General Ledger (GL)

1. Overview

The General Ledger (GL) module is the financial backbone of the system. It maintains the chart of accounts, records all financial transactions through journal entries, enforces close-date controls, manages subledgers and cost centers, and provides budget tracking. Postings from other modules (Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Jobs, etc.) flow into the GL through the approval workflow and are visible here in the Unapproved Postings screen.

2. Key Concepts

Chart of Accounts — The complete list of ledger accounts that categorize every financial transaction. Each account has a type (Income or Balance Sheet), a natural balance (Debit or Credit), and belongs to a hierarchical category.
Journal Entry (Document Posting) — A balanced set of debit and credit lines recorded against ledger accounts on a specific date. Every financial event in the system — whether entered manually or generated by another module — becomes a journal entry in the GL.
Double-Entry Accounting — Every journal entry must have equal debits and credits. The system enforces this: attempting to post an unbalanced entry displays an error message. This ensures the accounting equation (Assets = Liabilities + Equity) always holds.
Subledger — A subsidiary ledger that groups related postings and controls its own open-date window. For example, the “Accounts Payable” subledger receives all AP-generated postings, and its date window can be closed independently of other subledgers.
Cost Center — An organizational unit (department, division, branch) assigned to ledger accounts. Cost centers enable departmental reporting — because every ledger account is assigned to a cost center, reports can be broken down by department or division.
Fiscal Period & Close Date — Each subledger has its own open-date window (Start/End Close Date) that controls which posting dates are accepted; closing a period adjusts a subledger’s window, locking those dates and preventing retroactive changes. GL Settings also exposes a Master Close Date field, but it is not consumed by the posting/close-date enforcement code.

3. How It Connects

Upstream — Every module posts to the GL:

Accounts Payable → vendor invoice postings debit the configured expense accounts and credit the AP Control account
Accounts Receivable → sales invoice postings debit the AR Control account and credit the configured revenue accounts
Inventory → receiving and adjustment postings move value between the configured Inventory, Inventory Suspense, and Inventory Variance accounts
Job Costing → job expense postings and job close distributions flow through configured GL accounts
Service → work order invoicing posts revenue and cost entries to the GL
Payroll → payroll runs post to the configured wage, employer tax, and liability accounts

Downstream — GL feeds financial outputs:

Financial Reports — Trial balance, income statement, and balance sheet are generated directly from GL balances
Budget vs. Actual — GL actuals are compared against budget amounts set in the Budgets screen
Bank Reconciliation — GL bank account transactions are matched against bank statement lines

Key Integration Point — Posting Configuration: The Posting Configuration screen maps each module’s transaction types to specific subledgers. This routing determines which subledger receives the posting and which date-window rules apply. For example, the AP module’s individual transaction types (Post Invoice, Pay Invoices, Issue Check, Void Check) and the Payroll run each map to whichever subledger an administrator assigns to that posting-configuration detail row. The destination subledger is configurable, not a fixed per-module name.

4. GL Settings

Navigation: General Ledger → Settings

This screen configures system-wide GL parameters. All changes save automatically when you leave a field.

Category Mappings (Required)

These settings designate which top-level ledger category represents each financial-statement section. All six are required to save GL Settings.

Field	Description
Assets Category	The ledger category representing all asset accounts
Liabilities Category	The ledger category representing all liability accounts
Equity Category	The ledger category representing all equity accounts
Income Category	The ledger category representing all revenue accounts
Cost of Goods Sold Category	The ledger category representing COGS accounts
Expense Category	The ledger category representing all expense accounts

The income statement and balance sheet are built from each ledger account’s Type (Income or Balance Sheet), and retained earnings is derived from the Income-type accounts and stored in its own period records; these category links are not read by the reporting or close computations. They are also not re-validated by the GL close action, which only requires that all subledgers be closed.

Special Accounts (Required)

Both accounts are required to save GL Settings.

Field	Description
YTD Income Account	The balance sheet account designated to hold year-to-date net income during the fiscal year
Retained Earnings Account	The equity account designated to hold accumulated retained earnings

Note: the GL close does not post to either account. It recomputes retained earnings from the Income-type accounts and stores the result in a separate retained-earnings record, so these two account links are not currently read by the reporting or close computations.

Document Posting Controls (Required)

Field	Options	Description
Document Posting Close Type	Approval, Password	The actual routing is controlled per subledger’s Close Type field; new subledgers are created with Close Type Approval regardless of this setting. Approval routes postings through the Unapproved Postings screen. Password requires the posting user (who must be an authorized user of the subledger) to re-enter their own login password to post directly.
Master Close Date	Date picker	A date field in GL Settings. Note: posting locks are enforced per subledger via each subledger’s open-date window (Start/End Close Date); this Master Close Date field is not consumed by the posting/close-date enforcement code.

