What is the Difference Between General Ledger and Sub Ledger?

🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚

The main difference between a general ledger and a sub-ledger lies in their purpose and the level of detail they provide for financial transactions within a business. Here are the key differences between the two:

General Ledger:

  • A general ledger is a master document that contains financial information for the entire business.
  • It provides a complete snapshot of a company's financial health.
  • The general ledger contains line items summaries or totals from specific accounts in the sub-ledgers.
  • It is used to prepare financial statements, such as the balance sheet, cash flow statement, and profit and loss statement.
  • The general ledger contains transaction summaries across different account categories.

Sub-Ledger:

  • A sub-ledger records transactional information only for specific types of financial activity or accounts.
  • It explains transactions and feeds into the general ledger.
  • Sub-ledgers are more narrowly focused and contain more detailed information.
  • They are linked to the general ledger, but not all information in the sub-ledger is necessarily included in the general ledger.

In summary, a general ledger provides a comprehensive view of a company's financial transactions, while a sub-ledger is more focused on specific types of transactions or accounts. Both are essential components of a company's accounting system, working together to provide accurate and detailed records of financial activities.

Comparative Table: General Ledger vs Sub Ledger

Here is a table comparing the differences between a General Ledger (GL) and a Sub Ledger (SL):

Feature General Ledger (GL) Sub Ledger (SL)
Purpose Principal set of accounts, records all financial transactions Intermediary set of accounts linked to the general ledger
Number of Accounts Contains only one ledger account Contains many sub-ledger accounts
Volume of Data Limited volume of data Large volume of data
Chart of Accounts Has a chart of accounts Does not have charts of accounts

The main difference between a general ledger and a sub ledger is that the general ledger provides a complete snapshot of a company's financial transactions, while the sub ledger is an intermediary set of accounts linked to the general ledger and contains more detailed information. The total of the sub-ledger should always match with the line item amount on the general ledger.