What is the reason for debit and credit?
To keep your business's financial records in order, you need to track the money coming in and going out — also known as balancing your books. The individual entries on a balance sheet are referred to as debits and credits. Debits (often represented as DR) record incoming money, while credits (CR) record outgoing money.
In double-entry accounting — a system where every financial transaction is recorded in at least two accounts to maintain balance and accuracy — debits record incoming money and credits record outgoing money. Every time you debit one account, you also need to credit the same amount from another account.
The terms debit (DR) and credit (CR) have Latin roots. Debit comes from the word debitum and it means, "what is due." Credit comes from creditum, meaning "something entrusted to another or a loan." An increase in liabilities or shareholders' equity is a credit to the account. It's notated as "CR."
They must be equal to keep a company's books in balance. Debits increase the value of asset, expense and loss accounts. Credits increase the value of liability, equity, revenue and gain accounts. Debit and credit balances are used to prepare a company's income statement, balance sheet and other financial documents.
A debit entry in an account represents a transfer of value to that account, and a credit entry represents a transfer from the account. Each transaction transfers value from credited accounts to debited accounts.
There is no good or bad when it comes to debits and credits. I've seen people say “oh, debits are good because they increase the assets accounts” but if you do that, you're going to have a problem with expense accounts, which also have debit balances.
A debit to your bank account happens when you use funds from the account for a payment. When your bank account is debited, money is taken out of the account. The opposite of a debit is a credit, when money is instead added to your account.
When you see the words 'in credit' on your bills, this means you've paid more money than you needed to and the company owes you money. If your energy bill says you're 'in debit', this means you owe your supplier money.
Normal Balance of an Account
As assets and expenses increase on the debit side, their normal balance is a debit. Dividends paid to shareholders also have a normal balance that is a debit entry. Since liabilities, equity (such as common stock), and revenues increase with a credit, their “normal” balance is a credit.
Credit cards are safer to carry than cash and offer stronger fraud protections than debit. You can earn significant rewards without changing your spending habits.
When should you use credit and debit?
- Credit cards often offer better fraud protection. ...
- Using a credit card can help build good credit. ...
- Paying with a debit card can help manage credit card debt. ...
- Use your debit card for ATM withdrawals. ...
- Use a credit card for hotel deposits.
A Mathematical Understanding of Debits & Credits
A simple way to distinguish between the two is to know that a debit entry always adds a positive number to the ledger, and a credit entry always adds a negative number.

The basics of DR and CR
The individual entries on a balance sheet are referred to as debits and credits. Debits (often represented as DR) record incoming money, while credits (CR) record outgoing money.
A debit is another word for an expense or money paid from an account that increases an asset or decreases a liability or owner's equity. Debits are the opposite of credits. On a balance sheet, negative balances are credited, while positive values for expenses and assets are debited.
The purchase returns account frequently has a credit balance in the books. As a result, the credit balance in the purchase account will be offset by the debit balance. Purchase refunds lower the business's expenses and are thus recorded on the trial balance's credit side.
Say you purchase $1,000 in inventory from a vendor with cash. To record the transaction, debit your Inventory account and credit your Cash account. Because they are both asset accounts, your Inventory account increases with the debit while your Cash account decreases with a credit.
But depending on your bank, running a transaction as credit may provide you with stronger fraud protection for unauthorized transactions. Regardless of how you use your debit card, it's wise to check your account regularly to track your payments and to ensure there are no errors or fraud.
+ + Rules of Debits and Credits: Assets are increased by debits and decreased by credits. Liabilities are increased by credits and decreased by debits. Equity accounts are increased by credits and decreased by debits. Revenues are increased by credits and decreased by debits.
On a bank statement, money paid in is labelled 'Credit', and money taken out as 'Debit' because the bank are looking at this from their own point of view. For them, when you pay some money into the bank, that's money that they will have to pay back to you sometime.
When can a bank take money out of your account without your permission? Contrary to what you might think, a bank could legally withdraw money from your deposit accounts (like a checking or high-yield savings account) if you've defaulted on one of its loan products, like a mortgage or car loan.
What are the golden rules of accounting?
What are the Golden Rules of Accounting? 1) Debit what comes in - credit what goes out. 2) Credit the giver and Debit the Receiver. 3) Credit all income and debit all expenses.
It's possible to have a negative balance—also known as a credit balance—on a credit card. And if you do have a negative balance, don't worry. It just means that instead of owing money to your credit card company, your credit card company actually owes you.
Rent expense is a debit in accounting because it is an example of expense. In debit and credit rules, all expenses are said to be debit accounts because the increase in its value is journalized through a debit entry.
What does the "Dr/Cr" mean on my invoice/statement? A "Dr" balance means a debit balance which is an amount due for payment, whilst a "Cr" balance means a credit balance which indicates that no payment is due.
Under what conditions will an account balance be a debit? Whenever the debits in an account exceed the credits. Under what conditions will an account balance be a credit? whenever the credits in an account exceed the debits.