General Ledger
Overview
The General Ledger is the master record of every financial transaction in your garage. While other reports summarize and categorize your data, the General Ledger shows every individual debit and credit that makes up your financial picture.
Why this matters:
When something does not add up, the General Ledger is where you go to investigate. It is the audit trail that shows exactly what happened, when, and to which accounts.
What you can do with this report:
- Trace any balance back to its source transactions
- Investigate discrepancies between reports
- Provide detailed records for your accountant
- Verify that transactions were recorded correctly
- Export data for external analysis or auditing
How Financial Entries Affect the General Ledger
Financial Entries appear in the General Ledger so you can audit how they affected balances and cash movement.
| Financial Entry Type | General Ledger Effect |
|---|---|
| Prepaid Expense | Appears as part of financial-entry-related ledger impact |
| Expense Payable | Appears as a payable-related transaction and later settlement trail |
| Asset Purchase | Appears as an asset-related financial transaction |
| Capital Contribution | Appears as financing/equity-related activity |
| Account Transfer | Appears as a transfer trail without affecting profit |
Use Financial Entries when you want these items recorded correctly before tracing them here.
How to Access the Report
- Log in to your autoGMS dashboard.
- From the sidebar, click Financial Reporting.
- Select this report directly from the section list.
- Select General Ledger.
The report loads showing transactions for the current month by default.
Understanding Double-Entry Accounting
Every transaction in the General Ledger has at least two entries:
- Debit — An increase to asset or expense accounts; a decrease to liability, equity, or revenue accounts
- Credit — A decrease to asset or expense accounts; an increase to liability, equity, or revenue accounts
For every transaction, total debits must equal total credits. This is the fundamental principle of double-entry bookkeeping.
Example: Recording a Parts Sale
When you sell parts to a customer for £100:
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Cash (Asset) | £100 | |
| Parts Revenue (Revenue) | £100 |
Cash (an asset) increases with a debit. Revenue increases with a credit.
Reading the Report
Account Selection
At the top, select which account(s) to view:
- All Accounts — Shows transactions across all accounts
- Specific Account — Filter to one account (e.g., "Cash", "Accounts Receivable", "Parts Revenue")
Date Range
Select the time period to analyze. The ledger shows transactions that occurred within this range.
Transaction Table
Each row represents a journal entry:
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Date | When the transaction was recorded |
| Reference | Transaction ID or invoice number |
| Description | What the transaction was for |
| Account | The account affected |
| Debit | Amount debited (if any) |
| Credit | Amount credited (if any) |
| Balance | Running balance for that account |
Running Balance
For single-account views, the Balance column shows the running total after each transaction. This lets you trace how the account balance changed over time.
Common Use Cases
Reconciling Bank Statements
- Select your Cash or Bank account.
- Set the date range to match your bank statement.
- Compare each transaction in the ledger to your bank statement.
- Identify any discrepancies (missing transactions, wrong amounts).
Investigating a Balance
If a balance looks wrong:
- Select the account in question.
- Set a date range that covers the period in question.
- Review each transaction to find errors or missing entries.
Preparing for Audit
- Select All Accounts.
- Set the date range for the audit period.
- Export to CSV.
- Provide to your auditor along with supporting documents.
Finding a Specific Transaction
- Use the search function.
- Search by reference number, description, or amount.
- Click on the transaction to see full details.
Filtering and Searching
Filter by Account
Use the account dropdown to view transactions for a specific account only.
Filter by Transaction Type
Some ledgers allow filtering by type:
- Invoices
- Payments received
- Expenses
- Journal entries
Search
Type in the search bar to find transactions by:
- Reference number
- Description
- Amount
Date Range
Use the date picker to narrow results to a specific period.
Methodology
Click the Methodology button in the report header to see how transactions are classified, what accounts are used, and how opening/closing balances are derived.
Export Options
Click Export to download the ledger:
| Format | Best For |
|---|---|
| Formal records, audit documentation | |
| CSV | Importing into accounting software, detailed analysis |
Exports include all visible transactions based on your current filters.
Tips and Best Practices
-
Use specific account views for reconciliation. Viewing all accounts at once is useful for overview, but reconciliation works better with single-account views.
-
Match to source documents. For any transaction you are investigating, find the original invoice, receipt, or bill.
-
Review regularly. Monthly ledger reviews catch errors before they compound.
-
Understand the account structure. Know which accounts are assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and expenses. This helps you understand what debits and credits mean in each context.
-
Use reference numbers. When searching for transactions, reference numbers (invoice numbers, payment IDs) are the fastest way to find what you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do debits and credits confuse me?
This is normal. The terminology is counterintuitive because it comes from the bank's perspective, not yours. In everyday language, a "credit" seems positive, but in accounting, it depends on the account type. Focus on the effect: did the account go up or down?
What is a journal entry?
A journal entry is a record of a transaction. It includes the date, accounts affected, amounts debited and credited, and a description. Multiple journal entries together form the General Ledger.
Why does my running balance not match my expected balance?
Check your date range. The running balance starts from the beginning balance at the start of your selected period. If transactions before that date are excluded, the starting balance reflects those historical entries.
Can I edit transactions in the General Ledger?
The General Ledger is a read-only view. To correct errors, create adjusting journal entries or void and recreate the original transaction.
What if debits do not equal credits?
This indicates an error in transaction recording. Every transaction must balance. If you see an imbalance, investigate the source transaction.
How detailed should descriptions be?
Detailed enough to identify the transaction months later. Include customer names, invoice numbers, and what was purchased or paid.