Reset Master Close Password

The Reset Master Close Password button (shown in red) opens a dialog where an administrator can set a new master close password. Note: when a Password-type subledger’s date window is closed, posting directly requires the posting user’s own login password (and the user must be listed as an authorized user on that subledger) — the master close password stored here is not consumed by the journal-entry posting flow.

5. Chart of Accounts — Ledger Accounts

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Ledger Accounts

This screen (page title Ledger Management) displays all ledger accounts in the chart of accounts and allows creating, editing, and navigating to account details.

Search List

Column	Description
Ledger ID	The account code
Description	Account name
Category	Hierarchical category path (e.g., Assets › Current Assets)
Cost Center	The cost center assigned to this account
Type	Income or Balance Sheet

Use the search field above the grid to filter by Ledger ID or Description in real time.
Click any row to navigate to the View Ledger Account detail screen.
Click the + icon in the column header to create a new ledger account (requires the Create Ledger Account permission).
Click the Edit icon on any row to edit that account (requires the Edit Ledger Account permission).

Create / Edit Ledger Account

The create/edit dialog contains the following fields:

Field	Required	Description
Ledger ID	Yes	The account code. Must be unique across all accounts.
Description	Yes	The human-readable account name.
Type	Yes	Income (profit/loss accounts) or Balance Sheet (asset/liability/equity accounts)
Natural Balance	Yes	Debit or Credit — the side of the ledger this account normally carries a balance on
Category	Yes	Select the hierarchical ledger category this account belongs to
Cost Center	Conditional	Required unless the account is flagged as a root account
Prevent Direct Posting	No	If checked, the UI prevents this account from being used directly in journal entries; it is reserved for system postings only

| Is Root Account | No | This field defaults to true for new accounts and is not exposed as a user-editable control. |

6. Ledger Categories

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Categories

Ledger categories organize accounts into a hierarchical tree (e.g., Assets → Current Assets → Cash). This structure drives financial statement formatting and the GL Settings category mappings.

Category Tree

The screen displays categories as a collapsible tree. Each row shows the category name. Expand a category to see its subcategories.

Actions per row:

Button	Description
+ (Add)	Create a new subcategory under this category
Edit	Rename this category
Delete	Delete this category (only available for subcategories that have a parent). All subcategories and accounts under the deleted category are moved to the parent.

Category Detail — Managing Accounts

Click the expand arrow on any category row to open its detail panel:

Ledger Account Selector — Autocomplete field to search for and assign an existing ledger account to this category.
Category Ledgers Grid — Lists all accounts currently in this category, showing Ledger ID and Name.
- Move Up button — Moves the account to the parent category.

7. Cost Centers

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Cost Centers

Cost centers represent divisions, departments, or other organizational units. Every ledger account is assigned to a cost center (unless it is a root account), enabling reporting broken down by department.

These are not the cost centers you pick on work order lines. Those are service cost centers, set up in Service → Settings, which decide which accounts a line posts to.

Cost Center List

Column	Description
Code	The short cost center code
Description	The full cost center name
Actions	Edit and Delete buttons

Click + in the header to create a new cost center (requires the Manage Ledger Cost Centers permission).
Click Edit to modify a cost center’s code or description (requires the Manage Ledger Cost Centers permission).
Click Delete to remove a cost center (requires the Manage Ledger Cost Centers permission).

Create / Edit Cost Center

Field	Required	Description
Code	Yes	Short identifier for the cost center. Must be unique.
Description	Yes	Full name or description

8. Subledgers

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Subledgers

Subledgers are subsidiary ledgers that group related postings (for example, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Payroll). Each subledger has its own close date range and authorized users, providing granular control over who can post to which subledger and for which periods.

Subledger List

Column	Description
Name	Subledger name
Close Type	How the subledger is closed (Approval or Password)
Start Open Date	The earliest date that can be posted to; editable inline
End Open Date	The latest date that can be posted to; editable inline
Authorized Users	Users allowed to supply a password to post into a closed period for this subledger (the password-override path); multi-select chips
Realtime	If checked, postings appear immediately without batching

Inline editing: Click on the Start or End date cells to open a date picker and change the date directly. Changes save on blur/accept. Similarly, click the Authorized Users field to add or remove users.

Advance Close Date button (Redo icon): Bumps both the Start and End close dates forward by one month in a single click. Useful during month-end when you are ready to open the next period.

More menu (⋮) per row:

Edit — Opens the full edit dialog
Delete — Deletes the subledger after confirmation

Create Subledger

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	Subledger name
Close Type	Yes	Approval or Password
Start Open Date	Yes	Earliest postable date
End Open Date	Yes	Latest postable date
Realtime	No	Whether postings are immediately visible

Edit Subledger

The Edit dialog only lets you change Name, Close Type, and Realtime. The Start/End Open Date fields are not in the edit dialog; change them inline in the subledger list grid.

