In Dext, a category represents a line in your chart of accounts - the classification you assign to a cost or sale to record it correctly. Categories appear as a selectable field on each item, so you can code expenses accurately before publishing or exporting them.
How your categories are set up depends on whether your Dext account is connected to accounting software.
Important: Only Admin users can manage categories in Business settings. Standard users can view and apply categories to items, but can't add, edit, or delete them.
If your account is connected to accounting software
When your account is connected to accounting software, your chart of accounts syncs to Dext automatically. You can view your categories in Business settings > Lists > Categories.
All changes - adding, editing, or removing categories - must be made in your accounting software. Dext checks for updates every 48 hours, but you can sync at any time by selecting Reload on the Categories page.
Admin users can hide individual categories so they don't appear in the category dropdown on items. Turn the toggle in the Visible column to off. This only affects visibility in Dext - it doesn't change anything in your accounting software.
If your account is not connected to accounting software
If your account isn't connected to accounting software, Dext provides a default category list you can use as is or customise to match your chart of accounts.
Important: The options in this section only apply if your account is not connected to accounting software. If you're connected, manage your categories in your accounting software directly.
Add a category
To add a single category to your list:
Go to Business settings > Lists > Categories.
Select Add category.
Enter a Name and, optionally, a Code.
Select Add.
Import categories from a CSV file
To import multiple categories at once:
Go to Business settings > Lists > Categories.
Select Import from CSV.
Format your CSV with two columns: Category name and Category code. The first row must be the header row.
Select Select file, choose your CSV, then confirm.
The file must be CSV only and under 2MB.
Create a new category group
Categories in Dext are organised into groups. To create a new group from scratch or from a template:
Go to Business settings > Lists > Categories.
Select Manage groups, then Add group.
Enter a Category list name.
Add your categories manually using the Name and Code fields, adding rows with Add another category - or switch to CSV Upload to import them.
Select Save.
To base a new group on an existing template, select Manage groups, then Duplicate group. Enter a name, choose a template from the Copy from dropdown, and select Save.
Edit and manage categories
To edit a category name or code, go to the Categories page, select the Name or Code field directly, make your changes, and select outside the field to save.
To hide a category so it can't be selected on items, turn the toggle in the Visible column to off.
To export your full category list, select Export to CSV. The file downloads immediately.
To delete a category, select the checkbox next to it and select Delete.
Tip: To control which categories specific users can see, you can set up list visibility groups in Business settings > Lists > List visibility. See Using list visibility groups in Dext for more detail.
Copy categories from another account (accountants and bookkeepers only)
If you're accessing a client account, you can copy categories from another account you manage. This adds the categories from the source account to the client's current list - it doesn't remove any existing categories.
Go to Business settings > Lists > Categories.
Select Copy from another account.
Choose the source account from the dropdown.
Select Copy Categories.
