Because general ledger accounts are used to prepare financial statements, they contain
only summary figures (no supporting detail) and require only summary posting
information. Second, this information supports an important independent verification
control. The AR summary, which the AR function independently provides, is used to
verify the accuracy of the journal vouchers from billing. The AR summary figures
should equal the total debits to AR reflected in the journal vouchers for the transaction
period. By reconciling these figures, the general ledger function can detect many
types of errors. We examine this point more fully in a later section dealing with
revenue cycle controls.