Form 29. Standard Ledger—Divided Column
Form 30. Standard Ledger—Center Column
Form 31. Balance Ledger Rulings
Form 32. Balance Ledger Rulings
Kinds of Ledgers.—There are several kinds of ledgers, which may be classified (1) as to their rulings, and (2) as to their bindings.
1. Rulings. As to their rulings, ledgers are either standard, balance, or progressive. The standard ruling has two duplicate parts, a debit and a credit, and is usually divided in the center of the page, one money column appearing at the extreme right of each part, although sometimes the arrangement is symmetrical with both debit and credit money columns at the center, and the date columns at either side of the page. (See Forms [29] and [30].)
The balance ruling is a three or four-column ledger with the money columns either at the center or at the right-hand margin, or at both the center and the right-hand margin. The extra columns are for the account balances. If the balance is usually either a debit or a credit, only one balance column would be necessary; where it is apt to be a debit at one time and a credit at another, a debit balance column and a credit balance column are advantageous. The balance ruling is used particularly with personal accounts where there is need for an up-to-date balance. Where this kind of ledger is used, entry of new debits or credits should always be on the next blank line as shown in the balance column, so as to allow the extension of the new balance opposite the last entry even though this should leave blank several of the preceding lines on the debit and credit sides. Typical forms of some of these are shown in Forms 31 and 32.