Term
Summary accounting document
A document that combines several identical transactions over a period into one entry, such as daily cash register takings or the monthly payroll summary. It must refer to the individual underlying records it was built from.
Updated
What it means
A summary accounting document combines several identical transactions over a period into a single record. Typical examples are the daily takings report from a cash register or the monthly payroll summary.
The Accounting Act allows summary documents so that the books are not flooded with hundreds of nearly identical entries. A summary document must contain the same particulars as any other accounting document and must refer to the individual documents it was built from.
A summary document does not replace the source documents but merely aggregates them. Till receipts, payslips or individual issue slips remain part of the records and must be available for inspection so that it can be verified that the total matches reality.
How it works in practice
In retail and hospitality, takings are usually booked daily based on the cash register's end-of-day report. The summary document shows total sales, a breakdown by VAT rate and payment method, meaning cash and cards, and refers to the number of the report that supports it.
For payroll, wage costs, contributions and tax advances are booked in summary according to the monthly recap. The recap serves as an internal document, while individual payroll sheets remain in the payroll records as support for inspections by the Social Insurance Agency or the tax office.
A summary document also suits small staff purchases, recurring fees or sales through platforms that send monthly statements. One accounting entry per period simplifies the records, as long as it is clear what it is made up of.
What to watch out for
Only identical transactions may be combined. Mixing different types of costs or transactions with different tax treatment in one document makes checks harder and can lead to VAT errors, for example applying the wrong rate.
The source documents referred to by a summary document must be retained as long as the summary itself. If they are lost during document retention, the total cannot be verified and the tax authority may disallow the expenses or the VAT deduction.
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