Global HR Library
Ledger template
Use this on-page ledger template to record and organise your business transactions all in one place. Whether you're tracking employee reimbursements, payroll disbursements, or vendor payments, this ledger format helps ensure your financials stay clear, auditable, and compliant.
What is a ledger?
A ledger is a central record of all your financial transactions. It helps you:
- Track income and expenses
- Stay compliant with tax and audit requirements
- Make informed decisions based on real financial data
You can use this template to build your general ledger or a dedicated sub-ledger for payroll, employee expenses, or other specific areas.
Ledger template structure
Use this template for each transaction. You can copy this table or structure it digitally in your system.
Date | Transaction ID | Description | Category | Debit (−) | Credit (+) | Balance |
YYYY-MM-DD | REF-001 | July payroll run | Payroll | $20,000 | $80,000 | |
YYYY-MM-DD | REF-002 | Client payment – Q3 | Revenue | $45,000 | $125,000 | |
YYYY-MM-DD | REF-003 | SaaS subscription | Software expense | $200 | $124,800 | |
YYYY-MM-DD | REF-004 | Contractor payout | Contractor expense | $3,500 | $121,300 |
What do these fields mean?
Date: The date of the transaction.
Transaction ID: A unique reference number for traceability.
Description: What the transaction was for.
Category: What the transaction comes under (e.g., revenue, payroll, software, tax, or expense)
Debit / credit: The funds going out (debit), and the funds coming in (credit).
Balance: The running total of your account or ledger
Tips for managing your ledgers
Whenever you’re managing a ledger, it’s always good practice to:
- Categorise consistently (use standardised tags)
- Keep supporting documents (such as invoices and receipts) linked where possible
- Reconcile your ledger monthly with your bank statements
- Use separate ledgers for payroll, accounts receivable, and expenses
- Consider double-entry bookkeeping for full accounting workflows
Note that you can automate parts of this using accounting software, or integrate with Remote for HR/payroll-specific ledgers.
Sample ledger use cases
This on-page ledger template is ideal for:
Payroll tracking: Track pay payments, tax contributions, and net pay disbursements across pay cycles.
Expense reimbursement logs: Document when employees are reimbursed and what for.
Global contractor payments: Record contractor invoices, payment dates, and country of origin.
Monthly cash flow reports: Get a snapshot of incoming/outgoing funds at any time.
Need a more scalable ledger? Remote can help
As your team grows across borders, so does the complexity of tracking payments, taxes, and reimbursements. But with Remote, you don’t need to worry about the back office.
We handle your global payroll, benefits, taxes, and contractor payouts — all automatically recorded, reconciled, and accessible, and help you:
- Keep clean, auditable financial records
- Save time and reduce errors
- Integrate fully with your existing accounting software
To learn more about how Remote can help — and to learn which payroll solution is the most suitable for your business — speak to one of our friendly experts today.