Bookkeeping › Sales & Purchase Ledgers

What is the difference between the sales ledger and the sales account?

Beginner

Answer

The sales account is a nominal (income) account in the general ledger recording total sales revenue. The sales ledger is a set of personal accounts, one per customer, tracking who owes what. Sales revenue hits the sales account; amounts owed by customers sit in the sales ledger, controlled by the receivables control account.
Real-world example Total revenue is credited to the sales account, while individual customer balances live in the sales ledger.

Common follow-ups: Which records revenue? | Which tracks individual customers?