GL-B  Enter/Post General Journal Trxns

Purpose of Program

This program allows entry of miscellaneous transactions to the General Journal.  The entries you make here do not affect your Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, or Payroll subsidiary files.  This program is commonly used to make adjusting entries at the end of the month or year (such as accruals and reversals) and to record checking account expenses from your bank.

However, do not use this program to adjust your Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable accounts.  Any adjustments to these accounts must always be done within those respective modules in order to keep those account balances reconciled with their corresponding aging reports.

You can make entries directly to cash accounts and the program will automatically update the check register if you choose CD or CR transaction types.

GL-B is also used to make initial beginning balance entries to all your GL accounts when you begin using the accounting module.

General Journal entries are conducted in batch transactions.  Each transaction may have up to 999 individual line items in it.  Each line item posts to a single GL account.  The net balance of all line items must be 0.00 (all debits and credits must balance) before you will able to post the transactions for ultimate transfer to the General Ledger through GL-O  Print/Post General Ledger Batches.  You may, however, save an out of balance transaction and change it later.

You can also set up Transaction Templates, which can be used for recurring general journal entries, and the program also has a reversing capability that lets you reverse any existing transactions.

Notes can be entered against GJ, CR and CD transactions explaining the reason for the transaction.

Journal entries can also be associated with a Job Number both at the header and line item level.  This can be an optional or required setting, depending on the default setting at SD-A Company Defaults

CAUTION:  Adjusting entries made in this program will only affect the General Ledger accounts, not the subsidiary Accounts Receivable or Accounts Payable ledgers (detail invoice files).  DO NOT make adjusting entries for those GL accounts here; use an AR or AP voucher instead.

Field Explanations

 

HEADER SCREEN

Transaction Number

The transaction number automatically assigned by the system is displayed in this field.  You may set the beginning number in AD-A  General Ledger Defaults. (DBA Classic) or SD-R Assign Next Numbers  (Evo-ERP).  This is a six digit numeric field.

Transaction Type

The transaction type.  Your options are as follows:

1 - General Journal [GJ]

2 - Cash Receipts [CR]

3 - Cash Disbursements [CD]

4 - Transaction Template [TT]

5 - Beginning Balance [BB]

Transaction Date

The posting date for this transaction.

Bank Account [1-9]

If the transaction type is Cash Receipts [CR] or Cash Disbursements [CD], you must enter a Bank Account.  The Bank Account number corresponds to the bank accounts set up in AD-B  Checking Accounts Defaults.

GJ Transaction Code

This is generally the customer, vendor, employee, item number, or the journal entry number.  Enter a code that will help you correctly identify this transaction.  For example a batch of month end adjustments could be identified as ME-ADJ-01.   This is a 10 character alphanumeric field.

Deposit/Check Number

In the case of a Cash Receipts or Cash Disbursements transaction, this is the deposit or check number.  In the case of a General Journal transaction, this can be used as another identifying number.  This is a six digit numeric field.

Job Number

If a Job Number is entered for the header, that number will be suggested for the lines but can be changed at the line item level.  If the default setting is set to "R" (Required) then the Job Number must be selected from a preset list entered at SM-P-F Enter Jobs

 

LINE ITEM ENTRY SCREEN

GL Account

The GL account code for this line item.

Line item description

The GL account description.  This is automatically displayed when a valid account code is entered.  When the journals are printed, both the standard GL account description and whatever you have entered into this field are printed.  You can change the description provided by the program to whatever is more meaningful to you.  For example, if you enter the account code 100, the program will display the description Cash in Bank.  You could change that to Bank Charges 11/1/95.  When the General Journal (GL-D) or the Detailed Trial Balance (GL-E) is printed, the standard account description will print correctly but you will also get the description you entered with the transaction.  If you do not change the description field, then the program will print the standard account description twice.

Dr/Cr

Values are:  D = Debit, C = Credit.  This field will default to whatever the normal status is for the GL account, but it can be changed as required.

Line item amount

The amount you want to debit or credit for this entry.

Needed to balance

To assist you in entering long lists of line items, the program calculates the amount needed to balance the transaction.  The program displays the net amount and whether it is a debit (DR) or credit (CR).  This is a running total and is updated each time a new entry is made or changed.  To balance the transaction at any time, enter the appropriate account code and make the transaction specified.  For example, if you were entering  petty cash transactions and the final To Balance amount was 395.23 CR, then your last transaction would be to enter your Petty Cash Account code, a C at the D/C field, and 395.23 for the amount.  After you save the entry, the program will then display a Needed to balance amount of 0.00.

Notes

Notes related to a transaction can be entered as a reference.

Job Number

If a Job Number is entered for the header, that number will be suggested for the lines but can be changed at the line item level.  If the default setting is set to "R" (Required) then the Job Number must be selected from a preset list entered at SM-P-F Enter Jobs

General Program Operation

 

Creating a New Transaction

The opening screen shows a list of existing General Journal transactions, including those that have been posted.  To start a new transaction, click on the Add button (or press <Insert>), which will take you to the transaction header screen.

