General Ledger FAQs
Here's how to troubleshoot some common General Ledger questions
Reconciled checks display in bank reconciliation
To remove these checks from Bank Reconciliation, you must reconcile them outside of Bank Reconciliation.
- In Bank Reconciliation, do not mark the check for reconciliation.
- Click Save to close Bank Reconciliation.
- On the G/L Posting Menu, click Add/Edit Transactions, then View.
- Click Find Transaction.
- On the Text Search tab, select Ref. No.
- Enter the check number and click Find Text.
- When the Search Results display, double-click on the check. The Add/Edit Transactions list displays with the check selected.
- Select Reconciled. When you return to the bank reconciliation window, the check does not display.
Reconciled checks display in bank reconciliation
To remove these checks from Bank Reconciliation, you must reconcile them outside of Bank Reconciliation.
- In Bank Reconciliation, do not mark the check for reconciliation.
- Click Save to close Bank Reconciliation.
- On the G/L Posting Menu, click Add/Edit Transactions, then View.
- Click Find Transaction.
- On the Text Search tab, select Ref. No.
- Enter the check number and click Find Text.
- When the Search Results display, double-click on the check. The Add/Edit Transactions list displays with the check selected.
- Select Reconciled. When you return to the bank reconciliation window, the check does not display.
I need to transfer funds from one bank account to another so transactions display in Bank Reconciliation
When you move funds from one bank account to another, you must use the Bank Transfer option so the entries display in Bank Reconciliation.
This function splits the transaction into two transactions: a withdrawal and a deposit.
The withdrawal displays in Bank Reconciliation for the account the money is taken from; the deposit displays in Bank Reconciliation for the account the money is deposited into.
- Under Manage Records, click the Transactions tab.
- In the drop-down list, select General Ledger
Transactions and click Go
.
- Click Add/Edit Transactions, then click Bank Transfer.
- Enter a reference number or click Next to auto-assign the available reference number for the Transaction Source (Bank Account Transfer).
- Enter the amount of the funds transfer, then enter or select the date of the funds transfer.
- On the Transfer tab, in the Credit Acct field, enter the general ledger account number that will decrease. ACS deducts the funds from this account.
- Optional: In the For field, enter an explanation.
- In the Offset field, enter the general ledger transfer account number. If you do not have a transfer account in your chart of accounts, use the fund principal account for the credit account.
- In the Debit Acct field, enter the general ledger account number that will increase. ACS adds the funds to this account.
- Optional: In the For field, enter an explanation.
- In the Offset field, enter the general ledger transfer account number. If you do not have a transfer account in your chart of accounts, use the fund principal account for the debit account.
- Click OK, then Close.
- Print the Proof List report.
- Click Begin Post.
- Click Yes, OK, and Close.
Moving Accounts by Drag and Drop
You can drag and drop an account from one heading to another.
- Under Manage Records, click the Chart of Accounts tab.
- In the drop-down list, select Add/Edit Chart of
Accounts, and click Go
- Select the account under its present heading, and click Edit Account.
- Enter a new account code. We suggest choosing an account code you will not use, such as all nines (9-999999, 0099999, or similar to fit your account mask).
- In the Name field, enter a new description to indicate that this is no longer a valid account, then click OK.
- Select the correct account heading and click Add Account.
- Enter the original account code and account name.
- Select the fund and any other options that apply to the account, then click OK.
Once the account is added under the correct heading, you must move the balance of the account from the original account to the new account. You cannot move the transactions, only the balance. You can enter a transaction and post it to move the balance.
When you move the balance of the account, you debit one account and credit another account. The account type of the two accounts determines which account is debited and which account is credited. Refer to the following table to determine the correct balance type for each account type. When you want to reduce the balance in one account to zero ($0.00), enter the balance amount as the opposite of its correct balance type.
For example, an expense account has a balance of $250.00. The account should be a liability account. After adding the account with transactions to another heading, you want to move the balance. Enter a transaction to credit the “old” account because the expense account has a debit balance, then credit the new account because liability accounts carry a credit balance.
