven-practices approach to help you identify and prioritize your organization’s critical accounting gaps and map out an achievable path to success.
BlackLine for Large Enterprises
Save time and cost, decrease risk, and elevate the organization.
BlackLine’s foundation for modern accounting creates a streamlined and automated close. We’re dedicated to delivering the most value in the shortest amount of time, equipping you to not only control close chaos, but also foster F&A excellence.
BlackLine for Banking & Financial Services
Invest in your future by unifying and automating accounting work.
To sustain timely performance of daily activities, banking and financial services organizations are turning to modern accounting and finance practices. It’s no longer a matter of whether or not to digitally transform. It’s a matter of when and how.
BlackLine for Consumer Products & Services
Adapt to changing consumer preferences with agile accounting.
To mitigate financial statement risk and increase operational effectiveness, consumer goods organizations are turning to modern accounting and leading best practices. Simply sticking with ‘the way it’s always been done’ is a thing of the past.
BlackLine for Energy & Raw Materials
Energize your accounting team by creating capacity with automation.
While you are innovating to produce safe, reliable, and sustainable products and services, our solutions help accounting teams save time, reduce risk, and create capacity to support your organization's strategic objectives.
BlackLine for Healthcare & Life Sciences
Align healthcare accounting teams to revenue-driving activities.
Working capital, cash flows, collections opportunities, and other critical metrics depend on timely and accurate processes. Ensure services revenue has been accurately recorded and related payments are reflected properly on the balance sheet.
BlackLine for Manufacturing
Unlock capacity and strengthen resilience by automating accounting.
To respond and lead amid supply chain challenges demands on accounting teams in manufacturing companies are higher than ever. Guide your business with agility by standardizing processes, automating routine work, and increasing visibility.
BlackLine for Retail
Tie out millions of transactions automatically.
Retailers are recalibrating their strategies and investing in innovative business models to drive transformation quickly, profitably, and at scale. Save time, reduce risk, and create capacity to support your organization's strategic objectives.
BlackLine for Technology, Media & Communications
Transform the way you work.
You've transformed the way we experience the world. It's time to embrace modern accounting technology to save time, reduce risk, and create capacity to focus your time on what matters most.
SAP Solutions by BlackLine
BlackLine is part of your SAP financial mission control center. Our solutions complement SAP software as part of an end-to-end offering for Finance & Accounting. BlackLine solutions address the traditional manual processes that are performed by accountants outside the ERP, often in spreadsheets.
Companies Running on Oracle Close Faster with BlackLine
Global brands and the fastest growing companies run Oracle and choose BlackLine to accelerate digital transformation. BlackLine delivers comprehensive solutions that unify accounting and finance operations across your Oracle landscape.
BlackLine is Built for NetSuite
Gain global visibility and insight into accounting processes while reducing risk, increasing productivity, and ensuring accuracy. Close the gaps left in critical finance and accounting processes with minimal IT support.
Agile Solutions for Dynamic Organizations
Adapt and innovate with a hyperconnected Accounting function and give everyone the insights and freedom to thrive by connecting your data, processes, and teams with intelligent automation solutions for accounting needs.
Customer Success
Customer Success Stories
In good company.
More than 3,900 companies of all sizes, across all industries, trust BlackLine to help them modernize their financial close, accounts receivable, and intercompany accounting processes.
BlackLine returns $2.77 for every dollar spent
Collaborative Accounting Experience
Powerful technology is only part of the story.
To truly transform your finance and accounting processes, you need the guidance of a trusted partner. Our proven approach has helped thousands of customers identify and address bottlenecks to free up capacity, strengthen controls, and deliver measurable results.
"Our consultant from BlackLine supported us all the way."
Modern Accounting Playbook
Your playbook for rapid success and proven value.
Using our unique experience and expertise, we will help you identify your most pressing accounting challenges and quickly deploy our software by providing a clear vision and predictable, confident delivery and implementation.
Transform with a clear vision and predictable approach
Training & Education
Rich learning resources for every stage of your journey.
One of the critical success drivers for any software deployment is user adoption through effective training. We created BlackLine U to ensure successful onboarding and continuous education, useful for both new customers and those expanding globally.
Ensure success with universal user adoption.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Global Support
Industry-leading customer support anytime, anywhere
BlackLine provides global product support across geographies, languages, and time zones, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We are here for you with industry-leading support whenever and wherever you need it.
Access our support team 24x7x365.
Developer Portal
Integrate your accounting operations with open APIs.
Our API-first development strategy gives you the keys to integrate your finance tech stack - from one ERP to one hundred - and create seamless data flows in and out of BlackLine.
Explore our APIs to maximum integration.
BlackLine Community
Join an exclusive community of more than 300,000 accounting professionals.
