Question

Difficulty: HardDebtors and Creditors Control Accounts for Missing Figures

Alhaji Farouk, a building materials merchant in Kano, maintains incomplete accounting records. The following ledger details were extracted regarding his trade creditors for the year ended 31 December 2025:

- Creditors balance at 1 January 2025: ₦45,000
- Cash payments to suppliers: ₦182,000
- Cheque payments to suppliers: ₦95,000
- Discount received from suppliers: ₦6,500
- Returns outwards: ₦4,800
- Contra set-off between sales and purchases ledgers: ₦3,200
- Refund received in cash from supplier for overpayment: ₦1,500
- Creditors balance at 31 December 2025: ₦52,000

What is the total amount of credit purchases for the year?

  1. ₦297,000Answer
  2. B
    ₦300,000
  3. C
    ₦290,600
  4. D
    ₦284,000

Answer

The total credit purchases for the year is ₦297,000.
To find missing credit purchases, prepare the Purchases Ledger Control Account. The debit side consists of Cash paid (₦182,000), Cheques paid (₦95,000), Discount received (₦6,500), Returns outwards (₦4,800), Contra set-off (₦3,200), and Closing balance (₦52,000), yielding ₦343,500. The credit side consists of Opening balance (₦45,000), Supplier refund (₦1,500), and Credit Purchases. Subtracting ₦46,500 from ₦343,500 yields ₦297,000.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify and sum all debit entries in the Purchases Ledger Control Account
Total Debits = Cash payments (₦182,000) + Cheque payments (₦95,000) + Discount received (₦6,500) + Returns outwards (₦4,800) + Contra set-off (₦3,200) + Closing balance c/d (₦52,000) = ₦343,500.
These transactions reduce trade creditors liability or represent the closing balance remaining on the debit side during balancing.
2
Identify known credit entries in the Purchases Ledger Control Account
Known Credits = Opening balance b/f (₦45,000) + Cash refund from supplier (₦1,500) = ₦46,500.
Opening creditors balance and cash refunds from suppliers increase liability to trade suppliers on the credit side.
3
Deduct total known credits from total debits to solve for missing credit purchases
Credit Purchases = ₦343,500 - ₦46,500 = ₦297,000.
The Purchases Ledger Control Account must balance out, so missing credit purchases equal total debits minus total known credits.

Key Concept

Purchases Ledger Control Account Reconstruction
Rate this question