Four Steps In The Accounting Process

The accounting process is three separate types of transactions used to record business transactions in the accounting records. This information is then aggregated into financial statements. The first transaction type is to ensure that reversing entries from the previous period have, in fact, been reversed. The second group is comprised of the steps needed to record individual business transactions in the accounting records. The third group is the period-end processing required to close the books and produce financial statements. At the beginning of period processing, users must verify that all transactions designated as reversing entries in preceding periods have actually been reversed. Doing so ensures that transactions are not recorded twice

An accountant must enter the transaction in the accounting system. This is done either with a journal entry or an on-line standard transaction form (such as is used to record cash receipts against open accounts receivable). In the latter case, the transaction forms record information in a pre-determined set of accounts (which can be overridden). These four steps are the part of the accounting process used to record individual business transactions in the accounting records. The remaining steps in the accounting process are used to aggregate all of the information created in the preceding steps, and present it in the format of financial statements. The steps are prepare trial balance. The trial balance is a listing of the ending balances in every account. The total of all the debits in the trial balance should equal the total of all the credits; if not, there was an error in the entry of the original transactions that must be researched and corrected. The second steps is adjust the trial balance. It may be necessary to adjust the trial balance, either to correct errors or to create allowances of various kinds, or to accrue for revenues or expenses in the

This involves shifting the balances in the revenue and expense accounts into the retained earnings account, leaving them empty and ready to receive transactions for the next accounting period. Last but not least, the final steps is prepare a post-closing trial balance. This version of the trial balance should have zero account balances for all revenue and expense accounts. In reality, any accounting software package will automatically create all versions of the trial balance and the financial statements, so the actual steps in the accounting process may be considerably reduced. Instead, the first steps used in a computerized environment are prepare financial statements. This information is automatically compiled from the general ledger by the accounting software. Lastly, close the period. The accounting staff closes the accounting period that has just been completed, and opens the new accounting period. Doing so prevents current-period transactions from being inadvertently entered into the prior accounting period. In a multi-division company, it may be necessary to complete this period closing step in the software for each