In a manual accounting system, the trial balance is a good initial source of confirmation that an equal value of debits and credits have been posted into the general ledger accounts. However, it may still contain errors or omissions. This section considers the different types of error and whether they affect the trial balance.
Note that a computerised accounting system is unlikely to permit errors involving posting an unequal value of debits and credits when recording a transaction, and neither is it likely to permit a single-sided accounting entry. However, it will permit posting an entry to a suspense account, pending review of the transaction to ensure that it is correctly posted in due course.
For example, an invoice from a supplier may contain technical product specifications or references which an accounts clerk may not fully understand, other than recognising that it is an invoice from a supplier that has granted a credit period. It may be the purchase of a non-current asset, or an asset repair, or a purchase of a product for resale to customers.
Therefore, the accounts clerk may make the following posting to the general ledger, pending further investigation into the nature of the invoice:
Suspense
Payables
If, following investigation, it is confirmed that the invoice relates to the purchase of a new item of equipment. The suspense account can now be cleared as follows:
Non-current assets - equipment
Suspense
The end result is that the correct accounting entries have been made and the suspense account now has a nil balance.
CHAPTER 14
This error occurs when a transaction has been completely omitted from the accounting system. As both the debit and credit entries have been omitted, the trial balance will still balance. For example, if a purchase invoice was omitted from the accounting records-both purchases and payables will be understated, but the trial balance will agree.
An error of commission occurs when a transaction has been recorded in the correct category or classification of account, but in the wrong account.
For example, the purchase of a computer should be recorded in the tangible non-current asset account, office equipment. If the purchase was recorded in the motor vehicles asset account then this is the correct type of account (tangible non-current assets - cost account) but the wrong account within this category.
An error of principle occurs when the transaction is recorded in completely the wrong category of account.
For example the receipt of a loan should be recognised as a liability in the statement of financial position. If it was recorded as income in the statement of profit or loss then this is an error of principle.
If a sale (in the statement of profit or loss) was recorded as a trade payable (in the statement of financial position) then this would also be an example of an error of principle.
Compensating errors occur when two (or more) transactions have been recorded incorrectly, but by coincidence they are incorrect by the same amount and cancel one another out. For example, a repair expense of $670 was recorded in the general ledger as $760, and an insurance expense of $1,100 was recorded in the general ledger as $1,010. One expense was overstated by $90, and the other expense understated by the same amount. These errors are usually very difficult to locate.
Original entry errors occur when there has been an error in the posting of the monetary value of a transaction. An example of this arises if a purchase invoice for $400 is posted to the correct general ledger accounts, but with the wrong monetary value, say $40.
These errors arise when two numbers within a balance are reversed when entering a transaction into the general ledger, such as $360 is entered instead of $630. For example, the purchase of a machine which cost $4,500 was entered in the general ledger using the correct general ledger accounts as $5,400.
These errors arise when the double-entry is correct in every aspect other than the fact that the debit and credit are posted the wrong way round. For example, cash sales of $200 should be recorded as a debit to cash at bank and a credit to sales. If an error of complete reversal has occurred, the debit entry would be to sales and the credit entry to cash at bank.
Errors that do not lead to an imbalance in the trial balance will generally involve transfers between accounts, creation of the complete double-entry which had been omitted, or amendments to the amounts already accounted for. These corrections will be recorded by journal adjustments.
The best way to approach the correction of errors is to consider:
To deal with errors of commission and principle:
Step 1: Set up the general ledger accounts (T-accounts) affected by the error and put in the balances from the trial balance.
Step 2: Perform the double-entry required to remove the transaction from one account to the other.
Step 3: Produce the required journal. This will describe the double-entry in Step 2.
To deal with errors of complete omission, follow the same procedure except that the accounts affected may not yet exist in the trial balance and thus new ones may need to be created.
To deal with original error entries where the debit and credit are equal but wrong:
If the original entry was for too small an amount, perform the double-entry to the same accounts (i.e. the debit and credit to the same accounts as the original entry) for the extra amount required.
If the original entry was for too great an amount, reverse the excess amount posted. This will involve debiting the account originally credited and crediting the account originally debited.
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To deal with errors of complete reversal the original entry should be reversed and then the correct double-entry posted. The net effect of this is to debit double the amount of the transaction to the account that should have been debited in the first place and credit double the amount to the account that should have been credited in the first place.
