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General journals

The General journals framework is the core transactional engine of the General Ledger module. It provides a robust, highly controlled interface for entering, validating, and posting complex financial entries that are not automatically generated by other subledgers (such as Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable).

Prerequisites​

Prior to constructing general journals, ensure the foundational configurations are established:

Viewing the journal list​

Navigate to General ledger > General journals.

The initial interface presents the journal batch header list, strategically bifurcated into two primary tabs for streamlined navigation:

  • Open: Displays unposted journals currently undergoing drafting, review, or approval.
  • Posted: Displays finalised, immutable journals that have successfully updated the ledger balances.

The grid provides a high-level aggregate summary of each batch, including total debits, total credits, and the governing journal name.

Creating a new journal batch​

  1. On the General journals list page, select New from the Action Pane.
  2. A new journal header row will be instantiated.
  3. Select the appropriate Name (Journal name). This selection is paramount, as the journal name strictly dictates the voucher generation strategy, default offset accounts, and behavioural constraints for the lines within.

Entering journal lines​

To input the granular debit and credit transactions:

  1. Select the target journal batch from the list.
  2. Click Lines on the Action Pane. This transitions you to the Journal details page.

The Transactions grid​

The Transactions tab is where the detailed accounting entries are meticulously constructed.

  1. Click Add transaction to create a new line.
  2. Date: Specify the exact accounting date for the entry (which must fall within an open fiscal period).
  3. Account type: Select the subledger or ledger classification (e.g., Ledger, Vendor, Customer).
  4. Account: Specify the exact account identifier. If the account type is Ledger, this requires the resolution of the full account structure (the Main account coupled with mandatory Financial dimensions).
  5. Description: Provide a narrative justification for the transaction.
  6. Debit / Credit: Enter the monetary value in the appropriate column.
  7. Offset account type / Offset account: (Optional) Specify the contra-account directly on the same line to achieve a balanced double-entry without requiring a distinct, secondary line.
  8. Tax group / Tax item group: (Optional) Specify the Sales tax group (often representing the customer/vendor tax geography) and the Item sales tax group (representing the tax categorisation of the item/service). When these intersect, automatic tax calculation occurs, and the relevant tax transactions are posted concurrently during the journal posting process.

Balancing and systemic validation​

As lines are appended, the system continuously aggregates the financial totals. Observe the summary section at the bottom of the page:

  • Debit / Credit: Displays the aggregated financial totals for the entire batch.
  • Balance: For a journal to be mathematically valid and eligible for posting, the net balance (Debits minus Credits) must be precisely 0.00.
  • Budget check results: Indicates compliance with any active organisational budget control frameworks.

Posting a journal​

Once the journal lines are complete and the mathematical balance is strictly zero:

  1. Click Post on the Action Pane.
  2. The system will execute rigorous, synchronous validation checks (verifying account structure compliance, confirming open fiscal periods, and enforcing balancing rules).
  3. Upon successful validation, the journal's status transitions to Posted, rendering the entries immutable and permanently updating the core ledger balances.

Auditing and inquiries​

After a journal is successfully posted, critical audit functionalities become active:

  • Voucher: From the Lines view, selecting a posted line and clicking Voucher isolates and opens the detailed voucher transactions generated by that specific line.
  • Voucher transactions: From the Journal list view, clicking this related action provides a comprehensive audit trail encompassing all vouchers within the entire journal batch.
  • View posted sales tax: Displays the precisely calculated and posted tax implications of the journal.

(Note: The advanced capabilities for reversing entire journals or isolating single voucher reversals will be detailed in a subsequent procedural guide).