Here is the completed ledger for NeatNiks for the month of October:
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
1 |
|
GJ1 |
20,000.00 |
|
20,000.00 |
|
Oct |
4 |
|
GJ1 |
|
12,000.00 |
8,000.00 |
|
Oct |
15 |
|
GJ1 |
1,500.00 |
|
9,500.00 |
|
Oct |
25 |
|
GJ1 |
|
2,600.00 |
6,900.00 |
|
Oct |
26 |
|
GJ1 |
|
1,000.00 |
5,900.00 |
|
Oct |
30 |
|
GJ2 |
1,600.00 |
|
7,500.00 |
|
Oct |
31 |
|
GJ2 |
|
4,000.00 |
3,500.00 |
|
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
20 |
|
GJ1 |
7,250.00 |
|
7,250.00 |
|
Oct |
30 |
|
GJ2 |
|
1,600.00 |
5,650.00 |
|
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
7 |
|
GJ1 |
2,600.00 |
|
2,600.00 |
|
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
4 |
|
GJ1 |
12,000.00 |
|
12,000.00 |
|
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
|
0.00 |
Oct |
7 |
|
GJ1 |
|
2,600.00 |
|
2,600.00 |
Oct |
26 |
|
GJ1 |
1,000.00 |
|
|
1,600.00 |
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
|
0.00 |
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
|
0.00 |
Oct |
1 |
|
GJ1 |
|
20,000.00 |
|
20,000.00 |
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
31 |
|
GJ2 |
4,000.00 |
|
4,000.00 |
|
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
|
0.00 |
Oct |
15 |
|
GJ1 |
|
1,500.00 |
|
1,500.00 |
Oct |
20 |
|
GJ1 |
|
7,250.00 |
|
8,750.00 |
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
25 |
|
GJ1 |
1,500.00 |
|
1,500.00 |
|
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
|
|
|
|
|
0.00 |
|
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
|
|
|
|
|
0.00 |
|
|
|
Date |
Item |
Post. Ref. |
Debit |
Credit |
Balance |
Debit |
Credit |
20– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Oct |
1 |
Balance |
a |
|
|
0.00 |
|
Oct |
25 |
|
GJ1 |
1,100.00 |
|
1,100.00 |
|
|
When we wrote our journal entries, if we made sure that debits were equal to credits, and if we posted those journal entries exactly as they were writing, then it would be mathematically impossible for the total debits to not equal total credits in the ledger. There’s an easy way to check this: run a trial balance.
First, list all the ledger accounts.
Put all the debit balances in one column, and all the credit balances in another, and compare the totals, like this:
NeatNiks
Trial Balance (unadjusted)
For the month ended October 31, 20XX
Reference No. |
Accounts |
Debits |
Credits |
110 |
Checking |
3,500.00 |
|
120 |
Accounts Receivable |
5,650.00 |
|
125 |
Supplies |
2,600.00 |
|
130 |
Prepaid Rent |
12,000.00 |
|
210 |
Account Payable |
|
1,600.00 |
220 |
Contractor Payable |
|
– |
310 |
Nick Frank, Capital Contributions |
|
20,000.00 |
330 |
Nick Frank, Withdrawals |
4,000.00 |
|
410 |
Service Revenue |
|
8,750.00 |
510 |
Insurance Revenue |
1,500.00 |
|
520 |
Rent Expense |
– |
|
530 |
Supplies Expense |
– |
|
540 |
Contractor Expense |
1,100.00 |
|
|
Totals |
Single line 30,350.00
Double line |
Single line 30,350.00
Double line |
Once you have determined that total debits equals total credits, you can start to look at the accuracy of individual accounts. The Trial Balance tests the equality of debit and credits. Just because the trial balance is in balance, doesn’t mean everything is correct. For instance, you could have posted a journal entry completely backward or left one out. In addition, we may need to make some additional journal entries. We should have a rent expense for October, some supplies expense, and we owe our independent contractors some payments too. We’ll cover these adjusting journal entries in the next section, and then we’ll be ready to produce some financial statements.
Candela Citations
CC licensed content, Original
- Preparing a Trial Balance. Authored by: Joseph Cooke. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution