A system and corresponding method queue work within a virtualized scheduler based on in-unit accounting (IUA) of in-unit entries (IUEs). The system comprises an IUA resource and arbiter. The IUA resource stores, in association with an IUA identifier, an IUA count and threshold. The IUA count represents a global count of work-queue entries (WQEs) that are associated with the IUA identifier and occupy respective IUEs of an IUE resource. The IUA threshold limits the global count. The arbiter retrieves the IUA count and threshold from the IUA resource based on the IUA identifier and controls, as a function of the IUA count and threshold, whether a given WQE from a given scheduling group, assigned to the IUA identifier, is moved into the IUE resource to be queued for scheduling. The IUA count and threshold prevent group(s) assigned to the IUA identifier from using more than an allocated amount of IUEs.