Related topics: Journals, Transaction Options, Recurring Journals, Multiple posting for Recurring Journals

Nominal journal transactions are used to record the postings made directly to the Nominal ledger. The entry method is similar to the entry of other transactions.

These journals will not appear on the VAT Return, even if they reference a VAT Nominal account, for this you should use a VAT Journal instead.

You are able to assign a Journal Type to Standard Journals, VAT Journals, Recurring Journals, New, and Batched Journals, as required.

Journals can be entered up to 25 periods in advance of the current Nominal period, thereby allowing continual use of the Nominal in each new year, without closing off the previous years accounts. This ensures that the Cash Book can always be totally up to date and enables a Trial Balance to be produced at any time.

There are two different types of journal transaction.

Journals (see below) should only be used for transactions that do not have to update the VAT Return. For example when posting Salaries or Bank Transfers and when recording payment of VAT to HM Customs and Excise.

VAT Journals should be used for transactions that do have to update the VAT Return, for example Petty Cash transactions. The transaction can be entered as gross or net. The VAT will be reported on the VAT Audit list and the VAT will update the VAT Return and the Nominal VAT control account.

Depending on whether the Working Periods feature is enabled and on your Security Profile permissions, it may be possible for you to continue to post financial changes, for month end procedures, even after the posting period has been advanced; in this situation the Period becomes a drop-down and you can select the appropriate period.

You are able to create Balancing and Unbalancing Journals and VAT Journals.

For Balancing-type journals: each line of the journal transaction updates one Nominal account and the lines for a complete journal must balance, i.e. the total of the Debits must equal the total of the Credits. Balance can be achieved by either:

Journal transactions can be posted immediately or sent to the batch queue and posted later.

For Unbalancing-type Journals: you are able to batch a journal with detail lines of zero value. This allows you to update the relevant accounts and add values later, before posting. These journals appear in the various batches as normal but are clearly marked in red, indicating being unbalanced, and cannot be posted.

You are able to duplicate un-balancing journals, which allows you to use them similarly to template recurring journals.

For example, you may have a recurring variable monthly payment, such as a credit card bill, that you want to set up initially as zero value so you are able to reuse the journal monthly, only filling in the details when they are known.

The same effect is achieved when selecting to create a new Journal where 'Post Balance to Contra Account' is off and you have one or more detail lines that do not balance.

This feature applies to non-recurring journals only.

The entry method is similar to the entry of other transactions, the information entered on the header window will be applied to all the detail lines you enter.

You can either enter the Nominal Account to which you wish to post the balancing entry for the journal, or you can click on the button and select from the list which will be displayed.

The Sales Control, Purchase Control, and VAT Control accounts are protected, so that you will be warned if you try to post a journal to these accounts.

Selecting anything other than the Home Currency, will display the code and exchange rate.

Note: if you are using the Advanced Nominal Ledger to create your own chart of accounts using segmented or cost centre coding then you can click on the list button to display the Category Selection pop-up box.

The VAT Contra Account is only used on VAT Journals, and will be active regardless of whether or not you have selected the Option to Post Balance to Contra Account.

By default, both the Default Bank Account and the VAT Control Account will have been entered for you, though you may if you wish overwrite them with another, or click on the list button to display a list of Nominals.

Note: if you are using the Advanced Nominal Ledger to create your own chart of accounts using segmented or cost centre coding then you can click on the list button to display the Category Selection pop-up box.

The VAT Contra Account is only used on VAT Journals.

Allows the system to generate a single automatic Contra Journal, to balance all of the Journal Detail Lines that have been entered.

This option is automatically selected (and then greyed out) by the system when VAT Journals are posted.

Is only available when Post Balance to Contra Account ? is crossed.

It enters an individual Contra Journal to match and balance every Journal Detail Line that you enter. This is particularly useful when posting Cash Book Transactions that must be Reconciled individually to your Bank Statement.

Displays additional fields on the Journal Voucher Header window. This option operates in conjunction with the Post Batch routine.

Displays 2 additional fields on the Voucher Header window.

Journals can be posted as far ahead as Period ‘13’ of Next Year.

Allows the System to generate a single automatic Contra Journal, to balance all of the Journal Detail lines that have been entered.

This option is always set for VAT Journals.

Each journal will have one or more detail lines. These are entered in the same way as detail lines on other transactions.

Each detail line you enter must be set to Debit or Credit by selecting from this menu.

The total of the Debit lines in the journal must equal the total of the Credit lines unless you are using the option Post balance to Contra Account.

If you are using the Transaction Option - Post balance to Contra Account, a balancing transaction line (Debit or Credit) will be generated to balance the journal.

Select Debit or Credit from the menu as described above.

If you are not using the Advanced Nominal Ledger system to create your own Chart of Accounts, enter the Nominal Account code. You can use the search button to display a List of Nominal Account codes and select from the list with a double-click. If you are using the Advanced Nominal Ledger to create your own Chart of Accounts using segmented or cost centre coding, enter the categories that identify the Nominal account that is to be updated. You can use the search button to display a List for each category and select from the list with a double-click.

This field is only shown if the Transaction Option: Show Quantity on Detail window is enabled. Enter the quantity for the detail line of the journal.

Using the Quantity and Value fields you are able to:
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- enter a zero Value journal as long as the Quantity has been completed
- enter both Value and Quantity
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The Quantity field does not update other transactions. It is for reporting purposes only. For example, you may want to record that a particular transaction was instigated for a number of employees.

Enter the value for the detail line of the journal.

The Date field defaults to the values you entered on the journal header.

You can change this value for each detail line if you wish.

The Reference field defaults to the values you entered on the journal header.

You can change this value for each detail line if you wish.

The reference field will be stored as the Journal Line Reference and can be viewed from Enquiry windows using the View Transaction option.

Enter any detail you wish to save against the entry.

Tabbing from the Detail field will transfer the detail line to the grid, update the totals at the foot of the window and clear the detail pane fields ready for the entry of the next detail line.

When you have completed the journal entry, click OK to save the transaction.

Clicking on the Totals grid, visible below the detail entry window, will display a summary of the journal lines that have been entered.

The delete option will delete the currently highlighted detail line.

Any WFF associated with the transaction will automatically display as a popup window for initial entry. Existing WFF can then be edited by clicking on the Workflow Form button. If no WFF is associated with the transaction, the window will not display.

WFF can be attached to: