Technical Notes and Manuals

Chart of Accounts: A Critical Element of the Public Financial Management Framework

BySailendra Pattanayak, Julie Patricia Cooper

October 17, 2011

More Formats on IMF eLibrary
Order a Print Copy

Preview Citation

Format: Chicago

Sailendra Pattanayak, and Julie Patricia Cooper. "Chart of Accounts: A Critical Element of the Public Financial Management Framework", Technical Notes and Manuals 2011, 003 (2011), accessed 12/7/2025, https://doi.org/10.5089/9781475510218.005

Export Citation

  • ProCite
  • RefWorks
  • Reference Manager
  • BibTex
  • Zotero
  • EndNote

Also available inespañol

Disclaimer: This Technical Guidance Note should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF. The views expressed in this Note are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

This technical note and manual (TNM) addresses the following main issues: • Discusses the purpose of a chart of accounts and its importance in public financial management • Discusses stakeholder needs in a typical public financial management framework that need to be reflected in a chart of accounts • Discusses the role of chart of accounts in budgetary and financial accounting • Discusses the relation between the chart of accounts and IFMIS • Explains key steps for identifying data requirements and structures for developing a chart of accounts

Subject: Budget classification, Budget execution and treasury management, Budget planning and preparation, Chart of accounts, Fiscal accounting and reporting, Public financial management (PFM)

Keywords: accounting, accounting classification, accounting system, budget classification, Budget execution and treasury management, budget management, Budget planning and preparation, chart of accounts, COA configuration, COA design, COA framework, COA segment, COA structure, control account, financial management, Fiscal accounting and reporting, Global, government business process, government control, government function, IFMIS, information system, public finance, reporting, TNM

Notes

Full text also available in Spanish.

You May Also Be Interested In...

Progress Report to the IMFC on the Activities of the Independent Evaluation Office of the IMF

10/16/2025

Tax Expenditures in Sub-Saharan Africa

10/7/2025

Fiscal Rules and Fiscal Councils: Recent Trends and Revisions since the Pandemic

10/3/2025

Preparing a Fiscal Risk Statement: Sri Lanka

10/1/2025

Sri Lanka: Technical Assistance Report-Preparing a Fiscal Risk Statement

10/1/2025