General ledger
The general ledger shows, account by account, the detail of every movement (the accounting entries) over a period. For each line, it tracks the account's changing balance: you see where it starts, how it evolves and where it ends up.
Overview
The general ledger is the report that shows the complete history of an account: every accounting entry that moved it over the chosen period, in order, with the debit, the credit and the balance updating on every line. It is the reference tool for understanding why an account shows a given balance and for tracking down a specific transaction.
What it provides
- The line-by-line detail of an account
- The initial, running and final balance
- Tracking of a third party (customer, supplier)
- A report exportable to PDF and Excel
Target audience
- Accountant — analyzes and controls accounts
- Finance manager — tracks third-party balances
- Executive — verifies a specific account
General ledger or trial balance?
The general ledger shows the detail of an account (every entry); the trial balance shows the totals of all accounts in a single view. The two are complementary.
Viewing an account
To display a general ledger, you choose the account to view (mandatory) and the period — a start date and an end date, with the current year offered by default. Swifto then lists all the account's movements over that range.
General ledger criteria
The result is presented as a table. Each line is an accounting entry that affected the account; the Balance column recalculates as you move down.
| Date | Journal | Label | Debit | Credit | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial balance (carried forward from prior movements) | 1,200.000 | ||||
| 08/03/2026 | VE | Invoice FV-000142 · Société Alpha | 2,500.000 | — | 3,700.000 |
| 15/03/2026 | BQ | Cheque payment · Société Alpha | — | 1,200.000 | 2,500.000 |
| 22/03/2026 | VE | Invoice FV-000151 · Gamma SARL | 1,800.000 | — | 4,300.000 |
| 30/03/2026 | BQ | Bank transfer payment · Gamma SARL | — | 1,800.000 | 2,500.000 |
| Final balance as of 31/12/2026 | 4,300.000 | 3,000.000 | 2,500.000 | ||
Each line's label recalls the source document (invoice number, payment, third party): this makes it easy to trace back from the accounting to the business transaction.
Initial & running balance
The strength of the general ledger is that it tracks the balance continuously. Three concepts can be read in the table:
Initial balance
The cumulative total of movements before the start date: the account's starting point for the period.
Running balance
Recalculated line after line: each entry adds its debit or credit to the previous balance.
Final balance
The balance at the bottom of the table: the account's position at the end of the period.
flowchart LR I["Initial balance
1,200.000"]:::coll --> L1["+ Invoice
2,500.000"]:::p L1 --> L2["− Payment
1,200.000"]:::p L2 --> L3["...movements
for the period"]:::p L3 --> F["Final balance
2,500.000"]:::ok classDef p fill:#f3f1ff,stroke:#7366fe,color:#1f1c3d; classDef coll fill:#F1F5F9,stroke:#334155,color:#1E293B; classDef ok fill:#CFFAFE,stroke:#0891B2,color:#155E75;
The initial balance guarantees that the general ledger stays consistent no matter the period chosen: even if you only display the month of March, the account starts from its true opening balance, not zero.
Filter by third party (auxiliary)
For a collective account — customers (411) or suppliers (401) — you can restrict the display to a specific third party to obtain their individual general ledger: only the invoices and settlements of that particular customer or supplier, with their own balance.
flowchart TD
C["411 — Customers (all third parties)"]:::coll --> F{"Auxiliary filter"}:::p
F --> A1["General ledger · Société Alpha"]:::ok
classDef coll fill:#F1F5F9,stroke:#334155,color:#1E293B;
classDef p fill:#f3f1ff,stroke:#7366fe,color:#1f1c3d;
classDef ok fill:#CFFAFE,stroke:#0891B2,color:#155E75;No filter
All movements of the collective account, across all third parties.
With auxiliary filter
The detail and balance of a single customer or supplier.
It's the ideal tool to substantiate a customer balance or prepare a reminder: you see at a glance the open invoices and the settlements received for that third party.
Export
Once the general ledger is displayed, you can export it to send it on, archive it or analyze it outside Swifto. Two formats are available.
PDF export
A clean, printable document to send to your accountant or keep in your archives.
Excel export
A reusable spreadsheet for your own sorting, filtering and reconciliations.
The export reproduces exactly what is shown on screen: the account, the period and any third-party filter. Be sure to set your criteria before exporting.
Business rules
The account is mandatory — the general ledger is always displayed for a given account; with no account selected, no result is produced.
Criteria locked in on display — the account and period are captured at the moment you run the report; the displayed view remains stable until the next run.
Only validated entries count — draft entries do not appear; the general ledger reflects the real, finalized accounting.
FAQ & Tips
Can I view several accounts at once?
The general ledger displays one account at a time. For an overview of all accounts, use the trial balance.
Why doesn't the balance start at zero?
Because the initial balance carries forward the movements prior to the start date: the account starts at its true opening balance to stay accurate.
How do I get the detail for a single customer?
Select the collective account 411 Customers then apply the third-party filter to display only that customer.
Tip — start from the trial balance, refine with the general ledger
Spot a surprising balance in the trial balance, then open the general ledger for the account in question to understand the detail, line by line.
