Welcome to the world of accounting simplified with COUNT! We understand that diving into accounting concepts can feel overwhelming, especially when things may seem a bit different from managing your personal finances. But fear not! We're here to guide you through the basics, starting with debits and credits.
When you're reviewing your reports in COUNT and things don't quite match your expectations, it's essential to understand the fundamental principles of debits and credits. Fortunately, COUNT takes care of most of this for you automatically when you connect your bank account, upload a statement, or manually input transactions.
However, if you ever want to double-check your transactions, simply navigate to the Reports section and click on Account Transactions (General Ledger). From there, you can filter by specific bank accounts to review individual transactions.
Let's break it down
Asset Accounts:
These include your bank accounts such as checking or savings.
Deposits: These are recorded as debits. In COUNT, they'll appear as green transactions.
Withdrawals: Conversely, withdrawals are recorded as credits. You'll see them as black transactions on the transactions page.
Liability Accounts:
This category covers loans and credit cards.
Received Payments: When you make payments towards your credit card (essentially paying off the balance), they are recorded as debits. In COUNT, these transactions will show up in green.
Expenses/Purchases: On the flip side, expenses or purchases are recorded as credits, appearing as black transactions on the transactions page.
How do Transfers work?
In COUNT, transferring money between accounts, like paying off your credit card from your checking account, is considered a transfer. The same debit and credit rules apply here. So, when you move funds from your checking to pay your credit card, it will debit your checking account and credit your credit card.
And there you have it! A simplified overview of debits and credits in COUNT. With these basics under your belt, you'll navigate your financial data with ease and confidence.