Free general ledger template for Excel (with a trial balance)
A general ledger is the full set of books in double entry: every transaction posted to the accounts in your chart of accounts, with debits equal to credits, so each account has its own balance and the trial balance proves the whole thing adds up. Accounting software keeps one for you, but a spreadsheet ledger is still how many bookkeepers rebuild a messy year, teach the basics or keep a very small business. This free Excel template is a general journal with a running balance per account and a trial balance beside it, set up with 50 numbered starter accounts. Below: what's in the file, the columns, a worked month that ties to the bank statement, the debit and credit rules, and what to check when it doesn't balance.
Short answer: download the general ledger template (.xlsx). Record each transaction as an entry: two or more lines with the same Entry #, an Account # from the drop-down, and each amount in Debit or Credit. The Entry check column shows OK when an entry balances, and the trial balance on the right totals every account and reads Balanced when total debits equal total credits. The Example sheet is the same made-up account as our sample bank statement, posted in double entry: checking ends at 13,440.52, the statement's ending balance, and debits and credits both total 70,591.06.
Download the free general ledger template (.xlsx)
Three sheets: a blank General ledger with 400 journal lines, a trial balance and 50 starter accounts, a filled-in Example month and How to use. It uses only SUM, SUMIF, ROUND, IF, AND, IFERROR, VLOOKUP and TEXT, so it works in Excel, Google Sheets (File, Import), LibreOffice and Numbers. No sign-up, no email, no macros. It prints in landscape with the column headings repeated on every page.
1. What's in the template
- Header: the business name and the period the sheet covers.
- The journal: Date, Entry #, Account #, Account name, Description, Debit, Credit, with the headings frozen so they stay in view. Yellow cells are inputs. The account name fills in from the account number, the Entry check shows whether that entry's debits equal its credits, and Account balance (Dr − Cr) is the running balance of that line's account so far.
- Checks box (top right): total debits, total credits, the difference and a status line: Balanced, Out by an amount, or a warning when a line uses an account that isn't in the chart.
- Trial balance: the 50 starter accounts from our chart of accounts template (1000 Business checking to 7900 Ask my accountant), each with its debits and credits totalled by SUMIF and split into a debit or credit balance. The Account # drop-down reads this list, so renaming or renumbering an account changes the drop-down too. Lines with an unknown account number land on a Not in the chart above line, so nothing goes missing.
Amounts are always positive and go in either Debit or Credit, so there are no minus signs to get wrong. One entry can have as many lines as it needs, such as a payroll run split across wages, payroll taxes and benefits, as long as its debits and credits are equal.
2. The columns
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Date | The transaction date. For bank lines, the date on the statement is fine. |
| Entry # | The same number on every line of one entry (1, 2, 3 ... or your own journal numbers). It's how the Entry check knows which lines belong together. |
| Account # | Pick from the drop-down, or type a number from the account list on the right. |
| Account name | Calculated from the account number. Not in the chart means the number isn't in the list. |
| Description | Who was paid or who paid, and what for, plus a reference you can trace: check number, invoice, statement line. |
| Debit / Credit | The amount, positive, in one column per line. See the rules below for which side. |
| Entry check | Calculated: OK, or Out by the difference between the entry's debits and credits. |
| Account balance (Dr − Cr) | Calculated: that account's debits minus credits up to this row. Positive is a debit balance, negative a credit balance. |
3. Worked example and trial balance
The Example sheet is September 2026 for a fictional business whose checking account is the one on our sample bank statement PDF (account ending 0427 at the made-up Example Community Bank). Entry 1 is the opening balance: 12,418.36 debited to 1000 Business checking, credited to 3900 Retained earnings. Entries 2 to 32 are the statement's 31 lines, each as a two-line entry: a deposit debits checking and credits an income account; a payment debits an expense (or another balance sheet account) and credits checking. The accounts are the ones our chart of accounts guide picks for the same lines. That's 64 lines, all marked OK.
