Purchases day book definition

What is a Purchases Day Book?

A purchases day book is an accounting ledger in which purchasing transactions are recorded. This book is most commonly found in manual accounting systems , where purchases are recorded by hand in a ledger. The basic information recorded in a purchases day book includes the transaction date, name of the supplier , supplier invoice number, and supplier invoice amount.

At regular intervals, and always at the end of a reporting period , the transactions in the day book are summarized and carried forward ( posted ) to the general ledger. If anyone were to research a transaction, they would need to return to the day book in order to find the specifics of a transaction.

Advantages of a Purchases Day Book

The purchases day book is used to keep purchasing transactions from overwhelming the general ledger , which can be a major problem in a manual record keeping environment. A further benefit is that the purchases day book concentrates all purchasing transactions in one place, where they are easier to research.

Terms Similar to Purchases Day Book

A purchases day book is also known as a purchases journal .

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