Can Anyone Share a Simple General Ledger Example for Beginners?

[rajivkumar]

Hi everyone,
I’m trying to understand how a general ledger works and what a basic example looks like. I know it records all financial transactions, but I’m not sure how the entries are structured or how debits and credits appear in the ledger.


Can someone share a simple, clear general ledger example—maybe for a basic business transaction? I’m learning accounting and want to make sure I understand the format correctly.

 

[inshya]

A simple general ledger example involves setting up individual accounts for different types of transactions (like Cash, Revenue, and Expenses) and posting entries using a debit/credit system. For instance, if a business receives
$1,000$ 1 comma 000
in cash from a sale, the Cash account would be debited, and the Sales Revenue account would be credited for
$1,000$ 1 comma 000
. This process groups similar transactions together and ensures debits equal credits for each transaction.

 

[Jaxon]

A simple general ledger example for beginners includes basic accounts like Cash, Sales, and Expenses. Each entry records the date, description, debit, and credit amounts. For instance, recording a sale increases Cash (debit) and increases Sales Revenue (credit).

 

[Maxmayfield]

A simple general ledger example for beginners:
Account: Cash

Date	Description	Debit	Credit	Balance
01/12/2025	Opening Balance	1000	1000
02/12/2025	Sales Revenue	500	1500
03/12/2025	Rent Payment	200	1300

This shows how debits and credits affect the account balance.

 

[Alice]

Account Name	Date	Debit	Credit	Balance
Cash	Jan 1	5,000	—	5,000
Jan 3	—	200	4,800
Jan 5	1,000	—	5,800
Owner’s Equity	Jan 1	—	5,000	5,000
Supplies Expense	Jan 3	200	—	200
Revenue	Jan 5	—	1,000	1,000

 

[stevesmith]

Date	Account	Debit	Credit
Jan 1	Cash	$1,000	—
Jan 1	Owner’s Capital	—	$1,000

It shows how one transaction affects two accounts using double-entry accounting.