{"id":4611,"date":"2020-02-18T11:37:01","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T11:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/?p=4611"},"modified":"2023-01-23T12:46:47","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T12:46:47","slug":"what-are-accounting-source-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Source Documents in Accounting?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The article gives an overview of what are accounting source documents and what are their goals, content, and examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"721\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg\" alt=\"what-are-accounting-source-documents\" class=\"wp-image-4614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents-300x216.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents-768x554.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You can also listen to this article:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What are accounting source documents?\" height=\"122\" width=\"100%\" style=\"border: none;\" scrolling=\"no\" data-name=\"pb-iframe-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.podbean.com\/media\/player\/xyh2b-da8be3?from=pb6admin&amp;download=1&amp;version=1&amp;auto=0&amp;share=1&amp;download=1&amp;rtl=0&amp;fonts=Helvetica&amp;skin=1&amp;pfauth=&amp;btn-skin=103\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #343333;color:#343333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #343333;color:#343333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#What_are_Accounting_Source_Documents\" >What are Accounting Source Documents?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Goals_of_an_Accounting_Source_Document\" >Goals of an Accounting Source Document<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Content_of_an_Accounting_Source_Document\" >Content of an Accounting Source Document<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#How_long_to_keep_Accounting_Source_Documents\" >How long to keep Accounting Source Documents?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Internal_and_external_source_documents\" >Internal and external source documents<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Some_common_source_documents\" >Some common source documents<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Invoice\" >Invoice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Cash_Receipt\" >Cash Receipt<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#A_check_from_a_cash_register\" >A check from a cash register<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Purchase_order\" >Purchase order<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Sales_order\" >Sales order<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Delivery_note\" >Delivery note<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Goods_received_note\" >Goods received note<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Debit_note\" >Debit note<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Credit_note\" >Credit note<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Time_card\" >Time card<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#Bank_statement\" >Bank statement<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_Accounting_Source_Documents\"><\/span>What are Accounting Source Documents?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Accounting source documents are documents that provide proof of economic transactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are the source of the information that is recorded in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freshbooks.com\/hub\/accounting\/what-is-a-ledger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"accounting ledgers (opens in a new tab)\">accounting ledgers<\/a>, and they are used to verify the validity of the transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Accounting source documents are required, for example, to prove the following transactions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A manufacturing\ncompany purchased and paid for raw material.<\/li><li>A company\nshipped products to a customer.<\/li><li>An e-commerce\nbusiness sold a product online.<\/li><li>A user paid for\na service subscription.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"banner-v2\">\n    <p class=\"banner-v2__desc\">Simplify your manufacturing accounting with MRPeasy<\/p>\n    <a class=\"banner-v2__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/sign-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-event=\"blog_signup_banner_blue\">Try for free<\/a>\n<\/div>\t\t<style>.banner-v2 {\n    float: right;\n    display: flex;\n    flex-direction: column;\n    justify-content: center;\n    align-items: center;\n    padding: 40px 32px;\n    gap: 16px;\n    width: 356px;\n    height: 205px;\n    background: linear-gradient(199.68deg, #6084E5 13.17%, #5FA7DD 82.1%);\n    border-radius: 4px;\n    margin-left: 12px;\n    margin-bottom: 12px;\n    margin-top: 15px;\n}\n\n@media (max-width: 767.98px) {\n    .banner-v2 {\n         width: 100%;\n         height: 173px;\n         margin-bottom: 0;\n         margin-left: 0;\n    }\n}\n\n.single__content p.banner-v2__desc {\n    margin: 0 !important;\n}\n\np.banner-v2__desc {\n    width: 292px;\n    font-style: normal;\n    font-weight: 700;\n    font-size: 22px;\n    line-height: 29px !important;\n    text-align: center;\n    color: #FFFFFF;\n    margin: 0 !important;\n    order: 0 !important;\n}\n\n.single__content a.banner-v2__link {\n    color: #FFFFFF !important;\n}\n\n.single__content a.banner-v2__link:hover {\n    color: #003557 !important;\n}\n\na.banner-v2__link {\n    display: flex;\n    justify-content: center;\n    align-items: center;\n    width: 181px;\n    height: 51px;\n    padding: 18px 0;\n    border-radius: 4px;\n    background: #003557;\n    font-weight: 700;\n    font-size: 16px;\n    color: #FFFFFF !important;\n    text-decoration: none !important;\n    order: 1 !important;\n}\n\n.banner-v2__link:hover {\n    background: white;\n    color: #003557 !important;\n}<\/style>\n\t\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Goals_of_an_Accounting_Source_Document\"><\/span>Goals of an Accounting Source Document<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The aims of creating and keeping accounting source documents are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>To provide proof that a transaction occurred.