diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Journal.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Journal.hs
index 130d00c12..dcd7bbb34 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Journal.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Journal.hs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ module Hledger.Data.Journal (
   commodityStylesFromAmounts,
   journalConvertAmountsToCost,
   journalFinalise,
+  journalPivot,
   -- * Filtering
   filterJournalTransactions,
   filterJournalPostings,
@@ -885,6 +886,32 @@ test_journalDateSpan = do
                             ]}
 -- #endif
 
+-- | Apply the pivot transformation to all postings in a journal,
+-- replacing their account name by their value for the given field or tag.
+journalPivot :: Text -> Journal -> Journal
+journalPivot fieldortagname j = j{jtxns = map (transactionPivot fieldortagname) . jtxns $ j}
+
+-- | Replace this transaction's postings' account names with the value
+-- of the given field or tag, if any.
+transactionPivot :: Text -> Transaction -> Transaction         
+transactionPivot fieldortagname t = t{tpostings = map (postingPivot fieldortagname) . tpostings $ t}
+
+-- | Replace this posting's account name with the value
+-- of the given field or tag, if any, otherwise the empty string.
+postingPivot :: Text -> Posting -> Posting         
+postingPivot fieldortagname p = p{paccount = pivotedacct, porigin = Just $ originalPosting p}
+  where
+    pivotedacct
+      | Just t <- ptransaction p, fieldortagname == "code"        = tcode t  
+      | Just t <- ptransaction p, fieldortagname == "description" = tdescription t  
+      | Just t <- ptransaction p, fieldortagname == "payee"       = transactionPayee t  
+      | Just t <- ptransaction p, fieldortagname == "note"        = transactionNote t  
+      | Just (_, value) <- postingFindTag fieldortagname p        = value
+      | otherwise                                                 = ""
+
+postingFindTag :: TagName -> Posting -> Maybe (TagName, TagValue)         
+postingFindTag tagname p = find ((tagname==) . fst) $ postingAllTags p
+
 -- Misc helpers
 
 -- | Check if a set of hledger account/description filter patterns matches the
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Posting.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Posting.hs
index cac16538a..f6456347f 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Posting.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Posting.hs
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ module Hledger.Data.Posting (
   hasAmount,
   postingAllTags,
   transactionAllTags,
-  postingAllImplicitTags,
   relatedPostings,
   removePrices,
   -- * date operations
@@ -175,14 +174,6 @@ postingStatus Posting{pstatus=s, ptransaction=mt}
                                Nothing -> Unmarked
   | otherwise = s
 
--- | Implicit tags for this transaction.
-transactionImplicitTags :: Transaction -> [Tag]
-transactionImplicitTags t = filter (not . T.null . snd) [("code", tcode t)
-                                                        ,("description", tdescription t)
-                                                        ,("payee", transactionPayee t)
-                                                        ,("note", transactionNote t)
-                                                        ]
-
 transactionPayee :: Transaction -> Text
 transactionPayee = fst . payeeAndNoteFromDescription . tdescription
 
@@ -200,11 +191,6 @@ payeeAndNoteFromDescription t
   where
     (p, n) = T.span (/= '|') t
 
--- | Tags for this posting including implicit and any inherited from its parent transaction.
-postingAllImplicitTags :: Posting -> [Tag]
-postingAllImplicitTags p = ptags p ++ maybe [] transactionTags (ptransaction p)
-    where transactionTags t = ttags t ++ transactionImplicitTags t
-
 -- | Tags for this posting including any inherited from its parent transaction.
 postingAllTags :: Posting -> [Tag]
 postingAllTags p = ptags p ++ maybe [] ttags (ptransaction p)
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
index d1caab891..f0d1d51e2 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import Control.Monad ((<=<))
 import Data.Hashable (hash)
 import Data.List
 import Data.Maybe
-import Data.Text (Text)
 import qualified Data.Text as T
 import qualified Data.Text.IO as T
 import Data.Time (Day)
@@ -47,6 +46,7 @@ import Test.HUnit
 import Text.Printf
 import Text.Regex.TDFA ((=~))
 
+import Hledger.Data.Journal (journalPivot)
 
 -- kludge - adapt to whichever directory version is installed, or when
 -- cabal macros aren't available, assume the new directory
@@ -91,19 +91,9 @@ withJournalDo opts cmd = do
 pivotByOpts :: CliOpts -> Journal -> Journal
 pivotByOpts opts =
   case maybestringopt "pivot" . rawopts_ $ opts of
-    Just tag -> pivot $ T.pack tag
+    Just tag -> journalPivot $ T.pack tag
     Nothing  -> id
 
--- | Apply the pivot transformation by given tag on a journal.
-pivot :: Text -> Journal -> Journal
-pivot tag j = j{jtxns = map pivotTrans . jtxns $ j}
- where
-  pivotTrans t = t{tpostings = map pivotPosting . tpostings $ t}
-  pivotPosting p
-    | Just (_ , value) <- tagTuple = p{paccount = value, porigin = Just $ originalPosting p}
-    | _                <- tagTuple = p{paccount = T.pack "", porigin = Just $ originalPosting p}
-   where tagTuple = find ((tag ==) . fst) . postingAllImplicitTags $ p
-
 -- | Apply the anonymisation transformation on a journal, if option is present
 anonymiseByOpts :: CliOpts -> Journal -> Journal
 anonymiseByOpts opts =