Tally Voucher Entry Guide: Perfect Shortcuts & Rules -

Mastering accounting software like TallyPrime and Tally.ERP 9 doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Whether you are a business owner setting up your books or an accountant looking to speed up data entry, knowing exactly which Tally voucher entry type to use and where to map your ledgers is the secret to error-free bookkeeping.

Tally voucher entry guide is a comprehensive, SEO-optimized Tally voucher entry guide covers everything you need to know: the core voucher logic, essential keyboard shortcuts, and a custom-tailored ledger master reference sheet.

How to Decide Which Voucher Type to Use

Before opening any entry screen in Tally, eliminate the guesswork by asking two simple questions: Is cash or bank moving? and Are goods or services being bought/sold?

                    IS CASH OR BANK INVOLVED?
                           /         \
                         YES         NO
                         /             \
         Is money coming in?      Is it a purchase or sale of goods?
             /         \                  /               \
           YES          NO              YES               NO
           /             \              /                   \
     [F6: Receipt]   [F5: Payment]   [F8: Sales]       [F7: Journal]
                                   or [F9: Purchase]

Quick Voucher Identification Rules

Scenario / Transaction	Voucher Type	Shortcut	Rule / Logic
Money comes into Cash/Bank	Receipt	F6	Customer paid you, cash deposited, capital brought in, loans taken.
Money goes out from Cash/Bank	Payment	F5	Paid vendor, paid rent/salary, cash withdrawn, taxes paid.
Cash ↔ Bank or Bank ↔ Bank	Contra	F4	Cash deposited to bank, cash withdrawn from ATM, bank transfer between your own accounts.
Selling Trading Goods / Services	Sales	F8	Revenue generation (Credit or Cash sales of inventory/services).
Buying Trading Goods	Purchase	F9	Stock bought for resale from suppliers.
Non-cash / Non-bank Adjustment	Journal	F7	Credit purchase/sale of fixed assets, depreciation, bad debts, interest adjustments, year-end entries.
Purchase Return	Debit Note	Alt + F5 (Prime) Ctrl + F9 (ERP9)	You return damaged/defective goods back to vendor.

Deciding: Is it a Journal Entry or Something Else?

People often confuse Purchase/Sales entries with Journal entries (F7). Follow these boundaries to stay accurate:

Use Journal (F7) when:

No Cash or Bank is involved in the immediate transaction.
It is not a regular stock item sale/purchase (e.g., buying a computer for office use on credit from a vendor).
It involves adjustments, asset depreciation, write-offs, or accrued expenses/income.

DO NOT use Journal (F7) when:

You buy stock items for your business on credit → Use Purchase (F9).
You pay an expense via cash or UPI → Use Payment (F5).
You receive money via bank transfer → Use Receipt (F6).

Tally Voucher Entry Guide Essential Cheat Sheet: Top Navigation Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow in TallyPrime and Tally.ERP 9 with these essential keyboard shortcuts:

Action / Feature	TallyPrime Shortcut	Tally.ERP 9 Shortcut
Universal Search / Go To	Alt + G	N/A (Navigate manually)
Change Voucher Mode (As Voucher / Item Invoice)	Ctrl + H	Ctrl + V
Create Ledger on the fly	Alt + C	Alt + C
Delete Entry / Ledger	Alt + D	Alt + D
Alter / Edit Voucher	Enter	Enter
Change Voucher Date	F2	F2
Change Financial Period	Alt + F2	Alt + F2
Duplicate Voucher	Alt + 2	Alt + 2
Cancel Voucher	Alt + X	Alt + X
Export Report to PDF/Excel	Alt + E	Alt + E
Print Voucher/Report	Ctrl + P	Alt + P
Save Voucher	Ctrl + A	Ctrl + A
Calculator	Ctrl + N	Ctrl + N
Master Configuration	F12	F12
Select Another Company	Alt + F3	F3

Primary Group Selection & Custom Ledger Mapping Guide

When creating a ledger using Alt + C, picking the correct group determines your balance sheet and profit & loss accuracy.

Below is a refined, comprehensive ledger master mapping guide tailored for common business accounts (excluding Sales Return, and mapping Debit Note exclusively to Purchase Return, with tax handles for CGST, IGST, and Cess Tax):

Tally Prime Ledgers Reference Table

#	Ledger Name	Tally Prime Group	Primary Voucher Type	Shortcut	Usage Context
1	Advertisement	Indirect Expenses	Payment	F5	Cash/Bank payment for ads
2	Bad debts	Indirect Expenses	Journal	F7	Writing off uncollectible amount
3	Building	Fixed Assets	Payment	F5	Purchase of building via bank
4	Capital	Capital Account	Receipt	F6	Owner introducing funds
5	Cash	Cash-in-Hand	Contra	F4	Cash deposit / withdrawal from bank
6	Cess Tax	Duties & Taxes	Payment	F5	Paying Cess liability to government
7	C-GST	Duties & Taxes	Payment	F5	Paying CGST liability (also tagged on F8/F9 invoices)
8	Charity	Indirect Expenses	Payment	F5	Cash or bank donation
9	Closing Stock	Stock-in-Hand	Stock Journal	Alt + F7	Physical stock verification/adjustment
10	Commission Paid	Indirect Expenses	Payment	F5	Paying commission out
11	Commission Received	Indirect Incomes	Receipt	F6	Receiving commission income
12	Computer	Fixed Assets	Payment	F5	Purchasing office computer
13	Depreciation	Indirect Expenses	Journal	F7	Year-end asset value reduction
14	Discount Allowed	Indirect Expenses	Sales	F8	Given directly inside sales invoice
15	Discount Received	Indirect Incomes	Purchase	F9	Received directly inside purchase invoice
16	Drawings	Capital Account	Payment	F5	Owner withdrawing cash/bank funds
17	Electricity Bill	Indirect Expenses	Payment	F5	Utility bill payment
18	Furniture	Fixed Assets	Payment	F5	Purchasing furniture
19	I-GST	Duties & Taxes	Payment	F5	Paying IGST liability (also tagged on F8/F9 invoices)
20	Interest on Loan	Indirect Expenses	Payment	F5	Paying interest to bank
21	Loan From HDFC Bank	Loans (Liability)	Receipt	F6	Receiving loan payout into bank account
22	Loss by Fire	Indirect Expenses	Journal	F7	Accounting for goods/assets destroyed
23	Mutual Fund	Investments	Payment	F5	Investing capital in mutual funds
24	Office Expenses	Indirect Expenses	Payment	F5	General office day-to-day expenses
25	Opening Stock	Stock-in-Hand	Journal	F7	Initial stock setup (or entered in Ledger Master)
26	Profit & Loss A/c	Primary	Journal	F7	System auto-ledger for closing entries
27	Purchase	Purchase Accounts	Purchase	F9	Recording incoming goods
28	Purchase Return	Purchase Accounts	Debit Note	Alt + F5	Returning goods back to supplier
29	Rent Paid	Indirect Expenses	Payment	F5	Property rent payment
30	Rent Received	Indirect Incomes	Receipt	F6	Receiving rent income

Conclusion

By keeping this structural cheat sheet handy, you eliminate posting errors, save hours on reconciliation, and navigate TallyPrime or Tally.ERP 9 like a seasoned accountant. Bookmark this Tally voucher entry guide to streamline your daily bookkeeping entries!

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