Financial Glossary
Account to Be Debited
In double-entry bookkeeping, the account to be debited is the account that receives the debit, or left-side, entry in a transaction. Debits increase asset and expense accounts and decrease liability, equity, and revenue accounts. Identifying which account to debit, and which to credit, is the core skill in recording any journal entry so that the books stay balanced.
Problem & Application
Recording a transaction correctly starts with asking which account gains value or incurs a cost. When a campground owner buys a new mower with cash, the equipment asset account is debited and cash is credited. Getting the debited account wrong throws off the financial statements and can quietly distort profit, asset values, and tax filings.
In Short
Knowing which account to debit keeps every entry balanced and your financials trustworthy. It is the discipline that separates clean books from a mess at tax time.