What Is a Debit Ticket?

A debit ticket is a type of entry that is often used in business and other forms of accounting. The entry provides a simple and easily recognizable means of noting that a current debit is outstanding and is awaiting payment. Once the payment related to that debit is received, a credit ticket can be issued that helps to offset the amount on the debit ticket and provide documentation that can be used in completing the entry process.

The use of a debit ticket is common with many financial institutions that offer different types of cash accounts to their customers. This is true of banks, credit unions and other similar institutions. Typically, the ticket is created when the client chooses to deposit a check into the account and serves as the means of the bank recognizing that payment from the issuing institution is pending. This is particularly helpful since the amount of the check is usually credited to the customer’s account on the date of the deposit and must eventually be balanced by a credit in the institution’s accounting records once the check is honored by the issuing institution.

Businesses will sometimes use a debit ticket as a means of noting the return of a customer payment that failed to clear. For example, if the customer wrote a check to pay for a debt owed to the company and that check bounced, the company may create a debit ticket to serve as a reminder that the balance is outstanding. The amount of the ticket may also include any other fees, penalties, or miscellaneous charges that are added to the original amount paid, and will remain open until the customer submits full recompense for that bounced check.

The use of a debit ticket in different financial settings will vary. While this type of entry is common with financial institutions, the use of this approach will vary between businesses. This means that instead of issuing a ticket in the event of a bounced check, a company may choose to simply apply a debit to the customer’s account balance that offsets the credit created when the check was originally posted. This will often pave the way for applying interests and penalties to that account balance that must be settled before any the client can make further use of the account. Typically, notification of the bounced check will be sent to the client, along with a breakdown of any additional fees that have been added to the account as a result of the failure of the check to clear.