{"id":29857,"date":"2026-04-23T12:23:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=29857"},"modified":"2026-05-20T11:51:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:51:52","slug":"general-ledger-vs-general-journal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/general-ledger-vs-general-journal\/","title":{"rendered":"General journal vs general ledger: What&#8217;s the difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--standard entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--standard\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGeneral journal vs general ledger: What&#8217;s the difference?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGeneral ledgers and general journals are important financial tools for any business. But what exactly are they, and how do they differ from each other? Learn about their purposes and the difference between a general ledger and a general journal.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-04-23T12:23:28+01:00\">23 April, 2026<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"General journal vs general ledger: What&#8217;s the difference?\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/general-ledger-vs-general-journal\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/laurencematone\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/Profile_LM-350x350.jpeg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Laurence Matone\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Laurence Matone<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to keep your financial records accurate and organised? Your accountant or finance team can help with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if you&#8217;re in a management position of a small, medium-sized, or growing company, it&#8217;s important that you have a grasp of how your financial record-keeping and reporting work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your general journal and general ledger are key players in your financial toolkit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both are essential for any business, forming a core part of your accounting system. They provide the foundation for recording, organising, and summarising all your financial transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what exactly are they used for, and how are they different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Explore this guide to general journals versus general ledgers to better understand what they do and their main differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s what we&#8217;ll cover:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-what-is-a-general-journal-and-what-is-its-purpose\" data-level=\"2\">What is a general journal and what is its purpose?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-what-is-a-general-ledger-and-what-is-its-purpose\" data-level=\"2\">What is a general ledger and what is its purpose?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-key-differences-general-journal-vs-general-ledger\" data-level=\"2\">Key differences: General journal vs general ledger<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-ledger-and-journal-examples-basic-structure\" data-level=\"2\">Ledger and journal examples: Basic structure<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-automate-your-general-ledger-and-general-journal\" data-level=\"2\">Automate your general ledger and general journal<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-key-takeaways-for-managing-your-financial-records\" data-level=\"2\">Key takeaways for managing your financial records<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-a-general-journal-and-what-is-its-purpose\"><strong>What is a general journal and what is its purpose?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In accounting, the general journal, or journal entries, is a chronological log of every event, with all the important details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The date<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The accounts involved<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The amounts debited and credited<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A short description.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples of general journal entries are things like asset sales, depreciation, interest income, interest expense, and stock sales and repurchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This initial record is crucial for maintaining accuracy in your accounting. It helps you make sure that every transaction is accounted for and nothing slips through the cracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-a-general-ledger-and-what-is-its-purpose\"><strong>What is a general ledger and what is its purpose?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve recorded everything in the general journal, these entries are posted to the general ledger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/glossary\/what-is-a-general-ledger\/\">general ledger<\/a> is a complete record of your business&#8217;s financial activity, sorting transactions by account, making it easy to generate reports and analyse your financial data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It summarises all your financial transactions across various accounts, organised into categories such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Assets (what you own)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Liabilities (what you owe)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Revenue (what you earn).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s the central hub for your financial information. You can see how money flows in and out of your business, which helps you create important financial reports like your balance sheet and income statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These reports give you a clear picture of your business&#8217;s financial health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The general ledger also ensures your accounts stay balanced by following the accounting equation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Assets = Liabilities + Equity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This built-in balancing act helps you keep your finances organised and make informed business decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-key-differences-general-journal-vs-general-ledger\"><strong>Key differences: General journal vs general ledger<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The general ledger and journal play different roles in your accounting, so they have slightly different structures and components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s a breakdown of the key differences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-level-of-detail\"><strong>Level of detail<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the main differences between a general journal and a general ledger is the level of detail recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your general journal is your raw data, with individual transaction details listed in date order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This makes it easy to trace specific transactions, for example, for auditing purposes or if you need to check any discrepancies in your financial information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your general ledger, on the other hand, focuses on the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It summarises your transactions, organising everything into categories such as assets and liabilities, to help you understand your overall financial health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-transaction-type\"><strong>Transaction type<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The general journal is your record of all kinds of financial transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This includes non-routine or complex transactions that don&#8217;t fit neatly into specialised journals, such as depreciation, accruals, and big purchases and sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The general ledger is focused on tracking important transactions from the journal, categorising them into five core accounting types:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Assets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Liabilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Owner&#8217;s capital<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Revenues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expenses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s