The control account is a summary account that is used in facilitating the management of a firm's accounting transactions. It is typically used to simplify the management of multiple related accounts by summarizing them into one single account.
The main purpose of a control account is to provide a quick overview of the status of related accounts. For example, if a firm has several accounts for its debtors, it can create a control account that summarizes all of the debtor accounts. This control account will show the total amount owed by all the debtors, which makes it easier for the firm to manage its accounts receivable.
In addition to providing a summary of related accounts, a control account can also help in the detection of errors. If the total balance in a control account does not match the expected balance, it indicates that there is an error in one or more of the related accounts. This makes it easier to locate the error and correct it.
Therefore, the answer to the question is that the control account is primarily used in facilitating the location of errors in the various accounts. While it can also be used for other purposes, such as summarizing related accounts, its primary function is to simplify the management of accounts and to detect errors.