9. Journal Entries (Document Posting)

Navigation: General Ledger → Document Posting

This screen is used to manually post journal entries to the general ledger. Every entry must be in balance (total debits must equal total credits) before it can be posted.

Header Fields

Field	Required	Description
Date	Yes	Posting date for the journal entry. Auto-focuses when the screen loads.
Reverse Date	No	If specified, the system automatically creates a reversing entry on this date. Disabled if Recurring is checked.
Reference	Yes	A reference code or description (max 255 characters). You can also type or select a saved template name here — selecting a template loads its line items automatically.
Description	No	Optional free-text description of the entry (max 255 characters)

Recurring Entry Section

Check the Recurring checkbox to convert this entry into a recurring posting schedule.

Field	Required	Description
Until	No	Date when recurring entries should stop. If blank, the entry recurs indefinitely.
Schedule	No	Monthly or Weekly
Interval	No	Frequency multiplier (e.g., Interval = 2 with Monthly schedule = every 2 months)

Tabs

Details Tab

The entry grid where you add debit and credit lines:

Column	Required	Description
Ledger	Conditional	The ledger account. Required if either Debit or Credit is non-zero.
Debit	No	Debit amount. Entering a debit disables the credit field for that row.
Credit	No	Credit amount. Entering a credit disables the debit field for that row.
Reference	No	Per-line reference (max 255 characters)
Description	No	Per-line description (max 255 characters)
Delete (×)	—	Removes that entry row

A new blank row is automatically added when you focus on the last row.
The footer shows the running totals for Debit and Credit columns.
Click Post to submit the entry. If the entry is out of balance or empty, an error message is displayed.

Attachments Tab

Attach supporting documents (e.g., invoices, receipts) to the journal entry. Visible only if you have the View Attachments permission. Attachments are saved with the document when it is posted.

Data Import

The Upload File button allows bulk-loading of entry lines from an Excel file. Its menu offers Download Template (to get the Excel template) and Upload Data (to import a filled-in file). Importing replaces the current entries grid with the imported rows.

Posting

Click Post to submit the journal entry. The system validates:

Total debits must equal total credits (otherwise: “Document is out of balance”).
At least one entry line must have a ledger account (otherwise: “Document is empty”).

On success, a notification appears: Document Posted # [number]. Click Acknowledge to dismiss it. The form resets for the next entry.

10. Document Templates

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Document Templates

Document templates are pre-built journal entry patterns that can be loaded into the Journal Entries screen to save time on recurring manual postings.

Template List

Column	Description
Reference	Template identifier (used as the reference when loading)
Description	Optional description of the template’s purpose
Actions	Edit and Delete buttons

Create / Edit Template

Header fields:

Field	Required	Description
Reference	Yes	Unique identifier for the template (max 255 characters)
Description	No	Description of the template (max 255 characters)

Template line items grid:

Column	Required	Description
Ledger Account	Yes	The account for this line. Rows left without an account are dropped when the template is saved.
Reference	No	Per-line reference text (max 255 characters)
Description	No	Per-line description (max 255 characters)
Debit	No	Debit amount (mutually exclusive with Credit)
Credit	No	Credit amount (mutually exclusive with Debit)
Delete	—	Remove this line

A new blank row is added automatically as you tab through the last row.
The Save button is disabled if the template is out of balance. Templates must be balanced (debits = credits) before they can be saved.

11. Recurring Entries

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Recurring Entries

This screen manages the schedule of recurring journal entries. Recurring entry auto-posting is not currently operational.

Recurring Entry List

Column	Description
Reference	Template reference used for the recurring entry
Description	Template description
Start Date	When the recurring schedule begins
Last Posted Date	When the entry was most recently posted
Until	When the schedule ends (blank = indefinite)
Actions	Edit and Delete buttons

Create / Edit Recurring Entry

Field	Required	Description
Template	Yes	Select the document template to use for this recurring entry
Schedule	Yes	Monthly or Weekly
Start Date	Yes	First date the entry should be posted
Until	No	Last date the entry should be posted
Posting Interval	Yes	Frequency multiplier (minimum 1). For example, Schedule = Monthly and Interval = 3 means once per quarter.

12. Unapproved Postings

Navigation: General Ledger → Unapproved Postings

When a subledger’s Close Type is set to Approval, postings routed to that subledger from any module (AR, AP, Jobs, Payroll, etc.) that have not yet been approved appear here. An authorized approver reviews and approves or denies each posting before it is committed to the ledger.

Tab Layout

Postings are organized into tabs by source module. Each tab label includes a badge showing the number of pending postings for that source (e.g., AR 3, AP 7). Click a tab to view postings from that source.

