What is the difference between subsidiary ledger and general ledger
Ava Hall
Updated on April 02, 2026
The subsidiary ledger accounts act as an intermediary between the journal and the general ledger accounts whereas the general ledger is the pathway to the trial balance. Each debit and credit of every journal entry is posted either to a general ledger or a subsidiary ledger or a combination of both.
Is subsidiary ledger part of general ledger?
Posting a debit or credit to a subsidiary ledger account and also to a general ledger control account does not violate the rule that total debit and credit entries must balance because subsidiary ledger accounts are not part of the general ledger; they are supplemental accounts that provide the detail to support the …
What is the difference between ledger and general?
The general ledger contains a summary of every recorded transaction, while the general journal contains the original entries for most low-volume transactions. When an accounting transaction occurs, it is first recorded in the accounting system in a journal. … These other transactions are recorded in the general journal.
What is subsidiary general ledger account?
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.How many subsidiary ledgers are there?
Subledger eliminates the chances of fraud and errors, and it can be segregated into three types– fixed asset sub-ledger, accounts receivable sub-ledger, and accounts payable sub-ledger.
What is a subsidiary ledger What are the advantages of using subsidiary ledgers?
The advantages of using subsidiary ledgers are that they: Permit transactions affecting a single customer or single creditor to be shown in a single account, thus providing necessary up-to-date information on specific account balances.
What is subsidiary record?
A customer record is a subsidiary account within the accounts receivable ledger, which in turn comprises the detail for the accounts receivable control account in the general ledger. The customer subsidiary account reveals the detail for the amount that is owed to the company by specific customers.
Is general ledger and T accounts the same?
The visual appearance of the ledger journal of individual accounts resembles a T-shape, hence why a ledger account is also called a T-account. A T-account is the graphical representation of a general ledger that records a business’ transactions.How do you record a subsidiary ledger?
Record all transactions using the sales journal, purchases journal, cash receipts journal, cash disbursements journal, and the general journal and post to the accounts receivable and accounts payable subsidiary ledgers. Then prepare a schedule of accounts receivable and a schedule of accounts payable.
What is a general ledger example?There are many examples of a general ledger as they record every financial transaction of a firm. Furniture account, salary account, debtor account, owner’s equity, etc., are some examples.
Article first time published onWhat is a general ledger also known as?
In bookkeeping, a general ledger, also known as a nominal ledger, is a bookkeeping ledger in which accounting data is posted from journals and from subledgers, such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management, fixed assets, purchasing and projects.
What are the 2 subsidiary ledgers?
Like other subsidiary ledgers, the accounts receivable subsidiary ledger merely provides details of the control account in the general ledger. Other subsidiary ledgers include the accounts payable subsidiary ledger, inventory subsidiary ledger, and property, plant, and equipment subsidiary ledger.
What are the reasons for using subsidiary ledgers and special journals in accounting?
Special journals are suitable for recording transactions that occur frequently. The computed balances from the special journals are transferred to the subsidiary ledgers and lastly to the general ledger. Recording these transactions directly into the general ledger is cumbersome and unnecessary.
Does the subsidiary ledger agree with the control accounts?
The subsidiary ledger provides an opportunity to better monitor the individual transactions of a particular controlling general ledger account. Control accounts commonly supported by subsidiary ledgers include the accounts receivable and accounts payable accounts.
What's the purpose of subsidiary?
A company may organize subsidiaries to keep its brand identities separate. This allows each brand to maintain its established goodwill with customers and vendor relationships. Subsidiaries are often used in acquisitions where the acquiring company intends to keep the target company’s name and culture.
What is the difference between the accounts receivable subsidiary ledger and accounts payable subsidiary ledger?
Accounts receivable subsidiary ledger where data relating to individual buyers are kept. Accounts payable subsidiary ledger is due where data relating to individual creditors are kept.
What is another name for the accounts payable subsidiary ledger?
The accounts payable subsidiary ledger is also commonly referred to as the AP sub-ledger or subaccount.
Is general ledger and trial balance the same?
The general ledger contains the detailed transactions comprising all accounts, while the trial balance only contains the ending balance in each of those accounts. Thus, the general ledger may be several hundred pages long, while the trial balance covers only a few pages.
What is journal entry and general ledger?
Key Takeaways. The journal consists of raw accounting entries that record business transactions, in sequential order by date. The general ledger is more formalized and tracks five key accounting items: assets, liabilities, owner’s capital, revenues, and expenses.
What are the 5 types of general ledger accounts?
- Asset Accounts: …
- Liability Accounts: …
- Equity Accounts: …
- Revenue Accounts: …
- Expense Accounts:
What are the 4 sections in a general ledger?
General ledgers contain four parts: the chart of accounts, financial transactions, account balances and accounting periods.
What is the advantage of general ledger?
The other key advantage of a general ledger is that it reports real revenue and expenses, rather than forecasted values. An accurate view of the company’s financial health means a general ledger is more useful than a budget alone in helping you keep costs under control.
Why do you think general ledger and subsidiary ledgers are important in recording business transactions?
The general ledger includes information that does not meet the specific requirements of subsidiary ledgers. However, companies prefer to use subsidiary ledgers when recording financial transactions to limit the amount of detailed information in the general ledger.
What is the difference between special journal and general journal?
In general journal all the transactions are recorded in the form of two or more line entry (i.e., debit part in first line and credit part in second line) whereas in special journals all the transactions of sales and purchases are recorded as single line entry with reference of debtors and creditors etc.
What are subsidiary journals?
Special Journals (also known as subsidiary journals) are chronological records of frequently occurring transactions such as sales, purchases and cash receipts/payments.
Which of the following accounts would most likely use a subsidiary ledger?
Which of the following accounts would most likely use a subsidiary ledger? cash receipts and cash disbursements.