Tally terms explained: a glossary for business owners
Direct answer
The words you meet in TallyPrime, explained in plain language — and where each one shows up when you read your Tally with Arya on your phone.
Terms
- Company
- In Tally, one set of books — a business, with its own ledgers, vouchers and financial year. In Arya: An Arya workspace holds 2 Tally companies; switch between them from a chip at the top.
- Financial year
- The 12 months the books are kept for — in India, 1 April to 31 March. In Arya: Pick any period with the date range; every screen follows it.
- Ledger
- An account for one party, expense, income, asset or liability — for example a customer, rent or a bank account. In Arya: Ledgers are on the Analytics tab, down to every voucher.
- Group
- A heading that ledgers sit under, such as Sundry Debtors or Indirect Expenses. Tally's built-in groups are its primary groups. In Arya: Arya's thirteen analysis modules follow clusters of Tally's primary groups.
- Sundry Debtors
- The group for customers who owe you money. In Arya: See them under Receivables, with ageing.
- Sundry Creditors
- The group for suppliers you owe money to. In Arya: See them under Payables, with ageing.
- Voucher
- A single entry — a sale, a purchase, a payment, a receipt. In Arya: Drill down from any total to the voucher behind it.
- Voucher types
- The kinds of entry: Sales, Purchase, Receipt, Payment, Contra, Journal, Credit Note, Debit Note and more. In Arya: Every voucher book is on the Analytics tab.
- Day Book
- The list of all vouchers entered on a day or over a period. In Arya: Daybook is one of Ask Arya's 22 topics.
- Trial Balance
- Every ledger balance in one list; debits equal credits. In Arya: On the Analytics tab, matching Tally 100%.
- Profit & Loss A/c
- Income less expenses for a period — whether the business made a profit. In Arya: On the Analytics tab; P&L movement is an Ask Arya topic.
- Balance Sheet
- What the business owns and owes on a date. In Arya: On the Analytics tab, matching Tally 100%.
- Bill-wise details
- Tracking each invoice by its bill reference, so payments are matched to bills. In Arya: Arya shows receivables and payables bill by bill.
- Outstanding
- Money still to be received from customers (receivables) or paid to suppliers (payables). In Arya: Receivables and Payables on the phone — or ask.
- Ageing
- How long a bill has been outstanding, usually in bands: 0–30, 31–60, 61–90 and 90+ days. In Arya: Shown on every outstanding view in Arya.
- Duties & Taxes
- The group for tax ledgers such as GST and TDS. In Arya: Arya's Duties & Taxes module.
- GST
- Goods and Services Tax — CGST and SGST within a state, IGST between states. In Arya: Arya reads GST as it sits in your books (GST from the books); it does not file returns.
- TDS
- Tax Deducted at Source — tax you deduct from certain payments and deposit with the government. In Arya: Ask “TDS deducted vs deposited this year?”
- Stock Summary
- Quantity and value of every stock item. In Arya: On the Analytics tab, with closing stock as on a date.
- Closing stock
- The value of stock on hand at the end of a period. In Arya: Shown as on a date you pick.
Questions
What is the difference between a ledger and a group in Tally?
A ledger is one account — a customer, an expense, a bank. A group is the heading ledgers sit under, such as Sundry Debtors.
What does ageing mean in outstanding?
How long a bill has been unpaid, shown in bands such as 0–30, 31–60, 61–90 and 90+ days.
What are Sundry Debtors and Sundry Creditors?
Sundry Debtors are customers who owe you; Sundry Creditors are suppliers you owe.
Read your Tally on your phone
Try Arya on a sample company with a free account, then connect your own Tally in three steps.
Related guides
ReportsHow to see Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and Trial Balance from Tally on your phoneYour statements on your phone, matching Tally 100%, down to the voucher.MoneyHow to check outstanding in Tally on your phoneWho owes you and who you owe, bill by bill with ageing — or just ask.Getting startedHow to see your Tally on your mobile phoneThree steps to your Tally books on your phone — no change to how you use Tally.
Figures shown are sample data on a made-up company. Tally and TallyPrime are trademarks of Tally Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Arya is not affiliated with Tally Solutions.