What is the difference between a journal and a ledger?

A journal and ledger are two types of books that are routinely used in the process of accounting. Considered key to what is known as double entry accounting, each of these books serves specific purposes within the overall process of keeping accurate financial records. While many of the transactions posted in both the journal and ledger are the same, there are key differences in the purpose and function of each of these accounting books.

One of the most basic differences between the journal and ledger is when they are employed in the accounting process. The journal serves as the accounting book in which a transaction is first entered into the accounting system, with the transaction often referred to as the original entry. Later in the process, that same transaction will be posted as an entry into the ledger, where that entry will be positioned in relation to other entries for purposes of evaluation and analysis.

Another important difference between the journal and ledger is the order of the entries within the records. Journals are always arranged in chronological order, making it very easy to identify which transactions are associated with a given business day, week, or other billing period. By contrast, the arrangement of entries within a ledger have more to do with grouping like transactions together into specific accounts for purposes of assessing the data for internal financial and accounting purposes.

Journal is the main record which records all the financial transactions in accordance with the method of accounting entry .

Ledger is a record that includes all the accounts that appeared in the journal.

the Journal means we file the Document, for  example we paid amount, salary, or petty cash, recived or paid vouchers copy,

ledger means amount or things which you will give and take with certain test numbers or id number.

thank you.

sultan shariff yousuf.

Accounting is a process of Identifying, recording, classifying, summarizing, analyzing and reporting the transactions of a business. First you have to identify the transactions which can be measured in a monitory terms. Then you will record those transaction on a set of book called journals by means of journal entries. Then similar nature of transaction are put together under a single head called Ledger. And the process of transferring journal transactions to Ledger is called Posting.

Journal is a record of adjustment entries not involving cash or back payments.It is used for adjusting and . correcting entries.There is no balance in these entries.These are posted to Ledger .

Ledger is a record of various Accounts-nominal ,real,personal.The net balance will show the position of various accounts.

. A journal is first of all in financial accounting and a ledger is coming directly after

THE defference so big ,because the Ledger in bigger than journal and any transaction happen in journal will effect in ledger but if there are any transaction in ledger will not effect in journal

in the end the difference is between them in natrual

A ledger is the record of entries. The name ledger comes from the time when ledgers were very large books in which all of the finance entries for a person or business were stored. They would be stored on the window ledge as the space was available and it would allow the scribe to be able to use the light provided from the window. A journal is used to make entries into the accounts, so you use a journal to make entries into a ledger.

I think they are very well told by my predecessors in their answers and everything nice and precisely explained: that is the first to the second, which records daily changes and how ...

Journals are referred to as books of original entry. All routin routine accounting entries are recorded in a journal in order by date. A company might use special journals sales, purchases, cash disbursements, cash receipts for routine transactions, but there will always be a general journal in which to record nonroutine transactions, such as depreciation, bad debts, sale of an asset, etc.

A journal and ledger are two types of books that are routinely used in the process of accounting. Considered key to what is known as double entry accounting, each of these books serves specific purposes within the overall process of keeping accurate financial records. While many of the transactions posted in both the journal and ledger are the same, there are key differences in the purpose and function of each of these accounting books