Skip to content
English - United States
Client Support Portal Sign in
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Journal Entry Form

Learn how to create journal entries manually, import lines from Excel, and use Balance with Pooled Cash.

The Journal Entry Form is used to manually record debits and credits in the General Ledger. You can enter lines one at a time or import a large number of lines from Excel.

This article explains how to complete a standard journal entry manually, how to import journal entry lines from Excel, and how the Balance with Pooled Cash feature works.

Note
This article does not cover reversals, corrections of prior entries, or automatic future period reversals.

For those topics, refer to the separate Journal Entry Reversals training video.

Time-saving options

Before starting a new journal entry, you can use several options to make the process faster.

Recently Completed

Use the Recently Completed dropdown at the top of the form to copy a recently completed journal entry into a new form. You can then edit it before saving and submitting.

Templates

If you have journal entry templates set up in the Templates module, they appear in the Templates dropdown. Selecting a template fills in the saved information so you can adjust it before submitting.

Is Recurring

Select Is Recurring to create a journal entry that repeats automatically. You will be prompted to define:

  • Frequency
  • End Date
  • Assigned User
  • Day of the Week, for weekly entries

Guided Tour

Use Guided Tour to view a walkthrough of each field in the form. This is helpful for new users.

Step 1: Complete the form header

Fill in the form header before adding debit or credit lines.

Header fields

  • Entry Number: Assigned by the system after approval
  • Created By: Filled in automatically with the user’s email address
  • Fiscal Year: Select from the open periods in the General Ledger
  • Fiscal Month: Select from the open periods in the General Ledger
  • Effective Date: Optional date within the selected fiscal period
  • Short Description: Optional label for the entry
  • Long Description: Optional explanation of the entry

Note
The Fiscal Year and Fiscal Month dropdowns only show periods that are currently open in the General Ledger.

To manage open and closed periods, refer to the Open and Close Periods training video.

Step 2: Add debit and credit lines

Every journal entry must be balanced. For every debit line, there must be a corresponding credit line with the same total amount.

Search for an account

There are two ways to find the account string you want to use.

Option 1: Filter by Account Type, Fund, and Department

  1. Select the Account Type.
  2. Select the Fund and Department.
  3. Review the filtered options in the Account String field.
  4. Type part of the account number or string to narrow the results.

Option 2: Search directly in the Account String field

Click in the Account String field without selecting an account type, fund, or department first. The full chart of accounts appears. Start typing any part of the account string to filter the results.

When you select an account, the system fills in the account type, fund, and department automatically.

Tip
You can search anywhere within an account string.

For example, entering 0.54 returns any account string containing those characters.

This is useful when you know only part of the account number.

Complete each line

After selecting the account string, complete the remaining fields:

  • Debit or Credit
  • Amount
  • Comment, if needed

Click Add GL Account to add the line to the journal entry table. Repeat this process until the entry is balanced.

Note
You can edit any line after adding it by clicking Edit on that row.

Click the checkmark when you finish editing.

Step 3: Balance with Pooled Cash

If the other side of the journal entry is cash, you do not need to add the cash lines manually. The system can generate them using Balance with Pooled Cash.

After adding the debit or credit lines, use these options at the bottom of the entry:

  • Select Cash in Bank Account to choose the bank account
  • Balance Entry with Pooled Cash to generate the balancing cash lines automatically

What the system creates

When you click Balance Entry with Pooled Cash, the system adds:

  1. An Equity in Pooled Cash line at the fund level
  2. A Pooled Cash Offset line in the pooled cash fund

If the entry includes lines from multiple funds, the system adds a separate pooled cash offset line for each fund. The cash in bank account reflects the total combined amount.

Note
The Equity in Pooled Cash account, typically 104000, must exist in every fund in your system.

For more information, refer to the Equity in Pooled Cash reference guide.

Step 4: Attach supporting documents

Scroll to the bottom of the journal entry form to attach supporting files. You can drag and drop a file into the upload area or browse and select a file from your computer.

Step 5: Save and submit for approval

Click Save to save the form as a draft. Once saved, the form has its own unique URL, so you can return later through Form Search and make changes before submitting.

When the form is ready, click Submit for Approval to enter the configured workflow.

Note
The posting date shown on a completed journal entry is the date the form was posted, not the effective date.

The effective date is still recorded and appears in transaction reports.

Import journal entry lines from Excel

If your journal entry has many lines, use the Excel import option instead of entering them one at a time.

Important
A single import cannot exceed 300 lines.

If your entry exceeds this limit, split it into multiple imports.

Choose the right import template

When you click Import, select the template that matches your needs.

  • Basic Journal Entry: Use when you only need account strings, debits, credits, and comments
  • Journal Entry with Projects and Grants: Use when you need project or grant IDs
  • Journal Entry with Segments: Use when you need subsegment information
  • Journal Entry with Projects and Segments: Use when you need both project or grant details and subsegment information

Complete and import the template

  1. Click Download Template.
  2. Open the file.
  3. Add one row for each journal entry line.
  4. Enter the account number, either a debit or a credit amount, and a comment.
  5. Do not enter both a debit and a credit on the same row.
  6. Save the completed file.
  7. Click Choose Files in the import tool.
  8. Select the file and click Import.
  9. Review the imported lines in the journal entry table.

After import, you can still use Balance Entry with Pooled Cash if needed.

Important
If the import fails with an error that debits and credits appear on the same row, the file may contain hidden formulas or stray data in empty cells.

Clear the affected cells completely and try the import again.

Need help?
If you have questions about the Journal Entry Form, contact the Aclarian Client Support team for assistance.