Create prepaid expense schedules

Prepaid expense schedules work in coordination with prepaid expense classes to automatically generate the month-to-month prepaid expense schedule entries you post to your journal. Most importantly, prepaid expense schedules determine the expense amortization start date, the amount to be amortized, and the prepaid expense class to be used which defines the periods. Furthermore, you set the currency, GL account to be credited, and any dimensions required by the expense account in your prepaid expense schedule. You can even attach a bill to the schedule for previously entered prepaid expenses.

Create prepaid expense schedules

Prepaid expense schedules most often flow through bills and vendor invoices. Schedules that come from these two sources have GL impact while schedules you create manually or import don't.

• Bills as prepaid expense schedules
• Vendor invoices as prepaid expense schedules
• Manually create prepaid expense schedules
• Import prepaid expense schedules

Bills as prepaid expense schedules

When you enter your bills into Sage Intacct, you can tag them as prepaid expenses by filling in the required prepaid expense fields. Intacct then automatically generates a prepaid expense schedule for you once you post the bill. You can view this prepaid expense schedule on the Prepaid Expense Schedule list.

1. Go to Accounts Payable > All and select Add (circle) next to Bills.

2. Fill in the bill as usual. See Create a bill for more detailed information.

3. In the Currency section, include the Exchange rate type and the Exchange rate date.

   If your transaction currency is different than your base currency, and you forget to define the Exchange rate type and the Exchange rate date, you might experience errors when posting your schedule entries to the GL.

4. In the Entries section, add entries as usual, then select Show Details.
5. In Prepaid Expense Schedule Name, enter a name for the prepaid expense schedule. This is the name of the schedule that automatically generates once the bill is posted.
6. Enter an Expense Amortization Start Date to define the first day amortization should start. The related schedule entries have the same posting date each period. For example, if your Expense Amortization Start Date is October 1, 2025, then the first schedule entry should post on October 1, 2025, and the second entry will post on November 1, 2025, and so on until the amortization schedule is finished.
7. For Prepaid Expense Classes, select the magnifying glass icon and choose a prepaid expense class from the list.
8. Do not enter any value in the Prepaid Expense Schedules field. This field autofills once the prepaid expense schedule is generated for the bill.

9. Include any dimensions required by the GL expense account defined in the Prepaid Expense Class you selected.

   If you forget to add the required dimensions to the transaction, you might experience errors when posting your schedule entries to the GL.

   What dimensions are required by the expense account?

   You can determine the dimensions required by the expense account through the prepaid expense class record.

   To determine the required dimensions:

   1. Go to Prepaid Expense Amortization > Prepaid Expense Classes > Prepaid Expense Classes.

      A list of all prepaid expense classes appears.

   2. Select the name of the prepaid expense schedule you want to view in more detail.
   3. Select Expense Amortization GL Account.
   4. On the General Ledger Accounts page, take note of any selected dimensions in the Dimension settings section.
10. Post your bill.

Vendor invoices as prepaid expense schedules

A vendor invoice can also serve as the basis for your prepaid expense schedule. Just like bills, you tag these transactions with the necessary prepaid expense fields, then Intacct automatically generates a prepaid expense schedule related to the vendor invoice once you post it. You can view this prepaid expense schedule on the Prepaid Expense Schedule list.

1. Go to Purchasing > All > Transactions and select Add (circle) next to Vendor invoice.

2. Fill in the vendor invoice as usual. See Add a purchasing transaction for more detailed information.

3. Specify an Exchange rate date and Exchange rate type.

   If your transaction currency is different than your base currency, and you forget to define the Exchange rate type and the Exchange rate date, you might experience errors when posting your schedule entries to the GL.

4. In the Entries section, add entries as usual, then select Show Details.
5. Enter an Expense Amortization Start Date to define the first day amortization should start. The related schedule entries have the same posting date each period. For example, if your Expense Amortization Start Date is October 1, 2025, then the first schedule entry should post on October 1, 2025, and the second entry will post on November 1, 2025, and so on until the amortization schedule is finished.
6. Enter a Prepaid Expense Schedule Name. This is the name of the schedule that automatically generates once the bill is posted.
7. For Prepaid Expense Classes, select the magnifying glass icon and choose a prepaid expense class from the list.

8. Include any dimensions required by the GL expense account defined in the Prepaid Expense Class you selected.

   If you forget to add the required dimensions to the transaction, you might experience errors when posting your schedule entries to the GL.

   What dimensions are required by the expense account?

