# Branch Accounting Explained: Definition, Methods, and Benefits

![Branch Accounting](https://www.investopedia.com/thmb/MuAbpx3iugLJY1BX-bOBJnb9JJ8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Branch-Acounting-Final-90f06f2d39574095b5548aee0aa00f95.jpg)

*— Investopedia / Xiaojie Liu*

> **Definition**
>
> Branch accounting is a bookkeeping system that maintains separate accounts for each branch or operating location of an organization to enhance transparency and track financial performance across different sites.

## What Is Branch Accounting?

Branch accounting involves maintaining [separate accounts](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/separateaccount.asp) for each branch or operating location of an organization for greater transparency of transactions, [cash flows](https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/what-is-cash-flow.html), and performance. Branch accounting provides better accountability and control as profitability and efficiency can be tracked for each location. Typical users of branch accounting include geographically dispersed corporations, [multinationals](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/multinationalcorporation.asp), and chain operators. Technically, the branch account is a temporary or nominal ledger account, lasting for a designated accounting period. Branch accounting has a long history, going back to the Venetian banks of the 14th century.

### Key Takeaways

*   Branch accounting involves maintaining separate accounts for each branch, allowing for better financial transparency and accountability.
*   It treats each branch as an individual profit or cost center, tracking assets, liabilities, and overall performance.
*   Common branch accounting methods include the debtor system, income statement system, stock and debtor system, and final accounts system.
*   Originating in the 14th century, branch accounting has a long history, notably used by Venetian banks and merchants.
*   The primary advantage of branch accounting is that it closely monitors profitability and efficiency for different locations.

## Understanding the Mechanics of Branch Accounting

In branch [accounting](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/accounting.asp), each branch (defined as a geographically separate operating unit) is treated as an individual profit or cost center. Each branch has its own account, recording items like inventory, [accounts receivable](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/accountsreceivable.asp), wages, equipment, rent, insurance, and [petty cash](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/pettycash.asp).

Like any [double-entry](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/double-entry.asp) bookkeeping system, the ledger keeps a tally of assets and liabilities, debits and credits, and ultimately, profits and losses for a set period.

In bookkeeping terms, a branch account is temporary, lasting for a set accounting period. At the period's end, the branch totals its figures, and the balances are sent to the main office. The branch account is left with a zero balance until the accounting process begins all over again with the next accounting period or cycle.

## Common Methods Used in Branch Accounting

There are several different methods for keeping branch accounts, depending on the nature and complexity of the business and the operational autonomy of the branch. The most common include:

*   Debtor system
*   Income statement system
*   Stock and debtor system
*   Final accounts system

## Applications of Branch Accounting in Business

Branch accounting can also be used for a company's operating divisions, which usually have more autonomy than branches, as long as the division is not set up legally as a [subsidiary](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/subsidiary.asp) company. A branch is not a separate legal entity, although it can (somewhat confusingly) be referred to as an "independent branch" because it keeps its own accounting books.

Branch accounting doesn't apply to departments, which typically are all in the same physical location, even if they have their own accounts. By contrast, a branch is in a different geographic location, and is a separate entity.

> **Fast Fact**
>
> Branch accounting is a common practice for businesses that operate in different geographic locations.

## The Evolution of Branch Accounting Through History

Though it may seem synonymous with contemporary chain stores and franchise operations, branch accounting actually goes back a long way. Venetian banks maintained a form of it as early as the 14th century. The ledgers of a firm of Venetian merchants, dating from around 1410, also show a form of it to try to account for overseas and home accounts. Luca Pacioli's "Summa de Arithmetica" _(_1494), the first accounting textbook, devotes a chapter to it.

By the 17th century, German counting-houses and other businesses widely used branch accounting. Moravian settlements throughout the 13 original American colonies used it for their books in the mid-1700s.

## Pros and Cons of Branch Accounting

The primary advantages (and often, the objectives) of branch accounting are better [accountability](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/accountability.asp) and control since the profitability and efficiency of different locations can be closely tracked.

On the downside, branch accounting may involve added expenses for an organization in terms of manpower, working hours, and infrastructure. A separate account coding structure must be maintained for each operating unit. It may be necessary to appoint branch [accountants](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/accountant.asp) to ensure accurate financial reporting and compliance with head office procedures and processes.

## What Types of Businesses Use Branch Accounting?

Branch accounting is used in many industries, but it tends to be practiced in corporations that have geographically dispersed branches, such as business chains and multinational corporations.

## What Are Some of the Methods Used in Branch Accounting?

Branch accounting can use different methods depending on the nature and complexity of the business and how autonomously the branch operates. Some common methods include the debtor system, the income statement system, the stock and debtor system, and the final accounts system.

## Why Do Companies Use Branch Accounting?

Because branch accounting allows a business to closely track the profitability and efficiency of each branch location, it can provide better financial accountability and control.

## The Bottom Line

Branch accounting is a useful bookkeeping practice in businesses that have branches or geographically disparate operating locations. It involves separate accounts for each location to allow for greater monitoring, transparency, and accountability of financial transactions and performance. While beneficial, branch accounting has costs such as the added expenses for extra employee working hours and infrastructure related to maintaining separate accounts and coding systems. Departmental accounting differs from branch accounting in that departments tend to operate from the same physical location. The practice of branch accounting has a long history, dating back to Venetian banks in the 14th century.

> **Article Sources**
>
> 1.  AccountingTools. "[Branch Accounting Definition](https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/2017/5/11/branch-accounting)."
>     
> 2.  StuDocu. "[Branch Accounting Methods](https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cebu-institute-of-technology/financial-accounting/branch-accounting-methods/11907705)."
>     
> 3.  Gary D. Burkette, Michael P. Riordan, Diane A. Riordan. "[Branch Accounting: Evidence From the Accounting Records of the North American Moravians](https://egrove.olemiss.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1370&context=aah_journal)." _Accounting Historians Journal_. Vol. 18, Iss. 1, June 1991.
>     
> 4.  Encyclopedia. "[Accounting and Bookkeeping](https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/accounting-and-bookkeeping)."
>     
> 5.  FundsNet. "[What Is Branch Accounting?](https://fundsnetservices.com/branch-accounting)"