When it comes to the companies, “bin” is there but it crosses their limit and the reason behind why the company maintains “bin card” that keep records the number of goods that are received, issued, and balanced.
When it comes to “stores ledger”, in accounting it means to keep the record of material coming inside along with going out of the company in terms of quantity and value as well.
Bin Card vs Stores Ledger
The main difference between Bin Card and Stores Ledger is that bin card is used in a company to record the transactions of the business which records material received, issued and balance but store ledger is used to record the amount, quantity, type and rate of the material.
Bin card is maintained by a storekeeper whereas store ledger is maintained by the cost accountant. In the events of accounting for daily business purposes, an idea of manufacturing companies is that a “bin card” is like a rough book and “stores ledger” is like a book of school.
Both “bin card” and “stores ledger” terms fall in the category of cost accountancy while both of them are used to keep record the maintenance of goods that goes inside the company and goods that go out from the company, yet they have their differences.
Comparison Table Between Bin Card and Stores Ledger
| Parameter of Comparison | Bin Card | Stores Ledger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bin card is also known as” Stock Card” which we use to keep a record of all the receipts and issues of the stocks from the company’s stock department. | Stores ledger is called the subsidiary ledger of the costing ledger that keeps a record of the movements of inventory with the valued terms. |
| What they do | The bin card only keeps a record of the quantity of the materials. Such as- receipts, issues, and balances of materials. | Stores ledger keeps a record of the movements of inventory in rate, quantity, and value and the balance of the material after every movement happens. |
| Maintenance | Storekeeper maintains the bin card who also takes responsibility for the rest of the goods in the store | The costing department maintains the stores ledger who also maintains other books of accounts of the company. |
| Department | In accounting, a bin card has to keep inside the store. | In accounting, stores ledger has to keep outside the store. |
| Duration | In the case of bin card, storekeeper makes the entry immediately, so that he knows if there is any shortage of goods. | In the case of stores ledger, the entries are made periodically so it takes time to know about the exact amount of possible goods in the store. |
What is the Bin Card?
If we simply put it, the bin is a space or place where materials are kept in. Some may call it a shelf or a bag where one keeps all the goods. The term bin card is a document that expresses the specifics of materials that are being kept in the bin.
To reveal the measurable details of materials that are received, issued, and the closing balance, a document paper is attached to the bin. We use a “bin card” for every item of goods.
On the bin card, every receipt and issue is kept in chronological order and the recent balance is exposed after each receipt and issue. Storekeeper usually maintains the “bin card”.
A form of indication is produced by “bin card” to deliver information about different stock levels.
There is a various level of stock stated in the “bin card”, such as maximum, minimum, and reorder level, etc. This official document also tends to maintain with loose leaf just like “store ledger”.
What is Stores Ledger?
In accounting, by the term “stores ledger” we understand that it is a document that shows the amount of quantity and value of the received, issued, and in balanced materials at the end.
To each component of the material, “stores ledger” is assigned. In this ledger, entries are created by the costing clerk with reference to goods received note, material returned note, material requisition note, etc.
In “stores ledger” we can find so many similarities with the “bin card” except it has additional columns that show the prices and value of materials received, issued, and balance in hand.
The “stores ledger” generates the value of the closing stock at any time. Along with everything, a store ledger has information like the name of the material, different stock levels, code numbers, etc.
Main Differences Between Bin Card and Stores Ledger
- A bin card is known to be made by the stores’ department. On the other hand, the store ledger is made by the cost accounting department.
- In business, a bin card is a document to keep a quantitative record of receipts, issues, and closing balance of an item of material. While stores ledger tends to keep records of every quantity received or issued or in stock and also the financial expressions of the same things.
- Bin card possesses the specifics of goods only in terms of keeping a score of the quantity. On the other hand, stores ledger has particulars of materials in terms of both quantity and value.
- In the case of bin card, each and every entry is made on the basis of real quantities received or issued. And in the case of store ledger, materials received note and materials requisition note provide support to every entry.
- In the case of bin card, usually, entries are made right after each transaction. And in the case of stores’ ledger, entries are known to be made periodically.
- To allow to label the stock, bin Card has to be attached to the bins inside the store. And to do the same, stores ledger have to be attached outside the store.
- When it comes to postings, in bin card they are made before a transaction happens. In stores ledger, the posting is made after a transaction happens.
- Bin Card is not capable of providing closing stock value for the preparation of financial profit and loss statements. Diversely store ledger is capable of providing closing stock value to prepare financial profit and loss account.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Bin Card and Stores Ledger
What are the items included in the store ledger?
A store ledger can be handwritten or computerized and is used for product maintenance. It notifies about how much item has been used and how many items should be bought. Store ledgers are maintained by the person who manages the production.
The items which are included in-store ledger are items that are generally used for production, especially raw materials.
What is the difference between inventory and stock?
Stock and inventory are often used as interchangeable terms. However, both of them are quite different. Let’s take a look at the meaning of both.
- Inventory – Inventory is an aggregate of all the assets that a company holds including the final product, raw materials that are used to create the final product, the machinery that is used to create it, and even the building in which it was created.
- Stock – A stock is a final product that a business sells to its customers. In certain cases, a raw material can also be stock if the company sells it to the customers as well. For example – a company selling a motorbike can also sell its other spare parts like a tire or any engine part, etc.
So it is clear that inventory is the sum of stocks, raw materials, and everything else that is involved in the production of an item that is sold by a business.
On the other hand, a stock is a final product that is sold by a company to generate revenue.
What is the material return note?
When materials purchased for a job are in excess or found faulty, they are returned back to the supplier with a material return note.
A material return note gives the proper details of the materials returned with the reason for returning them.
What is included in the cost of goods sold?
The cost of goods sold is the actual production cost of the goods. It includes the cost of the raw material and labor used in the production. It also includes the shipping charges if there are any.
In simple terms, the cost of goods sold includes the cost of raw material, labor, and shipping.
Conclusion
To summarize “bin card” is a document that keeps a record of the status of a good that placed in a stock room. To record the current balance of stock on hand a common retailing business with a large stock room will use a bin card.
And on the other hand, a “stores’ ledger” keeps a record of every raw material and production supplies that are stored in a production facility.
From the above discussion, we can say that both bin cards and stores ledger are different from each other and that is the reason why everyone should know the difference between them, so that, they will not make the mistake of seeing both the same thing.
References
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-17691-5_2