   You can determine the dimensions required by the expense account through the prepaid expense class record.

   To determine the required dimensions:

   1. Go to Prepaid Expense Amortization > Prepaid Expense Classes > Prepaid Expense Classes.

      A list of all prepaid expense classes appears.

   2. Select the name of the prepaid expense schedule you want to view in more detail.
   3. Select Expense Amortization GL Account.
   4. On the General Ledger Accounts page, take note of any selected dimensions in the Dimension settings section.
9. Post your vendor invoice.

Manually create prepaid expense schedules

You can manually create prepaid expense schedules for prepaid expenses that come from sources like GL entries or older bills and vendor invoices. However, unlike the schedules that flow through bills or vendor invoices, manually created schedules have no impact on the GL by themselves. Only the related prepaid expense schedule entries have GL impact in this case.

1. Go to Prepaid Expense Amortization > Prepaid Expense Schedules and select Add (circle) next to Prepaid Expense Schedules.

2. In Prepaid Expense Schedule, type an identifiable name for the schedule.
3. Select the magnifying glass icon to select a Prepaid Expense Class.
4. Enter an Expense Amortization Start Date to define the first day amortization should start. The related schedule entries have the same posting date each period. For example, if your Expense Amortization Start Date is October 1, 2025, then the first schedule entry should post on October 1, 2025, and the second entry will post on November 1, 2025, and so on until the amortization schedule is finished.
5. Enter the Amount to be amortized.
6. Specify a Currency for your schedule entries.

7. Select values for any dimensions required by the GL expense account defined in the related prepaid expense class.

   If you forget to add the required dimensions to the transaction, you might experience errors when posting your schedule entries to the GL.

   What dimensions are required by the expense account?

   You can determine the dimensions required by the expense account through the prepaid expense class record.

   To determine the required dimensions:

   1. Go to Prepaid Expense Amortization > Prepaid Expense Classes > Prepaid Expense Classes.

      A list of all prepaid expense classes appears.

   2. Select the name of the prepaid expense schedule you want to view in more detail.
   3. Select Expense Amortization GL Account.
   4. On the General Ledger Accounts page, take note of any selected dimensions in the Dimension settings section.
8. In Credit GL Account, choose a GL account to be credited when you post your schedule entries.

9. Optionally, attach an AP Bill to the prepaid schedule with the bill record number. The record number is not the same as the bill number.

   Can't find the bill record number?

   You may have to create a new view on your Bills list to view the record number of the bill.

   To include the bill record number in a view:

   1. Go to Accounts Payable > All > Bills.

   2. On the Bills list, select the Manage views dropdown, then select Create new view.
   3. For the Select columns step, select Record number and any other fields you might need to identify the bill easily, such as Bill number, Vendor name, Date, and Total transaction amount.
   4. Select the next icon beside the step dropdown.
   5. For Select column sequence, drag and drop the fields in the order you wish to view them.
   6. Select Save.
   7. Enter a Name for your view. For instance, Bill record numbers.
   8. Select the Deploy checkbox.
   9. Optionally, add a Description of your view.
   10. Select Save.

   On the Bills list, your view is available from the All dropdown menu. Select it to view the bill record numbers and add them to your prepaid expense schedules as needed.

10. Save your prepaid expense schedule.

Import prepaid expense schedules

You can also import prepaid expense schedules if you want to create many new schedules at once. See Import Prepaid Expense Amortization data for more detailed information.

Edit prepaid expense schedules

Before you approve and start your prepaid expense schedules, it's a good idea to make any necessary changes to the schedule first since changes can't be made to the schedule once it's started. See Edit or delete prepaid expense schedules for more detailed information about when and how you can edit prepaid expense schedules.

1. Go to Prepaid Expense Amortization > Prepaid Expense Schedules > Prepaid Expense Schedules.

   A list of all prepaid expense schedules appears.

2. Select Edit beside the prepaid expense schedule you want to change.
3. Make any necessary changes to the prepaid expense schedule record.
4. Save your changes.

View prepaid expense schedules

You can view a list of all prepaid expense schedules or the details of a particular schedule. To filter and sort the list of prepaid expense schedules, create a custom view. For example, you can create a custom view that filters out all schedules with a completed status.

1. Go to Prepaid Expense Amortization > Prepaid Expense Schedules > Prepaid Expense Schedules.

   A list of all prepaid expense schedules appears.

2. Select the name of a particular schedule to see it in more detail.

Field descriptions

The following table describes each field on the Prepaid expense schedule page.

