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
Academies accounts return – for trusts using automation
The academies accounts return (AR) 2023 to 2024 is now available for trusts to complete their return. The deadline for AR submission is 28 January 2025.
Trusts are able to view their previous year’s return by accessing the 2023 to 2024 form by viewing ‘Download previous return’ on the right-hand menu of the index page and clicking on the ‘File format’ option drop-down box.
Trusts using automation are also able to download their draft financial statements.
AR and financial statements login
Introduction to the chart of accounts
The academies chart of accounts (CoA) is the Department for Education’s (DfE) standard for financial data that underpins the academies AR and budget forecast return (BFR).
Introduction to automation
Using the academies CoA, DfE has developed automation technology to help reduce the burden of submitting your financial information. This technology enables you to electronically submit your trial balance data directly from your financial management software (FMS) to DfE, where it will then be used to pre-populate a large percentage of your AR, draft financial statements and BFR.
If you are thinking about upgrading your financial management system so you can use automation, you should review the information on Choosing a trust’s financial management system.
Introduction to draft trust financial statements
Trusts that send automated data to populate the AR can also use this data to produce an auto-populated draft trust financial statement. The template is also available to view on this page and can be used for manual population.
For more information, see the Quick automation guide and section 6 of the Detailed user guide for automating the academies AR and draft financial statements.
Webinars, workshops and Q&A sessions:
We are now hosting our webinars and dial-in sessions on Eventbrite. You can view the sessions currently planned and book your space at DfE academies chart of accounts and automation.
Examples of sessions we run include:
- introduction to the academies CoA and automation
- dial-in sessions throughout the year
- academies CoA mapping workshops
- automation-focused webinars while the AR form is live
- technical academies CoA updates during the summer
- webinars tailored to auditors
- FMS comparison matrix teach-ins
You can view the DfE power hour session on academies CoA that we delivered in September 2023 if you wish to find out more about the academies CoA and automation without waiting to attend a webinar. This information is still relevant.
You can also view the Academies CoA technical updates video, which details the 2024 to 2025 updates and actions for trusts.
On this page
This page includes the following attachments:
- a quick guide to automation
- a guide for academy trusts about adopting the academies CoA, which includes a summary of updates since the previous version
- 2 academies CoA spreadsheets for financial years 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025; you should refer to the ‘information’ worksheet to find out more about the structure of the CoA
- a spreadsheet providing guidance for each income and expenditure account code within the academies CoA
- 2 user guides for automating the academies AR: one quick guide and one detailed guide
- the draft trust financial statements template
Further enquiries
Academies CoA enquiries
If you have further questions about the CoA, you should contact us using the customer help portal. You should put ‘Academies chart of accounts’ at the top of your enquiry.
Automation enquiries
If you have further questions about automation, you should contact us using the online customer help portal. You should put ‘Automation/API’ at the top of your enquiry.
FMS provider enquiries
If you have further questions about FMS provider enquiries, you should contact us using our Zendesk helpdesk.
Updates to this page
Published 14 May 2019Last updated 8 November 2024 + show all updates
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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.