Reference

The accountant's library

Structured practical references that start with a work question, explain the treatment, source and boundary, then lead to a lesson or tool where you apply it.

• The accounting cycle: from document to statements

  The road every transaction travels: document, entry, posting, trial balance, adjustments, statements. Knowing where you stand on that road is how you know where to look when a number goes wrong.

  Practical output: Work note: The accounting cycle: from document to statements — A structured explanation, every official rate with source and review date, then a direct path to a lesson, tool or track.

  A decision from the reference: Accounting does not start from an opinion but from an evidenced fact. The document is what proves something happened: an invoice, a goods receipt, a bank statement, a contract. Without one you do not have an accounting event; you have an impression.

  Reference boundary: Reviewed on 2026-08-18. Before relying on the treatment, open the linked official source and confirm that it applies to the period facts and the organisation's policy.

  The accounting cycle · Beginner · Reviewed 2026-08-18

• Accrual basis versus cash basis

  The difference between when an event happened and when cash moved. That difference alone answers most of the "why is profit high and the bank account empty?" questions.

  Practical output: Work note: Accrual basis versus cash basis — A structured explanation, every official rate with source and review date, then a direct path to a lesson, tool or track.

  A decision from the reference: The cash basis records when cash moves: you collected, so you recorded revenue; you paid, so you recorded an expense. Simple — but it measures liquidity rather than performance.

  Reference boundary: Reviewed on 2026-08-18. Before relying on the treatment, open the linked official source and confirm that it applies to the period facts and the organisation's policy.

  The accounting cycle · Beginner · Reviewed 2026-08-18