Prepaid expense schedule page field descriptions

Field	Description
Prepaid Expense Schedule	Name for the prepaid expense schedule. Alphanumeric characters, hyphens, underscores, and parentheses are accepted. Special characters aren't recommended.
Prepaid Expense Class	Defines the prepaid expense class your prepaid expense schedule uses to generate its schedule. The prepaid expense class defines the number of periods to amortize and the GL expense account to debit. Additionally, the expense account defined in the prepaid expense class determines the required dimensions for prepaid expense schedules and prepaid expense schedule entries.
Type	Only appears after the schedule is created. There are two types of schedules: AP (schedules made from bills or vendor invoices) and Manual (schedules imported or entered manually). You cannot edit this field.
Expense Amortization Start Date	Defines the first posting date for the Prepaid Expense Schedule. The schedule generated has the same posting date every period. This field works in coordination with Periods (Mths) in Prepaid Expense Class to determine how to generate correct amortization schedules and schedule entries.
Amount	Represents the balance left to amortize for the schedule. This amount is divided by the number of periods defined in the Prepaid Expense Class, then posts that calculated amount to the Prepaid Expense Journal every month.
Currency	Currency of the transaction. Typically, this is your base currency.
Location, Department, Customer, Vendor, Item, Project, Class, Employee, and Any user-defined dimension	Dimensions that may be required on transactions by the company to post to the GL. The dimensions you must include are defined by the GL expense account defined in the related prepaid expense class. If you don't add the ID of the required dimension(s) to the Prepaid Expense Schedule during creation, then the corresponding Prepaid Expense Schedule Entries won't post to the GL. If you have a Prepaid Expense Schedule that must be split to amortize to different dimension values, then you must split the schedule during its creation. For example, say you pay rent for two separate Locations (100 and 200) upfront each year for $10,000 total. During the Prepaid Expense Schedule creation, you would create two schedules: one for location 100 and another for location 200. The Amount for these schedules should be the total amount of the prepaid expense divided by the number of dimensions by which you are splitting it; in this case, the amount for each schedule would be $5,000. Similarly, if you create a schedule through a bill or vendor invoice, simply create multiple line entries with a percentage of the amount in each. Then apply the dimensions to each line as needed. A separate schedule generates for each line on the bill or vendor invoice.
Credit GL Account	The account to be credited by each schedule entry when they are posted to the Prepaid Expense Journal and General Ledger. Prepaid Expense Schedules can be linked to different GL Accounts, depending on the needs of the company.
AP Bill	Attach a bill to the schedule with the Record Number associated with the bill. This isn't the same as the bill number. Can't find the bill record number? You may have to create a new view on your Bills list to view the record number of the bill. To include the bill record number in a view: Go to Accounts Payable > All > Bills. On the Bills list, select the Manage views dropdown, then select Create new view. For the Select columns step, select Record number and any other fields you might need to identify the bill easily, such as Bill number, Vendor name, Date, and Total transaction amount. Select the next icon beside the step dropdown. For Select column sequence, drag and drop the fields in the order you wish to view them. Select Save. Enter a Name for your view. For instance, Bill record numbers. Select the Deploy checkbox. Optionally, add a Description of your view. Select Save. On the Bills list, your view is available from the All dropdown menu. Select it to view the bill record numbers and add them to your prepaid expense schedules as needed.
Exchange Rate Type	Required if your transaction currency is different than your base currency. If you forget to define this field, you might encounter errors when posting your schedule entries.
Exchange Rate Date	Required if your transaction currency is different than your base currency. If you forget to define this field, you might encounter errors when posting your schedule entries.
Exchange Rate	Autofills based on the Exchange Rate Type and Exchange Rate Date once the schedule is saved.
Status	Only appears after the schedule is created, and it is not editable. There are six workflow statuses a schedule goes through: Review: Schedule is ready to be reviewed and generated. This status only applies to imported and manually created prepaid expense schedules. You must generate the amortization schedule to continue in the workflow. Pending Schedule Generation: The amortization schedule is connecting to the server and awaiting generation. Processing: The server is generating the amortization schedule. Schedule Generated: The amortization schedule has been generated. Now you approve and start the schedule to generate the prepaid expense schedule entries defined by the amortization schedule. In Progress: The prepaid expense schedule entries are available from month to month depending on the posting date. Post your prepaid expense schedule entries to continue in the workflow. Completed: The prepaid expense schedule has completed its life cycle. All prepaid expense schedule entries have been posted to the GL and the expense is completely amortized.