Add or edit journals

The journals on your Journals list categorize the transactions that you directly enter in the General Ledger and the transactions that are posted from subledgers such as Accounts Payable.

View your list of journals

To access the Journals list, go to General Ledger > Setup > Journals.

Add or edit a journal

After you've added a journal, it's available for you to enter journal entries through the General Ledger. It's also available to be used in the configuration of other applications. For example, you can create a Labor Cost journal to be used by the Projects application.

1. Go to General Ledger > All > Setup > Journals.
2. From the Journals list, add a new journal or edit an existing one.
   • To add a new journal, select Create.
   • To edit a journal, select More actions > Edit at the end of the row.
3. Enter the Symbol and Title for the journal.

   In most places in Sage Intacct, the symbol is shown along with the title of the journal, for example, AP--Accounts Payable.

   Symbol and title field descriptions

   Field	Description
   Symbol	Enter an abbreviation for the journal in the Symbol field. After you've saved the journal, you can no longer edit the symbol. (Required)
   Title	Enter the full name of the journal, as it will appear in reports. (Required)

4. If your accounting method is set to both accrual and cash in the General Ledger, follow these extra instructions.
   • In accrual and cash companies, reports can be run on either an accrual-basis or a cash-basis. Use Include this journal when reporting in to determine whether the journal will be included in reports run on an accrual-basis, cash-basis, or both.
   • Make sure that the Symbol and Title clearly differentiate whether the journal is for cash, accrual, or both. In several locations, Sage Intacct lists all 3 journal types. For example, identify an Accounts Payable journal as "APC" and "Accounts Payable - C" for the cash-basis version. Similarly, identify "APAC" and "Accounts Payable - AC" for the accrual and cash version.
   Can't change the accounting method? If you're editing an existing journal and you're unable to change the accounting method, this means one of the following things:

   • The journal is being used in the configuration for an application (such as Accounts Payable).
   • Transactions have already been posted to the journal.

5. If you do not want to allow direct posts to the journal, select Disallow direct posting.

   If you select this checkbox, users cannot create an entry for this journal through the Journal entries page in the General Ledger application or through imports or the API. All posts must be made through the subledgers.

6. By default, the Status is set to Active. If you do not plan to use the journal, change the status to Inactive.
7. Optionally, if you use Projects and have enabled billable General Ledger transactions, select Enable project billing flag. Doing so enables you to flag journal entry line items for a project as billable.
8. Select Save.

1. Go to General Ledger > All > Setup > Journals.
2. From the Journals list, add a new journal or edit an existing one.
   • To add a new journal, from the menu select Add (circle) beside Journals, or select Add at the top of the Journals list.
   • To edit an existing journal, select Edit to the left of the journal.
3. Enter the Symbol and Title for the journal.

   In most places in Sage Intacct, the symbol is shown along with the title of the journal, for example, AP--Accounts Payable.

   Symbol and title field descriptions

   Field	Description
   Symbol	Enter an abbreviation for the journal in the Symbol field. After you've saved the journal, you can no longer edit the symbol. (Required)
   Title	Enter the full name of the journal, as it will appear in reports. (Required)

4. If your accounting method is set to both accrual and cash in the General Ledger, follow these extra instructions.
   • In accrual and cash companies, reports can be run on either an accrual-basis or a cash-basis. Use Include this journal when reporting in to determine whether the journal will be included in reports run on an accrual-basis, cash-basis, or both.
   • Make sure that the Symbol and Title clearly differentiate whether the journal is for cash, accrual, or both. In several locations, Sage Intacct lists all 3 journal types. For example, identify an Accounts Payable journal as "APC" and "Accounts Payable - C" for the cash-basis version. Similarly, identify "APAC" and "Accounts Payable - AC" for the accrual and cash version.
   Can't change the accounting method? If you're editing an existing journal and you're unable to change the accounting method, this means one of the following things:

   • The journal is being used in the configuration for an application (such as Accounts Payable).
   • Transactions have already been posted to the journal.

5. If you do not want to allow direct posts to the journal, select Disallow direct posting.

   If you select this checkbox, users cannot create an entry for this journal through the Journal entries page in the General Ledger application or through imports or the API. All posts must be made through the subledgers.

6. By default, the Status is set to Active. If you do not plan to use the journal, change the status to Inactive.
7. Optionally, if you use Projects and have enabled billable General Ledger transactions, select Enable project billing flag. Doing so enables you to flag journal entry line items for a project as billable.
8. Select Save.

You can now post transactions to the journal.

What journals do you need?

Create enough journals so that your transactions are adequately categorized. At a minimum, the following journals are required.

Required journals for applications

Application	Required journals
Accounts Payable	AP supplier invoices Journal Adjustments Journal Payments Journal
Accounts Receivable	AR sales invoices Journal Adjustments Journal Payments Journal
Cash Management	Other Receipts Journal
Expenses	Expenses Journal Reimbursements Journal

If you selected both accrual and cash-based reporting, you need separate journals for each reporting method.