Hauptbuchs
Hauptbuch, also known as the general ledger in German accounting, is the central ledger of a business where all financial accounts are maintained. It serves as the primary repository for posting entries that originate in the Buchungsjournal (journal) and that summarize the company’s financial activity by account.
Structure and content: Each account in the Hauptbuch records movements with Soll (debit) and Haben (credit) postings.
Processing: In double-entry bookkeeping, every transaction is posted at least twice, once to an account on the
Relation to subsidiary ledgers: Nebenbücher or subsidiary ledgers (e.g., Debitoren, Kreditoren) contain detailed information for specific
Legal and practical context: German commercial law (Handelsgesetzbuch, HGB) and tax requirements require proper Hauptbuch bookkeeping.