Posting Grid

Each source tab displays a grid of pending postings. The columns vary by source but typically include fields such as:

Date, Reference, Description
Customer, Vendor, Job, or other entity links (clickable to open in a new tab)
Dollar amounts, quantities, percentages
User — the person who submitted the posting

Click the expand arrow on a row to see its detail entries (individual debit/credit lines) in a secondary grid below.

Approving or Denying Postings

Check the checkbox next to one or more postings to select them.
Selections persist across tabs — you can select postings from multiple sources.
Click Approve Selected to approve all selected postings. A confirmation dialog appears before the action is taken.
Click Deny Selected to reject all selected postings. A confirmation dialog appears before the action is taken.
Both buttons are disabled if no postings are selected.

Approved postings are committed to the general ledger. Denied postings are marked denied and drop out of the pending queue (the row is retained, not deleted). The originating module is not notified.

13. View Ledger Account

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Ledger Accounts → (click a row)

This screen displays all details for a single ledger account along with its full transaction history.

Account Header

Field	Description
Ledger ID	The account code
Description	Account name
Category	Hierarchical category path
Cost Center	Associated cost center
Type	Income or Balance Sheet
Direct Posting Allowed	Whether manual journal entries can post to this account
Natural Balance	Debit or Credit

Transaction History

Below the header is the transaction history grid with date range filtering:

Start Date / End Date — Filter transactions to a specific date range.
Collapse by Subledger — Group transactions by subledger instead of showing individual lines.
For Balance Sheet accounts, a Balance Forward line appears at the top showing the net balance as of the start of the selected period.

Column	Description
Date	Transaction date
Reference	Document reference
Name	Name associated with the transaction
Description	Transaction description
Debit	Debit amount
Credit	Credit amount
Balance	Running cumulative balance
View Document	Icon link to open the full source document

Expand a grouped row (when Collapse by Subledger is on) to see individual transactions within that subledger group.

View Ledger Document

Clicking the View Document (eye) icon on a transaction row opens the View Ledger Document dialog, which shows the complete source document behind that posting — its header and every general ledger line it generated.

The dialog header displays:

Field	Description
Date	The document’s transaction date
Document Number	The document number
Reference	The document reference. When the document is an AP payment, vendor invoice, or customer invoice, this is a link that opens that record in a new tab
Name	The associated customer or vendor. When present, this is a link that opens that record in a new tab
Description	The document description

Below the header, the Details tab lists every GL line of the document, sorted by ledger account:

Column	Description
Ledger Account	The account the line posted to. Click it to open that account’s View Ledger Account screen in a new tab
Name	The customer, vendor, employee, or job associated with the line (a link to that record’s view, when present)
Reference	The line reference (a link to the source AP payment or invoice, when applicable)
Description	The line description
Debit	The debit amount
Credit	The credit amount

A second Attachments tab lets you view and manage files attached to the document. This tab only appears for users with the View Attachments permission.

Use Close to dismiss the dialog.

Expanded Transaction Detail

When Collapse by Subledger is on, each grouped subledger row can be expanded with the toggle arrow at the left of the row to reveal a child grid listing the individual transactions that make up that group. Rows that have no underlying transactions cannot be expanded.

The expanded detail grid shows the following columns:

Column	Description
Date	Transaction date
Reference	Document reference for the individual posting
Name	Name associated with the transaction
Source	The module or process that generated the posting (for example, the source recorded when the entry was posted, such as a posting-configuration source or “Document Posting”)
Description	Transaction description
Debit	Debit amount
Credit	Credit amount
View Document	Icon link to open the full source document

The Source column makes it possible to see, line by line, which area of the system originated each posting within a collapsed subledger group.

Actions

The Actions dropdown in the top-right contains:

Edit Ledger Account — Opens the create/edit dialog to modify the account’s properties (requires the Edit Ledger Account permission).

14. Bank Accounts

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Banks

Bank accounts define the institution and account details used for check printing (AP), ACH transfers, and bank reconciliation. Each bank is linked to a GL ledger account.

Bank List

Column	Description
Name	Bank name
Address	Street address
Address 2	Suite/unit
City	City
State	State or province
Zip	Postal code
Check #	Current check number sequence
(unlabeled)	Edit and Delete icon buttons per row; the column header holds a Create (+) icon

Click the expand arrow on a bank row to see its full details:

Left panel: Full address including country.