<\/li><li>To record and let the other party know that an economic transaction occurs.<\/li><li>To describe the economic transaction in bookkeeping.<\/li><li>To calculate and report the taxes.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/MRPeasy-accounting.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/MRPeasy-accounting-1024x550.jpg\" alt=\"MRPeasy-accounting\" class=\"wp-image-4625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/MRPeasy-accounting-1024x550.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/MRPeasy-accounting-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/MRPeasy-accounting-768x413.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Content_of_an_Accounting_Source_Document\"><\/span>Content of an Accounting Source Document<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In all cases, the accounting source documents must contain at least:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The date of the\ntransaction.<\/li><li>A reference\nnumber.<\/li><li>The names of the\ninvolved parties.<\/li><li>The description\nof the transaction.<\/li><li>The type of source\ndocument (i.e. an invoice, a check).<\/li><li>The description\nof the items or services.<\/li><li>The quantities, amounts,\nand the currency of the transaction.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_to_keep_Accounting_Source_Documents\"><\/span>How long to keep Accounting Source Documents?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to local legal regulations, a company must retain source documents\nfor several years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond these requirements, each company dictates its own security policies. It may be convenient to keep these documents for longer. It may be useful in the future to provide evidence in case of internal consultation, a lawsuit, or to provide better customer service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, every company must have a procedure about the source document\ndestruction policy. This procedure helps organizations to control the\nelimination of such documents for a certain period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Internal_and_external_source_documents\"><\/span>Internal and external source documents<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Accounting source documents can be categorized also as internal or\nexternal, depending on if they were generated within the company, or received\nfrom another party (e.g. seller of goods).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, external source documents are considered more important, as they provide proof that your company did have a transaction with another party. For example, if your company purchased something, but does not have any payment documents from the seller, then the accountant does not have the right to record such entry in the books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You may also like <\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"How MRP System Improves Purchase Planning (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/how-mrp-system-improves-purchase-planning\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>How MRP System Improves Purchase Planning<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Some_common_source_documents\"><\/span>Some common source documents<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every business must record every economic transaction on their books and\nhave enough evidence to support it. Some common source documents used are\ndescribed below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Invoice\"><\/span>Invoice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When\na company sells any product or service to another party, it issues an invoice\nor a bill. The invoice shows the description of the product, the parties\ninvolved in the transaction, the date, the quantity and the price. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Any time an invoice is issued there is a copy for the buyer and another for the seller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cash_Receipt\"><\/span>Cash Receipt<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A receipt is a financial source document that provides proof that cash was transferred from one party to the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The receipt contains the names of the two parties involved in the transaction, the date, the amount of money transferred and the currency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, when a person or a company pays for a product, a cash receipt is supplied as proof of money transferred. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_check_from_a_cash_register\"><\/span>A check from a cash register<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The check printed from a cash register provides proof that a purchase was paid for in cash or by card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Purchase_order\"><\/span>Purchase order<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A purchase order is a source document issued by the buyer to the seller. Initially, it requests a product or a service, but it is a binding agreement once the seller accepts the purchase order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes the purchase order comes after a previous process of negotiation. During that stage, both parties, the buyer and the seller, agree on the terms and conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A purchase order contains the description of the items, the quantities to purchase, the price, the delivery dates, and the payment terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sales_order\"><\/span>Sales order<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A sales order is a document generated by the seller upon receiving a purchase order from a buyer. To accept the purchase order, the seller issues an order confirmation specifying the product details: the product or service with the price, the quantity, the