Each entry gives the date, an explanation and balanced debits and credits. A business may use special journals for regular transactions and a general journal for irregular transactions. In basic accounting, the journal is often called the book of original entry. It is this book in which daily transactions are recorded as simple or compound in the chronological order that each occurs. Later, the accountant or business manager transfers the information from this original entry book, the general journal, to one or more account ledgers. Standard procedures dictate that debits are recorded on the left and credits on the right.

The postings relating to the entries would be as follows in the relevant accounts. In this article, we will learn about the subsidiary books, it’s types and purchase return books. The articles and research support materials available on this site are educational and are not intended to be investment or tax advice. All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly. If so, you know that a portion of your loan payments goes toward interest. It is important to note that the classification of a compound

word into one of these categories may vary depending on the language and the

style guide being followed.

Compound Journal Entry Documentation

The liability is then the amount of the loan, which is equally $15,000. We can certainly link two or more accounts when we make a compound journal entry. Linked accounts, if any, will be debited and credited in the same part of the entry. Instead of wasting time recording separate entries, combine them into one compound journal entry. A compound journal entry may sound fancy, but it’s actually a pretty easy concept to master. Read on to learn about compound journal entries and see actionable examples.

You might be wondering when and if you would need to use a compound entry in your small business. If you have more than one debit and only one credit, the sum of your debits must equal the credit. Likewise, if you have more than one credit and only one debit, the sum of your credits must equal the debit. In mechanised accounting there is nothing to be done to prepare a ledger account and as such the information in this account is also readily available whenever needed.

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However in some cases, the reasoning trying to support both the debit and credit becomes too complex a thought. Even in such cases explaining one (either the debit or credit) would be simple. As we just said, a compound entry is a more complicated accounting concept, in which there are more than just one debit and one credit for one entry.

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Simple Compound Entries to replace Complex Compound Entry

Some words may be written differently in different

countries or publications. Jeff Stover is a business, technical and story writer with credits in both fiction and non-fiction. He specializes in the areas manufacturing and operations, and has been writing for over a decade. He holds an MBA from Lehigh https://turbo-tax.org/washington-d-c-tax-preparation/ University and is a small business owner. Vicki A Benge began writing professionally in 1984 as a newspaper reporter. A small-business owner since 1999, Benge has worked as a licensed insurance agent and has more than 20 years experience in income tax preparation for businesses and individuals.

If so, you may make multiple transactions when withdrawing money from the account. All the ledger accounts show information that would reveal the reason for the posting. Since it is a simple transaction we are considering, the second element is debited if the first is credited or vice versa. Because you do not keep collected sales tax, you must record received funds in a Sales Tax Payable account.