your go-to central information source for financial reporting and analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-corrective-entries\"><strong>Corrective entries<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone makes mistakes, and accounting is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll use your general journal to record corrections, whether it&#8217;s fixing an error or making adjustments at the end of a period so that your reports are accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The general ledger reflects the outcome of these corrections, but it&#8217;s not where you actually make the adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The journal is where you make the changes, whilst the ledger shows the final, corrected results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-preparation-of-trial-balance-and-financial-statements\"><strong>Preparation of trial balance and financial statements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your general journal keeps a careful record of every transaction, but it doesn&#8217;t create your financial statements directly. It simply provides a chronological list of the raw data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The general ledger takes over from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It organises that data by account, allowing you to create a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-a-trial-balance\/\">trial balance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A trial balance shows all your account balances at a specific time. This trial balance then becomes the basis for creating financial statements, such as your balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-double-entry-accounting\"><strong>Double-entry accounting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Both the general journal and the general ledger are key players in double-entry accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means they both record each transaction with two entries: a debit and a credit. This ensures that your accounts stay balanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These matching journal and ledger entries are essential for accurate bookkeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The journal lists these debits and credits for every transaction. The ledger takes those entries and organises them by account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This helps you see how each transaction affects your overall financial position, and it ensures the fundamental accounting equation (assets = liabilities + equity) always stays in balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-summary-of-key-differences\"><strong>Summary of key differences<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Function<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>General journal<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>General ledger<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Level of detail<\/td><td>Highly detailed<\/td><td>Basic summary<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Transaction type<\/td><td>All types<\/td><td>Reflects journal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Corrective entries<\/td><td>Essential for corrections<\/td><td>Reflects journal<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Preparation of trial balance and financial statements<\/td><td>Not used directly<\/td><td>Primary source for reports<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Double-entry accounting<\/td><td>Reflects double-entry<\/td><td>Reflects double-entry<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ledger-and-journal-examples-basic-structure\"><strong>Ledger and journal examples: Basic structure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s use an office supplies purchase as an example for comparing the ledger and the journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-general-journal-example\"><strong>General journal example<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Essential columns:<\/strong> Date, Description, Account(s) Debited, Account(s) Credited, Debit Amount, Credit Amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example entry:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Date: 25 August 2024<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Description: Purchased office supplies on credit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Debit: Office Supplies Expense<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Credit: Accounts Payable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Debit Amount: \u00a3500<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Credit Amount: \u00a3500<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-general-ledger-example\"><strong>General ledger example<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To reflect both the outgoing expense and the source from which it was financed, the general ledger covers this transaction with dual entries in the expense account and accounts payable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Essential columns: <\/strong>Date, Description, Debit Amount, Credit Amount, Running Balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example for office supplies expense account:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Date: 25 August 2024<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Description: Purchase on Credit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Debit Amount: \u00a3500<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Credit Amount: \u00a30<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Balance: \u00a3500<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example for accounts payable account:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Date: 25 August 2024<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Description: Purchase on Credit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Debit Amount: \u00a30<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Credit Amount: \u00a3500<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Balance: \u00a3500<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-automate-your-general-ledger-and-general-journal\"><strong>Automate your general ledger and general journal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can automate both your general journal and general ledger with modern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/accounting-software\/\">accounting software<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means transactions are automatically updated in both by the software. No more manual entry for the general ledger vs journal\u2014the software handles it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This saves you time and minimises the risk of human errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/accounting-software\/ledger-accounting\/\">Ledger accounting software<\/a> also takes care of keeping your account balances up to date and generating reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;ll have real-time insights into your financial standing, with instant financial statements and customisable dashboards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-key-takeaways-for-managing-your-financial-records-nbsp\"><strong>Key takeaways for managing your financial records&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To keep your finances organised, you need to do two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Track your transactions in chronological order<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make sure each transaction is assigned to the correct account.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The general journal and general ledger are essential for this. They&#8217;re the tools you&#8217;ll use to maintain order in your accounting system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But to be truly efficient, you need to connect these tools with the rest of your financial systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By understanding how these tools work and getting the right software solutions in place, you can simplify and automate your financial processes and reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bring all your accounting functions into a single, unified view, saving you admin time that can be spent on working towards your business goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Get MTD-compliant and claim\u00a0free hi vis<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Sage is showing up for tradies on site and on tax with free MTD software and free hi vis work wear. Get started in minutes and claim your kit.