Running a business can be a challenging affair. And there’s no better way to manage it that than to use a general ledger.

General ledgers enable you to look at everything in one sweep as they detail all the business’s transactions. But how do you make a public ledger?

You use general ledger templates like the ones we have here.

General Ledger Templates

#1

General ledgers are like one large master sheet of everything your business does and owns. They have everything you need to know about the business transactions and whatever money has come in for everything.

That, however, doesn’t mean they have to be complex documents. The above template is a simple approach to making a general ledger. It has the details column to list the details of the transaction and a debit and credit column for the financials.

#2

General ledgers can also be pretty elaborate like this template. An explanation for the details makes it possible to know what it is the ledger is describing. You can include several categories like discounts, inventory, and sales.

That’s what a general ledger should be, after all. It should contain everything in the business’s transactions.

#3

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 Organizing things in an office can get quite messy. That’s why you need a general ledger that assigns a code to each transaction. This template has a code for different expenses and transactions.

It would make it easier to know how much of the allocated budget is still available for use, as well as the percentages.

#4

This is another simple ledger that wouldn’t take someone long to understand. It features the account number and name to make it easier to know what transaction happened and the date it was completed.

The description and the debit and credit columns further make it the clear template that it is.

#5

 

Excel is one of the most popular ways to organize business transactions. It makes the calculations not only easier but also better to display.

This general ledger template is an excel form that outlines all the transactions of a business.

#6

General ledger templates can follow different styles like with this template here. Although the essential information might remain the same, you can pick different ledger designs depending on what you want to include.

If you want to organize the transactions by month, year, or financial period, it becomes easier with this template.

#7

 

The debit, credit, and balance sections are some of the most critical parts of any ledger. That’s why you can have them only with the account number, the description, and the reference for the transaction.

That makes general ledgers make it relatively easy to draft up or understand. Business ledgers are important documents since they might be critical to a business getting funds in different ways. That’s why a simplified format is an underrated aspect of a general ledger.

The simple style of this general ledger should endear itself to most people.

#8

 This is yet another simplified template that details your business transactions. The only difference it has with the other templates is a change in the design.

It will be a good bet if you have a simple business that doesn’t need elaborate accounts.

#9

The above template is among the best examples of a detailed template. Not only does it divide the accounts, but it also lists the business’s liabilities. If you want more detailed accounts, then this is the ledger template you can try.

Although ledgers don’t need to be complicated, you need them to be as detailed as possible.

#10

A monthly schedule general template is a fantastic idea if you want to organize your monthly transactions. This template will also enable you to schedule actions you need to take to have the transactions in order.

Unlike the other templates, it only features schedules of the things to be done. That makes it an incredible asset in business planning.

#11

A T account ledger uses double-entry to record business transactions. It is among the easiest ledgers to record. When you add credit and debit sections, you make it a simple general ledger for recording business transactions.

It is simple to draft because it instructs accountants on what to add on the debit or credit side.

#12

For businesses with a lot of transactions, this general ledger template would be an excellent option.

You can list down everything from business fees to other expenses such as travel expenses.

What is the Importance of General Ledgers?

Ledgers are important documents in any business. That’s because they are important in the maintenance of business records. A ledger enables someone to balance their books with a trial balance.

A company could get in trouble if its accounts don’t balance. They need to know all the transactions carried out in the business. That helps spur the company on and enable it to meet its targets and stay afloat. A general ledger comes in handy there.

Because general ledgers display all transactions in a business, they can help detect fraud or theft of funds from a company. Any mismatch would result in the books not balancing, which would elicit the right questions to enable detection of any financial improprieties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a general ledger help make the business successful?

Yes. They can stop or prevent fraud because there is a record of each of the business’s transactions.

How do general ledgers work?

The general ledger works by showing all transactions when the money flows in and out of a business. That’s what makes them the ideal documents to judge how efficient a business is.

Final Thoughts

If you were having trouble drafting a general ledger, then the templates have you covered. Download customize and use them to manage your business’s transactions. They shouldn’t give you such a hard time.