LEDGER Definition

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LEDGER is a book of accounts in which data from transactions recorded in journals are posted and thereby classified and summarized. The ledger is typically divided up into (traditionally physical separate books): a. Purchases/Creditors Ledger is the subsidiary ledger in which creditors accounts are recorded; also known as the bought ledger. Each creditors account is credited with purchases and debited with cash paid, discounts received and returns outward. The detail in the creditors ledger is summarized in the creditors ledger control account kept in the general ledger; b. Sales/Debtors Ledger is the subsidiary ledger in which debtors accounts are recorded; also known as the sold ledger. Each debtors account is debited with sales and credited with cash received, discounts allowed and returns inward. The detail in the debtors ledger is summarized in the debtors ledger control account kept in the general ledger; c. General/Impersonal Ledger is a book of final entry summarizing all of a companys financial transactions, through offsetting debit and credit accounts, e.g. liability, reserve, capital, income and expense accounts; and d. Private Ledger is confidential and records items such as capital, loans, mortgages, directors salaries and awards, etc.

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GREEN SHOE OPTION is a clause contained in the underwriting agreement of an initial public offering (IPO). The green shoe option, which is also often referred to as an over-allotment provision, allows the underwriting syndicate to buy up to an additional 15% of the shares at the offering price if public demand for the shares exceeds expectations and the stock trades above its offering price.

STANDARD DEVIATION is a statistic used to measure dispersion equal to the square root of the arithmetic mean of the squares of the deviations from the arithmetic mean.

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