05TALLYSetup

Ledger Creation in Tally Prime

Creating all Sunrise Retail ledgers — customers, suppliers, GST, bank, expenses

Module 5 of 31 — Tally Prime. Creating every type of ledger Sunrise Retail needs — customer (TechWorld Distributors, Digital Hub Retail, CloudStore Online), GST tax accounts, bank, petty cash, and expense ledgers. 55 minutes.

Prerequisites: Module 4 — Groups in Tally Prime

Learning Objectives

  • Create all types of ledgers in Tally Prime
  • Understand every mandatory field for each ledger type
  • Set up GST details for supplier and customer ledgers
  • Configure bank ledger with IFSC and account number
  • Create all Sunrise Retail ledgers needed for April 2025 transactions

What Is a Ledger?

A ledger is the smallest accounting unit in Tally — the actual account where transactions are posted. Every debit and every credit in Tally goes to a ledger.

Before entering any transaction, you must create ledgers for:

  • Every customer (Sundry Debtors)
  • Every supplier (Sundry Creditors)
  • Every bank account (Bank Accounts)
  • Every expense type (Indirect Expenses)
  • GST accounts (Duties and Taxes)
// In Tally Prime
Gateway of Tally → Masters → Ledgers → Create
(Or: Alt+G → type "Ledger" → Create)

Ledger Types and Their Fields

Type 1 — Sundry Debtor (Customer Ledger)

FieldWhat to Enter
NameCustomer's full legal name
UnderSundry Debtors
Maintain Balances Bill-by-BillYes — essential for outstanding tracking
Default Credit Periode.g., 30 days
Check for Credit DaysYes
Inventory Values AffectedNo (for customers)
Provide Mailing DetailsYes
Address, State, Country, PINCustomer's delivery address
Set/Alter GST DetailsYes (if customer is registered)
GSTIN/UINCustomer's GSTIN
Registration TypeRegular / Composition / Consumer

Type 2 — Sundry Creditor (Supplier Ledger)

Same as Sundry Debtor but under Sundry Creditors group.

Additional FieldWhat to Enter
PAN/IT No.Supplier PAN (for TDS if applicable)
Bank DetailsSupplier's bank account for NEFT payments

Type 3 — Bank Account Ledger

FieldWhat to Enter
NameBank name and branch (e.g., "SBI Madhapur Current A/c")
UnderBank Accounts
Account Holder NameSunrise Retail Pvt Ltd
Account Number38291047823
IFSC CodeSBIN0020229
Bank NameState Bank of India
BranchMadhapur
Effective Date for Reconciliation01-Apr-2025

Type 4 — GST Tax Ledger

FieldWhat to Enter
Namee.g., "Output CGST"
UnderDuties and Taxes
Type of Duty/TaxGST
Tax TypeCentral Tax (CGST) / State Tax (SGST) / Integrated Tax (IGST)
Percentage of CalculationLeave blank — auto from stock item / voucher

Type 5 — Expense / Income Ledger

FieldWhat to Enter
Namee.g., "Office Rent"
UnderIndirect Expenses
Inventory Values AffectedNo (for pure expense ledgers)
Set/Alter GST DetailsYes (if GST applicable on this expense)

Sunrise Retail — Creating All Required Ledgers

Sneha creates all ledgers before entering April transactions

Ledger 1 — TechWorld Distributors (Supplier)

// In Tally Prime
Gateway → Masters → Ledgers → Create

Name:                    TechWorld Distributors Pvt Ltd
Under:                   Sundry Creditors
Maintain balances bill-by-bill: Yes
Default credit period:   45 days
State:                   Maharashtra
GST Registration Type:   Regular
GSTIN/UIN:               27AAACT5678B1ZX
PAN/IT No:               AAACT5678B
→ Ctrl+A

ASCII Screen: Ledger Creation — TechWorld Distributors

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Tally Prime                               Ledger Creation    │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                               │
│  Name                  : TechWorld Distributors Pvt Ltd      │
│  Under                 : Sundry Creditors                    │
│  Maint. Balances (Bill-by-Bill): Yes                         │
│  Default Credit Period : 45 Days                             │
│                                                               │
│  Mailing Details                                              │
│  State                 : Maharashtra                          │
│  Country               : India                               │
│                                                               │
│  GST Registration Type : Regular                              │
│  GSTIN/UIN             : 27AAACT5678B1ZX                     │
│  PAN/IT No             : AAACT5678B                          │
│                                                               │
│                                          Accept ? (Ctrl+A)   │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Ledger 2 — Digital Hub Retail Pvt Ltd (Customer — Intrastate)

