debetsummat

Debetsummat is a term used in Finnish accounting to denote the total of debit entries recorded for accounts over a period or for a specific account. In double-entry bookkeeping, every transaction affects at least two accounts with equal and opposite entries: debits on one side and credits on the other. Debetsummat compile the debit side of these postings.

In accounting practice, debetsummat summarize activities that increase asset and expense accounts or decrease liability, equity, and revenue accounts. They are typically recorded in the general ledger and are used together with kreditsummat (credit sums) to ensure that the books balance in a trial balance. Debetsummat can refer to the sum of all debit postings for a period or to the debit postings of a single account, depending on the context.

Debetsummat are useful for preparing financial statements, analyzing account activity, and detecting posting errors. They help auditors and accountants verify that the total debits in a period align with the total credits, reflecting the fundamental accounting equation. The exact terms and presentation can vary by country, accounting framework (such as IFRS or national GAAP), and accounting software, but the underlying concept remains the same: debits recorded on the left side of accounts are totaled to produce the debet sum.