search icon

Boost your accounting with general ledger software

General ledger accounting is an essential part of managing your business finances. Software and systems that can handle general ledgers can further streamline your accounting tasks, allowing you to focus on growing your business.
Explore our general ledger solutions
General ledger accounting software is a tool that helps businesses manage their financial data. It provides a central repository for all financial transactions and enables companies to keep track of all the financial transactions that occur within their organisation, including sales, purchases, payments and receipts.

What is general ledger accounting software?

General ledger accounting software is a tool that helps businesses manage their financial data. It provides a central repository for all financial transactions and enables companies to keep track of all the financial transactions that occur within their organisation, including sales, purchases, payments and receipts.

General ledger accounting software typically includes features such as:

  • Chart of accounts management: This feature allows businesses to create and manage their chart of accounts, which is a list of all the accounts used in their financial transactions.
  • Transaction recording: enables businesses to record all financial transactions in a central location, making it easier to monitor cash flow, and maintain accurate financial records.
  • Financial reporting: is the creation of a range of financial reports, such as balance sheets, income statements and cash flow statements.
  • Automation of accounting processes: automate many of the routine accounting tasks, such as creating journal entries, reconciling bank accounts and generating invoices. This can save businesses significant amounts of time and reduce the risk of errors.

What are the essential features of GL accounting software?

General ledger accounting functionality is a staple of a good accounting software suite. It enables automated GL functions that increase the efficiency, accuracy, security and visibility of your accounts.

Automated invoice capture

Capture receipts, invoices and expenses with intuitive technology.

Vendor management

Stay on top of vendor agreements to pay on time and accurately.

Real-time reporting

Get easy access to AP data and improve efficacy and agility.

Integrations

Seamlessly connect to your bank, tools, and other systems, to save time.

Workflow automation

Track, route and approve with an automated, seamless workflow.

GL accounting software solutions

The right cloud nonprofit accounting software could shave weeks off your reporting cycle and free up much-needed budget and time. Our HR systems allow you to develop your people with leadership training and succession planning. Find your product today.

Sage Intacct<br> <span class="text-highlight-ai" style="line-height:1.6;">with Ai</span>

The leader in cloud accounting and financial management software. Perfect for scale-ups to global enterprises. Bespoke pricing, tailored to your business.
  • Track multiple accounts in real-time
  • Consolidate multiple entities and more in minutes
  • Collaborate from a single source of truth
  • Make strategic decisions with dimensional reporting and analytics
  • Open APIs allow multiple, stable, secure integrations
  • Get Sage Copilot, your AI-powered productivity assistant
  • Digital audit trails for confidence and compliance
  • Access your financials anywhere, anytime
  • Customisable revenue recognition
  • Fully automate allocations for speed and accuracy
  • Global consolidations and tax legislation compliance
  • Project costing, time and expenses, and billing in one workflow

To be blunt, our ledger system was archaic and no longer fit for the size of our company.

Mike Newton
Finance Director, L W Cole

If Sage Intacct got taken away from us tomorrow, I’d feel like the business would go back twenty years.

Henry Shaw
Managing Director, L W Cole

General ledger software FAQs

A general ledger, or GL, is a record of a business or organizations total accounts. This can include assets, liabilities, equity, expenses, revenue, and/or income.

General ledger software is typically an instance of accounting software that is focused on the total accounts of an organisation. A good GL accounting software is typically a module of accounting software that automates processes like invoice capture, reporting, workflow. Online GL accounting software can give you reliable visibility across your accounts on the go.

General ledger software allows you to connect your bank and sync your accounts for automated reconciliations and real-time visibility across your chart of accounts. It saves businesses time by automating workflows and increasing accuracy of your accounts and day-to-day financials.

While both general ledgers and journals keep track of accounting transactions, the key difference is that journals simply consist of a list of raw transaction data listed by date in sequential order, whereas general ledgers segment financial data into five key categories: assets, liabilities, expenses, equity and revenue or income.

Get practical advice about GL accounting software

Sage advice

Read our blog and get articles, insights and tips for your business.
Accounts payable automation: How it works, key benefits, and why your business needs it

Accounts payable automation: How it works, key benefits, and why your business needs it

Discover how AI-powered accounts payable automation streamlines invoice processing, reduces errors, and saves time. Learn the benefits for UK businesses today.

Read more
Read more
What are the most important accounts receivable KPIs to track?

What are the most important accounts receivable KPIs to track?

Improve cash flow with accounts receivable metrics. Learn which accounts receivable KPIs matter most and how to track them effectively for your business.

Read more
Read more
Understanding nonprofit financial ratios

Understanding nonprofit financial ratios

Discover how nonprofit financial ratios serve as KPIs to assess your organisation's financial health, with examples and best practices for UK charities.

Read more
Read more
Restaurant accounting: The essential guide

Restaurant accounting: The essential guide

Restaurant owner or manager? Learn how restaurant accounting and the right tools can simplify finances and help take your restaurant business to the next level.

Read more
Read more
Fundraising ideas for charities: A guide to different fundraising methods

Fundraising ideas for charities: A guide to different fundraising methods

Discover effective fundraising ideas for charities. From events to crowdfunding, explore proven charity fundraising methods to boost donations and engagement.

Read more
Read more
Subledger vs general ledger: Key differences made clear and why they matter

Subledger vs general ledger: Key differences made clear and why they matter

Understand subledger vs general ledger and how these accounting tools work together to keep your financial records accurate, compliant, and audit-ready.

Read more
Read more
Strategic budgeting explained: the finance team's role in long-term planning

Strategic budgeting explained: the finance team's role in long-term planning

Discover strategic budgeting and where your finance team's expertise fits in the wider plan for business growth, resilience and smarter decisions ahead.

Read more
Read more
Sales order vs purchase order: What are the differences?

Sales order vs purchase order: What are the differences?

Sales order vs purchase order: learn when to use each document, what they include, and how they work together in business transactions and operations.

Read more
Read more

Have any questions?

Expert advice

Want to find our more about our general ledger software? We'd be happy to help you explore which solution is the best fit for your business.

Request more information