Ledger Account
A ledger account refers to a record or page in the general ledger dedicated to a specific asset, liability, equity, revenue, or expense. Each transaction involving that specific category is recorded in its specific ledger account.
Each ledger account typically includes:
- Account title: This is the name of the account, for example, “Cash,” “Accounts Receivable,” “Equipment,” “Accounts Payable,” “Sales Revenue,” or “Rent Expense.
- Opening balance: This is the amount in the account at the beginning of the accounting period.
- Debit column and Credit column: These are used to record increases and decreases in the account. Whether an increase is a debit or credit depends on the type of account. For example, increases in asset and expense accounts are recorded as debits, while increases in liability, equity, and revenue accounts are recorded as credits.
- Closing balance: This is the balance in the account after all debits and credits for the accounting period have been accounted for. It will be the opening balance for the next accounting period.
For example, a “Cash” ledger account would record all transactions involving cash, such as cash received from sales, cash paid for expenses, cash invested by owners, etc. At any time, the balance in the cash account should be the amount of cash the company has available.
Each ledger account gives a detailed record of the transactions for that category, which is useful for understanding the company’s financial activities and for preparing financial statements.
Example of a Ledger Account
Let’s look at an example using a simplified Cash ledger account for a business. The numbers are hypothetical and made simpler for illustrative purposes.
Cash Ledger Account
| Date | Description | Debit ($) | Credit ($) | Balance ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2023 | Opening Balance | 20,000 | ||
| Jan 2, 2023 | Sale of Goods | 10,000 | 30,000 | |
| Jan 4, 2023 | Purchase of Supplies | 3,000 | 27,000 | |
| Jan 10, 2023 | Paid Rent | 2,000 | 25,000 | |
| Jan 15, 2023 | Sale of Goods | 7,000 | 32,000 | |
| Jan 31, 2023 | Salary Expense | 5,000 | 27,000 |
In this example:
- The opening balance of cash on January 1, 2023, is $20,000.
- On January 2, the company sold goods and received cash of $10,000, so the cash balance increased to $30,000.
- On January 4, the company purchased supplies and paid $3,000 in cash, so the cash balance decreased to $27,000.
- On January 10, the company paid rent of $2,000, so the cash balance decreased further to $25,000.
- On January 15, the company made more sales and received $7,000 in cash, increasing the cash balance to $32,000.
- On January 31, the company paid out $5,000 in salaries, reducing the cash balance to $27,000.
At the end of January, the closing balance is $27,000, which becomes the opening balance for the Cash account in February.
This ledger account allows the company to see all the transactions that have affected its cash balance during January and how they have influenced the cash position of the business. Similarly, ledger accounts would be maintained for all other accounts like Accounts Receivable, Inventory, Accounts Payable, Sales, Rent Expense, etc., to keep track of all business transactions.