| Account | Debit balance | Credit balance |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 Business checking | 13,440.52 | |
| 1010 Business savings (transfer) | 2,500.00 | |
| 2100 Business credit card (Amex payment) | 3,214.56 | |
| 2200 Sales tax payable (payment to the state) | 1,167.29 | |
| 2300 Payroll liabilities (ADP payroll taxes) | 1,288.41 | |
| 3900 Retained earnings (opening entry) | 12,418.36 | |
| 4100 Service income (Stripe payouts, checks, Zelle, a wire) | 29,594.22 | |
| 5100 Subcontractors (Pecan Street Contractors) | 2,100.00 | |
| 6900 Wages and salaries (two Gusto runs) | 12,818.95 | |
| 6450 Rent | 1,850.00 | |
| 6920 Employee benefits (health premium) | 1,432.10 | |
| 6150 Contract labor (cleaning) | 725.00 | |
| 6800 Utilities | 412.66 | |
| 6600 Supplies (Costco) | 318.45 | |
| 6550 Software and subscriptions | 251.99 | |
| 6400 Office supplies | 229.70 | |
| 6700 Telephone and internet | 189.34 | |
| 6100 Car and truck expenses (fuel) | 61.82 | |
| 6050 Bank fees | 15.00 | |
| 7000 Interest income | 3.21 | |
| Total | 42,015.79 | 42,015.79 |
The journal's debits and credits each total 70,591.06 (12,418.36 opening + 29,597.43 deposits + 28,575.27 payments), the trial balance's debit and credit balances agree at 42,015.79, and checking ends at 13,440.52, the statement's ending balance. That last match is the general ledger reconciliation for the bank account: the ledger and the bank agree.
Why three liabilities show debit balances. The example only posts the bank account, so 2100 Business credit card has the 3,214.56 payment but not the card purchases it paid for, 2200 Sales tax payable has the payment to the state but not the tax collected on sales, and 2300 Payroll liabilities has the 1,288.41 paid to the tax agencies but not the withholding the payroll run set aside. In a full ledger you'd also post the card statement (each purchase debits an expense and credits 2100; the credit card statement template lists them) and the sales tax on each sale, and the payroll split from your payroll provider's report; all three accounts would come back to normal credit balances (or zero).
4. Debits and credits, by account type
| Account type (numbers) | Increases with | Decreases with | Normal balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assets (1000-1999): bank, receivables, equipment | Debit | Credit | Debit |
| Liabilities (2000-2999): card, loans, taxes owed | Credit | Debit | Credit |
| Equity (3000-3999): owner's investment, retained earnings | Credit | Debit | Credit (draws are debits) |
| Income (4000-4999, 7000-7499) | Credit | Debit | Credit |
| Cost of sales and expenses (5000-6999, 7500-7999) | Debit | Credit | Debit |
For bank lines that gives two patterns: money in debits the bank account and credits income (or a loan, or the owner's investment); money out debits the expense (or the card, a loan, savings) and credits the bank account. A transfer between two of the business's own accounts debits one and credits the other, with no income or expense.
5. How to keep it, step by step
- Set up the accounts first. Rename, renumber or add accounts in the yellow list so it matches your chart of accounts (or start from our chart of accounts template, which has the same 50 accounts with QuickBooks Online and Xero types).
- Post an opening entry. Each balance sheet account's balance on your start date (bank accounts from the last statement), with the other side to Retained earnings or Owner's investment. A brand-new business can skip this.
- Record entries in date order. Same Entry # on every line of a transaction, a description with a traceable reference, amounts in Debit or Credit. Bank lines are the bulk of most small ledgers; the statement gives you the date, description and amount, and you choose the account.
- Fix any entry that isn't OK before moving on. An entry that doesn't balance is far easier to find on the day you post it than at year end.
- At month end, reconcile. Compare the bank account's balance with the statement's ending balance, allowing for checks and deposits that haven't cleared; the bank reconciliation template is the workpaper for that. Then confirm the trial balance reads Balanced.
- Close the period. Copy the sheet for the next period and carry each balance sheet account's closing balance into a new opening entry. Keep the receipts, invoices and statements behind each entry as long as your tax authority asks (in the US the IRS explains how long to keep records).
6. Journal, ledger, trial balance: which is which
| Record | What it shows | In this template |
|---|---|---|
| General journal | Every entry in date order, each with its debit and credit lines | The input columns (Date to Credit) |
| General ledger | The same lines grouped by account, with each account's running balance | Account balance (Dr − Cr); sort or filter by Account # to read one account as a ledger page |
| Trial balance | Each account's closing balance as a debit or credit; the two totals must agree | The table on the right, with the Balanced check. For month-end adjustments and income statement and balance sheet columns, copy the balances into the trial balance template |
| General ledger reconciliation | An account's ledger balance proved against an outside record (bank statement, card statement, loan statement) | Compare 1000 Business checking with the statement, or use the bank reconciliation template |
| Cash book | One account's money in and out with categories, single entry | Simpler alternative: the cash book template |
If you only need to know what came in and went out of one account by category, a cash book is less work. Use a general ledger when you need a balance sheet as well as a profit and loss, track loans, cards and owner's equity, or are preparing books an accountant will review. To present the income and expense accounts as a monthly statement, copy their totals into the profit and loss template.
