• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free ACCA & CIMA online courses from OpenTuition

Free ACCA & CIMA online courses from OpenTuition

Free Notes, Lectures, Tests and Forums for ACCA and CIMA exams

  • ACCA
  • CIMA
  • FIA
  • OBU
  • Books
  • Forums
  • Ask AI
  • Search
  • Register
  • Login
  • ACCA Forums
  • Ask ACCA Tutor
  • CIMA Forums
  • Ask CIMA Tutor
  • FIA
  • OBU
  • Buy/Sell Books
  • All Forums
  • Latest Topics

June 2025 ACCA Exam Results

Comments & Instant poll >>

20% off ACCA & CIMA Books

OpenTuition recommends the new interactive BPP books for June 2025 exams.
Get your discount code >>

list of balances

Forums › Ask ACCA Tutor Forums › Ask the Tutor ACCA FA – FIA FFA › list of balances

  • This topic has 11 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by John Moffat.
Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • March 8, 2015 at 7:42 am #231657
    mp-open
    Member
    • Topics: 96
    • Replies: 167
    • ☆☆☆

    Hallo,

    When solving this example, the closing balance of the list of balances is included in the control a/c and I don’t understand and haven’t seen this so far, I thought we only compare them, but why is this done so here:

    Example:
    Tyrell proves the accuracy of its sales and purchase ledgers by preparing monthly control accounts. At 1 May 2012 the following balances existed in the company’s accounting records, and the control accounts agreed:

    Sales ledger control account op. balances
    Debit 188,360
    Credit 2,140

    During May 2012 the following transactions took place:

    Credit sales 101,260
    Returns inwards 9,160
    Cash received from customers 91,270
    Cash discounts allowed 1,430
    Irrecoverable debts written off 460
    Contra settlements 480

    At 31 May 2012 the balances on the customers and supplier personal accounts were extracted and totalled as follows:

    Sales ledger
    Debit balances To be ascertained
    Credit balances 2,680

    A credit balance of $680 had been omitted when listing the sales ledger personal accounts,
    (ii) A contra settlement of $500 had not been included in the totals of transactions prepared for the control accounts,
    (iii) A new employee had mistakenly entered five sales invoices into the purchases day book as if they had been purchase invoices and entered the amounts to new supplier personal accounts. The total of these invoices was $1,360.
    (iv) A $20 cash refund to a customer was made, and has not been included in the summary of transactions given above. The $20 was entered to the customer’s personal account as if it had been a cash receipt from the customer, and this resulted in a $40 credit balance on the account, which was still outstanding at 31 May 2012.

    Solution: I will give it only for Sales Ledger control a/c, as my question is analogous to the Purchase ledger control a/c:

    Sales Ledger Control Account

    Dr
    Balance b/d 188,360
    Credit sales 101,260
    Credit sales (omitted invoices) (iii) 1,360
    Cash(cash refund)(iv) 20
    Balance c/d (Insert from adjustmen iv above) 3,320 = 3360-40 (2×20) (Why?)
    = Total 294,320
    Balance b/d 188,880

    Cr
    Balance b/d 2,140
    Returns inwards 9,160
    Cash received from customers 91,270
    Cash discounts allowed 1,430
    Irrecoverable debts written off 460
    Contra with purchase ledger 480
    Contra adjustment (ii) 500
    Balance c/d (Balancing figure) 188,880
    = Total 294,320
    Balance b/d 3,320

    My Q: Why in the Sales ledger control a/c they have entered as a Cr
    “Balance c/d (iv above) 3,320 = 3360-40 (2×20)”
    – can we do without it, or it’s necessary?
    – I don’t see a reason to include it, or is there?

    Otherwise, when they solve for the list of sales ledger balances they find its opening balance, is this why they include the list of balances in the control a/c, as they seem then interrelated?

    At 1 May 2012 ? – Missing figure found backwards => 184,840
    Omitted credit balance (680)
    Sales invoices omitted 1,360
    Cash refund error 40
    _____
    At 31 May 2012 (188,880 – 3,320) 185,560

    Thank you!

    March 8, 2015 at 9:48 am #231673
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54704
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    The net balance on the control account before corrections is:

    188360 – 2140 + 101260 – 9160 – 91270 -1430 -460 – 480 = 184680

    However, correcting for the mistakes, the net balance should be:

    184680 – 500 (missing contras) +1360 (missing invoices) +20 (missing refund) = 185560

    In the receivables ledger there is a credit balance at the moment of 2680. However this should be 2680 + 680 (balance omitted) – 40 (credit balance which should not exist) = 3320

    So, the correct total of the debit balances in the ledger should be 185560 + 3320 = 188880.

    However, the total of the debits is wrong at the moment because it does not include the missing invoices of 1360.

    So the existing total of the debit balances is 188880 – 1360 = 187520.

    March 8, 2015 at 12:08 pm #231697
    mp-open
    Member
    • Topics: 96
    • Replies: 167
    • ☆☆☆

    Hallo,

    1. But, they say that the opening balance of the list of balances is:
    At 1 May 2012 => 184,840, so they don’t include the 2680, why?

    2. I got confused as well, that they enter the 3320 on the dr side of the SLCA, and I was wondering why, what does that help in solving the example? We can find the closing balance in the SLCA without it anyway?