Errors that may occur in a manual accounting system, such as posting single-sited entries, or recording transactions with an unequal value of debits and credits are not possible in a computerised accounting system. Similarly, other errors which may occur using a manual accounting system such as miscasting transactions to arrive at an incorrect ledger account balance, omitting a balance when extracting a trial balance or recording a balance wrongly in the trial balance cannot occur in a computerised system.
Note that, in a computerised system, a trial balance will be produced with an equal value of debits and credits. This may include a suspense account when, for example, one part of the double-entry has been posted to a suspense account pending further enquiry. Upon resolving the query, the suspense account can be cleared by using a journal adjustment.
Prepare the journal entries necessary to correct the following errors in the general ledger (narrative not required).
(a) A payment of $150, which was initially posted to suspense account was, in fact, to meet a personal expense of the proprietor.
(b) The proceeds from the sale of an old computer, $500, had been credited to the equipment cost account.
(c) An invoice received for the purchase of a replacement computer for office use, which cost $2,500, had been omitted from the accounting records.
For a suggested answer, see the 'Answers' section at the end of the book
All errors noted above need to be corrected before financial statements are produced. Any corrections made should be recorded in the journal as part of the process to update the general ledger.
The correction of the errors requires a sound knowledge of what the correct accounting entries should be and then, having determined that, the required journal to correct the original entries.
The section on suspense accounts and error correction highlights the need for this knowledge of the correct entries.
CHAPTER TA
The trial balance below does not balance.
| Trial balance as at [date] | Account | Debit $ | Credit $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25,800 | |||
| Motor vehicles | 16,600 | ||
| Bank | 45,100 | 23,200 | |
| Receivables | 47,000 | ||
| Payables | 47,000 | ||
| Capital | 8,000 | ||
| Loans | 41,100 | ||
| Sales | 21,400 | ||
| Purchases | 21,400 | ||
| Expenses | 4,300 | ||
| Drawings | 5,000 | ||
| Petty cash | 200 | ||
| 128,500 | 109,200 | ||
You have been asked to check for errors in the calculation of account balances and in the preparation of the trial balance itself. Upon checking the ledger account balances. you find that the bank account and the payable account have been balanced off as follows:
| Date | Details | $ | Date | Details | $ |
| Balance bid | 14,200 | Receivable | 5,700 | ||
| Sales | 20,100 | 800 | |||
| T Brown | 3,000 | Motor car | 14,700 | ||
| F Abdul | 11,800 | Purchases | 300 | ||
| Payable | 12,500 | ||||
| Loan | 5,000 | ||||
| Drawings | 4,300 | ||||
| Balance c/d | 16,600 | ||||
| 55,600 | 55,600 | ||||
| Balance bid | 16,600 |
| Date | Details | $ | Date | Details | $ |
| Bank | 1,200 | Opening | 15.600 | ||
| Bank | 12.500 | balance b/d | 8,050 | ||
| Closing balance | old | Purchases | 23.200 | ||
| Purchases | 12,450 | ||||
| 36,900 | 36,900 | ||||
| Opening balance bid | 23,200 |
Tasks
1 Check the account balances for bank and payables and make any necessary corrections.
2 Prepare a corrected trial balance.
For a suggested answer, see the Answers' section at the end of the book
1 Which of the following items would appear on opposite sides of a trial balance?
A Capital and sales
B Purchases and discounts received
C Inventory and expenses
D Motor vehicles and cash
2 Which of the following would be identified as an error by a trial balance?
A Overstating the balance on the receivables ledger account and the payables ledger account by $100
B Omitting an invoice which had fallen behind a filing cabinet from the general ledger
C Recording a cash purchase in bank and inventory accounts
D Recording $100 commission received as commission paid
3 A purchase of goods has been posted to motor vehicles account. What kind of error is this?
A Error of commission
B Compensating error
C Error of principle
D Transposition error
4 Which of the following indicates a complete reversal of entries?
A Dr Sales; Cr Bank
B Dr Purchases; Cr Cash
C An invoice for $50 has not been posted to the general ledger
D Crediting $100 discount received in the sales general ledger account
For a suggested answer, see the Answers' section at the end of the book.