Account Types, linked to accounts, allow you to group your accounts in a different way. Furthermore, account types determine how accounts will be treated at financial year closing. They are also used for reporting purposes.

To access Account Types from the menu, you have to assign Technical Features to your user from the menu Settings > Users > Users. In Usabilty, tick Technical Features. Save and refresh, for instance by clicking your company logo in Odoo.

Predefined Charts of Accounts (through localisations) might come with preconfigured account types too. To add, modify or delete existing account types, go to the menu Accounting > Configuration > Accounts > Account Types.

The fields used to define an account type are the following:

• Account Type: the name of the account type.
• Code: the code of the account type.
• P&L / BS Category: this category determines where in the Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss reports the account will be printed. 

There are five types you can use: 

1. No type at all (/), 
2. Profit & Loss (Income account),
3. Profit & Loss (Expense account),
4. Balance Sheet (Asset account = active), 
5. Balance Sheet (Liability account = passive).

• Deferral Method: this field indicates how and whether the account will be transferred at financial year closing.

1. None means that the account will not be transferred. Typically used for profit and loss accounts.
2. Balance means that the account balance will be transferred at year closing. Typically used for balance sheet accounts.
3. Detail means that every single entry will be transferred to the next financial year.
4. Unreconciled means that only unreconciled (outstanding) entries will be transferred to the next financial year. Typically used for centralisation accounts (accounts payable / accounts receivable).

Use the View type for accounts that make up the structure of the charts and have no account data inputs of their own.

The Entries Analysis reporting is based on account types, and displays debit, credit and balance per account type.