What Is Double-Entry Bookkeeping? A Simple Guide for Small Businesses

The debit entry will be recorded on the debit side (left-hand side) of a general ledger account, and the credit entry will be recorded on the credit side (right-hand side) of a general ledger account. If the total of the entries on the debit side of one account is greater than the total on the credit side of the same nominal account, that account is said to have a debit balance. Double-entry accounting is a bookkeeping system that requires two entries — one debit and one credit — for every transaction. Your books are balanced when debits and credits zero each other out. Unlike single-entry accounting, which focuses on tracking revenue and expenses, double-entry accounting also tracks assets, liabilities and equity. A double-entry accounting software program helps you keep track of your financial transactions and typically includes features like a general ledger, accounts receivable and payable, and a trial balance.

Double-entry accounting in action

(Some corporations have preferred stock in addition to their common stock.) Shares of common stock provide evidence of ownership in a corporation. Holders of common stock elect the corporation’s directors and share in the distribution of profits of the company via dividends. If the corporation were to liquidate, the secured lenders would be paid first, followed by unsecured lenders, preferred stockholders (if any), and lastly the common stockholders. The accounting equation (and cost drivers definition examples the balance sheet) should always be in balance. In fact, a double-entry bookkeeping system is essential to any company with more than one employee or that has inventory, debts, or several accounts.

Now that we understand the basics and features of double entry accounting, let us apply the knowledge to practical application through the examples below. Real accounts include Pant & Machinery, Buildings, Furniture, or any other Asset account. So when we purchase Machinery, the Machinery account is debited, and when we sell Machinery, the Machinery account is credited. There are three different types of accounts, Real, Personal, and Nominal Accounts. Rules of recording the transactions are decided based on the type of account. When you pay for the domain, your advertising expense increases by $20, and your cash decreases by $20.

Traditional approach

An example of double-entry accounting would be if a business took out a $10,000 loan and the loan was recorded in both the debit account and the credit account. The cash (asset) account would be debited by $10,000 and the debt (liability) account would be credited by $10,000. Under the double-entry system, both the debit and credit accounts will equal each other. Credits to one account must equal debits to another to keep the equation in balance. Accountants use debit and credit entries to stock options record transactions to each account, and each of the accounts in this equation show on a company’s balance sheet. Under the double entry method, every transaction is recorded in at least two accounts.

You will learn about journal entries in detail, including how to prepare them, and the rest of the steps in the accounting process in later lessons. A journal entry is a record showing the date of the transaction, the account/s debited, the account/s credited, their respective amounts, and an explanation to describe the transaction. We can readily determine the cash balance using this recording method. However, it will be difficult to determine the balances of other accounts such as revenues and expenses unless the company maintains separate books for them as well. Under the double entry bookkeeping system, business transactions are recorded with the premise that each transaction has a two-fold effect – a value received and a value given.

Assets, Expenses, and Drawings accounts (on the left side of the equation) have a normal balance of debit. Liability, Revenue, and Capital accounts (on the right side of the equation) have a normal balance of credit. On a general ledger, debits are recorded on the left side and credits on the right side for each account.

The trial balance labels all of the accounts that have a normal debit balance and those with a normal credit balance. The total of the trial balance should always be zero, and the total debits should be exactly equal to the total credits. Double-entry accounting is a system where each transaction is recorded in at least two accounts. This method provides a more complete picture of a business’s finances, and is typically used by larger businesses. Single-entry accounting is a system where transactions are only recorded once, either as a debit or credit in a single account. The preparation of journal entries through the double entry bookkeeping method, along with the other steps in the accounting cycle, results in a more systematic accounting system.

What is double-entry accounting?

1. Real accounts include Pant & Machinery, Buildings, Furniture, or any other Asset account.
2. After a series of transactions, therefore, the sum of all the accounts with a debit balance will equal the sum of all the accounts with a credit balance.
3. You’ll learn bookkeeping basics like double-entry accounting, along with accounting for assets and financial statement analysis.
4. For a company to keep accurate accounts, every business transaction will be represented in at least two of the accounts.
5. This bookkeeping method also complies with the US generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the official practice and rules for double-entry accounting.

This program can identify revenue and expenses, calculate profits and losses, and run automatic checks and balances to notify you if something needs your attention. Double-entry bookkeeping is an accounting method where each transaction is recorded in 2 or more accounts using debits and credits. A debit is made in at least one account and a credit is made in at least one other account. For the accounts to remain in balance, a change in one account must be matched with a change in another account. Note that the usage of these terms in accounting is not identical to their everyday usage. Whether one uses a debit or credit to increase or decrease an account depends on the normal balance of the account.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. See if you can figure out the logic behind the other two journal entries. Often this is interest and dividends earned on a company’s investment in stocks and bonds of other companies. A majority of accounting in all these regards is done in double-entry systems. However, the possibility of introducing a new dimension and making it a Triple Entry Accounting system was discussed in detail in the two-day conference. This single-entry bookkeeping is a simple way of showing the flow of one account.

The list is split into two columns, with debit balances placed in the left hand column and credit balances placed in the right hand column. Another column will contain the name of the nominal ledger account describing what each value is for. The total of the debit column must equal the total of the credit column. For the borrowing business, the entries would be a $10,000 debit to «Cash» and a credit of $10,000 in a liability account «Loan Payable». For both entities, total equity, defined as assets minus liabilities, has not changed.

Helps Companies Make Better Financial Decisions

Double-entry bookkeeping is the concept that every accounting transaction impacts a company’s finances in two ways. The general ledger is the record of the two sides of each transaction. The 15th-century Franciscan Friar Luca Pacioli is often credited with being the first to write about modern accounting methods like double-entry accounting. He was simply the first to describe the accounting methods that were already common practice among merchants in Venice. Because the accounts are set up to check each transaction to be sure it balances out, errors will be flagged to accountants quickly, before the error produces subsequent errors in a domino effect.

It is recommended to use a double-entry bookkeeping system because it allows for checks and balances on all transactions and the overall financial statement. This ensures that all financial statements are in good order and it can also help detect and prevent fraud within the business. In a double-entry accounting system, every transaction impacts two separate accounts. In that case, you’d debit your liabilities account $300 and credit your cash account $300. Double Entry is the first step in maintaining a complete set of accounting. If the transactions are recorded correctly, the profit and loss account and balance sheet will provide accurate and complete results.