Post, reverse and schedule journal entries

Manual journal entries cover what no other screen does: accruals, corrections, loans, owner's drawings. A posted entry never changes; you correct it with a reversal.

Before you start

• You need the Books right Post and reverse journals.

Post an entry

1. Open Books → Journal and open New journal entry.
2. Set the Date and a Description.
3. On each line, choose the Account and type a Debit or a Credit. Choose a Cost centre if you use them. Use Use 20 lines for longer entries.
4. Check that debits equal credits, then select Post entry.

Reverse or repeat an entry

1. On the Journal page, open a posted manual entry.
2. To reverse it now, type a Reason and select Reverse entry. Books posts a new entry with the sides swapped.
3. To reverse it on a later date (for example on the first of next month), select Scheduled reversal, type a Name, the Next date and a Reason, and select Save · Active.
4. To repeat it, select Scheduled journals, type a Name and the Next date, choose Repeat every and the Unit (Once, Day, Week, Month or Year), add an End date (optional) and select Save · Active.

Open Books → Scheduled journals to Pause, Resume or Edit a schedule, or select Post next due journal to post it now.

Search the journal

1. Open Books → Search journal.
2. Set From and Through (up to 36 months), and any of Words in description, Number, Amount and Branch. To filter by a customer or supplier, open Choose a customer or supplier.
3. Select Show. The first time, select Prepare selected dates and wait for the results.

Good to know

• Journal numbers run without gaps. A failed posting uses no number.
• A very large entry, touching many accounts, branches or cost centres, can be refused. Books then asks you to split it into smaller balanced entries.
• You cannot post into a locked month: see Close a month. Entries above the approval threshold wait for a second person: see Posting approvals.
• Scheduled copies repeat the exact original amounts and accounts. They do not work out VAT again, update exchange rates or change what a customer or supplier owes. Use invoices and bills for that.
• A reversal runs once. Reversing by hand and by schedule cannot both happen: whichever is first wins.
• Search matches whole words, including accents, with no partial or fuzzy matching. Enter the full journal number with its leading zeros.
• Attachments on an entry are not copied to its scheduled copies. See Attach files.
• For accounts and their ledgers, see Work with the chart of accounts.