BlackLine users around the world get access to key resources to develop expertise, interact with peers in F&A to exchange ideas and leading practices, and share their feedback to guide future product development.
Login to learn, collaborate, and get the help you need.
Events
Connect with peers across Finance & Accounting.
Whether new to BlackLine or a longtime customer, we curate events to guide you along every step of your modern accounting journey.
BeyondTheBlack 2022: In-Person & Virtual
Upcoming Webinars
Hear from F&A thought leaders and customers like you.
Explore our schedule of upcoming webinars to find inspiration, including industry experts, strategic alliance partners, and boundary-pushing customers. And, earn CPE credits while you're at it.
On-Demand Webinars
Catch up on the latest finance transformation guidance.
Check out our most recent webinars dedicated to modern accounting. If you recently attended webinar you loved, find it here and share the link with your colleagues.
White Papers
Dive into digital finance transformation.
Explore the future of accounting over a cup of coffee with our curated collection of white papers and ebooks written to help you consider how you will transform your people, process, and technology.
12 Keys to Financial Operations Excellence
Blog
Stay on top of the latest accounting trends.
BlackLine Magazine provides daily updates on everything from companies that have transformed F&A to new regulations that are coming to disrupt your day, week, and month. Check back often for the latest commentary and guidance.
Explore the latest in F&A innovations.
Accounting Glossary
Brush up on key accounting terms.
Whether you're new to F&A or an experienced professional, sometimes you need a refresher on common finance and accounting terms and their definitions. BlackLine's glossary provides descriptions for industry words and phrases, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to additional resources.
Your guide to key F&A terms and definitions.
Global Support
We are here for your mission-critical accounting operations.
BlackLine provides global product support across geographies, languages, and time zones, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We are here for you with industry-leading support whenever and wherever you need it.
Access our support team 24x7x365.
About BlackLine
Since our founding in 2001, BlackLine has become a leading provider of cloud software that automates and controls critical accounting processes.
Companies come to BlackLine because their traditional manual accounting processes are not sustainable. We help them move to modern accounting by unifying their data and processes, automating repetitive work, and driving accountability through visibility.
Leadership
BlackLine's leadership team is built on experience and expertise. Every executive is committed to ensuring transformational success for every customer.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At BlackLine, we live by these tenets and always put people first. We are committed to fostering an environment where differences are valued and practices are equitable.
In the News
Explore original-content media coverage, commentary and analysis of BlackLine at top-tier business, trade, local and vertical media outlets, as well as contributed articles written by BlackLine experts and placed with leading media organizations.
Press Releases
Stay up to date on the latest corporate and high-level product developments at BlackLine. Here you will find a one-stop resource listing recent and historical news items, including announcement of new clients/partners, awards, new offices/facilities, personnel appointments/ changes, major software enhancements, executive speeches and upcoming events.
Investors
BlackLine is a high-growth, SaaS business that is transforming and modernizing the way finance and accounting departments operate. Our cloud software automates critical finance and accounting processes. We empower companies of all sizes across all industries to improve the integrity of their financial reporting, achieve efficiencies and enhance real-time visibility into their operations.
Awards & Recognition
In addition to accolades for the quality, performance and benefits of our software, BlackLine has been the recipient of many industry awards recognizing the fast growth of the company, outstanding achievements of members of the management team and exceptional customer service.
Take the next step in your career.
Wondering what it's like to work at BlackLine? Don't take our word for it. We've been voted Best Place to Work by Inc. Magazine four years in a row. Built in LA ranks us in their top 20 best places to work in LA. Better still? We have in-office and remote-work openings all over the world.
Be a leader. Join the leader.
Consulting Alliances
Delivering Succesful Digital Transformations
Global and regional advisory and consulting firms bring deep finance domain expertise, process transformation leadership, and shared passion for customer value creation to our joint customers. Our consulting partners help guide large enterprise and midsize organizations undergoing digital transformation by maximizing and accelerating value from BlackLine’s solutions.
Solution Provider Partners
Guiding Customers to Long-Term Success
BlackLine’s Solution Providers are experienced business software resellers who know and understand the finance and accounting function and the associated challenges that organizations face. They ensure our customers’ success with BlackLine from the initial solution validation process through deployments and long-term customer care and long-term success.
Software & Cloud Partners
Integrate Your Finance Tech Stack
BlackLine and our ecosystem of software and cloud partners work together to transform our joint customers’ finance and accounting processes. Together, we provide innovative solutions that help F&A teams achieve shorter close cycles and better controls, enabling them to drive better decision-making across the company.