Right panel:

Field	Description
Account Number	Bank account number
Routing Number	ABA routing number
Fractional Routing Number	Check fractional routing code
Check Number	Current check sequence number
Ledger Account	The GL account this bank is tied to
ACH Bank ID	ACH bank identifier
ACH Company ID	Company ID used in ACH files
ACH Bank Name	Bank name as it appears in ACH files
ACH Origin Prefix	Single-character prefix for ACH origin
ACH Enabled	Whether ACH transfers are active
ACH Balanced	Whether ACH file should be balanced
Print Checks	Whether checks are printed for this bank

Create / Edit Bank

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	Bank institution name (max 255 characters)
Address	No	Street address (via Google Places autocomplete)
Address 2	No	Suite, floor, or unit (max 255 characters)
City	No	City (max 255 characters)
State	No	US addresses use a State dropdown; other countries use a free-text State/Region field
ZIP	No	Postal code (max 255 characters)
Country	No	Defaults to United States
Account Number	No	Bank account number (max 25 characters)
Routing Number	No	ABA routing number (max 15 characters)
Fractional Routing Number	No	Check fractional code (max 15 characters)
Check Number	No	Current check number in sequence
Ledger Account	Yes	GL account linked to this bank
Default Fee Account	No	GL account for bank fees
ACH Company ID	No	ACH company identifier (max 15 characters)
ACH Company Name	No	ACH company name (max 23 characters)
ACH Bank Name	No	Bank name in ACH file (max 25 characters)
ACH Origin Prefix	No	Single-character ACH prefix (max 1 character)
ACH Enabled	No	Enable ACH transfers
ACH Balanced	No	Create balanced ACH files
Print Checks	No	Enable check printing for this bank

15. Budgets

Navigation: General Ledger → Manage Budgets

Budgets allow you to set target amounts by ledger account and period for comparison against actual results.

Budget List

Column	Description
Name	Budget name
Start Date	First period of the budget
End Date	Last period of the budget
Finalized	Whether the budget has been locked
Closed	Whether the budget period has closed
Actions	Edit, Finalize, Close, and Delete buttons

A finalized or closed budget is locked: its amounts cannot be edited, imported, or deleted until it is unfinalized (Finalize toggles to Unfinalize) or reopened (Close toggles to Reopen).

Click a budget row to open the Budget Amounts detail screen.

Create / Edit Budget

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	Budget name (max 255 characters)
Start Date	Yes	First date of the budget period
End Date	Yes	Last date of the budget period

Budget Amounts

After creating a budget, click its row in the list to open the Budget Amounts screen. This screen has a dynamic column layout:

The first column is the Ledger Account (autocomplete, restricted to Income-type accounts).
The second column is labeled Distribute (internally the equal distribution amount) — enter an amount here to automatically split it evenly across all period columns.
Remaining columns are one per calendar month within the budget’s date range (e.g., “Jan”, “Feb”, “Mar”). Enter the target amount for each account in each period.

To add a row, click in the blank row at the bottom. To remove a row, click the Delete button on that row.

Click Save to persist all budget amounts. A Data Import button is available to load budget amounts from a CSV or Excel file.

16. Ledger Closings

Navigation: General Ledger → Ledger Closing

This screen shows the history of all GL close operations and allows initiating a new close.

Closing History

Column	Description
Timestamp Created	When the close was initiated
Last Updated	When the close record was last updated
Close Date	The date through which the ledger was closed
User	The user who performed the close

History is displayed in reverse chronological order (most recent first). This is a read-only log.

Closing the General Ledger

Click Close Ledger to open the Close General Ledger dialog.

Field	Required	Description
Close Date	Yes	The date through which you want to close. When the dialog opens, this field is pre-filled automatically with the earliest Start Close Date found across all subledgers. You can change it before closing, subject to the validation below.

The pre-filled Close Date is the earliest Start Close Date among all subledgers, so the default value reflects how far the most-behind subledger has been advanced.

To close the ledger:

Navigate to General Ledger → Ledger Closing and click Close Ledger.
Review the Close Date, which defaults to the earliest subledger Start Close Date. Adjust it if needed.
If you see the error All subledgers must be closed to close general ledger, advance any subledger still open within the period (Subledgers → Advance Close Date), then reopen this dialog.
Click Close Ledger to commit. A new record appears in the Ledger Closings list.

17. Posting Configuration

Navigation: General Ledger → Posting Configuration

Posting configuration defines how transaction types from other modules are routed to specific subledgers. This is typically set up during initial system configuration and rarely changed thereafter.

Configuration List

Each posting configuration row shows its Name. Expand a row to see its subledger mappings:

Column	Description
Description	The posting configuration detail description
Subledger	The subledger this configuration routes to (editable autocomplete, saves on blur)

GL Sources

The following modules generate GL postings that are routed through the Posting Configuration mappings:

Source Module	Transaction Types	Typical GL Accounts
Accounts Payable	Vendor invoices, payments, prepayments, voids	AP Control, configured expense accounts, Cash
Accounts Receivable	Sales invoices, cash receipts, deposits, adjustments	AR Control, configured revenue accounts, Cash
Inventory	Receiving, adjustments, counts, movement, cost updates	Configured Inventory, Inventory Suspense, Inventory Variance accounts
Job Costing	Job expenses, overhead, job close distributions	Expense accounts per job type, contract closing accounts
Service	Work order invoicing, service contract billings	Revenue and cost accounts per service configuration
Payroll	Payroll runs (earnings, deductions, employer contributions)	Configured wage, employer tax, Cash, and liability accounts
Manual (GL)	Journal entries, recurring entries, templates	Any ledger account (subject to direct-posting restrictions)

Each source module’s postings are routed to the subledger defined in its Posting Configuration row. The subledger’s date window and authorized users control when and by whom postings can be made.

