Cash book: Single column, Two column, Contra Entries and Bank overdraft

CONTENT

• Types of Cash Book
• Single Column Cash Book
• Two Column Cash Book
• Contra Entries
• Bank Overdraft

The Cash Book is a subsidiary book of account that is used to record the payments and receipts of money (cash or cheques) to or by a business organisation. The cash book is part of the double entry system. It therefore functions both as a ledger and a subsidiary book of account

Types of Cash Book

1. Single Column Cash Book
2. Two Column Cash Book (or Double Column Cash Book)
3. Three Column Cash Book
4. Petty Cash Book

Single Column Cash Book

This is the simplest form of Cash Book operated by a business and it is used to record all cash transactions. The cash transactions recorded in the cash book can be for cash sales, cash purchases, payment of cash to suppliers, receipt of cash from customers, acquisition of properties (fixed assets) by cash and all other transactions that involved the receipt and payment of cash.

Two Column Cash Book

As a business grows, the owner will realize the need to open a bank account where the business money can be kept. The business will therefore prepare a two column (or double column) Cash Book to record the movements of money. The Cash Account and the Bank Account will appear side-by-side in the Cash Book.

The rules of double entry bookkeeping are still applied. Any money received is debited in the Cash Book. If the money is placed in the cash till, it will be entered in the cash column and if it is paid into the bank or received as cheque, it will be entered in the bank column.

Any money paid out is credited in the Cash Book. If the money is paid in cash it will be entered in the cash column and if it is paid by cheque, it will be entered in the bank column.

The Cash Account and the Bank Accounts must be balanced separately at appropriate interval to determine the Cash in Hand and the Cash at Bank.

Contra Entries

Sometimes surplus cash is paid into the bank, or money may be withdrawn from the bank to the office. Such transactions are known contra entries because they appear on both sides of the Cash Book.

A contra entry occurs when the double entry records of a transaction occurs in the same ledger.

To record cash removed from the office and paid into the bank:

Debit Bank Account

Credit Cash Account

To record cash withdrawn from the bank for office use:

Debit Cash Account

Credit Bank Account

In each case, the letter “c”is usually entered in the folio column of the cash book to indicate that the double entry is on the opposite side of the same book.

EVALUATION

1. List four features of the Cash Book
2. Explain using suitable example the meaning of the term – Contra Entries

It is not possible to have a credit balance on a Cash Account.

The bank may however allow the business to have a bank overdraft. This means that the bank allows the business to pay out more from its bank account than the money they have deposited with the bank. The bank will charge interest on the amount overdrawn.

In the Cash Book, the bank account (i.e bank column) is balanced in the usual way and the balance will be brought down on the credit side. This represents the amount the business owes the bank and is a liability.

EVALUATION

1. Business Accounting 1 Exercise 12.1 and 12.2
2. Simplified and Amplified Financial Accounting Exercise 5x and 6 Page 67

READING ASSIGNMENT

1. Simplified and Amplified Financial Accounting Page 59 – 71
2. Business Accounting 1 Page 90 – 96

GENERAL EVALUATION QUESTIONS

1. Explain the principle of double entry system
2. List eight users of accounting information
3. List eight books of account that are used to keep accounting records
4. State four differences between book-keeping and accounting
5. Explain the term ‘contra entries’

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. Which of the following subsidiary books involves cash movement  A. Sales Day Book     B. Purchases Day Book     C. Returns Inwards Book     D. Cash Book
2. Which of the following books of original entry also serves as a ledger  A. Purchases Day Book            B. Cash Book     C. The Journal    D. Sales Day Book
3. The lodgement of business cash into the business bank account is an example of  A. bank reconciliation     B. self balancing ledger    C. contra entry    D. reversal entry
4. Nwoye buys goods and pays by cheque. The entries in the books of Nwoye is debit   A. Purchases; Credit Cheque    B. Purchases; Credit Bank     C. Bank; Credit Purchases    D. Cheques; Credit Purchases
5. A debit entry in the Cash Account and a corresponding credit entry in Aliu’s Account indicate a  A. sales of goods to Aliu for cash     B. purchase of goods from Aliu for cash    C. receipt of cash from Aliu    D. payment of cash to Aliu

THEORY

1. List three source documents that are used in preparing the Cash Book
2. Explain the term ‘Bank Overdraft’