Account Types

Arthalekha supports different account types to accurately represent the various financial instruments you use. Each type has specific characteristics and behaviors.

Available Account Types

Type	Code	Description
Cash	CA	Physical cash and wallet money
Savings	SB	Bank savings accounts
Credit Card	CC	Credit cards
Wallet	WL	Digital wallets and payment apps
Investment	IN	Investment accounts
Loan	LN	Loans (taken or given)
Other	OT	Any other type

Cash (CA)

What It Represents

• Physical currency in your possession
• Money in your physical wallet
• Cash at home

Typical Usage

• Track cash withdrawals from ATM (transfer from bank)
• Record cash expenses
• Monitor cash on hand

Balance Behavior

• Always positive (or zero)
• Decreases with cash expenses
• Increases with ATM withdrawals (transfers from bank)

Example

Account: Cash Wallet
Type: Cash (CA)
Initial Balance: ₹5,000

Savings (SB)

What It Represents

• Bank savings accounts
• Checking accounts
• Current accounts

Typical Usage

• Main account for salary
• Primary expense account
• Savings goals

Balance Behavior

• Usually positive
• Increases with income (salary, etc.)
• Decreases with expenses and transfers out

Example

Account: HDFC Savings
Type: Savings (SB)
Identifier: 4523 (last 4 digits)
Initial Balance: ₹1,00,000

Credit Card (CC)

What It Represents

• Credit cards
• Store credit accounts
• Any revolving credit

Typical Usage

• Record credit card purchases as expenses
• Track credit card debt
• Record payments as transfers from bank

Balance Behavior

• Usually negative (represents debt)
• Becomes more negative with expenses (you owe more)
• Becomes less negative with payments (you owe less)
• Zero or positive when fully paid

Understanding Credit Card Balance

Starting Balance: ₹0 (no debt)

Make a purchase (expense): -₹5,000
  → Balance: -₹5,000 (you owe ₹5,000)

Make another purchase: -₹3,000
  → Balance: -₹8,000 (you owe ₹8,000)

Pay the bill (transfer from bank): +₹8,000
  → Balance: ₹0 (no debt)

Credit Card Details

When creating a credit card account, you can specify additional details:

Field	Description
Credit Limit	Maximum credit available on the card
Rate of Interest	Annual interest rate charged on outstanding balance
Interest Frequency	How often interest is calculated
Bill Generated On	Day of month when statement is generated
Repayment Due After	Number of days after bill generation when payment is due

Example

Account: HDFC Credit Card
Type: Credit Card (CC)
Identifier: 8765 (last 4 digits)
Initial Balance: ₹0 (or current debt as negative)
Credit Limit: ₹1,00,000

Wallet (WL)

What It Represents

• Digital wallets (PayPal, Google Pay, Paytm)
• Payment apps
• Prepaid cards

Typical Usage

• Track money loaded into wallet (transfer from bank)
• Record expenses paid via wallet
• Monitor wallet balance

Balance Behavior

• Usually positive (prepaid balance)
• Some may allow negative (credit feature)

Example

Account: Google Pay
Type: Wallet (WL)
Initial Balance: ₹2,000

Investment (IN)

What It Represents

• Brokerage accounts
• Mutual fund accounts
• Fixed deposits
• Stock portfolios
• Retirement accounts

Typical Usage

• Track investment contributions (transfers from bank)
• Record investment returns (income)
• Monitor investment value

Balance Behavior

• Usually positive and growing
• Increases with contributions
• May increase with recorded returns

Note on Investment Tracking

Arthalekha tracks cash flow, not market values:

• Record money you put IN as transfers
• Record dividends/interest as income
• Record withdrawals as transfers out
• Balance reflects contributed amount, not market value

Example

Account: Mutual Fund SIP
Type: Investment (IN)
Initial Balance: ₹50,000

Loan (LN)

What It Represents

• Loans you've taken (car loan, home loan, personal loan)
• Loans you've given to others
• Any debt obligations

Typical Usage

For loans taken (you owe money):

• Initial balance is negative (your debt)
• EMI payments are transfers reducing the debt
• Interest payments are expenses

For loans given (others owe you):

• Initial balance is positive (money owed to you)
• Repayments reduce the balance
• Interest received is income

Balance Behavior

Loan taken:

Initial Balance: -₹5,00,000 (you owe 5 lakh)
EMI Payment: +₹15,000 (debt reduces)
After Payment: -₹4,85,000 (you now owe 4.85 lakh)

Loan given:

Initial Balance: ₹50,000 (friend owes you)
Repayment: -₹10,000 (debt reduces)
After Repayment: ₹40,000 (friend now owes you)

Example

Account: Car Loan - HDFC
Type: Loan (LN)
Initial Balance: -₹5,00,000 (debt)

Other (OT)

What It Represents

• Any account that doesn't fit other categories
• Specialized accounts
• Temporary tracking accounts

Typical Usage

• Unique financial instruments
• Temporary tracking needs
• Anything that needs a different classification

Example

Account: Security Deposit
Type: Other (OT)
Initial Balance: ₹50,000

Choosing the Right Type

Decision Guide

Scenario	Recommended Type
Bank account	Savings (SB)
Cash in wallet	Cash (CA)
Credit card	Credit Card (CC)
PayPal, Paytm	Wallet (WL)
Stocks, mutual funds	Investment (IN)
Car/home loan	Loan (LN)
Emergency fund in bank	Savings (SB)
FD in bank	Investment (IN) or Savings (SB)
Money lent to friend	Loan (LN)

Multiple Accounts of Same Type

You can have multiple accounts of the same type:

• HDFC Savings + SBI Savings (both Savings type)
• Visa Card + Mastercard (both Credit Card type)
• Paytm + Google Pay (both Wallet type)

Account Type Benefits

Accurate Reporting

Correct typing enables:

• Proper balance interpretation
• Accurate net worth calculation
• Meaningful reports

Clear Organization

Types help organize:

• Quick identification of accounts
• Grouped views by type
• Logical structure

Proper Balance Handling

Types clarify:

• Whether negative balance is normal (CC, Loan)
• Expected balance behavior
• Financial health indicators

Related Concepts

• Accounts - Full account documentation
• Balances - How balances work
• Account Types Reference - Quick reference