18. Permissions

For the complete list of permissions in this module and what each one allows, see the Permissions Reference.

Access to GL screens and functions is controlled by the following permissions:

Permission	Actions	Description
Ledger Account	View, Create, Edit, Delete	Manage chart of accounts
Manage Ledger Categories	—	Manage category hierarchy
Manage Ledger Cost Centers	—	Manage cost centers
Manage Subledgers	—	Manage subledgers; also controls ability to authorize users
Manage Banks	—	Manage bank accounts
Manage Budgets	—	Manage budgets and budget amounts
Manage Ledger Document Templates	—	Manage journal entry templates
Manage Recurring Entries	—	Manage recurring entries
View General Ledger Balances	—	View running balances in the ledger account detail
Unapproved Postings	—	Approve or deny postings on the Unapproved Postings screen
View Attachments	—	Enables the Attachments tab on Journal Entries

19. Worked Examples

Example 1: Monthly Rent Accrual via Template

Scenario: Sarah (Controller) needs to record the $4,500 monthly office rent for Precision Mechanical. She creates a reusable template so the accrual posts automatically each month.

Step 1 — Create the template:

Navigate to General Ledger → Manage Document Templates and click +.
Set Reference = RENT-MONTHLY and Description = Monthly Office Rent Accrual.
Add two lines:
- Line 1: Ledger = 6100 Rent Expense, Debit = $4,500.00
- Line 2: Ledger = 2200 Accrued Liabilities, Credit = $4,500.00
Footer shows Debit Total = $4,500.00, Credit Total = $4,500.00 — balanced.
Click Save.

Step 2 — Post using the template:

Navigate to General Ledger → Document Posting.
Set Date = 01/31/2026, type RENT-MONTHLY in the Reference field — the two lines auto-populate.
Click Post. Notification: Document Posted # 4821.

Step 3 — Convert to recurring:

Navigate to General Ledger → Manage Recurring Entries and click +.
Select Template = RENT-MONTHLY, Schedule = Monthly, Interval = 1, Start Date = 02/28/2026.
Click Save. The recurring entry is saved for the configured schedule. Note: recurring entry auto-posting is not currently operational; entries must be posted manually.

Result:

Account	Debit	Credit
6100 Rent Expense	$4,500.00
2200 Accrued Liabilities		$4,500.00

Example 2: Approving Cross-Module Postings

Scenario: Mike (GL Manager) logs in Monday morning and sees pending postings from AP, AR, and Payroll that need GL approval before they hit the books.

Step 1 — Review pending postings:

Navigate to General Ledger → Unapproved Postings.
The tabs show: AP 5, AR 4, Payroll 3 — 12 total pending postings.

Step 2 — Review AP postings:

Click the AP tab. Five vendor invoice postings appear.
Expand the first row (FastPipe Supply, $2,350.00) to verify the GL distribution:
- Debit 5200 Materials Expense $2,350.00
- Credit 2000 AP Control $2,350.00
Check all five AP postings.

Step 3 — Review AR postings:

Click the AR tab. Four cash receipt postings appear.
Expand the first row (Greenfield Construction, $17,000.00):
- Debit 1010 Cash $17,000.00
- Credit 1200 AR Control $17,000.00
Check all four AR postings.

Step 4 — Review Payroll postings:

Click the Payroll tab. Three entries from last Friday’s payroll run.
Expand the first (Wages posting):
- Debit 6010 Wages Expense $24,500.00
- Credit 1010 Cash $19,200.00
- Credit 2100 Federal Tax Payable $5,300.00
Check all three Payroll postings.

Step 5 — Approve all:

All 12 postings selected across three tabs.
Click Approve Selected. A confirmation dialog appears titled Approve Postings asking “Are you sure you want to approve these ledger postings?” (no posting count is shown). Confirm to proceed.
All 12 entries are committed to the general ledger.

Example 3: Month-End Close (January)

Scenario: Sarah (Controller) is closing the books for January 2026. All AP, AR, and Payroll activity has been posted and approved.

Step 1 — Verify subledger dates:

Navigate to General Ledger → Manage Subledgers.
Confirm all subledgers have Start Open Date = 02/01/2026 or later:
- Accounts Payable: Start = 02/01/2026, End = 02/28/2026 ✓
- Accounts Receivable: Start = 02/01/2026, End = 02/28/2026 ✓
- Payroll: Start = 02/01/2026, End = 02/28/2026 ✓
For any subledger still showing January dates, click the Advance Close Date button (Redo icon) to bump forward one month.

