Weygandt, Kieso, & Kimmel Prepared by
Gregory K. Lowery
Mercer University
Marianne Bradford
The University of Tennessee
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1 Explain what an account is and how it helps in the recording process.
2 Define debits and credits and explain how they are used to record business transactions.
3 Identify the basic steps in the recording process.
4 Explain what a journal is and how it helps in the recording process.

After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 5 Explain what a ledger is and how it helps in the recording process.
6 Explain what posting is and how it helps in the recording process.
7 Prepare a trial balance and explain its purpose.
Trial Balance

2 THE RECORDING PROCESS The Account

Debits and credits

Debit and credit procedures

Stockholders’ equity relationships

Expansion of basic equation Steps in the Recording Process
 
Journal Ledger The Recording Process Illustrated

Summary of illustrations of journalizing and posting The Trial Balance

Limitations of a trial balance

Locating errors

Use of dollar signs


An
is an individual accounting record of increases and decreases in a specific asset, liability, or stockholders’ equity item.

A company will have separate accounts for such items as
,
,
, and so on.


In its simplest form, an account consists of 1 the title of the account, 2 a left or debit side, and 3 a right or credit side.

The alignment of these parts resembles the letter T, and therefore the account form is called a T account .
Title of Account Left or debit side Right or credit side T Account


The terms debit and credit mean left and right, respectively.

The act of entering an amount on the left side of an account is called debiting the account and making an entry on the right side is crediting the account.

When the debit amounts exceed the credits, an account has a debit balance; when the reverse is true, the account has a credit balance.

Debits 15,000 Cash Credits Example: The owner (stockholder) invests $15,000 cash to start the business. Cash is debited and Common Stock is credited for $15,000 .

Debits Cash Credits 7,000 Example: Monthly rent of $7,000 is paid. Cash is credited as Rent Expense is debited.

Cash Debits 15,000 8,000 Credits 7,000 Example: Cash is debited for $15,000 and credited for $7,000 , leaving a debit balance of $8,000 .


In a double-entry system , equal debits and credits are made in the accounts for each transaction.

Total debits will always equal total credits and the accounting equation will always stay in balance.
Assets Liabilities Equity

ILLUSTRATION 2-3 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECTS - ASSETS AND LIABILITIES Debits Credits Increase assets Decrease assets Decrease liabilities Increase liabilities


Normal balance increase is the side where an in the account is recorded.

Every account has a normal whether it is a debit or credit.
balance,

The opposite side entries should not exceed the normal balance.

ILLUSTRATION 2-4 NORMAL BALANCES - ASSETS AND LIABILITIES Assets Liabilities Increase Decrease Decrease Increase Debit Credit Debit Credit Normal Normal Balance Balance

ILLUSTRATION 2-5 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECT - COMMON STOCK Debits Credits Decrease common stock Increase common stock

ILLUSTRATION 2-6 NORMAL BALANCE - COMMON STOCK Common Stock Decrease Increase Debit Credit Normal Balance

ILLUSTRATION 2-7 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECT AND NORMAL BALANCE - RETAINED EARNINGS Retained Earnings Decrease Increase Debit Credit Normal Balance

ILLUSTRATION 2-8 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECT AND NORMAL BALANCE - DIVIDENDS Dividends Increase Decrease Debit Credit Normal Balance

ILLUSTRATION 2-9 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECTS - REVENUES AND EXPENSES Debits Credits Decrease revenues Increase revenues Increase expenses Decrease expenses

ILLUSTRATION 2-10 NORMAL BALANCES - REVENUES AND EXPENSES Revenues Expenses Decrease Increase Increase Decrease Debit Credit Debit Credit Normal Normal Balance Balance

ILLUSTRATION 2-11 STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY RELATIONSHIPS Balance Sheet Stockholders’ Equity Common Stock (Investments by stockholders) Retained Earnings (Net income retained in business) Dividends Net income or Net loss (Revenues less expenses) Income Statement Retained Earnings Statement

