# Integrated (Integral) Accounting System
The Integrated Accounting System keeps cost and financial accounts together in one single set of books. There is no separate cost ledger and no separate financial ledger — one set serves both purposes.
## What It Provides
- It fully meets the information requirements of both Cost Accounting and Financial Accounting from a single source.
- It supplies the data needed to prepare the Profit & Loss Account and Balance Sheet as required by law.
- It supports effective control over assets and liabilities of the business, because real accounts (debtors, creditors, fixed assets, cash) are kept within the same system.
## Relationship to the Non-Integrated System
The integrated system is best learned as a small modification of the non-integrated system:
| Feature | Non-Integrated | Integrated |
|---|---|---|
| Ledger accounts maintained | Same list | Same list… |
| The 'link' account | General Ledger Adjustment A/c | …except the actual financial account itself |
| Journal entries | Standard cost entries | Same entries, but the respective financial A/c is debited/credited instead of GLA |
So the rule is simple:
> Wherever the non-integrated system used the General Ledger Adjustment A/c, the integrated system uses the real financial account instead (e.g. Creditors, Bank, Debtors).
Because real accounts are now inside the books, the two-profits problem disappears — there is only one profit figure, so no reconciliation is required.
## Key Takeaway
One set of books → one profit → no reconciliation. To convert a non-integrated entry into an integrated one, just replace the GLA A/c with the specific financial account that the transaction actually involves.