Articles on: Accounting

How System-Controlled Accounts Work in COUNT (NZ)

Some accounts in COUNT are managed automatically by the system. These are called system-controlled accounts.
They support core accounting workflows such as invoices, bills, transfers, online payments, and payroll. Because these accounts are managed by COUNT, they can't be manually journaled into, deleted, or repurposed. This helps maintain the integrity of your financial records.

System-controlled accounts

The following accounts are automatically created and maintained in New Zealand workspaces.

Account	Number	Type	Description
Cash on Hand	6000	Asset	Physical cash your business holds, such as petty cash or cash waiting to be deposited.
Undeposited Funds	6090	Asset	Money received from customers that has not yet been deposited or settled.
Accounts Receivable	6100	Asset	Outstanding customer invoices awaiting payment.
Transfer Clearing	6350	Asset	Temporary clearing account used when transferring funds between bank accounts.
Accounts Payable	8000	Liability	Outstanding supplier bills awaiting payment.
Sales Discounts	2800	Income	Discounts applied to customer invoices.
Income Tax Expense	5050	Expense	Records income tax expenses calculated for the business.
KiwiSaver Employer Contributions	4780	Expense	Records employer KiwiSaver contributions made on behalf of employees.
Salaries	4770	Expense	Records employee salary and wage expenses processed through payroll.
Invoice Processing Fee	4960	Expense	Processing fees deducted from online invoice payments.

Why are these accounts system controlled?

COUNT automatically updates these accounts when you:

Create customer invoices
Record invoice payments
Create supplier bills
Record bill payments
Transfer funds between bank accounts
Receive online invoice payments
Process payroll (where applicable)

This ensures your reports remain accurate and that related workflows stay in sync.

Can I post manual journals to these accounts?

No.
System-controlled accounts are maintained automatically by COUNT and cannot be adjusted using manual journal entries.
If you need to correct a balance, use the workflow that created the transaction instead.

For example:

Accounts Receivable → Edit or adjust the invoice instead of creating a journal.
Accounts Payable → Update the supplier bill instead of posting directly to Accounts Payable.
Transfer Clearing → Use the Transfer feature rather than creating manual journal entries.
Salaries or KiwiSaver Employer Contributions → Make corrections through the payroll workflow rather than posting directly to these accounts.

Pro Tip: If you need to correct an invoice, bill, payment, or payroll transaction, update the original transaction instead of posting directly to a system-controlled account. This keeps your reports and linked transactions accurate.

Retained Earnings

Unlike some accounting systems, Retained Earnings is not a separate Chart of Accounts account in COUNT.
Instead, COUNT automatically calculates retained earnings in financial reports based on your assets, liabilities, income, and expenses. No manual carry-forward or journal entry is required.

Updated on: 24/07/2026

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