delivery terms, and the seller and buyer details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based\non the sales older the seller can generate an invoice for the buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Delivery_note\"><\/span>Delivery note<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ndelivery note is a document that is sent together with a shipment of goods that\nprovides proof that the goods or products have been delivered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ndelivery note usually shows the names of the parties, delivery location, the\ndate, and the descriptions and quantities of items in the transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A copy signed by the buyer is returned to the vendor as proof of delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Goods_received_note\"><\/span>Goods received note<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ngoods received note (GRN) is like the delivery note, but in this case, it will\nbe issued by the buyer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also shows the name of the parties involved in the transaction, the description, the quantities of items in the transaction, the date, and delivery location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ngoods received note can be sent to the seller when the transaction has been\ncompleted. It is used to match received goods to invoices received from vendors.\n<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"banner-v1\">\n    <div class=\"banner__text\">\n        <div class=\"banner-v1__title\">Start properly managing your manufacturing company<\/div>\n        <div class=\"banner-v1__desc\">MRPeasy integrates sales, purchases, production, inventory, and finances to provide you with an accurate real-time overview of your business.<\/div>\n        <div><a class=\"banner-v1__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/sign-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-ga-event=\"blog_signup_banner_white\">Try for free<\/a><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"banner__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/mrpeasy\/assets\/images\/banner.svg\" alt=\"banner\">\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Debit_note\"><\/span>Debit note<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The debit note can be sent from the buyer to the seller together with returned goods. In this case, the buyer notifies the seller that they do not intend to pay for the goods if purchased on credit, or they expect a refund or credit from the seller if goods have already been paid for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also,\nthe debit note can be sent from the seller to the buyer when the amount payable\nby the buyer increases. In this case, the seller notifies the buyer that in\ntheir accounts they have increased the amount what the buyer owes to the seller.\nFormally, it can serve as a request for extra payment from the buyer, e.g. when\nthere were changes to the original invoice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Credit_note\"><\/span>Credit note<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The credit note can be sent by the seller when the buyer has returned the product to the seller, fully or partially. In this case, the credit note indicates that the buyer does not need to pay for these products if purchased on credit, or that the seller now owes the buyer a refund, if the buyer already paid for the products.<br> <br>Also, the credit note can be sent from the buyer to the seller, in response to receiving a debit note, to acknowledge a seller\u2019s claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Time_card\"><\/span>Time card<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ntime card is an internal document that companies use for registering the\nworking hours of the personnel and pay wages. The time card records the name of\nthe employee, the working day, the entry time and the exit time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\ntime card has evolved over time, from the traditional paper time card to the\nmagnetic card or fingerprint records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bank_statement\"><\/span>Bank statement<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A bank statement is used to enter payments into the accounting system and match them to invoices. During an audit, the bank statement allows to verify that the payments entered into the accounting system, the movements shown in the bank accounts in the company\u2019s records, actually happened, and show who the receiving\/sending party was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You may also like: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-is-an-accounting-manual\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">What is an Accounting Manual?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The article gives an overview of what are accounting source documents and what are their goals, content, and examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,94,93],"tags":[80,203,3],"class_list":["post-4611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accounting","category-tips","category-production-planning","tag-accounting","tag-accounting-source-documents","tag-manufacturing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Are Source Documents in Accounting? - MRPeasy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are source documents in accounting and why must all companies keep meticulous track of them? Read to learn more about source documents.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Are Source Documents in Accounting? - MRPeasy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What are source documents in accounting and why must all companies keep meticulous track of them? Read to learn more about source documents.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog for Manufacturers and Distributors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-18T11:37:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-23T12:46:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"721\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Karl Heinrich Lauri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Karl Heinrich Lauri\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Karl Heinrich Lauri\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f3fc21487b8bd06ee559963df65c254\"},\"headline\":\"What Are Source Documents in Accounting?