General Journal Entry - Fields

 

General Journal Entry

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Source Journal

Enter a source journal for posting the journal entry, or click the Lookup button to select an existing source journal. Click the Search button to select an existing general journal entry that has not been posted. If a source journal code is entered that is not defined in Source Journal Maintenance, the Source Journal Maintenance (On-the-Fly) window appears. For more information, see Source Journal Maintenance (On-the-Fly).

Expand or collapse item Entry Sample

GJ

 

Entry Number

Enter an entry number of up to six characters to identify the journal entry, or click the Next Number button to assign the next incremented entry number for the selected source journal. If the entry number entered exists for the source journal entered, and the journal entry has not been updated, you can modify the information that displays.

If the Track Deleted Journals check box is selected in the General Ledger Options window, and the entry number entered was deleted, a message appears indicating that the journal number has been deleted. Click Yes to reuse the deleted entry number.

Note  Although deleted entries appear on the General Journal, their original account numbers and amounts do not exist, nor do they affect the journal totals.

 

Batch No.

If batch processing is enabled, this field displays the current batch number and can only be viewed. This field is available only if the Enable check box is selected for batch processing in the module's Options window. For more information, see Batch Entry.

Click the Batch Number button to select a batch number from the list or to create a new batch number. Click the Transfer Document button to transfer the current document to a different batch.

 

1. Header

 

Posting Date

Enter the date to post transactions, or click the Calendar button to select a date from the calendar. You can only enter dates that occur during or after the current period defined in the Fiscal Period fields in the General Ledger Options window. For more information, see General Ledger Options.

The posting date entered determines the period to post the journal.

 

Reversing Date

Enter the date to post a reversing transaction to a different accounting period, or click the Calendar button to select a date from the calendar. The debit and credit accounts for the entry are posted on the date entered in the Posting Date field and then reversed and posted on the date entered in this field. You can enter a date beyond the current period defined in General Ledger Options; however, you cannot enter a date prior to the current period defined.

 

Journal Comment

Type a comment for the journal entry. Comments entered display in the Comment field on the General Journal Entry Lines tab for each transaction, but can be changed. Journal Comment defaults to line comments in the General Journal Entry window.

2. Lines

 

Line Number

This field displays the line number in the grid and can only be viewed. The line number appears red for lines that are new or modified. After the Accept button is clicked, the line number changes from red to black.

 

Account Number

Enter the general ledger account number for posting this transaction, or click the Lookup button to select a general ledger account from the list. Press CTRL+F3, or right-click and select Account Entry to use the Account Entry window to select an account.

Only accounts with active status can be entered.

If a nonfinancial source journal is entered in the Source Journal field, only nonfinancial accounts can be entered. If a financial source journal is entered in the Source Journal field, only financial accounts can be entered.

  • If Yes is selected in the Auto Create when all Segments are Valid field in the General Ledger Options window, when a valid combination of a main account and subaccounts is entered but the account does not exist, the new general ledger account is added automatically without any notification.

  • If No is selected in the Auto Create when all Segments are Valid field in the General Ledger Options window, the system will not automatically create accounts when a valid combination of a main account and subaccounts is entered. If No is selected, all accounts must be created in either Account Maintenance or in Copy Accounts accessed from Main Account Maintenance or Sub Account Maintenance.

  • If Prompt is selected in the Auto Create when all Segments are Valid field in the General Ledger Options window, when a valid combination of a main account and subaccounts is entered but the account does not exist, the Account Entry window appears and you can add the account. For more information, see Account Entry.

  • If the Add Main Accounts in General Ledger and Add Sub Accounts in General Ledger check boxes are selected in the General Ledger Options window, you can create new main and subaccounts on the fly in the Account Entry window. For more information, see Account Entry.

 

Debit

Enter the transaction amount as a debit, if applicable. If you enter a minus sign (-) before the amount, the amount entered appears in the Credit field and the Debit field amount changes to zero.

 

Credit

Enter the transaction amount as a credit, if applicable. If you enter a minus sign (-) before the amount, the amount entered appears in the Debit field and the Credit field amount changes to zero.

 

Comment

This field displays information entered in the Comment field on the General Journal Entry Header tab. Modify the comment, if necessary. If the comment is greater than the width of the field, an ellipses (...) appears in the end of the Comment field, indicating there are additional characters to view. Double-click the ellipses to view the entire comment. When a reversing journal is updated, the word Reversal precedes the posting comment entered for the account. If a posting comment is not entered, the words Reversing Journal Entry appear.

Note Press CTRL + ENTER to add a new line of text in the Comment field.

Description

This field displays the description of the account selected and can only be viewed.

 

Quick Row

This field displays the number of the selected transaction row in the primary grid. Additional fields for the selected row appear in the secondary grid. Enter a row number to view information for a different transaction, or click the Find Row button to search for a transaction in the Search Grid window.

 

Debits

This field displays the total debit amount entered for the journal and can only be viewed. The total is automatically recalculated for each amount entered in the Debit field.

 

Credits

This field displays the total credit amount entered for the journal and can only be viewed. The total is automatically recalculated for each amount entered in the Credit field.

 

Net Balance

This field displays the difference in amounts between the Debits and Credits fields and can only be viewed. When all transactions are entered for the journal, the Net Balance amount should be zero to indicate that the total debits balance to the total credits. Entries must balance in order to post to the general ledger. The total is automatically recalculated for amounts entered in the Debit and Credit fields. The net balance is automatically calculated as lines are entered.

Click the Print button to review the journal prior to updating.