VPRS 14202 General Ledger

Public sector accounting systems comprise a structured collection of records which together document the financial transactions of the public agency.From cash books and journals, sub-totals for expenditure and revenue were consolidated into subsidiary ledgers. Figures in subsidiary ledgers were used to compile totals of income and expenditure that were recorded in the general ledger. Categories of income and expenditure were then aggregated under account segments for use in financial statements.The flow of information, however, is not always this straightforward.Source DocumentsExamples include receipt books, cheque butts, vouchers etc. Information is extracted from these documents and entered chronologically, in full or summary form, into cash books or journals. This process is called journalizing.Cash BooksA cash book is a combination of a book of original entry (ie. a journal) and the ledger account for cash (often including the bank account). As a book of original entry it is used to record receipt and payment transactions in chronological order. Following a standard format, cash (and cheque) receipts are entered on the lefthand side of the book, and cash (and cheque) payments are recorded on the righthand side. These amounts are then 'posted' to the relevant ledger accounts which are identified either by ledger folio numbers or account numbers. As the cash book is also a replacement of the ledger account for cash, it is balanced at regular intervals.Journals (Specific and General)The prime function of a journal is to facilitate the 'posting' of credit and debit transactions into the appropriate ledger accounts. Like the cash book the journal is a book of original entry which records transactions in chronological order. Specific journals are often maintained to summarise information about similar types of transactions, including cash transactions, eg. cash receipts journal, wages and stores journal. General journals, on the other hand, provide a convenient record of other transactions, including adjustments to ledger accounts (to correct errors for example) and the sale or purchase of assets.Journals may also be used to record the posting of amounts from one account to another (particularly common at the end of a financial year). The relevant accounts are identified either by the ledger folio number or an account number.Ledgers (Subsidiary and General)Ledgers comprise a record of changes (debit and credit transactions) concerning one or more accounts. The makeup (classification) of accounts is arbitrary and usually depends on the functions of the agency and the regulations governing its financial reporting requirements. Transactions are posted to the ledger accounts from the cash books and journals. The source of the posting is usually indicated by a combination of folio numbers and an abbreviation of the source record eg. 'C' or 'CB'=Cash Book, 'J'=Journal, 'PC'=Petty Cash Book etc.Subsidiary ledgers are often maintained to facilitate a division of responsibilities within a large account, or to provide a separate record of a particular account.A general ledger, however, comprises all accounts necessary for the compilation of the finance statements required by the agency. If subsidiary ledgers are used it is common for a general ledger to include a single account which represents the totals of the transactions of the accounts in each of the subsidiary ledgers. This device is called a 'control account'.Finance StatementsExamples include Statements of Operations, Balance Sheets, Profit and Loss Statements.Finance statements provide the final summary of the agency's financial situation at a particular point in time. They are usually compiled once a year and published with an annual report, although they may be compiled at more regular intervals. The types of statements and their format are generally determined by legislative requirements, and these in turn determine the nature of the accounts required to be maintained.

公共部门会计系统由结构化的记录集合构成，共同记录公共机构的财务交易。从现金账簿（Cash Books）和日记账（Journals）中，支出与收入的小计会被合并到明细分类账（Subsidiary Ledgers）中。明细分类账中的数据用于编制收入与支出总额，并记录在总分类账（General Ledger）中。随后，收入与支出类别会按账户细分项汇总，以供财务报表（Financial Statements）使用。然而，信息流转并非总是如此直接。

原始凭证（Source Documents）
例如收据簿、支票存根、凭证等。从这些凭证中提取信息，并按时间顺序以完整或摘要形式录入现金账簿或日记账，这一过程称为记账（Journalizing）。

现金账簿
现金账簿是原始分录簿（Book of Original Entry，即日记账）与现金分类账账户（通常包含银行账户）的结合体。作为原始分录簿，它按时间顺序记录收款与付款交易。遵循标准格式，现金（及支票）收款记录在账簿左侧，现金（及支票）付款记录在右侧。这些金额随后会被过账（Posting）至相关分类账账户，账户通过分类账页码或账号标识。由于现金账簿也是现金分类账账户的替代形式，它会定期结账。

日记账（专用与通用）
日记账的主要功能是便于将借贷交易过账至相应的分类账账户。与现金账簿一样，日记账是按时间顺序记录交易的原始分录簿。专用日记账常被用于汇总同类交易的信息，包括现金交易（如现金收款日记账、工资与库存日记账）。另一方面，通用日记账用于记录其他交易，包括分类账账户调整（如更正错误）及资产买卖。日记账也可用于记录金额从一个账户转至另一个账户的过账（在财政年度末尤为常见）。相关账户通过分类账页码或账号标识。

分类账（明细与通用）
分类账（Ledgers）包含一个或多个账户的变动记录（借贷交易）。账户的构成（分类）具有任意性，通常取决于机构的职能及规范其财务报告要求的法规。交易从现金账簿和日记账过账至分类账账户，过账来源通常通过页码组合及来源记录缩写标识（如“C”或“CB”=现金账簿、“J”=日记账、“PC”=零用现金账簿等）。

明细分类账常被用于在大型账户内实现职责分工，或为特定账户提供单独记录。而通用分类账包含编制机构所需财务报表必备的所有账户。若使用明细分类账，通用分类账通常会包含一个单一账户，代表每个明细分类账中所有账户交易的总额，这一工具称为“控制账户（Control Account）”。

财务报表
例如运营报表、资产负债表、损益表。财务报表提供机构在特定时点财务状况的最终汇总。它们通常每年编制一次，并随年度报告发布，不过也可能更频繁地编制。报表类型及其格式通常由立法要求决定，而这些要求反过来又决定了需维护账户的性质。