ILLUSTRATION 2-12 EXPANDED BASIC EQUATION AND DEBIT/CREDIT RULES AND EFFECTS Basic Equation Assets = Liabilities + Stockholders’ Equity Expanded Basic Equation Assets Dr.
Cr.
+ = Liabilities + Dr.
Cr.
+ Common Stock Dr.
Cr.
+ + Retained Earnings + Revenues Dr.
Cr.
+ Dr.
Cr.
+ Dividends Expenses Dr.
Cr.
+ Dr.
Cr.
+ -

The basic steps in the recording process are: 1 Analyze each transaction in terms of its effect on the accounts.
2 Enter the transaction information in a journal (book of original entry).
3 Transfer the journal information to the appropriate accounts in the ledger (book of accounts).

ILLUSTRATION 2-13 THE RECORDING PROCESS JOURNAL LEDGER JOURNAL 1 Analyze each transaction 2 Enter transaction in a journal 3 Transfer journal information to ledger accounts


Transactions are initially recorded in chronological order in a journal before being transferred to the accounts.

Every company has a general journal which contains: 1 spaces for dates, 2 account titles and explanations, 3 references, and 4 two amount columns.

The journal makes several significant contributions to the recording process: 1 It discloses in one place the complete effect of a transaction.
2 It provides a chronological record of transactions.
3 It helps to prevent or locate errors because the debit and credit amounts for each entry can be readily compared.


Entering transaction data in the journal is known as journalizing .

Separate journal entries are made for each transaction.

A complete entry consists of: 1 the date of the transaction, 2 the accounts and amounts to be debited and credited, and 3 a brief explanation of the transaction.

ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING The date of the transaction is entered in the date column.
Date GENERAL JOURNAL Account Titles and Explanation 2002 Sept. 1 Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000

ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING The debit account title is entered at the extreme left margin of the Account Titles and Explanation column. The credit account title is indented on the next line.
GENERAL JOURNAL Date Account Titles and Explanation 2002 Sept. 1 Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000

ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING The amounts for the debits are recorded in the Debit column and the amounts for the credits are recorded in the Credit column.
GENERAL JOURNAL Date Account Titles and Explanation 2002 Sept. 1 Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000

ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING A brief explanation of the transaction is given.
GENERAL JOURNAL Date Account Titles and Explanation 2002 Sept. 1 Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000

ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING A space is left between journal entries. The blank space separates individual journal entries and makes the entire journal easier to read.
Date GENERAL JOURNAL Account Titles and Explanation 2002 Sept. 1 Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000

ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING The Ref. column is left blank at the time journal entry is made and is used later when the journal entries are transferred to the ledger accounts.
GENERAL JOURNAL Date Account Titles and Explanation 2002 Sept. 1 Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000

•
If an entry involves only two accounts, one debit
•
and one credit, it is considered a simple entry .
When three or more accounts are required in one journal entry, the entry is referred to as a compound entry .

ILLUSTRATION 2-15 COMPOUND JOURNAL ENTRY Date GENERAL JOURNAL Account Titles and Explanation Ref.
Debit J1 Credit 2002 July 1 Delivery Equipment 14,000 Cash 8,000 Accounts Payable 6,000 (Purchased truck for cash with balance on account) 1 2 3 In a compound entry, the total debit and credit amounts must equal

Date 2001 July 1 GENERAL JOURNAL Account Titles and Explanation Cash Delivery Equipment Accounts Payable (Purchased truck for cash with balance on account) Ref.
Debit 14,000 J1 Credit 8,000 6,000 This is the wrong format; all debits must be listed before the credits are listed.


The entire group of accounts maintained by a company is referred to as the ledger .

