Question 1 Report
Which of the following is not a credit item in the Sales Ledger Control Account?
The Sales Ledger Control Account mirrors, in total, all the individual debtor accounts kept in the sales ledger. It opens with the total debtors owed at the start of the period, is debited with everything that increases what customers owe, and is credited with everything that reduces what customers owe.
Cash received from debtors, discount allowed to them for prompt payment, and returns inward (goods customers send back) all reduce the amount debtors owe, so each is correctly recorded as a credit entry in this account.
A dishonoured cheque works the opposite way. When a customer's cheque is not honoured by the bank, the amount that customer owes is not actually settled after all, so the debt has to be reinstated. This is recorded as a debit entry in the Sales Ledger Control Account, increasing the balance back up, not a credit entry reducing it.
Examination reminder: think of the control account from the business's point of view: anything that genuinely reduces what customers owe (cash, discount allowed, returns, bad debts, bills receivable) is a credit; anything that increases or restores the debt, such as further credit sales, dishonoured cheques, or interest charged, is a debit.
Everything you need to excel in your exams