Business Process Outsourcers
Driving Automation with Your Outsourcing Provider
BlackLine partners with top global Business Process Outsourcers and equips them with solutions to better serve their clients and achieve market-leading automation, efficiencies, and risk control. By outsourcing, businesses can achieve stronger compliance, gain a deeper level of industry knowledge, and grow without unnecessary costs.
Chart of Accounts
What Is the Chart of Accounts?
The chart of accounts is a component of the general ledger that lists all the accounts for the business and arranges them according to five basic categories of organization.
The general ledger (GL) is an accounting record that compiles all financial transactions for the business.
It is a master document that is used to produce other accounting records and financial statements like the balance sheet, income statements, and cash flow statements.
The GL allows accountants and business managers to make informed analyses about the business, by looking at its transactions and how they impact its finances.
To facilitate this analysis, the general ledger displays transactions in groupings, or accounts, which represent certain functional aspects of the business.
These accounts are typically arranged according to five broad categories:
Assets
Liabilities
Equity
Income or revenue
Expenses
These categories comprise the basic organizing structure of the chart of accounts, which is included in the GL.
It is included there to provide anyone who is reviewing the GL with a structured and organized overview of the business’s financial activity.
The audience might include investors, shareholders, auditors, management, and accountants.
The chart of accounts is one of four main components of the general ledger. The other three components are financial transactions, account balances, and accounting periods.
How is the Chart of Accounts Organized?
Within the five broad categories, the chart of accounts contains separate sets of accounts for the purposes of recording and organizing specific transactions.
These are referred to as subledgers or subledger accounts.
Assets may include a cash account, accounts receivable, inventory, investments, short-term assets, and fixed assets
Liabilities might include mortgage debt, bank debt, accounts payable, unpaid wages or taxes, and unearned rent
Equity refers to various forms of value gained from stock in the company, such as common stock, preferred stock, retained earnings, and contributed surplus
Revenue accounts include all manner of income for the business; this might include sales, rental income, interest income, and asset sales
Expense accounts can include a variety of expenses or costs incurred by the business for its operations including the cost of goods sold, cost of sales, repairs, maintenance, rent, wages, utilities, bank charges, and fees
The various subledger accounts within each of the five categories in the chart of accounts will vary depending on the business. For example, an ice cream shop will have accounts for expenses such as utilities, rent, and supplies.
A property management company will have revenue accounts for rental and investment income. A manufacturer will have asset accounts for inventory and expense accounts for the cost of goods sold.
What Does the Chart of Accounts Look Like?
The chart of accounts will be arranged in columns, and the number of columns may vary. Most chart of accounts will have at least four columns with the following headings:
Account Number
Account Name
Account Type (Asset, Liabilities, Equity, Expense, or Revenue)
Account Description
Some chart of accounts may also have a fifth column that displays the type of financial statement where the account transactions will appear. For example, asset account transactions like cash and accounts receivable will appear on the company’s balance sheet.
Revenue account transactions like sales and rent, and expenses like fees and wages, will appear on the income statement.
How Is the Chart of Accounts Numbered?
The numbering system in the chart of accounts typically follows a general format, which corresponds to the structure of the five basic categories.
Sub-accounts in each category are assigned a sequential number within that category’s series of numbers:
Assets—100-199
Liabilities—200-299
Equity accounts—300-399
Revenues—400-499
Expenses—500-599
For larger companies, additional codes representing divisions and/or departments are added in front of the three-digit account codes. In these instances, the number will be a five or seven-digit serial number, with the three-digit account number at the end.
For example, expenses in a large corporation with multiple divisions and departments might look something like 03-07-534. The first two digits, 03, represent a particular division. The second two digits, 07, represent a department. The last three digits, 534 represent a particular sub-account of expenses, such as utilities or rent.
RELATED TERMS
Balance Sheet
Cash Application
Cash Flow
Cash Flow Forecast
Collection & Recovery
Collections Management
Continuous Accounting
Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
Debits & Credits
Depreciation Journal Entry
General Ledger
Intercompany Accounting
Journal Entry
Modern Accounting
Month End Close Process
Payroll Reconciliation
Prepaid Assets
FAQ
Why Is the Chart of Accounts Important?
The chart of accounts is an important component of the general ledger that organizes financial transactions for the business into basic categories.
It facilitates the organization and review of the business’s financial activity. It also allows for the separation of distinct types of financial activity, for example, assets from liabilities, and expenses from revenue.
All of this makes it easier for management to evaluate the different aspects of the business’s financial activity and performance.
It facilitates a similar analysis for investors and shareholders. Lastly, this makes it easier for the business to comply with financial reporting standards.
Account Reconciliations with BlackLine
Request a demo a demo and see how accountants can quickly compare general ledger, bank, and other data, investigate discrepancies, attach supporting documentation, and take required actions from an intuitive, unified workspace.