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General Ledger (GL): Definition, Significance, Implementation

Nanonets

Welcome to our latest blog post, where we embark on a deep dive into the intricacies of the General Ledger (GL) — the bedrock of any business's financial system. We will start with the basics: What exactly is a General Ledger, and why is it paramount to your business's financial health?

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General ledger definition

Accounting Tools

Related Courses Bookkeeper Education Bundle Bookkeeping Guidebook What is a General Ledger? A general ledger is the master set of accounts that summarize all transactions occurring within an entity. There may be a subsidiary set of ledgers that summarize into the general ledger.

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Subledger definition

Accounting Tools

The total of the transactions in the subledger roll up into the general ledger. A summary-level entry is periodically recorded in the general ledger. A general ledger contains the master set of accounts for an organization, in which all transactions are recorded (other than those recorded in subledgers).

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Subsidiary ledger definition

Accounting Tools

A subsidiary ledger stores the details for a general ledger control account. Once information has been recorded in a subsidiary ledger, it is periodically summarized and posted to a control account in the general ledger , which in turn is used to construct the financial statements of a company.

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Account balance definition

Accounting Tools

General Ledger Account In accounting, the account balance is the current residual balance in an account. Under this definition, an account is the record in a system of accounting in which a business records debits and credits as evidence of accounting transactions. An account balance is the current total in an account.

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Purchases journal definition

Accounting Tools

This journal is most commonly found in a manual accounting system , where it is necessary to keep high-volume purchasing transactions from overwhelming the general ledger. Periodically, and no later than the end of each reporting period , the information in the purchases journal is summarized and posted to the general ledger.

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Transaction definition

Accounting Tools

A high-volume transaction, such as a billing to a customer, may be recorded in a specialized journal , which is then summarized and posted to the general ledger. Alternatively, lower-volume transactions are posted directly to the general ledger.