August 1. Purchased merchandise for cash, $1,200.00. Check No. 121. August 9. Purchased merchandise on account from Book Wholesalers, $1,950.00. Purchase Invoice No. 132.
You should prove and rule a journal each time you complete a journal page and also at the end of the month.
The steps for proving and ruling an expanded journal are the same as for a five-column journal.
Let’s recall the steps:
- Place a single-line rule across the account columns, below the last
journal entry . - On the next line, add the date and then write Carried Forward in the Account Title column. Place a checkmark in the Post Ref. column.
- Sum each column and place the totals below the single-line rule.
- Place a double-line rule below the column totals to indicate that the totals are correct.
Prove a Journal Page
Next, we will carry the totals from the previous page to the next page so we can continue journaling transactions.
- Write the page number (2) at the top of the journal page.
- Write the date and Brought Forward in the Account Title column. Place a checkmark in the Post Ref. column.
Prove and Rule an Expanded Journal
After recording a couple more entries to finish off the month, it’s time to prove and rule the journal again. Use the same steps that were completed at the end of a journal page to ensure that the monthly totals for debits and credits are equal.
Add the date for the end of the month, and write Totals in the Account Title column. Total all the columns. Add a single-line rule above the totals and a double-line rule below the totals to indicate that the amount column totals have been verified as correct.
- Journal the following transactions related to the business Barbara’s Book Nook, a bookstore owned by Barbara Baker.
- August 1. Purchased merchandise for cash, $1,200.00. Check No. 121.
- August 9. Purchased merchandise on account from Book Wholesalers, $1,950.00. Purchase Invoice No. 132.
- August 14. Barbara Baker withdrew merchandise for personal use, $300.00. Memorandum No. 143.
- August 30. Recorded cash and credit card sales, $5,459.00, plus sales tax, $545.90. Cash Register Tape No. 124.
- Total the columns and prove and rule page 1 of the journal.
- Prove cash. The beginning cash balance on August 1 is $2,340.00. The balance on the next unused check stub is $7,144.90.
I provided an example below.
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