Step 2 — Clear unapproved postings:

Navigate to General Ledger → Unapproved Postings.
Verify all tabs show 0 pending items. If any remain, approve or deny them.

Step 3 — Close the ledger:

Navigate to General Ledger → Ledger Closing and click Close Ledger.
Enter Close Date = 01/31/2026.
Click Close Ledger. The system:
- Updates the retained earnings balance based on January net income
- Creates a ledger closing record with timestamp and Sarah’s username

Step 4 — Verify:

Navigate to General Ledger → Ledger Closing.
Confirm a closing record exists for 01/31/2026 with Sarah’s username.

20. Business Rules

Rules are grouped by category.

Constraints

Double-Entry Balance — Journal entry cannot post unless total debits = total credits.
Close Date Window — Posting dates are validated against each affected subledger’s open-date window (Start/End Close Date). The Master Close Date field in GL Settings is not enforced by the posting engine.
Prevent Direct Posting — Accounts flagged “Prevent Direct Posting” are hidden from the account lists on the Document Templates, Post Invoice, Issue Check, Post Sale, Post Cash Receipt, and Sales Orders screens. They are also left out of the Ledger list on the Journal Entries (Document Posting) screen. An imported journal entry line that uses a flagged account is rejected with “Account … does not allow direct posting”, and the server refuses to post any journal entry that touches a flagged account.
Category Mapping Required — All six GL category mappings (Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Income, Cost of Goods Sold, Expense) are required fields in GL Settings and must be configured to save settings. Reports and the GL close do not read them — the income statement and balance sheet use each account’s Type. They are not separately re-validated by the GL close action, which only checks that all subledgers are closed.

Automations

Template Auto-Load — Typing a template reference in the Journal Entry Reference field auto-populates saved line items.
Recurring Entry Auto-Post — Recurring entry auto-posting is not currently operational.
Reversing Entry — If a Reverse Date is set, the system auto-creates a mirror-image reversal entry on that date.
Retained Earnings Update — GL close updates the retained earnings balance based on net income for the closed period. This is a balance update, not a GL journal entry.

Workflows

Subledger Date Windows — Each subledger has its own date window controlling when postings can be made.
Approval Workflow — When a subledger’s close type is set to “Approval,” postings routed to that subledger enter the Unapproved Postings queue for manual approval before committing to the ledger.

Cross-Module Effects

Universal Posting Destination — AP, AR, Inventory, Job Costing, Service, and Payroll all post journal entries to GL.
Posting Configuration Routing — Each module’s transaction types are routed to specific subledgers via Posting Configuration mappings.

21. Troubleshooting / FAQ

Q: My journal entry won’t post — I get an error when clicking Post. The entry is out of balance. Check the footer totals: Debit Total must exactly equal Credit Total (see Double-Entry Balance). Add or adjust lines until both sides match.

Q: A module posting (invoice, sale, check, etc.) says the date is closed for posting. On the module posting screens, if the posting date falls outside the destination subledger’s open-date window (see Close Date Window), the system either routes the posting for approval or (for Password-type subledgers) prompts an authorized user for a password. Adjust the subledger’s Start/End open dates on the Subledgers screen, or complete the approval/password step. (Manual journal entries are not close-date checked.)

Q: An account I need doesn’t appear in the Ledger Account autocomplete. Check whether the account has Prevent Direct Posting checked on Manage Ledger Accounts. Flagged accounts are left out of the Journal Entries (Document Posting) Ledger list, as well as the account lists on the Document Templates, Post Invoice, Issue Check, Post Sale, Post Cash Receipt, and Sales Orders screens, because they are reserved for system postings (see Prevent Direct Posting). If the flag is not set, the account may not exist yet, or the account list may not have finished loading when you opened the screen.

Q: I want to close the GL but subledger date windows are still open. As a best practice, advance subledger date windows past the close date before closing the GL. Navigate to Subledgers, find any subledger still showing dates within the period you’re closing, and click Advance Close Date to bump it forward.

Q: A user can’t post to a specific subledger. While the subledger period is open, any user can post; the Authorized Users field does not restrict normal posting. That list only governs who may enter a password to post into a closed period (the password-override path). If a user needs that override ability, add them to Authorized Users on the subledger record — the change takes effect immediately.

Q: Unapproved postings are blocking my month-end close. Navigate to Unapproved Postings and review each tab (AP, AR, Payroll). Approve or deny all pending items before attempting the GL close to ensure all transactions are reflected in the closed period.

Q: My recurring entry didn’t auto-post. Recurring entry auto-posting is not currently operational. Recurring entries must be posted manually.