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Digital Hub Retail Pvt Ltd
Under:                   Sundry Debtors
Maintain balances bill-by-bill: Yes
Default credit period:   30 days
Mailing Name:            Digital Hub Retail Pvt Ltd
Address:                 Shop 12, Secunderabad Market
State:                   Telangana
Country:                 India
PIN:                     500003
GST Registration Type:   Regular
GSTIN/UIN:               36AAADH4321E1ZQ
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 3 — CloudStore Online Pvt Ltd (Customer — Interstate)

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    CloudStore Online Pvt Ltd
Under:                   Sundry Debtors
Maintain balances bill-by-bill: Yes
Default credit period:   30 days
State:                   Karnataka
GST Registration Type:   Regular
GSTIN/UIN:               29AAACL2345G1ZS
→ Ctrl+A
CloudStore is in Karnataka — a different state from Sunrise Retail (Telangana). Tally will automatically apply IGST when invoicing CloudStore.

Ledger 4 — SBI Madhapur Current A/c (Bank)

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    SBI Madhapur Current A/c
Under:                   Bank Accounts
Account Holder Name:     Sunrise Retail Private Limited
Account Number:          38291047823
IFSC Code:               SBIN0020229
Bank Name:               State Bank of India
Branch:                  Madhapur
Effective Date for Reconciliation: 01-Apr-2025
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 5 — Petty Cash

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Petty Cash
Under:                   Cash-in-Hand
Opening Balance:         0  (will be funded via contra entry on Apr 1)
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 6 — Output CGST

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Output CGST
Under:                   Duties and Taxes
Type of Duty/Tax:        GST
Tax Type:                Central Tax (CGST)
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 7 — Output SGST

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Output SGST
Under:                   Duties and Taxes
Type of Duty/Tax:        GST
Tax Type:                State Tax (SGST)
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 8 — Output IGST

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Output IGST
Under:                   Duties and Taxes
Type of Duty/Tax:        GST
Tax Type:                Integrated Tax (IGST)
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 9 — Input IGST

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Input IGST
Under:                   Duties and Taxes
Type of Duty/Tax:        GST
Tax Type:                Integrated Tax (IGST)
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 10 — Office Rent (Expense with GST)

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Office Rent
Under:                   Indirect Expenses
Set/Alter GST Details:   Yes
GST Applicable:          Applicable
Tax Type:                GST
Description:             Renting of Immovable Property
SAC:                     997212
GST Rate:                18%
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 11 — Sales — Local Telangana

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Sales — Local Telangana
Under:                   Sales Accounts
                         (or custom sub-group "Mobile Phone Sales")
Inventory Values Affected: Yes
Set/Alter GST Details:   Yes
GST Applicable:          Applicable
HSN:                     (set at stock item level — leave blank here)
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 12 — Sales — Interstate

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Sales — Interstate
Under:                   Sales Accounts
Inventory Values Affected: Yes
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 13 — Mobile Phone Purchases

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Mobile Phone Purchases
Under:                   Purchase Accounts
Inventory Values Affected: Yes
→ Ctrl+A

Ledger 14 — Kumar Properties (Landlord)

// In Tally Prime
Name:                    Kumar Properties (Landlord)
Under:                   Sundry Creditors
GST Registration Type:   Regular
GSTIN/UIN:               36XXXX1234X1ZY  (landlord's GSTIN)
→ Ctrl+A

Creating Ledgers in Multi (Bulk) Mode

For faster creation of multiple similar ledgers:

// In Tally Prime
Gateway → Masters → Ledgers → Create (Multiple)
NameUnderOpening BalanceDr/Cr
Digital Hub RetailSundry Debtors0Dr
CloudStore OnlineSundry Debtors0Dr
TechWorld DistributorsSundry Creditors0Cr

After entering all names and groups, press Ctrl+A to save all at once.


Worked Example — Altering a Ledger

Sneha realizes she entered the wrong GSTIN for Digital Hub (typed 36AAADH4321E1ZP instead of 36AAADH4321E1ZQ — wrong last character).

// In Tally Prime
Gateway → Masters → Ledgers → Alter
→ Search: Digital Hub Retail Pvt Ltd → Enter
→ Navigate to GST Details section
→ Correct GSTIN: 36AAADH4321E1ZQ
→ Ctrl+A

Tally updates all future transactions. Historical vouchers retain the old GSTIN — correct those individually if needed.