A general ledger contains all the assets, liabilities, and stockholder’s equity accounts.
GENERAL LEDGER

ILLUSTRATION 2-16 THE GENERAL LEDGER Individual Assets Equipment Land Supplies Cash Individual Liabilities Individual Stockholders’ Equity Interest Payable Salaries Payable Accounts Payable Notes Payable Salaries Expense Service Revenue Common Stock Retained Earnings

ILLUSTRATION 2-18 POSTING A JOURNAL ENTRY Date 2002 Sept. 1 Date 2002 Sept. 1 GENERAL JOURNAL Account Titles and Explanation Ref.
Debit Credit J1 Cash Common Stock ( issued shares of stock for cash) 101 15,000 311 GENERAL LEDGER CASH Explanation Ref.
Debit 15,000 Credit NO. 101 Balance J1 15,000 15,000 Date 2002 Sept. 1 Explanation Ref.
J1 Debit Credit NO. 311 Balance 15,000 15,000 In the ledger, enter in the appropriate columns of the account (s) debited the date , journal page , and debit amount shown in the journal.

ILLUSTRATION 2-18 POSTING A JOURNAL ENTRY Date 2002 Sept. 1 Date 2002 GENERAL JOURNAL Account Titles and Explanation Ref.
Debit J1 15,000 Credit J1 Cash Common Stock (issued shares of stock for cash) 101 15,000
311
GENERAL LEDGER CASH Explanation Ref.
Debit 15,000 Credit NO. 101 Balance 15,000 Date Sept 1 Explanation Ref.
J1 Debit Credit NO. 311 Balance 15,000 15,000 In the reference column of the journal, write the account number to which the debit amount was posted.

ILLUSTRATION 2-18 POSTING A JOURNAL ENTRY Date 2002 Sept. 1 Date 2002 Sept. 1 GENERAL JOURNAL Account Titles and Explanation Ref.
Debit J1 15,000 Credit J1 Cash Common Stock (issued shares of stock for cash) 101 15,000
311
GENERAL LEDGER CASH Explanation Ref.
Debit 15,000 Credit NO. 101 Balance 15,000 Date 2002 Sept. 1 COMMON STOCK Explanation Ref.
J1 Debit Credit NO. 311 Balance 15,000 15,000 In the ledger, enter in the appropriate columns of the account(s) credited the date , journal page , and credit amount shown in the journal.

ILLUSTRATION 2-18 POSTING A JOURNAL ENTRY Date 2002 Sept. 1 Date 2002 Sept. 1 GENERAL JOURNAL Account Titles and Explanation Ref.
Debit J1 15,000 Credit J1 Cash Common Stock (issued shares of stock for cash) 101 15,000
311
GENERAL LEDGER CASH Explanation Ref.
Debit 15,000 Credit NO. 101 Balance 15,000 Date 2002 Sept. 1 COMMON STOCK Explanation Ref.
J1 Debit Credit NO. 311 Balance 15,000 15,000 In the reference column of the journal, write the account number to which the credit amount was posted.

ILLUSTRATION 2-19
Assets Pioneer Advertising Agency Stockholders' Equity 101 Cash 112 Accounts Receivable 129 Advertising Supplies 130 Prepaid Insurance 311 Common Stock 320 Retained Earnings 332 Dividends 350 Income Summary 157 Office Equipment Revenues 158 Accumulated Depreciation — Office Equipment 400 Service Revenue Liabilities Expenses 200 Notes Payable 201 Accounts Payable 209 Unearned Revenue 212 Salaries Payable 230 Interest Payable 611 Advertising Supplies Expense 711 Depreciation Expense 722 Insurance Expense 726 Salary Expense 729 Rent Expense 905 Interest Expense Most companies have a chart of accounts that lists the accounts and the account numbers which identify their location in the ledger.