Q: I need to correct an entry in a closed period. You cannot post directly to a closed period. Instead, create a reversing entry and a correcting entry in the current open period. Use a Reverse Date on the original entry template to auto-generate the reversal.

22. Business Overview

Navigation: General Ledger → Business Overview (the first item under General Ledger)

Business Overview is a built-in dashboard that summarizes the health of the business at a glance — receivables, payables, cash in the bank, service, jobs, sales, inventory, and payroll on a single screen. ServiSuite composes it from the widget catalog for every viewer, so every organization gets the same figures and a new one has a company-wide view on day one. It is a dashboard like the ones described in the Dashboards module, with one difference: its widget set is fixed, and each viewer arranges it for themselves.

What it shows

A Filters control (Period, Customer, Vendor), seventeen KPI numbers, one tile per bank cash account, and eleven charts. Every tile is the catalog widget of the same name, defined in Dashboards → The widget catalog.

KPI tiles

Cash in and out — Open A/R and Overdue A/R, Open A/P and Past-due A/P (each with its invoice count), and Net cash position (open A/R minus open A/P)
Operations — Open work orders, Open jobs, Job backlog, Open pipeline value
Counts and ratios — Unpaid invoices, Open contract value (with approved and pending change orders), Active employees, Average days outstanding, Inventory value, Margin on open jobs, Cost to date vs estimate, Billed and collected on open jobs

Bank balances — one tile per GL cash account your live banks post to, showing that account’s book balance as of today. Banks that share a cash account report the same balance.

Charts — Invoiced vs collected by month and Payments out by month (over the Period); A/R aging and A/P aging (as the Schedules of A/R and A/P bucket them, with retention and prepayments shown alongside the bands); Who owes the most and Who you owe the most; Work orders by status; Open vs closed jobs; Contract value by type; Leads by stage; Converted leads by creation month.

Open balances are posted balances as of today (the invoice’s postings), keyed-off documents are excluded, and aging follows the due date — the same rules as the Schedule reports, so a tile and the report agree. See How the A/R and A/P figures are defined.

Filters and shareable links

The Filters control sets the reporting Period (a date range that defaults to This Year) and, optionally, a Customer and a Vendor. Period-based charts update to match; balance and aging tiles always reflect today; the customer and vendor narrow Who owes the most and Who you owe the most.

The filter state is reflected in the page’s web address, so copying the link and sharing it reproduces the same filters for whoever opens it.

Arranging the dashboard

Click Edit to move and resize tiles (drag the title bar, drag the bottom-right corner), set a tile’s title or accent color from its settings gear, and Save. The arrangement is saved for you alone and comes back every time you open the screen; other users see their own arrangement, or the standard layout. The widget set and the filters are fixed: there is no Add Widget, no Remove and no Parameters button, and the Business Overview is never listed with your dashboards or shared. To go further, build a dashboard of your own from the same catalog widgets.

23. Tips & Notes

Month-End Close Workflow

Ensure all AP and AR transactions for the period have been posted and approved.
Navigate to Subledgers and verify the End Open Date for each subledger has passed (or advance it with the Advance Close Date button).
If using the Approval close type, go to Unapproved Postings and approve or deny all pending items.
Navigate to Ledger Closings and click Close Ledger. Enter the close date (last day of the period).
Confirm that a closing record appears in the Ledger Closings list.

Using Templates for Recurring Accruals

Create a Document Template for the accrual (e.g., “Monthly Rent Accrual”) with the debit to the expense account and credit to the accrued liability account.
On the Journal Entries screen, type the template reference in the Reference field to load it.
Alternatively, set up a Recurring Entry that references the template. Note: recurring entry auto-posting is not currently operational.

Balancing Entries

The system will not post a journal entry unless debits exactly equal credits. Watch the footer totals in the entry grid as you work. If the entry is out of balance, the system shows a “Document is out of balance” error when you click Post.

Subledger Authorization

The Authorized Users field on the Subledger record does not control normal posting — while the period is open, any user can post. It controls who may supply a password to post into a closed period (the password-override path). To grant a user that override ability, add them to the list; changes take effect immediately.

Budget vs. Actual Reporting

Set up a budget in Budgets that covers your fiscal year. Enter monthly targets per ledger account. The system compares these targets against actual postings for management reporting. Use the Distribute column to spread an annual target evenly across all months with a single entry.

Direct Posting Restrictions

If an account has Prevent Direct Posting checked, it is omitted from the account lists on the Document Templates, Post Invoice, Issue Check, Post Sale, Post Cash Receipt, and Sales Orders screens. It is also left out of the Ledger list on the Journal Entries (Document Posting) screen, imported journal entry lines that use it are rejected, and the server refuses a manual journal entry that posts to it. Flag your control accounts (such as the AR and AP control accounts) so they can only be changed by the modules that own them.