Save a journal entry as a draft

With the ability to save journal entries in a draft state, you can save your progress on an entry without having to post it. Later on, you or another user can come back and post the journal entry.

The ability to save a journal entry as a draft also applies to statistical journal entries and memorized transactions, but does not apply to recurring transactions or transaction templates.
Subscription

General Ledger

Regional availability

All regions

User type Business, Employee
Permissions

Journal entries: List, Add

Because draft journal entries are a "work in progress," Add permission includes the ability to add, edit, and delete draft journal entries. However, explicit permissions to Edit and Delete are required to change non-draft entries.

Save the journal entry as a draft

When you add a journal entry, you have the option of saving it as a draft instead of posting it.

  1. Go to General Ledger > All and select Add (circle) next to Journal entries.

  2. Enter all or part of the journal entry.
    • The date and a description are required. Other fields are optional, and the entry is not required to be complete or balanced.

    • You can use the Comment field to add a note about the journal entry.

      Each time you add a comment and save the entry as a draft, your comment is added to the History tab of the journal entry.

  3. Save the journal entry as a draft by selecting either Draft or Draft & new.

    This saves your progress on the journal entry but does not post it to the General Ledger. None of the line items in the journal entry will affect the General Ledger until you come back and post the entry.

    Need to correct a draft journal entry? Because draft entries do not affect General Ledger, users with permission to add a journal entry can also add, edit, and delete draft journal entries.
    • Filter for draft or posted transactions on the fly: In the appropriate transaction list view, select either Draft or Posted in the State column.
    • Create a permanent custom view that filters for draft or posted transactions: Create a view, and set the filter to State = Draft or State = Posted. The custom view is available for use whenever you go to the list.

Review and post the journal entry

You or another user can return to a draft journal entry later to review or post the entry. Keep in mind that the entries that you post are checked for completeness, and the debits and credits must balance.

  1. Go to General Ledger > All > Journal entries.
  2. Find the journal and select Transactions.
  3. Find the draft journal entry in the list.

  4. Select More actions > Edit at the end of the row.

  5. Review the entry or make changes.
  6. Select Post or Post & new.
  1. Go to General Ledger > All > Journal entries.
  2. Find the journal and select View transactions.
  3. Find the draft journal entry in the list.
  4. Select Edit to the left of the journal entry.
  5. Review the entry or make changes.
  6. Select Post or Post & new.

Common questions

No, journal entries that are saved as drafts do not need to be complete and the debits and credits do not need to balance.

For example, you might be unsure of the department or location to use for a particular line item. With a draft journal entry, you're not required to supply that information even if it's required for the entry to be posted.

No. Users with permission to add journal entries can save an entry as a draft or post it. However, your Sage Intacct administrator can set up approvals for journal entries.

Yes, when you import journal entries from a CSV template, you can use the State column to save the transaction as either a Draft or Posted. If you do not specify a State, or if the State column is not included in your CSV file, the journal entry will automatically be posted. To learn more, see CSV import: General Ledger journal entries

Standard reports, such as the General Ledger report, include only journal entries that have been posted. However, you can create a custom report that includes draft journal entries.

Here are some tips for creating the custom report:

  • In Step 2: Choosing the data type for your report, select General Ledger Detail as the data type to report on.
  • In Step 3: Select the columns to include in your report, be sure to include the GL Entry State. This allows you to identify whether the entry is a draft or posted.
  • In Step 6: Select Filters, you can leave the filters blank to show all entries or you can optionally filter for only journal entries where the GL Entry State equals D (for Draft).