General Ledger Report
This guide explains how to use the General Ledger report to view and analyze all financial transactions in your organization with powerful grouping and multi-currency capabilities.
What is the General Ledger Report?β
The General Ledger report provides a comprehensive view of all financial transactions within your organization. This report is especially valuable for businesses managing multiple currencies, offering detailed insights with flexible transaction analysis across different dimensions.
Why is the General Ledger report important?
The General Ledger report is essential because it:
- Offers a detailed view of all transactions with flexible grouping options
- Provides multi-currency support at an unprecedented level of detail
- Helps track and analyze transactions across different dimensions like accounts, types, and dates
- Allows for in-depth financial analysis and reconciliation
Key Featuresβ
The General Ledger report includes powerful features for comprehensive financial analysis:
- Multiple currency views: See original currency amounts, ledger account currency, and base accounting currency
- Detailed transaction breakdown: View gross amount, net amount, and tax amount for each transaction in respective currencies
- Exchange rate information: Track FX rates for easy currency conversion monitoring
- Flexible grouping options: Group transactions by Ledger Account, Transaction Type, Date, Year, Quarter, or Month
How to Generate a General Ledger Reportβ
Before you begin, ensure you have transactions recorded in your accounts for the period you want to analyze.
Stepsβ
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Navigate to the reports section
From the left menu, click Accounting, then select Reports. Choose General Ledger from the available reports.
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Select your accounts
Use the account selector to choose all accounts or specific ones you want to include in the report.
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Set your date range
Choose the time period for which you want to view transactions.
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Choose your grouping option
Select how you want to organize your transactions: Ledger Account, Transaction Type, Date, Year, Quarter, or Month.
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Customize report settings
Adjust the following options to tailor your report:
- Switch between Cash and Accrual accounting methods
- Toggle between Summary and Detailed views
- Enable the option to divide large numbers by 1000 for easier reading
- Hide empty accounts with no transactions in the selected period
- Show or hide opening and closing balances for each group
Customization Optionsβ
You can tailor the report view with these options:
- Account selection: View all accounts or focus on specific ones
- Date range: Set the time period for transaction visibility
- Grouping option: Choose how to organize transactions for analysis
- Cash vs. Accrual: Switch between accounting methods
- Summary/Detail toggle: Select between high-level overview or detailed transaction view
- Empty account visibility: Hide accounts with no activity in the selected period
- Balance display: Show or hide opening and closing balances for each group
Understanding Report Columnsβ
The General Ledger report displays extensive information for each transaction across multiple columns.
See a breakdown of the columns in the report
Basic transaction information:
- Group: The grouping category, such as Ledger Account, Transaction Type, or Date
- Date: When the transaction occurred
- Type: The transaction type, such as invoice, expense, or transfer
- Name: The client or vendor name
- Category: The assigned transaction category
- Description: Brief transaction description
Amount details:
The report shows three amount types:
- Gross amount: Total transaction amount
- Net amount: Amount excluding tax
- Tax amount: Tax portion of the transaction
Currency breakdown:
Each amount appears in three currencies:
- Original currency: The currency used when the transaction was recorded
- Account currency: The currency of the account (for revenue and expenses, this is the base currency)
- Base currency: Your company's base accounting currency
Additional information:
- Balance: Running balance of the group when enabled
- Tax rate: Applicable tax rate for the transaction
- FX rate: Exchange rate between base currency and account currency
Customizing Report Columnsβ
You can customize which columns appear in your report to focus on the most relevant data for your needs.
Steps to Customize Columnsβ
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Open the column selector
Click the gear icon in the report view.
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Select your columns
In the column selector, add or remove columns as needed.
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Apply your changes
Your column selection will be applied to the report view and respected when you export the report.
Available columns for customization
- Number
- Type
- Client/Vendor
- Description
- Gross Amount (Original Currency)
- Net Amount (Original Currency)
- Tax Amount (Original Currency)
- FX rate
Customizing your columns can significantly streamline your report, especially when dealing with specific multi-currency scenarios or focusing on particular transaction details.
Exporting Your Reportβ
You can export your General Ledger report for further analysis or sharing with stakeholders.
Export Optionsβ
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Click the export button
Located at the top right of the screen.
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Choose your format
Select between Google Sheets or Excel format.
Exporting to a spreadsheet allows for further customization and analysis, especially useful for complex multi-currency scenarios and detailed financial reviews.
Best Practicesβ
Regular review of your General Ledger report helps you:
- Maintain accurate books across multiple currencies
- Understand currency impacts on your finances
- Analyze financial data across various dimensions
- Gain deep insights into your organization's financial activities
- Make informed business decisions based on comprehensive transaction data