Practice Exercise

Exercise 1: Create a ledger for a new customer: "Prism Computers Pvt Ltd" in Hyderabad, GSTIN 36AAAPP9876C1ZK, credit period 15 days. List all the fields you fill.

Show Solution
// In Tally Prime
Gateway → Masters → Ledgers → Create

Name: Prism Computers Pvt Ltd
Under: Sundry Debtors
Maintain balances bill-by-bill: Yes
Default credit period: 15 days
Check for credit days during voucher entry: Yes
Mailing Name: Prism Computers Pvt Ltd
State: Telangana
Country: India
GST Registration Type: Regular
GSTIN/UIN: 36AAAPP9876C1ZK
→ Ctrl+A

Since they're in Telangana (same state as Sunrise Retail), sales to them → CGST + SGST.

Exercise 2: Sneha needs to merge two duplicate ledgers: "Digital Hub" and "Digital Hub Retail Pvt Ltd" (both created by mistake for the same party). How does she fix this in Tally?

Show Solution

Tally does not have a direct "merge ledger" feature. The solution:

// In Tally Prime
1. Identify all vouchers posted to the wrong ledger ("Digital Hub")
   → Gateway → Reports → Ledger → Digital Hub → check all transactions

2. Open each voucher → change the party name from "Digital Hub"
   to "Digital Hub Retail Pvt Ltd" → Ctrl+A

3. Once all transactions are moved, "Digital Hub" will have zero balance

4. Delete the empty duplicate:
   Gateway → Masters → Ledgers → Alter → Digital Hub → Alt+D → Confirm

Alternative: Alter the wrong ledger and rename it to exactly match the correct one — Tally prompts to merge.


The 'Digital Hub' typo that cost a CA firm a client

A Kondapur CA firm took over the books of a phone reseller from their previous accountant. While doing year-end clean-up, the audit assistant found 11 different customer ledgers — "Digital Hub", "Digital Hub Pvt Ltd", "Digital Hub Retail", "DigitalHub", "Digital-Hub Retail Pvt Ltd", "Digital Hub Hyderabad", and five more variants. All were the same customer — typed slightly differently every time a new voucher was entered, with no central master list. Outstanding "from Digital Hub" was scattered across 11 ledgers, totalling ₹14 lakh. Collection follow-up had been impossible because each ledger showed only a partial picture. The client was furious that nobody had flagged this in monthly closing reports. The CA firm spent two weeks merging the ledgers manually and lost the client at the next renewal. Lesson: when typing a party name in a voucher, always use Tally's auto-suggest dropdown. Never let two near-identical ledgers exist.

Year-end audit clean-up, Kondapur — 2024

Key Terms

TermMeaning
LedgerThe final accounting unit — actual account where transactions post
Bill-by-BillTracking each invoice separately within a ledger — needed for outstanding management
Duties and TaxesGroup for all tax ledgers — CGST, SGST, IGST, TDS
Mailing NameShort name printed on invoices — can differ from legal name
Credit PeriodDefault payment terms — Tally alerts overdue bills
Alter LedgerMasters → Ledgers → Alter — change any ledger field
Delete LedgerAlt+D from within ledger alteration — only if no transactions posted
Opening BalanceBalance brought forward on books beginning date

Checklist — you're ready to proceed when you can:

  • Create a customer ledger (TechWorld Distributors) with GSTIN, state, and bill-wise details
  • Create a supplier ledger (Digital Hub Retail, CloudStore Online) with correct state for IGST/CGST determination
  • Create the bank ledger (SBI Madhapur) with IFSC and account number
  • Create all 4 GST ledgers: Output CGST, Output SGST, Output IGST, Input IGST
  • Create "Office Rent" expense ledger with SAC 997212 and 18% GST
  • Alter a ledger to correct a wrong GSTIN using Masters → Ledgers → Alter

Check Your Understanding
  1. TechWorld Distributors is Sunrise Retail's supplier. Under which group should their ledger be?

  2. The IGST paid on TechWorld's purchase should go to which ledger?

  3. 'Maintain balances bill-by-bill' is most critical for which ledger type?

  4. Sneha creates a 'Salaries' ledger. The correct group for it is:


Next up → Module 6: Contra Entries — cash deposits, bank withdrawals, and petty cash using F4.