\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-18T11:37:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T12:46:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/\"},\"wordCount\":1242,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"accounting\",\"accounting source documents\",\"manufacturing\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Accounting\",\"Manufacturing Tips\",\"Production planning\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/\",\"name\":\"What Are Source Documents in Accounting? - MRPeasy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-18T11:37:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T12:46:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f3fc21487b8bd06ee559963df65c254\"},\"description\":\"What are source documents in accounting and why must all companies keep meticulous track of them? Read to learn more about source documents.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":721,\"caption\":\"what-are-accounting-source-documents\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Are Source Documents in Accounting?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Blog for Manufacturers and Distributors\",\"description\":\"MRPeasy\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f3fc21487b8bd06ee559963df65c254\",\"name\":\"Karl Heinrich Lauri\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bfbd724fcc3682ea1ca8376247ce950e92810c2fc786ac129ef4a8e3ba6bcac?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bfbd724fcc3682ea1ca8376247ce950e92810c2fc786ac129ef4a8e3ba6bcac?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Karl Heinrich Lauri\"},\"description\":\"For more than 6 years, Karl has been working at MRPeasy with the main goal of getting useful information out to small manufacturers and distributors. He enjoys working with other industry specialists to add real-life insights into his articles, with a special focus on using the feedback from manufacturers implementing MRP software. Karl has also collaborated with respected publications in the manufacturing field, including IndustryWeek and FoodLogistics.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/author\/karl-h\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Are Source Documents in Accounting? - MRPeasy","description":"What are source documents in accounting and why must all companies keep meticulous track of them? Read to learn more about source documents.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Are Source Documents in Accounting? - MRPeasy","og_description":"What are source documents in accounting and why must all companies keep meticulous track of them? Read to learn more about source documents.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/","og_site_name":"Blog for Manufacturers and Distributors","article_published_time":"2020-02-18T11:37:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-23T12:46:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":721,"url":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Karl Heinrich Lauri","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Karl Heinrich Lauri","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/"},"author":{"name":"Karl Heinrich Lauri","@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f3fc21487b8bd06ee559963df65c254"},"headline":"What Are Source Documents in Accounting?","datePublished":"2020-02-18T11:37:01+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-23T12:46:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/"},"wordCount":1242,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg","keywords":["accounting","accounting source documents","manufacturing"],"articleSection":["Accounting","Manufacturing Tips","Production planning"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/","name":"What Are Source Documents in Accounting? - MRPeasy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg","datePublished":"2020-02-18T11:37:01+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-23T12:46:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f3fc21487b8bd06ee559963df65c254"},"description":"What are source documents in accounting and why must all companies keep meticulous track of them? Read to learn more about source documents.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/what-are-accounting-source-documents.jpg","width":1000,"height":721,"caption":"what-are-accounting-source-documents"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/what-are-accounting-source-documents\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Are Source Documents in Accounting?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/","name":"Blog for Manufacturers and Distributors","description":"MRPeasy","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9f3fc21487b8bd06ee559963df65c254","name":"Karl Heinrich Lauri","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bfbd724fcc3682ea1ca8376247ce950e92810c2fc786ac129ef4a8e3ba6bcac?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9bfbd724fcc3682ea1ca8376247ce950e92810c2fc786ac129ef4a8e3ba6bcac?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Karl Heinrich Lauri"},"description":"For more than 6 years, Karl has been working at MRPeasy with the main goal of getting useful information out to small manufacturers and distributors. He enjoys working with other industry specialists to add real-life insights into his articles, with a special focus on using the feedback from manufacturers implementing MRP software. Karl has also collaborated with respected publications in the manufacturing field, including IndustryWeek and FoodLogistics.","url":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/author\/karl-h\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4611"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13306,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4611\/revisions\/13306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrpeasy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}