Quick Entries
Quick Entries are templates for transactions you post repeatedly. They fill in the account splits, tax handling and dimensions automatically — so a monthly phone bill or a payroll journal takes one selection and an amount rather than a dozen lines typed by hand.
Where to find it
Go to Setup > Quick Entries, under the General Ledger section. They are also called Preset Transactions.
Features
- Automate repetitive transactions from predefined templates.
- Allocate one amount across several accounts or taxes.
- Available on Supplier Invoice, Journal Entry, Bank Deposit and Bank Payment.
- Support tax-inclusive calculation and dimensional tagging.
- Every predefined value can be overridden at the point of use.
Procedure
1. Creating Quick Entries
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Description | The name users pick from the dropdown. Make it recognisable — "Monthly phone bill", not "QE1". |
| Entry Type | Which form the template appears on: Supplier Invoice/Debit, Journal Entry, Bank Deposit or Bank Payment. |
| Base Amount | The default value, where the amount is usually the same. |
| Base Description | The default memo carried onto the lines. |
Entry Type decides where the template is available. A quick entry created as Journal Entry will not appear on a supplier invoice — which is the usual reason a template someone created cannot be found.
2. Defining Quick Entry Lines
Each line says where a portion of the amount goes and how that portion is calculated.
| Line setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Account | The ledger account the portion posts to. |
| Calculation type | Whether the line takes a fixed amount, a percentage of the base, or the remainder. |
| Amount / Percentage | The value or proportion for this line. |
| Tax handling | Whether the line is tax inclusive, and which tax applies. |
| Dimension | A cost centre applied automatically. |
3. Using Quick Entries
- Open the relevant form — journal, bank payment, bank deposit or supplier invoice.
- Select the template from the Quick Entry dropdown.
- Enter or confirm the amount.
- The lines are generated. Adjust anything that differs this time.
- Process as normal.
Examples
1. Simple Example: Monthly Phone Bill Payment
The bill arrives every month, always to the same expense account with the same tax treatment. A quick entry of type Bank Payment with a single line to Telephone Expense means the whole posting is one selection plus the amount — and the account is never mistyped.
2. Advanced Example: Payroll Processing
Scenario: salary of 2,000, payroll tax at 11.02%, withholding tax at 15%.
| Line | Posts | To |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100% | Salary Expense |
| 2 | -11.02% | Accrued Payroll Tax (liability) |
| 3 | 11.02% | Payroll Tax Expense |
| 4 | -15% | Withholding Tax (liability) |
Select the template on a Bank Payment, enter 2000 and process. The result:
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Salary Expense | 2,000.00 | |
| Payroll Tax Expense | 220.40 | |
| Accrued Payroll Tax | 220.40 | |
| Withholding Tax | 300.00 |
3. Tax-Inclusive Rent Payment
Scenario: monthly rent of 500 including VAT at 10%.
| Line | Setting | To |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taxes (Inclusive), reduce base — 10% VAT | VAT account |
| 2 | Remainder | Rent Expense |
Enter 500 on a Bank Payment and the system splits it:
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Rent Expense | 454.55 | |
| VAT Account | 45.45 | |
| Bank Account | 500.00 |
Tips and Tricks
- For tax-inclusive entries, always place the Tax Included, Reduce Base line before the Remainder line. Order matters — the remainder is what is left after the lines above it.
- Use negative values for deductions and liabilities, such as withholding tax or payroll deductions.
- Group lines sharing a tax type together, which makes the template far easier to adjust later.
- Quick entries handle genuinely awkward cases too — allocating import VAT, or splitting a complex expense across several cost centres.
Related pages
- Journal Entry — where journal templates apply
- Purchase Invoice — quick entries on GL items
- Bank Payment · Bank Deposit — the other entry types
- GL Accounts — the accounts lines post to