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Clerical Errors
These errors arise because of mistakes committed in the ordinary course of accounting work. These can be further classified into three types as follows.
a) Errors of Omission
This error arises when a transaction is completely or partially omitted to be recorded in the books of accounts. Errors of omission may be classified as below.
i. Error of Complete Omission: This error arises when a transaction is totally omitted to be recorded in the books of accounts. For example, Goods purchased from Ram completely omitted to be recorded. This error does not affect the trial balance.
ii. Error of Partial Omission: This error arises when only one aspect of the transaction either debit or credit is recorded. For example, a credit sale of goods to Siva recorded in sales book but omitted to be posted in Siva’s account. This error affects the trial balance.
b) Errors of Commission
This error arises due to wrong recording, wrong posting, wrong casting, wrong balancing, wrong carrying forward etc. Errors of commission may be classified as follows:
i. Error of Recording: This error arises when a transaction is wrongly recorded in the books of original entry. For example, Goods of Rs.5,000, purchased on credit from Viji, is recorded in the book for Rs.5,500. This error does not affect the trial balance.
ii. Error of Posting: This error arises when information recorded in the books of original entry are wrongly entered in the ledger. Error of posting may be
i. Right amount in the right side of wrong account.
ii. Right amount in the wrong side of correct account
iii. Wrong amount in the right side of correct account
iv. Wrong amount in the wrong side of correct account
v. Wrong amount in the wrong side of wrong account
vi. Wrong amount in the right side of wrong account, etc.
This error may or may not affect the trial balance.
iii. Error of Casting (Totalling) : This error arises when a mistake is committed while totalling the subsidiary book. For example, instead of Rs.12,000 it may be wrongly totalled as Rs.13,000. This is called overcasting. If it is wrongly totalled as Rs.11,000, it is called undercasting.
iv. Error of Carrying Forward : This error arises when a mistake is committed in carrying forward a total of one page to the next page. For example, Total of purchase book in page 282 of the ledger Rs.10,686, while carrying forward the balance to the next page it was recorded as Rs.10,866.
c) Compensating Errors
The errors arising from excess debits or under debits of accounts being neutralised by the excess credits or under credits to the same extent of some other account is compensating error. Since the errors in one direction are compensated by errors in another direction, arithmetical accuracy of the trial balance is not at all affected inspite of such errors. For example, If the purchases book and sales book are both overcast (excess totalling) by Rs.10,000, the errors mutually compensate each other. This error will not affect the agreement of trial balance.
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