What is Ledger Balance?

A ledger balance is an opening balance that remains available during the start of each business day. It comprises all the deposits and withdrawals used to calculate the total funds left in an account at the end of the previous day.

How can Ledger Balance be Calculated at the End of the Day?

A ledger balance can be calculated by combining the closing balance from each business day for a particular month and dividing the result by the number of days from a specific month. The closing balance of a business day reflects all the financial transactions posted that day and all the pending financial transactions not yet posted. In other words, it can be calculated by adding all the credits and deducting all the debits made from the opening balance of the day.

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How does Ledger Balance Work?

A ledger balance is regularly updated at the end of each business day after the approval and processing of all financial transactions. It represents the account’s closing balance as an opening balance for the very next business day. This balance is calculated by banks once all the financial transactions such asInterest Income is the amount of revenue generated by interest-yielding investments like certificates of deposit, savings accounts, or other investments & it is reported in the Company’s income statement. read more interest incomeInterest IncomeInterest Income is the amount of revenue generated by interest-yielding investments like certificates of deposit, savings accounts, or other investments & it is reported in the Company’s income statement. read more, deposits, cleared checks, wire transfers, debit transactions, cleared credit cards, etc., are posted and rectified for errors.

Examples of Ledger Balance

  • A has $400 as a ledger balance, out of which $300 belongs to a check that he has recently deposited. The deposited check is still kept on hold. In such a case, A can withdraw only up to $100 from his bank account.A has $100 as his ledger balance. His credit total for the day is $25, which he has deposited at his local branch. His debit totals for the day are $10 that he has withdrawn at an ATM—his balance totals $115.

Difference between Ledger vs. Available Balance

  • Customers’ available balance is the aggregate amount of funds accessible for withdrawal purposes at a particular point in time. In contrast, a ledger balance is an opening balance available at the start of a business day.This balance may not change that frequently compared to the available balance since it keeps fluctuating very often throughout the business day as financial transactions occur for a particular bank account.This balance is not updated frequently for real-time transactions, while the available balance is continuously updated.It is the opening balance and is updated only at the day end. In contrast, the available balance can be calculated by deducting check holds, permanent holds, and temporary holds from the ledger balance.Unlike available balance, ledger balance doesn’t comprise debits and credits earned from transactions not yet posted to bank accounts.

Ledger Balance vs. Memo Balance

  • Ledger balance considers all the financial transactions, such as cleared checks, finalized debit card transactions, etc., that are officially posted.On the other hand, the memo balance shows the account balance, taking into account all financial items when they hit the holder’s bank account.

Can anybody Withdraw Money from the Ledger Balance?

No, one can take out only what is available. Some items like debit cards that are used as “charge cards” are not immediately reflected, and hence one can only withdraw and spend the amount available in their bank account. For example- A has $5,000 as a ledger balance, but the available balance is only $3,000. It means A can withdraw an amount equal to or less than $3,000.

Effect of the Financial Planning

Before making a withdrawal, one must always look at their available balance. One must not decide based on ledger balance as the same is not frequently updated. On the other hand, the available balance is regularly updated, and it includes updates concerning real-time transactions.

Importance

  • It is the opening balance and not the closing balance for any business day. Like the customers’ available balance, the closing balance for ledger balance is generally calculated at the end of a business day.Account-holders may not necessarily get access to recent and updated information on mobile or net banking. Only a few banks display both the available and current balances, which allow customers to tell how much funds they have consumed at their disposal.Even the bank statements are not reliable enough. As stated earlier, balances displayed on bank statements are derived from ledger balances on a statement date. Transactions like withdrawals, deposits, written checks, etc., conducted post the statement date will surely impact the available balance.One must always ensure that they are taking the most recent balance into use at all times, and therefore, the records must always be kept updated for the same purpose.

Conclusion

The ledger balance is the opening balance reflected in the bank account at the beginning of a business day and remains unchanged for the entire day. It is different from memo balance and the customer’s available balance. The bank calculates it at the end of every business day, including debit and credit transactions. It is always vital for account holders to keep their records up to date since neither the bank statements nor online banking reflects the updated information.

All of these accounts are assigned a particular account number. These accounts are divided into various groups, such as liabilities, assets, revenues, equities, and expenses. Some of these accounts have credit balances, while others have debit balances. All of these accounts are divided into different groups. The asset and expense account has a normalDebit represents either an increase in a company’s expenses or a decline in its revenue. read more debitDebitDebit represents either an increase in a company’s expenses or a decline in its revenue. read more, while the liability, equity, and revenue account has a normal credit balance.

This has been a guide to a ledger balance and its meaning. Here we discuss how ledger balance works along with examples and its differences from available balance and Memo balance. You can learn more about accounting from the following articles –

  • Cash MemoBank Reconciliation MeaningSubledgerExamples of Ledger AccountCook the books