Create a journal
Go to Manual Journals → Manual Journals and click Create Manual Journals → Fill in forms.
Under Journal details, enter:
Date: the date the entry belongs to.
Title: what it's for, e.g. Accrue October accounting fees.
Journal number: leave it blank to number it automatically.
Currency, and optionally a Contact.
Under Journal lines, add one line per account:
Account, Description and Amount.
Side: Debit or Credit.
Optionally a Tax and Branch per line.
Click Add new line for more lines. The totals at the top must say Balanced (DR equals CR) before you can save.4. Optionally set the Classification (Employee, Journal group, Branch, Department, Project) and add Attachments.5. Click Save as and choose Draft or Published.
Only published journals affect your reports.
Example: accrue a bill you haven't received
Your accountant's October fee of $1,200 will be invoiced in November. To show it in October's Profit and Loss:
Account | Side | Amount |
Legal and professional fees | Debit | $1,200 |
Accrued expenses | Credit | $1,200 |
Other ways to create journals
Ask Adam: describe the entry, e.g. "Owner put $5,000 into the business account today", and Adam drafts it.
Import Excel: upload many journals at once from the template.
Tips
Use journals sparingly. If something is really a sale, purchase or bank payment, record it there instead, so contacts and balances stay right.
Attach evidence, such as a contract or schedule, so anyone reviewing the books can see why the entry exists.