    3. Could you explain why they say that the $20 was entered to the customer’s personal account as if it had been a cash receipt from the customer, this results in a $40 credit balance on the account? Why do they say $40 credit balance, how is it decided that it is a credit balance, to correct this we have to enter 40 on the dr side?

    Thank you!

    March 8, 2015 at 2:05 pm #231712
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54704
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    I do not know why that say that the balance at 1 May 2012 is 184,840, I didn’t write their answer!
    According to what you typed, the question said there was a debit of 188,360 and a credit of 2,140.

    Again, I cannot tell you why they typed 3,320 on the debit side of the control account. What I typed in my previous reply is correct.

    The $20 was a refund. They would only have made a refund if they owed money to the customer. So there must have been a $20 credit balance.
    When they refund the money, the correct entry would have been to cr cash and dr ledger account, so the balance would have been zero.
    However, since the by mistake credited the ledger account it would have left a credit balance of $40.

    March 8, 2015 at 3:46 pm #231721
    mp-open
    Member
    • Topics: 96
    • Replies: 167
    • ☆☆☆

    Hallo,

    Ok, thanks a lot, I understood the 40 reason, we have once a Cr 20 as “owing to” and once again Cr 20, because of their mistake in the SLCA.

    I think the reason for their amount to be 184840 is because of the following that they do:

    187520 – 2680 = 184840

    Also, this answer is received when:

    cl.bal. 185560 – 1360 – 40 + 680 = op. bal. 184840, so they find what the op. bal. is before making the corrections for 1360/40/680, and I don’t know why they have excluded the closing balance of 2680, do you know why, maybe because we use now the 185560 as closing balance instead of 2680, or is there another reason?

    Also, we get the same number of 184840 if we do:
    188880 – 2680 – 1360 = op. bal. 184840, I assume the 188880 includes the cl. bal. of 2680 (or maybe this is not correctly said), so here it is removed, the1360 is subtracted again to get the status before correction.

    So, they work backwards, the only thing I don’t quite understand is what role the 2680 plays, it is added to the 185560 to get to 188880, and is subtracted from 188880 to get to the opening balance, what is the meaning of it, as now they cancel each other?

    If I make a check with your number for op. bal. of 187520, I don’t get the closing balance of 185560, e.g.
    187520+40+1360-680 = 188240
    and
    184840+40+1360-680 = 185560

    What do you think?

    Thank you!

    March 8, 2015 at 5:09 pm #231728
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54704
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Yes – you are correct. I should have got 184840 (as per your last line).

    I haven’t bothered with what they have done. I have done it what I think is the most sensible and easiest way. It is up to you which way you do it because all that will be marked is the final answer anyway.

    July 12, 2015 at 4:49 am #260583
    rkwasim
    Member
    • Topics: 7
    • Replies: 28
    • ☆

    Hey John,
    Could you tell me in above answer why did you add the personal account’s cr balance in SLCA . Thanks

    July 12, 2015 at 10:05 am #260606
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54704
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Because the overall figure on the control account will be the debit balance less the credit balance. So the debit balance is the overall figure plus the credit balance.

    July 12, 2015 at 7:46 pm #260644
    rkwasim
    Member
    • Topics: 7
    • Replies: 28
    • ☆

    Hey John,
    Sorry i need some explanation on this. Sales ledger is list of debtor. SLCA is total receiveable. In the first place, why we are carrying Dr and Cr balances in Sales ledger and SLCA instead B/f Dr Balance. Secondly why we add sales ledger cr balance in SLCA. Because we carried Sales day book down in SLCA. THANKS

    July 13, 2015 at 7:23 am #260668
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54704
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Most receivables ledger balances will be debit balances because they owe us money.

    However, it is possible for there to be a credit balance (for example, maybe a customer has accidentally overpaid).

    Suppose there are customers owing us 10,000 in total and also one customer who has overpaid and so we owe them 1,000.

    That means that the net balance on the receivables ledger control will be 9,000.
    If that includes one credit balance of 1,000 then it means the total of the debit balances will be 10,000.

    July 13, 2015 at 7:43 am #260670
    rkwasim
    Member
    • Topics: 7
    • Replies: 28
    • ☆

    Thanks John eventually I got the senses now ????

    July 13, 2015 at 3:20 pm #260682
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54704
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    You are welcome 🙂

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Log In

Primary Sidebar

Donate
If you have benefited from our materials, please donate

ACCA News:

ACCA My Exam Performance for non-variant

Applied Skills exams is available NOW

ACCA Options:  “Read the Mind of the Marker” articles

Subscribe to ACCA’s Student Accountant Direct

ACCA CBE 2025 Exams

How was your exam, and what was the exam result?

BT CBE exam was.. | MA CBE exam was..
FA CBE exam was.. | LW CBE exam was..

Donate

If you have benefited from OpenTuition please donate.

PQ Magazine

Latest Comments

  • AdityaSairam on Overcapitalisation and Overtrading – ACCA Financial Management (FM)
  • verweijlisa on Financial performance – Example 2 – ACCA Financial Reporting (FR)
  • John Moffat on Linear Programming – Spare capacity and Shadow prices – ACCA Performance Management (PM)
  • John Moffat on The Statement of Financial Position and Income Statement (part d)
  • Salexy on Linear Programming – Spare capacity and Shadow prices – ACCA Performance Management (PM)

Copyright © 2025 · Support · Contact · Advertising · OpenLicense · About · Sitemap · Comments · Log in