Accounting Process

Work in progress. This note is still being written and incomplete.

2 min read Last updated Sun Jul 12 2026 15:23:02 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
  • Identification
    Recognize and analyze financial transactions, preparing source documents to extract financial information.
  • Classification
    Group similar transactions into categories, posted in the general ledger.
  • Recording
    Document transactions systematically in journals and ledgers.
  • Summarization
    Prepare trial balances and financial statements.
  • Interpretation
    Analyze financial data to support decision-making, transforming raw financial information into actionable insight.

Prime Entry Books

Source Document

The original record evidencing a transaction, used as the basis for the first entry into the accounting system.

Journal

The book of prime entry where transactions are recorded chronologically from source documents, before posting to the ledger.

Source documentJournalPurpose
Purchase invoicePurchases journalRecord credit purchases of goods
Sales invoiceSales journalRecord credit sales of goods
Debit notePurchases return journalRecord goods returned to suppliers
Credit noteSales return journalRecord goods returned by customers
Cash receipt / payment voucherCash receipt / payment journalRecord cash receipts and payments
Journal voucherGeneral journalRecord entries not covered by the other books

Secondary Entry Books

Ledger

The book where transactions are posted from journals and grouped by account, showing the running balance of each account.

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