The Journal Entry form is comprised of several data elements and options, each of which will be described in this topic section.
To open a blank Journal Entry form, navigate to the General Ledger module from the Main Application Menu and select the Journal Entry option. The Journal Entry form will be displayed. This form is divided into two main sections; the Header and Body. The fields and options in each section will be defined on the following pages.
Header
Each field and option in the Header section of the Journal Entry form will be described below.
Select Journal Template - Clicking the drop-down arrow in this field will display a listing of all previously saved Journal Templates. This field is accessed when a Journal Entry will be created based on the information from a template.
To the right of this field is a button with the Excel symbol 
, clicking this button will paste in a highlighted area from an Excel workbook into the body of the Journal Entry form.
Branch - Every Journal Entry must be associated with at least one Branch; the User must make a selection from the drop-down list in this field.
Date - The User will select the date on which the Journal Entry will be posted to the General Ledger. The date selected must be in an Accounting Period where the current status is Open or Re-Open. User permissions are required to be able to post a Journal Entry into an Accounting Period with the status of Re-Open.
Primary Account - Every Journal Entry is comprised of at least two G/L Account Numbers. The User may select the G/L Account Number for either the debit or credit side of the Journal Entry. The other G/L Account Number(s) will be selected in the Body of the Journal Entry form.
Reference - This field is used to enter a brief note to describe the purpose of the Journal Entry. The User may enter up to 25 characters into this field.
Save as Template - A User selects this option if the information entered into the Journal Entry is to be saved as a Journal Template to be available for use in the future. If this option is selected, the User must provide a template title in the Description field. If the Journal Entry is to be posted and saved as a Journal Template, the User will not select the Template Only option (below). If the Journal Entry is to be saved as a Journal Template but not post the Journal Entry to the General Ledger at this time, the Template Only option must be selected.
Description - This field is only available if the Save as Template option was selected (previous field). The User may enter up to 50 characters into this field.
Template Only - If the Save as Template option was selected, and the Journal Entry is to be saved as a Journal Template but not post the Journal Entry to the General Ledger at this time, the Template Only option must be selected.
Save as New Template - This option is only available if the User has retrieved a previously saved Journal Template. If the User wants to save the Journal Entry as a new Journal Template, this option must be selected. The User will then type in a Description for the New Journal Template to be saved.
Reversal Entry - If User wishes for the Journal Entry being entered to automatically be reversed on a future date, this option must be selected. If this option is selected, the User must provide a date in the next field (Date) to indicate on what date the Reversing Journal Entry will be recorded to the General Ledger.
Date - This field is only available if the Reversal Entry option (previous field) was selected. The User must provide the date on which the Reversing Journal Entry will be recorded to the General Ledger.
Show Job Costing - Selecting this option will display additional data entry fields in the body of the Journal Entry. This option only needs to be selected if the Journal Entry being created will be distributing amounts to one or more Jobs.
Show Branches - Selecting this option will display the Branch field in the Body of the Journal Entry form. If amounts are being distributed to multiple Branches, this option must be selected. If your company is operating under one Branch, the User may un-check this option; the application will automatically fill in the only company branch available when the Journal Entry is saved.
Body
The Body section of the Journal Entry form is used to entered the Debit and Credit lines. Each field and option in the Body section of the Journal Entry form will be described below.
Once the User selects the Primary Account Number in the header of the Journal Entry form, this account will automatically be added as the first line into the body of the Journal Entry form.
For each line the User will select an Account Number, then fill in the appropriate information into the remaining fields of the line.
Memo - For each line the User may enter up to 50 characters into this field.
Branch - If your company is operating under multiple Branches, make certain to select the appropriate Branch. This field will automatically fill in the default Branch for the company.
Category - Select the appropriate Category Code from the drop-down list. Categories are only required form Income and Expense Accounts.
Job - This field is only displayed if the Show Job Costing option was selected in the Header section. If the entry is to be applied to a Job, enter or select the Job Number by clicking the lookup button to the right of this field.
Type - This field is only displayed if the Show Job Costing option was selected in the Header section. If a Job Number was entered in the Job field (previous field), select the Job Expense Type from the drop-down list. If a selection is not made by the User, the Expense Type will default to O (Other).
Salesperson - This field is only displayed if the Show Job Costing option was selected in the Header section. If a Job Number was entered in the Job field (above), and the entry is for a Job Commission, select the Salesperson from the drop-down list.
Show Inactive GL Accounts - If this option is selected, the User will be able to select an Inactive GL Account for the Journal Entry line.
Auto Balance Entries - If this option is selected, as the User advances to the next Journal Entry line, the offset amount will automatically fill in with the remaining amount to create a balanced Journal Entry. For example, if in the first line of the Journal Entry $10,000.00 was entered into the Credit column, when the User advances to the next line and selects a GL Account, the Debit column will automatically fill in with the amount of $10,000.00. The User may change this amount if additional lines will be added for the total Journal Entry distribution amounts.
The application will only allow balanced Journal Entries to be posted; i.e.: the total of all Debits must be equal to the total of all Credits.