Select a Transaction Type.  You can get a listing of the five available types by clicking on the lookup icon (or press F2).  Choose the type among the following that fits your transaction:

General Journal: Use this type if you want to make an adjusting or correcting entry that does not affect your cash accounts.

Cash Receipts: Use this type if you are making an adjusting, correcting, or reversing entry for an original entry that was a cash receipts entry and you want an Deposit entry to post to the check register.

Cash Disbursements: Use this type if you are making an adjusting, correcting, or reversing entry for an original entry that was a cash disbursements entry and you want a Check entry to post to the Check Register.

Transaction Template: Use this type if you want to enter a template transaction that can be copied or reversed for use with monthly recurring or reversing general journal entries.  The Journal Type will be GJ.

Beginning Balance: This is the journal type used when entering the fiscal year end balance sheet at system startup.  The Journal type will be GJ.  If the transaction is a Cash Receipts or Cash Disbursements type, you must enter a Bank Account.  Enter an identifier for the transaction in the GJ Transaction Code field that will identify entries for this transaction on reports.  This is an optional field.  If the transaction is a Cash Receipts or Cash Disbursements type, you must enter a deposit number or check number in the Deposit/Check Number field.

Enter a Transaction Date.  This field defaults to today's date, but you can enter any date of your choice.  All line items entered within this transaction will be posted to this date.

If the Type is CD or CR, select a Bank Account.

Enter a GJ Transaction code (optional), Deposit/Check Number (required for CD and CR type) and optional Job number.  Click Save to advance to the line item detail screen.

 

Adding a Line Item

After the last field is completed, you are taken to a screen which shows a list of  any existing transaction line entries.  Being a new transaction, the list will be empty.  To enter the a new line item, click on the Add button (or press Alt-A).

You are now on the line item entry screen.  Enter a GL account or select one by clicking on the lookup icon (or press F2).  Accept the default Line item description or override it with one of your own.  Accept the default Dr/Cr (debit or credit) code or change it, if applicable, and then enter the Line item amount (dollar amount) for this entry.  You will always see a running balance of this transaction in the Needed to balance field.

When you finish entering the last field you are automatically returned to the previous screen.  You will now see the entry you just made listed in the window.

Continue making new entries by clicking on the Add button and following the above procedure until the transaction is completed.

 

Editing a Line Item

To edit an existing line item, highlight the item in the list window and click the Edit button.  The entry will display in the line item entry screen.  Change any fields as required.  Click on the Save button (or press F10) when you are finished to save the entry and return to the list window; or, if you press <Enter> through the last field you will also be returned to the list window.

 

Deleting a Line Item

To delete an existing line item, highlight the item in the list window and click the Delete button.  You will be asked if you wish to delete the line item.  If you click Yes, the line will be deleted and will no longer display in the list window.

 

Saving the Transaction

To save the transaction, click on the Save button (or press F10) while the line item list window is displayed.  You will then be returned to the opening screen where you can create a new transaction or select an existing transaction for editing.  If you save a transaction that is out of balance, you will be warned that you can save the transaction, but you won't be able to post it until the transaction is in balance.

If you are finished making transactions, click the Exit button (or press <Esc>) and you will be returned to the General Ledger menu.

 

Editing a Transaction

To edit an existing transaction, from the opening screen highlight the transaction you wish to edit and click on the Edit button.  This will bring up the header screen.  Make any changes you want and then click on the Save button (or press F10).  This will take you to the line items list window, where you can follow Adding a Line Item or Editing a Line Item above for details as to how to add or edit line items.  One you're entries are completed, you save and exit the transaction just the same as if you were making a new transaction.

 

Deleting a Transaction

To delete an existing transaction, go to the opening screen, highlight the transaction in the list window, then click the Delete button.  You will be asked if you wish to delete the entire transaction.  If you click Yes, the transaction will be deleted and will no longer display in the list window.

 

Posting a Transaction

To post a transaction, go to the opening screen, highlight the transaction in the list window, then click the Post Transaction button.  The transaction must be in balance before the program will post it.  The transaction will not be posted directly into the permanent General Ledger.  Instead, it will be posted into the temporary GL transactions file and must then be posted to the permanent General Ledger in the same manner as all other GL transactions via GL-O  Print/Post General Ledger Batches.

 

Printing a Transaction

To get a printout of any transaction, go to the opening screen, highlight the transaction in the list window, then click on the Print transaction button.   The standard List, Print, Disk options will be presented.

 

Copying a Transaction to a New Transaction

You can copy any transaction, including previously posted transactions or template transactions, to a new transaction.  This can be useful for making monthly recurring or reversing entries.  To do so, go to the opening screen, highlight the transaction template (or any other transaction) you wish to copy, then click on either the Copy or Reverse button.  If you choose Reverse, every entry in the transaction being copied will be reversed (debits will become credits and vice-versa).  

You will be asked if you wish to proceed.  After processing, you will receive a message saying that a new transaction has been created.  The new transaction will then be displayed in the list window from which it can be selected for editing, if necessary and posting.

 

Entering Notes

To enter or edit Notes associated with a transaction, click NOTES and make the desired entries, then click Save Notes to save them.  If Notes are designated as hidden, they will only be available for on screen view but will not print out.