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/making-tax-digital\/hi-vis\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"cta-id-30202\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-button-location=\"cta_box\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Claim your PPE<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"915\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/Large-Display.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/05\/Large-Display.jpg 915w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/bookkeeping\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBookkeeping\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-support\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness support\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/cash-flow\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCash flow\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/financial-education\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFinancial education\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/start-business\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to start a business\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-30483 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-free-guides-templates category-people-leadership category-strategy-legal-operations category-trends-insights tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-create-business-plan tag-grow-business tag-make-receive-payments tag-mtd-accountants tag-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax tag-payments tag-performance-management business_type-small-business business_type-accountants card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1214\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-607477465-1214x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-607477465-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-607477465-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-607477465-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" class=\"card-post__meta-icon svg-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M11.988 2.989a.75.75 0 0 0-.739.761v10.689l-1.72-1.72a.75.75 0 0 0-.957-.099.75.75 0 0 0-.315.776c.031.146.104.28.211.384l3 3a.75.75 0 0 0 1.06 0l3-3a.76.76 0 0 0 .231-.533.74.74 0 0 0-.22-.538q-.108-.106-.247-.164c-.139-.058-.191-.057-.291-.056s-.198.022-.29.061-.174.097-.243.169l-1.72 1.72V3.75a.76.76 0 0 0-.22-.541.76.76 0 0 0-.542-.22zM5.75 8.5C4.24 8.5 3 9.74 3 11.25v7C3 19.76 4.24 21 5.75 21h12.5c1.51 0 2.75-1.24 2.75-2.75v-7c0-1.51-1.24-2.75-2.75-2.75h-3a.76.76 0 0 0-.537.216.74.74 0 0 0-.223.535.76.76 0 0 0 .223.535.74.74 0 0 0 .537.216h3c.699 0 1.25.551 1.25 1.25v7a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25 1.25H5.75a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25-1.25v-7c0-.699.551-1.25 1.25-1.25h3a.76.76 0 0 0 .537-.216.74.74 0 0 0 .223-.535.76.76 0 0 0-.223-.535.75.75 0 0 0-.537-.216z\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-19T11:24:18+01:00\">19 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-hidden-hours-behind-late-payments\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tThe hidden hours behind late payments\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tThe debate around late payments is really a debate about time: who absorbs it, who loses it, and whether incoming legislation can give any of it back.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-1043 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-alternative-finance tag-cash-flow tag-crowdfunding business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/a-business-guide-to-borrowing-money\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/0J9A9593-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/0J9A9593-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/0J9A9593-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/08\/0J9A9593.jpg 999w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-05T13:25:08+01:00\">5 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tA business owner&#8217;s guide to borrowing money\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-1543 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-free-guides-templates category-strategy-legal-operations tag-business-continuity tag-create-business-plan tag-grow-business tag-start-business business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-to-write-a-business-plan\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-740534235-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" class=\"card-post__meta-icon svg-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M11.988 2.989a.75.75 0 0 0-.739.761v10.689l-1.72-1.72a.75.75 0 0 0-.957-.099.75.75 0 0 0-.315.776c.031.146.104.28.211.384l3 3a.75.75 0 0 0 1.06 0l3-3a.76.76 0 0 0 .231-.533.74.74 0 0 0-.22-.538q-.108-.106-.247-.164c-.139-.058-.191-.057-.291-.056s-.198.022-.29.061-.174.097-.243.169l-1.72 1.72V3.75a.76.76 0 0 0-.22-.541.76.76 0 0 0-.542-.22zM5.75 8.5C4.24 8.5 3 9.74 3 11.25v7C3 19.76 4.24 21 5.75 21h12.5c1.51 0 2.75-1.24 2.75-2.75v-7c0-1.51-1.24-2.75-2.75-2.75h-3a.76.76 0 0 0-.537.216.74.74 0 0 0-.223.535.76.76 0 0 0 .223.535.74.74 0 0 0 .537.216h3c.699 0 1.25.551 1.25 1.25v7a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25 1.25H5.75a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25-1.25v-7c0-.699.551-1.25 1.25-1.25h3a.76.76 0 0 0 .537-.216.74.74 0 0 0 .223-.535.76.76 0 0 0-.223-.535.75.75 0 0 0-.537-.216z\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-05T11:19:49+01:00\">5 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tFree template: How to write a business plan\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-4239 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations tag-create-business-plan tag-start-business business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/starting-and-planning\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-612742822_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-612742822_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-612742822_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-612742822_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-05T10:02:11+01:00\">5 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow to start a business\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-30318 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-bookkeeping tag-payments business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/what-is-ap-automation\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1128201585-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1128201585-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1128201585-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1128201585-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-02T16:58:53+01:00\">2 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">11 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccounts payable automation: How it works, key benefits, and why your business needs it\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General ledgers and general journals are important financial tools for any business. But what exactly are they, and how do they differ from each other? Learn about their purposes and the difference between a general ledger and a general journal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1911,"featured_media":24791,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[23,124,24,127,12],"business_type":[4,3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[73,74,75],"imagine_tag":[287,77,298],"coauthors":[752],"class_list":["post-29857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-bookkeeping","tag-business-support","tag-cash-flow","tag-financial-education","tag-start-business","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Laurence Matone","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/10\/Untitled-1-2.jpg","imagine_tags":{"287":"Accounting Individual","77":"Accounting software","298":"Small Suites"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1911"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29857"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30215,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29857\/revisions\/30215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/24791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=29857"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=29857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}