Beginning the Accounting Cycle –

Journalizing, Posting,and the Trial Balance

Nadia Danilova

Learning Objective 1

Journalizing: analyzing andrecording business

transactions into a journal.

The Accounting Cycle

• Accounting procedures are performed over a period of time.

• Procedures are performed in a definite order in the accounting cycle.

• The accounting period is a period of time covered by the income statement.

• Usually this is a twelve month period.

• The accounting cycle has sequential steps to be performed again each year.

The Accounting Cycle

• Accounting is the process that...

– analyzes,

– records,

– classifies,

– summarizes,

– reports, and...

– interprets.

The Accounting Cycle

A sole proprietorship:

– has one owner

– begins with a monthly accounting cycle

– owner has a capital and withdrawals account

Business Organizations

• All three types of business entities use the same basic accounting system.

Sole proprietorship

Partnerships

Corporations

Recording Business Transactions

The Accounting Period

One YearCalendar year

Fiscal year

Less than One YearQuarterlyMonthly

• The Accounting Cycle:

1 Analyzing

2 Recording transactions – journalizing

3 Posting to the ledger accounts

4 Preparing the trial balance

• The accounting cycle has some variations in a computerized accounting system.

What is the general journal?

• It is the book of original entry.

• Transactions are written in a journal in chronological order.

• The format of the journal is important.

• Journalizing is the process of entering information as debits and credits to the correct accounts.

What is the general ledger?

• It is the book of final entry.

• The information from the journal is transferred to the ledger in the posting process.

• Debits and credits in the journal remain exactly the same when posted to the accounts in the ledger.

What is the chart of accounts?

• It is the list of accounts used by a business.

• Each business entity has its unique chart of accounts.

• Every chart of accounts has the same numbered account categories:

– Assets, Liabilities, Owner’s Equity– Revenues, Expenses

Journalizing

• Debits are always recorded first.

• Indent, then record the credit below the debit.

• A short explanation is included on the second line.

• Leave a space between journal entries.

• Debits must always equal credits.

• Amounts incurred for items that benefit future accounting periods are recorded as assets.

• What are some examples?

– prepaid rent

– prepaid insurance

• Amounts for items used (expenses incurred) in the current accounting period are recorded as expenses.

• What are some examples?

– supplies used

– rent for the month

– expired insurance

• Amounts are recorded as revenue on the date in which they are earned.

• When are revenues earned?

• When services are performed, not necessarily when cash is paid.

Posting: transferring informationfrom a journal to a ledger.

Posting

• All transactions are recorded in the journal, then amounts are copied to the ledger accounts named on the journal line.

• Once the amounts are entered into the accounts, a posting reference (PR) must be entered in the journal.

• New balances are computed in the running ledger accounts.

Posting

Balance

Account: Cash Account: 1000

Insert the number of the journal page.

Date ref. debit credit debit credit

June 1 jr1 5,000 5,000

Preparing a trial balance.

Preparing the Trial Balance

• The trial balance lists the accounts that have balances in the same order as they appear in the chart of accounts.

• The trial balance will show if debits/credits have been interchanged, or if amounts have been transposed, or if a debit/credit was omitted or recorded twice.

• Some errors do not show, such as omissions or recording to the wrong account.

• Corrections before posting are made in the journal.

• An audit trail must be left.

• Do not erase – cross out errors and enter corrections.

• What about corrections after posting?

• This means that errors are also in the ledger accounts.

• Cross out incorrect amounts, change to corrected amounts, and record balance changes.

Thank you