CHAPTER 4 NOTES
PAGES 96-98
 Posting: transferring information from a journal entry to a ledger
account
1. sorts journal entries so that all debits and credits affecting
each account are brought together
 Two rules for posting amounts from a journal
1. separate amounts in a journal’s general amount columns are
posted individually to the account written the Account Title
column
2. separate amounts in a journal’s special amount columns are
not posted individually—only the totals of the special amount
columns are posted to the account named in the heading of
the special amount column (sales and cash)
 Posting an amount from a General Debit column (5 steps)
1. Write the date-the first entry should include month & year
2. Write the journal page number in the Post. Ref. (Posting
Reference) column
3. Write the debit amount in the Debit amount column
4. Write the new account balance in the Balance Debit Column
5. Return to the journal and write the account number in the
Post. Ref. column of the journal
 Post. Ref. serves 3 purposes:
1. an entry in an account can be traced to its source journal
2. an entry in a journal can be traced to where it was posted in
an account
3. if posting is interrupted, the accountant can easily see which
entries in the journal still need to be posted
 a blank in the Post. Ref. column of the journal indicates
that posting for that line still needs to be completed.
 posting reference to the journal should always be the
last step in the posting procedure
 Posting a second debit amount to an account
o Follow the same steps as the first amount posted with the
following exceptions:
 only put the day in the date column
 add the two debits together to find the new account
balance
 Posting an amount from the General Credit column
o Follow the same 5 steps as posting from a General Debit
column, with the exception of putting the amount in the
Credit column