Question

Difficulty: MediumGeneral Journal (Journal Proper) and Opening Entries

Adewale opened his accounting books on 1st January with the following balances extracted for an opening journal entry: Delivery Van ₦450,000\text{₦}450,000, Inventory ₦180,000\text{₦}180,000, Trade Debtors ₦90,000\text{₦}90,000, Cash in Hand ₦30,000\text{₦}30,000, Trade Creditors ₦140,000\text{₦}140,000, and Bank Loan ₦110,000\text{₦}110,000. What is the amount of Capital (in ₦\text{₦}) to be credited in the General Journal?

Answer: 500000 ₦

Answer

The Capital to be credited in the General Journal is ₦500,000\text{₦}500,000.
The General Journal opening entry records total assets of ₦750,000\text{₦}750,000 on the debit side and total liabilities of ₦250,000\text{₦}250,000 on the credit side. The balancing amount credited to the Capital Account is computed as Capital=Assets−Liabilities=₦750,000−₦250,000=₦500,000\text{Capital} = \text{Assets} - \text{Liabilities} = \text{₦}750,000 - \text{₦}250,000 = \text{₦}500,000.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate total assets by adding all asset balances
Total Assets = ₦450,000+₦180,000+₦90,000+₦30,000=₦750,000\text{₦}450,000 + \text{₦}180,000 + \text{₦}90,000 + \text{₦}30,000 = \text{₦}750,000
Opening entries require debiting all assets of the business.
2
Calculate total liabilities by adding all external obligations
Total Liabilities = ₦140,000+₦110,000=₦250,000\text{₦}140,000 + \text{₦}110,000 = \text{₦}250,000
Opening entries require crediting all liabilities owed to external parties.
3
Deduct total liabilities from total assets to determine the opening capital
Capital = ₦750,000−₦250,000=₦500,000\text{₦}750,000 - \text{₦}250,000 = \text{₦}500,000
According to the fundamental accounting equation, Capital=Total Assets−Total Liabilities\text{Capital} = \text{Total Assets} - \text{Total Liabilities}.

Key Concept

Opening entries in the General Journal (Journal Proper) establish the initial accounting records of a business by recording assets as debits, liabilities as credits, and balancing the entry by crediting Capital using Capital=Assets−Liabilities\text{Capital} = \text{Assets} - \text{Liabilities}.
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