Please note:
The information presented below is general and indicative. It is not necessarily accurate or applicable to your particular business.
We recommend that you consult your accountant, financial assistant or bookkeeping firm before filling in or using settlement accounts in your accounting records.
There is no one-size-fits-all chart of accounts per industry that covers all the details for all types of businesses, but there are very good guidelines and templates you can use as a starting point - to set up the right accounts for accounting.
Here is a concrete approach you can work with:
Use the BAS chart of accounts structure as a basis
The Swedish BAS chart of accounts is industry-independent but has recommendations per business type. You can use these as templates, e.g:
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Food and beverage: Sales of goods 12% VAT, tips, staff discounts
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Retail: Goods 25%, returns, gift cards, vouchers
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Service companies: 25% VAT, often no inventory, no cash flow
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Health and Beauty: Both services (25%) and products (25% or 12%)
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Livsmedel: 12% moms, ibland blandade satser
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Gaming agents/ATG: Specific accounts for payouts and commissions
Account templates - customised per industry
You can build templates per industry, for example:
| Industry | Sales account | VAT account | Examples of specific accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | 3010, 3020 | 2611, 2621 | Drinks account, Discount account, Gift vouchers |
| Shop (Food) | 3020 | 2621 | Rounding account, Goods receipt |
| Hairdresser | 3041, 3020 | 2611, 2621 | Tips, Product sales |
| E-commerce | 3010 | 2611 | Freight account, Klarna/Stripe settlement |
Here are clear, customised chart of accounts examples for five common business types - with a focus on accounting linked to cash register systems, according to the Swedish Tax Agency's rules for cash registers and the Accounting Act.
1. Food and Beverage
| Type | Accounting account (BAS) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Sales 12% VAT | 3020 – Food sales | Example: food, coffee |
| Sales 25% VAT | 3010 – Sales within Sweden | Example: soft drinks, sweets |
| Tips | 3740 – Tipss | Often handled as tax-free income or passed on |
| Output VAT 12% | 2621 | Linked to 3020 |
| Output VAT 25% | 2611 | Linked to 3010 |
| Rounding | 3740 or 3741 | Rounding for cash payment |
| Gift card (issued) | 2421 – Advance from customer | Advance from customer Booked as a liability until redeemed |
| Discount account | 3730 | Can be used for campaigns if separate accounting is desired |
| Cash account (cash) | 1910 | If you accept cash |
| Card payments | 1580 – Settlement card | Settlement card Temporary account for redemption from e.g. Nets, Swedbank Pay. e.g. Nets, Swedbank Pay |
| Z-Report account | 1919 – Cash digits | Cash digits For reconciliation of daily report/Z-report |
2. Retail / Store (25% VAT)
| Type | Accounting account (BAS) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 3010 – Sales within Sweden | All goods with 25% VAT |
| VAT | 2611 –Output VAT 25% | Automatically calculated in the cash system |
| Gift vouchers (sold) | 2421 – Advance from customer | Debt until customer redeems |
| Returns | Same as sales (negative) | Negative line in the accounts |
| Cash account (cash) | 1910 – Cash | Physical cash |
| Card redemption account | 1580 – Settlement card | Ex. Zettle, Swedbank Pay |
| Discount account (optional) | 3730 –Discounts received | During promotions/discounts |
3. Health and Beauty
| Type | Accounting account (BAS) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Service sales | 3041 – Service sales 25% | Hairdressing services, treatments |
| Product sales | 3010 –Goods | Hair care products, make-up etc. |
| VAT | 2611 – Output VAT 25% | |
| Tipping | 3740 – Tipping | Depending on handling - often onward transmission |
| Gift card | 2421 – Advance from customer | |
| Settlement card | 1580 | E.g. iZettle, Stripe |
| Cash account | 1910 | If cash is accepted |
4. E-commerce (with invoice or payment draft)
| Type | Accounting account (BAS) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Sales within Sweden | 3010 | 25% VAT standard |
| VAT | 2611 | |
| Shipping revenue | 3520 | Shipping fees charged to customer |
| Invoice | 1510 | Accounts receivable |
| Payment service / gateway | 1580 / 1680 | Klarna, Stripe, etc. |
| Discounts / promotion | 3730 | If you want to separate discount values |
5. consultant / service company (without cash register)
Usually does not use a cash system - but if there is, link for easy accounting
| Type | Accounting account (BAS) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Service sales | 3041 – Services within Sweden | Often invoice-based |
| VAT | 2611 – Output VAT 25% | |
| Invoice settlement account | 1510 – Accounts receivable | When payment is made afterwards |
| Payment directly in cash | 1580 / 1910 | If payment is made by card or cash |