Tiliöinti

Tiliöinti is the process of assigning financial transactions to specific accounts in the general ledger in Finnish bookkeeping. It covers posting from the journal (päiväkirja) to the general ledger and is a cornerstone of double-entry bookkeeping, where every transaction has debits and credits that must balance. The chart of accounts (tililuettelo) defines the accounts used in tiliointi, such as assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses.

The typical workflow starts with a source document, which leads to a journal entry, and then posts the amounts to the appropriate accounts. This creates or updates balances in the relevant accounts for reporting and analysis. For example, a cash sale is recorded by debiting Cash and crediting Sales Revenue; a customer payment would debit Cash and credit Accounts Receivable. Accurate tiliointi enables reliable financial statements, tax reporting, and a solid audit trail.

In practice, tiliointi is increasingly performed by accounting software or ERP systems, but human oversight remains important to ensure correct account mapping and to correct errors when they occur. The process is closely linked to period closing, reconciliation, and the preparation of trial balances. Finnish law, including the accounting act, and tax regulations provide the framework and documentation requirements for tiliointi. Poor tiliointi can lead to misstated results, compliance risks, and audit findings.