Financial Accounting › Journals & Ledgers
What is the difference between the general ledger and subsidiary ledgers?
AdvancedAnswer
The general ledger holds summary/control accounts; subsidiary ledgers hold the detail per customer or supplier that sums to the control account.
Sales Ledger Control (GL) = sum of all customer accounts (subsidiary)Real-world example You look up one customer's balance in the receivables subledger, not the GL.