How to record a bank loan in accounting?

Asked by: Ms. Margarette Hauck  |  Last update: June 2, 2026
Score: 4.8/5 (27 votes)

Recording a bank loan involves debiting the cash account (increasing assets) and crediting a loan payable account (increasing liabilities) upon receipt. Repayments are recorded by debiting the loan liability (reducing it) and crediting the bank account (reducing assets) for the principal, while interest is recorded as an expense.

What is the journal entry for a bank loan?

The loan taken from a bank journal entry is a simple entry where one asset account increases (Bank) and one liability account increases (Loan). You debit the bank account because the money comes in. You credit the loan account because you owe it. This entry is simple but very important.

How do you record a bank loan in accounting?

When a company borrows money from its bank and agrees to repay the loan amount within a year, the company will record the loan by increasing its cash and increasing a current liability such as Notes Payable or Loans Payable.

What is a bank loan considered in accounting?

Usually, for borrowing companies and sole traders, a bank loan is a liability, not an asset. However, this can get a little confusing when a bank loan is taken out to purchase a specific asset and the asset is used as collateral for the loan.

Is a bank loan recorded in a P&L account?

The principal amount received from the bank is not part of a company's revenues and therefore will not be reported on the company's income statement. Similarly, any repayment of the principal amount will not be an expense and therefore will not be reported on the income statement.

How to Record a Loan & Loan Repayment in QuickBooks Online - How to Split Principal and Interest

16 related questions found

Is a bank loan an expense or liability?

Bank Loan Payments Category

Principal Repayment (Not an Expense): The principal portion of your payment is the return of the money you borrowed. This is not a deductible expense. Instead, it is a reduction of a liability on your company's balance sheet.

Where to put a bank loan in a balance sheet?

Follow these steps to create an accurate balance sheet: List all assets: Categorise them into current (cash, inventory) and non-current (property, equipment). List all liabilities: Include both short-term (payables) and long-term (loans).

How to record a loan in general ledger?

Enter the amount of the loan and log the proper amounts to the appropriate expense accounts. In the following example, the Liability/Loan account is increased, or credited, while the appropriate expense accounts are decreased, or debited. In journal entries, the total of the Debit and Credit columns must be equal.

What kind of account is a bank loan?

In accounting terms, a loan account is an asset of the bank and a liability of the borrower. Loan accounts may be unsecured or secured with collateral from the borrower, and they may be guaranteed by a third person, with or without security.

What is the double entry for a loan?

An example of double-entry accounting would be if a business took out a $10,000 loan and the loan was recorded in both the debit account and the credit account. The cash (asset) account would be debited by $10,000 and the debt (liability) account would be credited by $10,000.

How to do a journal entry for a loan in QuickBooks?

Create a journal entry for the loan

  1. Select + Create.
  2. Select Journal entry.
  3. For the first line under ACCOUNT, select your new liability account.
  4. Enter the amount of the loan under CREDITS.
  5. For the next line, select the appropriate asset account under ACCOUNT. ...
  6. Select Save or Save and close.

Where is a loan recorded in final accounts?

Answer. In the final accounts, specifically on the balance sheet, a bank loan appears on the liabilities side (the right-hand side). It is recorded under non-current liabilities if it is a long-term loan or current liabilities if repayment is due within a year.

Do we write a bank loan in a realisation account?

However, Bank Loan Account must be transferred to Realisation Account. 2. To close the various outside liabilities accounts The various outside liabilities awaiting final settlement are to be transferred to the Realisation Account at the book values.

How to record a bank loan?

Record as a journal entry

  1. Establish the balance. Create a new general ledger account. TIP: Use either a Long-Term Liability or Current Liability account. ...
  2. Paying the loan. Create a Vendor for the lender. Select the liability account you created for the loan in the Expense Account field.

Is a bank loan a debit or credit?

Nature of an account example: To increase the bank account, a debit entry would exist, to decrease the bank account, a credit entry would exist. The opposite applies to a bank loan, as it is Credit by nature, then reducing the loan is a debit transaction.

What are 7 journal entries?

Seven common accounting journal entries include recording sales, paying expenses (like rent or salaries), purchasing assets (like equipment) or inventory, receiving cash, paying liabilities, owner investments/withdrawals, and end-of-period adjusting entries for things like depreciation or accruals, all following double-entry bookkeeping rules (debits/credits) to reflect business activities accurately.
 

Is a bank loan a liability or capital?

Liabilities are the debts owed by the firm. The main types of liabilities are creditors (money owed by the business to suppliers of goods and services), bank overdrafts and bank loans.

Is a bank loan account receivable?

A loan receivable is the amount a borrower owes to a lender, typically a bank or credit union. It is recorded as an asset in the lender's books, specifically under the loan receivable journal entry in the general ledger. This entry tracks the outstanding loan amount and helps with accurate financial reporting.

How do I categorize a loan?

If the loan is for daily operations, it's an operating expense. If it's for long-term assets like real estate or equipment, it's a capital expenditure. If it's managing existing debts, it falls under debt service.

How to journal entry a bank loan?

How to record loans and loan payment journal entries

  1. Step 1: Record the initial loan. ...
  2. Step 2: Record the loan interest. ...
  3. Step 3: Record the interest payments. ...
  4. Step 4: Record the loan payment — Unamortized, Amortized, Periodic.

What is double entry bookkeeping for dummies?

Double-entry bookkeeping is an accounting system that rules that for every entry into one account, an equal entry must be made in another account. Said to date back to the 11th century, double-entry bookkeeping maintains that there must be an equal debit for every credit a company records in its accounting system.

Is a bank loan recorded in a balance sheet?

Loans do not count as income and are not reflected on the income statement, only on the balance sheet! Interest is the only amount that should be shown on the income statement!

How to record a bank loan in QuickBooks?

In the Make Deposits window:

  1. In the Deposit To field, select the account to deposit the loan into.
  2. Check the Date and enter an optional Memo.
  3. In the From Account column, select the Liability account.
  4. In the Amount column, enter the loan amount.
  5. Select Save & Close.

Is a bank loan a form of equity or debt?

Debt financing refers to taking out a conventional loan through a traditional lender like a bank. Equity financing involves securing capital in exchange for a percentage of ownership in the business. Finding what's right for you will depend on your individual situation.

Is bank loan payment an expense?

Loan Payment Expense Category

Interest Expense: The portion of the payment that covers the cost of borrowing the money (the interest) is an interest expense. Principal Payment: The portion that reduces the outstanding loan balance (the principal) is not an expense but a reduction of a liability on the balance sheet.