Journal Entry Form
A Journal Entry records a transaction directly in the general ledger, without a customer, supplier or stock document behind it. It is the tool for corrections, accruals, depreciation, opening balances and anything else the transactional modules cannot express.
Overview
Journal entries are the raw material of the ledger. Every other document in the system ultimately produces one; a manual journal is you writing it directly, which is why it demands more care than a form that calculates its own postings.
Where to find it
Go to Financial Statement > General Ledger > New > Journal Entry. The form opens as a popup.
Steps to Create a Journal Entry
- Open the Journal Entry form.
- Set the Journal Date — when the entry is recorded — and the Document Date where the source document carries a different date.
- Check the Reference, generated from Transaction References.
- Add a line per account, entering either a debit or a credit.
- Write a memo on each line explaining what it is for.
- Confirm total debits equal total credits, then process.
Field reference
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Journal Date | Yes | The date the entry posts. Must fall in an open period that has not been closed. |
| Document Date | No | The date on the underlying paperwork, where it differs. |
| Reference | Yes | The unique identifier for the journal. |
| Account | Yes | The ledger account each line posts to. |
| Debit / Credit | Yes | The amount, on one side or the other. Never both on a line. |
| Memo | No | The narrative appearing against the line in the ledger. |
| Dimension | No | Cost centre or analysis code, for reporting. |
The journal will not post unless debits equal credits. That is not a validation quirk — an unbalanced journal is not a journal, and the system refuses it rather than corrupting the ledger.
Quick Tips
- Write the memo as though someone else will read it in a year, because they will. "Adjustment" explains nothing at audit.
- Use a Quick Entry for anything you post repeatedly — monthly accruals, depreciation, recurring allocations.
- Prefer the transactional module where one exists. A supplier bill entered as a journal never appears in payables ageing and cannot be paid or allocated.
- Check the date against your GL closing date — a closed period will refuse the entry.
Related pages
- Journal Entry View — read a posted journal
- Journal Inquiry — find journals
- Quick Entries — templates for repeated journals
- Journal Entry Import — loading journals in bulk
- Opening Balances — the trial balance journal