Introduction & Definition Firstly, let's see what the term 'petty cash book' means. The word ‘petty’ means small. A petty cash book is identical to a cash book, maintained to record the small expenses of a business like stationery, postage, stamps, carriage, etc. The cash received by a petty casRead more
Introduction & Definition
Firstly, let’s see what the term ‘petty cash book’ means. The word ‘petty’ means small. A petty cash book is identical to a cash book, maintained to record the small expenses of a business like stationery, postage, stamps, carriage, etc. The cash received by a petty cashier is recorded on the debit/ receipt side whereas, the money he pays is recorded on the credit/ payment side. The difference between the sum of the debit and credit items represents the balance of the petty cash in hand.
The reason the petty cash book is maintained is that it records small expenses that are inconvenient or too small to be registered in the cash book. This is also called a simple petty cash book. Just like a cash book is maintained by the accountant, the petty cash book is maintained by a petty cashier.
When it comes to the format, there are two types of petty cash book formats. They are-
- Simple Petty Cash Book
- Analytical Petty Cash Book
We have been discussing the simple petty cash book so far. Thus,
Format of Simple Petty Cash Book

Analytical Petty Cash Book
The analytical petty cash book has numerous columns for the recording of monetary transactions. In the analytical petty cash book, there are pre-existing columns for the usual expenses that are recorded frequently in the business which makes it easier for a business that has daily expenses for food, stationery, postage, etc. They’ll be having individual columns. It has numerous columns in it for the recording of expenses in it.
The key advantages of an analytical petty cash book are-
- One of the major key advantages is that the analytical petty cash book due to its format and structure saves time.
- The other advantage is that it helps the business in easy comparisons.
- It requires lesser time in recording.
Format of Analytical Petty Cash Book
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Yes, the account receivable is a sub ledger account. It is an account that is used to record the payment history of each and every customer to whom the business has sold goods or provided services on credit. Accounts receivable represent the amount that the customers owe to the business with respectRead more
Yes, the account receivable is a sub ledger account. It is an account that is used to record the payment history of each and every customer to whom the business has sold goods or provided services on credit.
Accounts receivable represent the amount that the customers owe to the business with respect to the goods sold or services provided to them on credit. They are also known as trade receivable or debtors.
The accounts receivable subledger shows various details of every transaction like the invoice number, amount due, date of payment, discount allowed etc. The subledger accounts are also known as the subsidiary accounts.
Difference between general ledger and subledger accounts
Here is a list of the major differences between sub-ledgers and the general ledger:
Importance/ use of Subsidiary Account
The usefulness of an accounts receivable sub ledger account lies in the fact that it provides detailed information about the money different customers owe to the business.
For example, the general ledger account may show that the total balance of trade receivable is 1 lakh without indicating the individual amount that each customer owes to the business. The subsidiary account can help us by showing that customer A owes 50000 rupees, customer B owes 30000 rupees while customer C owes 20000 rupees.
In short, the subsidiary accounts provide detailed information about each and every transaction. They help us to find useful information quickly and easily. They help us analyze the business policies and take corrective actions.
Thus, we can conclude that accounts receivable is a subledger account that provides us detailed information about the various credit transactions and the amount that each customer owes to the business. It helps us analyze our credit policies and take corrective actions. It helps us identify and classify bad debts as such on
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