Record Journal Entry window



General Journal #

When you begin to create a transaction in this window, this field automatically displays the next Premier Accounting GJ (General Journal) number available.

If you highlight the field, Auto # appears. This text indicates that the transaction will be given an actual transaction number automatically when it's recorded. This ensures that two or more users won't create transactions with the same transaction number at the same time.

You can choose to delete Auto # and enter a new number for the transaction. If you enter a number here, consider leaving the GJ prefix assigned to the number, so it's easy for you to distinguish the transaction as a General Journal transaction. If you choose to enter a number in the ID # field, the next time you record a General Journal transaction, the ID number will automatically revert to the next available Premier Accounting GJ number; it won't increase the number you entered by one.

Date

Enter the date of the transaction.

Select the space bar if you'd like to enter a date using Premier Accounting's Calendar window.

Memo

Using up to 255 characters, enter a description of the transaction. This description will appear on various Premier Accounting reports, as well as the General Journal.

Account column

Enter the name of the accounts you want to assign to this transaction, or click the search icon to display a search list of accounts to choose from.

This column appears only if Select and Display Account Name, not Account Number is marked in the Windows view of the Preferences window.

Acct # column

Enter the number of the accounts you want to assign to this transaction.

This column appears only if Select and Display Account Name, not Account Number is not marked in the Windows view of the Preferences window.

Name column

This column displays the names of the accounts you've entered.

This column appears only if Select and Display Account Name, not Account Number is not marked in the Windows view of the Preferences window.

Debit column

If you want to assign a debit amount to the account you entered in the Acct # column (if you select accounts by account number) or the Account column (if you select accounts by account name), enter that amount in this column. If you wish to assign a credit amount for the account, press TAB to move the highlight to the Credit column.

For each line, you can enter an amount in either the Debit column or the Credit column only; you can't enter amounts in both columns in the same line. (In other words, you can't debit and credit the same account on one line.) You can, however, use the same account on multiple lines.

Negative numbers can't be entered in this window. If you want to record a negative debit amount, enter the amount as a positive number in the Credit column. Likewise, if you want to record a negative credit amount, enter a positive number in the Debit column.

If the Out of Balance field at the bottom of the window lists an amount other than zero, this field will display a default amount that matches the Out of Balance amount. You can change this amount, if you wish.

If you don't want to enter an amount in either the Debit or the Credit column, move to the next line. Keep in mind, however, that lines without amounts aren't recorded as part of a journal entry.

If you'd like to use a calculator, select the plus sign ("+"), the asterisk ("*"), the equal sign ("=") or the space bar on your keyboard to launch the Calculator window.

Credit column

If you want to assign a credit amount to the account you entered in the Acct # column (if you select accounts by account number) or the Account column (if you select accounts by account name), enter that amount in this column. If you wish to assign a debit amount for the account, press TAB to move the highlight back to the Debit column.

For each line, you can enter an amount in either the Debit column or the Credit column only; you can't enter amounts in both columns in the same line. (In other words, you can't debit and credit the same account on one line.) You can, however, use the same account on multiple lines.

Negative numbers can't be entered in this window. If you want to record a negative debit amount, enter the amount as a positive number in the Credit column. Likewise, if you want to record a negative credit amount, enter a positive amount in the Debit column.

If the Out of Balance field at the bottom of the window lists an amount other than zero, this field will display a default amount that matches the Out of Balance amount. You can change this amount, if you wish.

If you don't want to enter an amount in either the Debit or the Credit column, move to the next line. Keep in mind, however, that lines without amounts aren't recorded as part of a journal entry.

If you need a calculator, select the plus sign ("+"), the asterisk ("*"), the equal sign ("=") or the space bar on your keyboard to launch the Calculator window.

Job column

Enter the job to which you want to assign the entry, or click the search icon to display a search list of jobs to choose from.

If you need to assign an amount from one account to more than one job, use multiple lines to record the transaction. For example, assume you want to credit your Miscellaneous Sales account $100, but you want to assign $30 to job 12 and $70 to job 43. To do this, enter the Miscellaneous Sales account in the Acct # column (if you select accounts by account number) or the Account column (if you select accounts by account name), then enter $30 in the Credit column and 12 in the Job column. Move to the next line, enter the Miscellaneous Sales account again, enter $70 in the Credit column and 43 in the Job column.

Memo column

Using up to 255 characters, enter a description for each allocation line, if you wish. This description will appear on the General Journal, Cash Disbursements and Cash Receipts reports.

Total Debit

This field displays the total amounts Debit column entered above. If the amounts in this field and the Total Credit field are the same, you can click Record to record the transaction.

Total Credit

This field displays the total amounts Credit column entered above. If the amounts in this field and the Total Debit field are the same, you can click Record to record the transaction.

Out of Balance

This field displays the amount by which this journal entry is out of balance. If the amount appears below the Debit column, the debit amount is larger than the credit amount. If the amount appears below the Credit column, the credit amount is larger than the debit amount.

To record a journal entry, the total debit amount must equal the total credit amount -- in other words, no amount should appear in the Out of Balance field if you want to record the journal entry.

Save as Recurring button

Click this button to open the Edit Recurring Schedule window and create a recurring General Journal transaction, which will be saved in a separate "holding area" where you can retrieve the transaction as many times as you want in the future. You can change the information on a recurring transaction as needed. Until you record them, recurring General Journal transactions have no effect on your financial records.

If you've saved the journal entry as recurring and you want to record the transaction as an actual General Journal entry now, click the Record button in the Record Journal Entry window. If you don't want to record the transaction at this time, click the Cancel button.

Use Recurring button

Click this button to open the Select a Recurring Transaction window and select a recurring General Journal transaction.

Currency button

This button displays the currency that is used for the transaction. Click the button to open the Exchange Rate window.

This button appears only if you marked the I Deal in Multiple Currencies field in the System view of the Preferences window.

Category

Select from the list the category to which you wish to assign this transaction. (The categories in this list were created in the Edit Category window).

This field appears only if you marked the Turn Category Tracking On field in the System view of the Preferences window.

If you selected the Required option when you chose that preference, you must select a category here before you can record this transaction.

Journal button

Click this button to open the Transaction Journal window

Record button

Click this button to record the transaction you've entered in this window.

When the Out of Balance amount is zero, you can record the transaction.

Cancel button

Click this button to remove all the entries you've made and close the window.