General ledger export redaction is the removal of personal data from a GL extract. Companies Act 2006 s.386(1) requires every company to keep adequate accounting records. Section 386(3)(a) says those records must contain entries from day to day of all sums received and expended, and what for. A payee therefore sits in the ledger by name. anonym.plus marks each identifier on your device, so the transaction trail stays whole.
When this applies
A ledger dump lists supplier contacts, payees, and account numbers in free-text memo fields. Auditors test journal entries under ISA (UK) 240 para. 32(a), so the extract usually leaves the finance team. You strip the personal fields before an analyst opens it.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Load the export into anonym.plus on your device.
- It scans memo fields, descriptions, and party columns.
- The app marks payee names and account numbers.
- Keep the journal IDs and posting dates intact.
- Replace or mask the confirmed identifiers.
- Save the clean extract locally.
What you need to provide
- The export (CSV, XLSX, or PDF).
- An operator (Replace keeps the columns readable).
- Optional allow-list for account codes you must keep.
PII & financial identifiers detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | payee Lewis Vance → [PAYEE] |
| Financial | UK_BANK_NUMBER | acct 8830 → [ACCOUNT] |
| Sort code | UK_SORT_CODE | 20-00-00 → [SORT] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | +44 161 555 4410 → [PHONE] |
| Org | ORGANIZATION | Vance Haulage → [SUPPLIER] |
| Money | MONEY | posting £1,990 → [AMOUNT] |
Compliance achieved
- Supports the adequate-records duty in Companies Act 2006 s.386(1) — the ledger still shows and explains each transaction.
- Keeps the daily receipts and payments detail CA 2006 s.386(3)(a) requires, while payee names and bank fields go.
- Leaves the extract usable for journal-entry testing under ISA (UK) 240 para. 32(a).
- Retention under CA 2006 s.388(4) runs three years for a private company and six for a public one; a redacted copy never replaces that record. Offline work keeps the extract off the cloud.
Anonymise ledger exports offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
Memo fields are free text and vary widely. The app marks named items, but a unique description can still point to a person. The retention set by s.388(4) still applies to the original ledger, whatever you do to an extract. Scan the memos before you hand off the file.
Frequently asked questions
Does it scan the memo and description columns?
Yes. Free-text fields are read alongside the structured columns, so an identifier buried in a memo is marked like any other.
Will my account codes survive?
Yes. Allow-list the GL codes you must keep. Only personal data, not posting logic, is marked, so the extract still supports journal-entry testing under ISA (UK) 240 para. 32(a).
How long must the underlying ledger be kept?
Companies Act 2006 s.388(4) sets three years from the date the records are made for a private company, and six years for a public one. A redacted extract is a working copy, never the statutory record.