ILLUSTRATION 2-20 INVESTMENT OF CASH BY STOCKHOLDERS Transaction Basic Analysis October 1, stockholders invest $10,000 cash in an advertising venture to be known as the Pioneer Advertising Agency Inc.
The asset Cash is increased $10,000 , and stockholders’ equity (specifically Common Stock) is increased $10,000 .
Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Cash $10,000 .
Credits increase stockholders’ equity: credit Common Stock $10,000 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-20 INVESTMENT OF CASH BY STOCKHOLDERS Journal Entry Posting Date Account Titles and Explanation Ref. Debit Credit Oct. 1 Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 101 311 10, 000 10,000 Oct. 1 10,000 Common Stock 311 Oct. 1

ILLUSTRATION 2-21 PURCHASE OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT Transaction October 1, office equipment costing $5,000 is purchased by signing a 3-month, 12%, $5,000 note payable.
Basic Analysis The asset Office Equipment is increased $5,000 , and the liability Notes Payable is increased $5,000 .
Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Office Equipment $5,000 . Credits increase liabilities: credit Notes Payable $5,000 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-21 PURCHASE OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT Journal Entry Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 1 Office Equipment Notes Payable (Issued 3-month, 12% note for office equipment) Ref. Debit Credit 157 200 5,000 5,000 Posting Office Equipment 157 Oct. 1 5,000 Notes Payable 200 Oct. 1 5,000

ILLUSTRATION 2-22 RECEIPT OF CASH FOR FUTURE SERVICE Transaction October 2, a $1,200 cash advance is received from R. Knox, a client, for advertising services that are expected to be completed by December 31.
Basic Analysis The asset Cash is increased $1,200 ; the liability Unearned Revenue is increased $1,200 because the service has not been rendered yet. Note that although many liabilities have the word “payable” in their title, unearned revenues are considered a liability even though the word payable is not used.
Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Cash $1,200 . Credits increase liabilities: credit Unearned Revenues $1,200 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-22 RECEIPT OF CASH FOR FUTURE SERVICE Journal Entry Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 2 Cash Unearned Revenues (Received advance from R. Knox for future services) Ref. Debit Credit 101 209 1,200 1,200 Posting Oct. 1 2 Cash 101 10,000 1,200 Unearned Rev 209 Oct. 2 1,200

ILLUSTRATION 2-23 PAYMENT OF MONTHLY RENT Transaction October 3, office rent for October is paid in cash, $900.
Basic Analysis The expense Rent is increased $900 because the payment pertains only to the current month; the asset Cash is decreased $900 .
Debit-Credit Analysis Debits increase expenses: debit Rent Expense $900 . Credits decrease assets: credit Cash $900 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-23 PAYMENT OF MONTHLY RENT Journal Entry Posting Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 3 Rent Expense Cash (Paid October rent) Ref. Debit Credit 729 101 900 900 Oct. 1 2 Cash 101 10,000 Oct. 3 1,200 900 Rent Expense 729 Oct. 3 900

ILLUSTRATION 2-24 PAYMENT FOR INSURANCE Transaction October 4, $600 is paid for a one-year insurance policy that will expire next year on September 30.
Basic Analysis The asset Prepaid Insurance is increased $600 because the payment extends to more than the current month; the asset Cash is decreased $600 . Note that payments of expenses that will benefit more than one accounting period are identified as prepaid expenses or prepayments. When a payment is made, an asset account is debited in order to show the service or benefit that will be received in the future.
Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Prepaid Insurance $600 . Credits decrease assets: credit Cash $600 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-24 PAYMENT FOR INSURANCE Journal Entry Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 4 Prepaid Insurance Cash (Paid one-year policy; effective date October 1) Ref. Debit Credit 130 101 600 600 Posting Cash Oct. 1 10,000 Oct. 3 2 1,200 4 101 900 600 Prepaid Insurance 130 Oct. 4 600

ILLUSTRATION 2-25 PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES ON CREDIT Transaction October 5, an estimated 3-month supply of advertising materials is purchased on account from Aero Supply for $2,500.
Basic Analysis The asset Advertising Supplies is increased $2,500 ; the liability Accounts Payable is increased $2,500 .
Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Advertising Supplies $2,500 . Credits increase liabilities: credit Accounts Payable $2,500 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-25 PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES ON CREDIT Journal Entry Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 5 Advertising Supplies Accounts Payable (Purchased supplies on account from Aero Supply) Ref. Debit Credit 129 201 2,500 2,500 Posting Adv. Supplies 129 Oct. 5 2,500 Accounts Payable 201 Oct. 5 2,500

ILLUSTRATION 2-26 HIRING OF EMPLOYEES Transaction Basic Analysis October 9, hire four employees to begin work on October 15. Each employee is to receive a weekly salary of $500 for a 5-day work week, payable every 2 weeks - first payment made on October 26.
A business transaction has not occurred. There is only an agreement between the employer and the employees to enter into a business transaction beginning on October 15.
Debit -Credit Analysis A debit-credit analysis is not needed because there is no accounting entry.