7. When the trial balance doesn't balance
- The status says "Out by": look down the Entry check column for the entry that isn't OK. Common causes: a line missing its other side, or the two sides typed differently (642.18 and 624.18).
- A difference that divides by 9 usually means transposed digits on one line.
- It's twice an amount: both lines of an entry went in the same column.
- "A line uses an account not in the chart": find the line whose Account name says Not in the chart and fix the number, or add the account to the list.
- It balances but the bank doesn't agree: debits equal credits, yet the bank account's balance is wrong, so a bank line is missing, doubled or posted to the wrong account. Our guide on how to find a reconciliation discrepancy works through it, and the free bank statement balance checker points to the line that's probably duplicated, missing or has its sign flipped.
Moving to software later? QuickBooks Online and Xero keep the general ledger for you and post bank lines from imports; our QuickBooks Online CSV template and Xero CSV template show the exact columns, and catch-up bookkeeping from bank statements covers posting a whole year at once.
Bank statement only as a PDF? Get the rows instead of typing them
Utilly's converter reads a bank statement PDF, downloaded or scanned, into Excel, CSV, QuickBooks or Xero files and checks the rows against the statement's beginning and ending balance. Paste the dates, descriptions and amounts into the journal and choose the accounts. The preview is free with no sign-up. Try it on the sample bank statement first: it's the same account as the Example sheet, and every download of the sample is free because the data is fictional.
Method: the layout is a standard general journal with a ledger balance per account and a trial balance, in spreadsheet form; the debit and credit rules are the standard double-entry conventions. The example business, payees and amounts are fictional. Template built and checked November 2, 2026: the Example sheet recalculates in LibreOffice to total debits and credits of 70,591.06, a Balanced status, every entry OK, trial balance totals of 42,015.79 each side and checking at 13,440.52.
FAQ
What is a general ledger?
The complete record of a business's accounts: every transaction posted in double entry to the accounts in the chart of accounts, so each account (bank, sales, rent, loans and so on) has its own running balance. The trial balance lists those balances, and the balance sheet and profit and loss are built from them.
Is the general ledger template free?
Yes. Download the .xlsx with no sign-up or email address. It has a blank 400-line journal with a trial balance, a filled-in example month and instructions, and it works in Excel, Google Sheets (File, Import), LibreOffice and Numbers.
What's the difference between a general journal and a general ledger?
The journal lists entries in date order, each with its debit and credit lines. The ledger groups the same lines by account, with a running balance for each. In this template the journal is the input: the Account balance column and the trial balance are the ledger view, and you can sort or filter by Account # to read one account as a ledger page.
How do I make a general ledger in Excel?
Set up a chart of accounts, then record each transaction on two or more rows with the same entry number: account number, description, and the amount in Debit or Credit. SUMIF by account number gives each account's totals for a trial balance. Check that every entry's debits equal its credits and that the trial balance totals agree.
Why doesn't my trial balance balance?
Usually one entry has only one side, an amount is typed differently on its two lines, or a line uses an account number that isn't in the chart. The Entry check column shows which entry is out and by how much; a line marked 'Not in the chart' needs a valid account number.
How do I reconcile the general ledger to the bank?
The bank account's balance in the ledger should equal the statement's ending balance once checks and deposits that haven't cleared are allowed for. Compare them at each month end with a bank reconciliation; in the Example sheet, checking ends at 13,440.52, the same as the sample statement.
Related guides
- Free small business bookkeeping template for Excel (income, expenses and a bank check)
- Free chart of accounts template for Excel (with QuickBooks and Xero import files)
- Free cash book template for Excel (with categories and a balance check)
- Free bank reconciliation template for Excel (with a worked example)
- Free check register template for Excel (with a cleared-balance check)
- Catch-up bookkeeping: getting 12 months of bank statements into QuickBooks or Xero and reconciled
Related tools
- Bank reconciliation checker: compare a bank statement to your books and list missing, duplicate and mismatched transactions.
- Receipt to CSV: turn PDF or photo receipts and invoices into CSV, Excel, or QuickBooks and Xero bill imports.
