debit to

Question

I saw this sentence in the dictionary. Why is it 'debit to' Shouldn't it be 'debit from'?

The unauthorized borrowing fee will be debited to your account.

How would a hotel say this to a guest?
We debited the first night to your account. You can pay the other night upon checkout.

Thanks

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

AnonymousWhy is it 'debit to' Shouldn't it be 'debit from'?

No. It's "debit to (an account)" and "credit to (an account)". That's standard accounting vocabulary.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

GPYPersonally I find the idea of debiting "to" an account highly confusing.

Just out of curiosity, have you ever worked as an accountant or maybe even taken a course in accounting?

CJ

GPY · Answer

CalifJimJust out of curiosity, have you ever worked as an accountant or maybe even taken a course in accounting?

No, never. You think it is an accounting term?

CalifJim · Answer

GPYYou think it is an accounting term?

Yes. I have taken courses in accounting and also worked for a group of accountants for quite a few years, and I remember "debit to" and "credit to" as common phrases. I suppose from an accountant's point of view, all monetary amounts are entered into the journals and ledgers they use, whether they are entering on the debit side or on the credit side of the various accounts involved.

More common though is simply to say "debit the account", "credit the account" — no "to" or "from" at all.

If I'm not mistaken, the banks account for the customer's money as a liability that they "owe" to the customer, so it's a credit. If they charge you a fee, they debit your account to indicate that they "owe" you less.

Believe it or not, the customer's accounts go the opposite way. The money he has is a debit, and the fee he "pays", in effect, is entered as a credit. Much of accounting terminology is counter-intuitive until you catch on to its special logic.

But enough! Nobody asked me for a lesson in accounting!

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

So only the 2nd is correct?
The http://dictionary.cambridge.org/search/british/direct/?q=bank debited the http://dictionary.cambridge.org/search/british/direct/?q=money from my http://dictionary.cambridge.org/search/british/direct/?q=account.
The http://dictionary.cambridge.org/search/british/direct/?q=bank debited the http://dictionary.cambridge.org/search/british/direct/?q=money to my http://dictionary.cambridge.org/search/british/direct/?q=account.

Thanks

Ps : Could you tell me which preposition is correct
to or from?
Which printer is the document printing from/to?
There are so many printers. I don't know which it prints from/to.

Thanks

GPY · Answer

AnonymousSo only the 2nd is correct?The bank debited the money from my account .The bank debited the money to my account .

"debit to" may be technically correct in accounting lingo, but in my opinion it is likely to be extremely confusing to ordinary people.

Fivejedjon · Answer

Whilst I would always use 'to', 'from' is acceptable in BrE.. The Oxford ALD gives only one citation - with 'from'.

debit to

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