Last reviewed: July 2026.
Company accounting records provide the evidence and detailed data needed to prepare reliable financial statements. A modern company normally uses integrated sales, purchases, cash, payroll, inventory and fixed-asset systems feeding a controlled general ledger.
Legal retention and filing rules vary by jurisdiction, but the accounting objective is consistent: transactions should be complete, accurate, authorised, classified and traceable.
Core accounting records
| Record | Information held | Main reconciliation |
|---|---|---|
| General ledger | Financial-statement accounts and journals | Adjusted trial balance and financial statements |
| Receivables records | Customer invoices, receipts, credits and balances | Receivables control total and customer statements |
| Payables records | Supplier invoices, credits, payments and balances | Payables control total and supplier statements |
| Inventory records | Quantities, locations and costs | Physical counts and inventory ledger |
| Fixed asset register | Cost, location, depreciation and disposals | PPE ledger balances |
| Bank and cash records | Receipts, payments and transfers | Bank statements and cash counts |
Source documents
Invoices, contracts, receipts, goods-received records, payroll evidence, bank records and approved journals support accounting entries. Electronic documents should retain authenticity, completeness and retrieval controls.
See the source documents guide.
General ledger
The general ledger aggregates financial information from subledgers and journals. It supports the trial balance, period close and financial-statement mapping.
Review the computerised general ledger guide.
Receivables records
Customer records should show invoices, credit notes, receipts, allocations, disputes and ageing. Reconcile the customer total to the general ledger and investigate old credits, unapplied cash and negative balances.
Payables records
Supplier records support invoice approval, payment scheduling and statement reconciliation. Controls should identify duplicate invoices, unauthorised suppliers and changed bank details.
Use the purchase ledger controls guide.
Inventory records
Inventory records should identify item, quantity, cost, location and movement. Reconcile system quantities to physical counts and investigate negative quantities, damage, obsolescence and cut-off differences.
Fixed asset register
The register should include asset ID, cost, available-for-use date, location, useful life, depreciation, impairment, revaluation and disposal information.
Review the fixed asset register guide.
Payroll records
Maintain employee master data, approved pay rates, attendance, deductions, benefits, tax calculations and payment evidence. Separate payroll preparation, approval and payment release.
Share and equity records
Companies should reconcile accounting entries for share capital, other contributed equity, dividends and treasury shares with board resolutions, shareholder approvals and the legal share register.
Debt and financing records
Loan schedules should identify principal, effective interest, coupon payments, security, covenants and maturities. Reconcile debt balances with lender statements and contracts.
Journal records
Every journal should include date, accounts, amount, explanation, supporting evidence, preparer and approver. Restrict manual journals and review unusual or late postings.
Chart of accounts and dimensions
Use controlled account definitions and dimensions such as department, project and location. Uncontrolled account creation reduces comparability and complicates reporting.
Period-end reconciliations
- bank and cash;
- receivables and payables subledgers;
- inventory and fixed assets;
- payroll and taxes;
- debt and interest;
- intercompany balances;
- equity and retained earnings.
Audit trail
The system should show who created, changed, approved and posted each transaction. Preserve original values and change history rather than overwriting evidence without trace.
Access controls
Apply least-privilege access, role separation, strong authentication and periodic user reviews. Terminated users and excessive administrator access create significant risk.
Record retention
Retention periods depend on tax, corporate, employment and regulatory law. The company should maintain a documented schedule covering accounting records, supporting documents, approvals and system backups.
Data protection and cybersecurity
Accounting data can include personal, banking and commercially sensitive information. Protect it through encryption, backups, incident response and vendor controls.
Financial statement preparation
Accounting records must support classification, measurement, estimates and note disclosures. A balanced ledger alone does not prove that reporting is complete or compliant.
Use the financial statements guide and the accounting process guide.
Intercompany and consolidation records
Group companies need consistent intercompany identifiers, counterparty balances and transaction categories. Reconcile intercompany accounts before consolidation and retain evidence for elimination entries.
Estimates and supporting schedules
Provisions, expected credit losses, useful lives, fair values and tax balances require calculation schedules and approval, not only transaction documents. Link each estimate to assumptions, evidence and management review.
Cloud system and vendor records
When records are hosted by a provider, retain service agreements, backup responsibilities, data-location information, access logs and exit procedures. The company remains responsible for the integrity and availability of its accounting records.
Management reporting records
Budget, cost-centre and project data may not appear directly in statutory statements, but it supports monitoring and analysis. Reconcile management reports with the general ledger so decisions use consistent figures.
Control checklist
- approve master-data changes;
- reconcile all material accounts;
- review exceptions and failed interfaces;
- control journals and period locks;
- test backups and recovery;
- retain evidence for estimates;
- review access and segregation regularly.
Common mistakes
- treating invoices as the only required records;
- failing to reconcile subledgers;
- allowing direct ledger changes without support;
- keeping duplicate uncontrolled spreadsheets;
- ignoring legal retention and privacy requirements;
- using outdated master data;
- assuming accounting software guarantees accuracy.
Key takeaway
Company accounting records form a controlled evidence system. Reliable reporting requires complete source data, reconciled subledgers, secure access, documented journals and a clear audit trail.
Official learning references: ACCA process for preparing financial statements, ACCA computerised accounting systems, and ACCA computerised accounting and the auditor.