ILLUSTRATION 2-27 DECLARATION AND PAYMENT OF DIVIDEND BY CORPORATION Transaction October 20, the board of directors declares and pays a $500 cash dividend to stockholders.
Basic Analysis The dividends account is increased $500 ; the asset Cash is decreased $500 .
Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase dividends: debit Dividends $500 . Credits decrease assets: credit Cash $500 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-27 DECLARATION AND PAYMENT OF DIVIDEND BY CORPORATION Journal Entry Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 20 Dividends Cash (Declared and paid a cash dividend) Ref. Debit Credit 332 101 500 500 Posting Cash 101 Oct. 1 2 10,000 Oct. 3 1,200 4 20 900 600 500 Oct. 20 Dividends 332 500

ILLUSTRATION 2-28 PAYMENT OF SALARIES Transaction October 26, employee salaries of $4,000 are owed and paid in cash. (See October 9 transaction.) Basic Analysis The expense account Salaries Expense is increased $4,000 ; the asset Cash is decreased $4,000 .
Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase expenses: debit Salaries Expense $4,000 . Credits decrease assets: credit Cash $4,000 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-28 PAYMENT OF SALARIES Journal Entry Posting Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 26 Salaries Expense Cash (Paid salaries to date) Ref. Debit Credit 726 101 4,000 4,000 Cash 101 Oct. 1 10,000 Oct. 3 2 1,200 4 20 26 900 600 500 4,000 Salaries Expense 726 Oct. 26 4,000

ILLUSTRATION 2-29 RECEIPT OF CASH FOR FEES EARNED Transaction October 31, received $10,000 in cash from Copa Company for advertising services rendered in October.
Basic Analysis The asset Cash is increased $10,000 ; the revenue acct. Service Revenue is increased $10,000 .
Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Cash $10,000 . Credits increase revenues: credit Service Revenue $10,000 .

ILLUSTRATION 2-29 RECEIPT OF CASH FOR FEES EARNED Journal Entry Posting Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 31 Cash Service Revenue (Received cash for fees earned) Ref. Debit Credit 101 400 10,000 10,000 Cash 101 Oct. 1 10,000 Oct. 3 2 31 1,200 4 10.000
20 26 900 600 500 4,000 S ervice Revenue 400 Oct. 31 10,000


A trial balance is a list of accounts and their balances at a given time.

The primary purpose of a trial balance is to prove the mathematical equality of debits and credits after posting.

A trial balance also uncovers errors in journalizing and posting.

The steps for preparing a trial balance are: 1 List the account titles and their balances.
2 Total the debit and credit columns.
3 Prove the equality of the two columns.

ILLUSTRATION 2-32 A TRIAL BALANCE PIONEER ADVERTISING AGENCY Trial Balance October 31, 2002 Debit Cash Advertising Supplies Prepaid Insurance Office Equipment Notes Payable Accounts Payable Unearned Revenue Common Stock Dividends Service Revenue Salaries Expense Rent Expense The total debits must equal the total credits.
$ 15,200 2,500 600 5,000 500 4,000 900 $ 28,700 Credit $ 5,000 2,500 1,200 10,000 10,000 $ 28,700


A trial balance does not prove that all transactions have been recorded or that the ledger is correct.

Numerous errors may exist even though the trial balance columns agree.

The trial balance may balance even when: 1 a transaction is not journalized, 2 a correct journal entry is not posted, 3 a journal entry is posted twice, 4 incorrect accounts are used in journalizing or posting, 5 offsetting errors are made in recording the amount of the transaction.

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