To balance this transaction, enter a debit amount equal to the amount of the two credits. Use the fund principal account because you have no other account involved in this transaction. However, if you have two accounts to which you enter a debit amount and a credit amount that are equal, do not make any other entries because the transaction is balanced.
New expense account does not display
I added a new expense account to my chart of accounts, but it does not display on the Analysis of Revenues and Expense report.
When you add an account to your chart of accounts, you must select the heading you want the account to display under before clicking Add Account. If the account is active with a balance for the month, it displays on your printed report appropriately. If the account does not display in the correct place on the report, the account was added under the wrong heading.
If no transactions are posted to the account, you can move the account to the correct location in the chart of accounts.
If transactions are posted to the account, you must move the account within the same account type. For example, you can move an expense account to any subheading in the Expenses account type, but you cannot move an expense account to a subheading in the Liabilities account type.
If the account is under the wrong account type and transactions are posted to it, you cannot move it. You must add the account under the correct heading. However, you must first change the account number and description under the present heading so you can add the present account number under the correct heading.
- Under Manage Records, click the Chart of Accounts tab.
- In the drop-down list, select Add/Edit Chart of
Accounts and click Go
- Select the account you want to move, then click Move Account.
- Select the heading under which the account should display.
- Click OK.
The bank cleared a check for the wrong amount
When you discover that a check for an incorrect amount cleared the bank, contact your bank representative immediately so the error can be corrected.
However, it may take a couple of months for the correction to display on your statement, and you need to reconcile your current statement.
The bank cleared a check for the wrong amount.
To reconcile your current statement, you must post an entry in ACS for the difference in the true amount of the check and the amount that cleared the bank. Determine the difference by subtracting the smaller amount from the larger amount, then enter and post a transaction for the amount of the bank error.
- In Bank Reconciliation, from the drop-down list, select the bank account, then click the Adjustments tab.
- Click Add New Transaction.
- In the Transaction Source drop-down list, select Checking Account Credit (CCR) or Checking Account Debit (CDB).
- Select the appropriate Checking Account.
- Enter a Reference Number, or click Next to assign the next available reference number for the transaction source.
- In the Date field, enter or select the date of the bank error.
- If you are entering a CCR, click Lookup
to select a vendor in the Pay to the Order of field.
- Enter the amount of the bank error.
- Optional: Enter a memo.
- In the Debits field (if entering a CCR), or in the Credits field (if entering a CDB), enter the general ledger account number that you want to charge for the bank error. (You can use the same account number from when you entered the original check or deposit in ACS.)
- Click OK, then Yes.
- Click the Transactions tab and continue with bank reconciliation.Whether you entered the adjustment in Bank Reconciliation or you entered a transaction through Add/Edit Transactions, you must post the transaction.
I need to enter a returned check
The bank returned a check to you and you need to enter it in General Ledger.
If the non-sufficient funds (NSF) check was posted in ACS Contributions or Accounts Receivable and you are interfaced with the ACS General Ledger module, ACS corrects the general ledger when you post the correction in the Contributions or Accounts Receivable module.
If the check was posted in the General Ledger module only, you can deduct the amount of the check from your checking account balance in the general ledger.
If your bank charged your account with a processing fee as a result of the NSF check, you must post the bank charge in the General Ledger module regardless of which module the check was posted in originally.
You can add an NSF check using one of two transaction sources- a checking account credit (CCR) or a deposit (DEP) with a negative amount. The CCR displays with the withdrawals in ACS Bank Reconciliation.
The "negative" deposit displays with the deposits in ACS Bank Reconciliation.
- Under Manage Records, click the Transactions tab.
- Select General Ledger Transactions and click
Go
- Click Add/Edit Transactions then click Add.
- In the Transaction Source drop-down list, select Checking Account Credit (CCR).
- Click Lookup
- Enter a reference number, or click Next to assign the next available reference number for the transaction source.
- In the Date field, enter or select the date that the bank posted the NSF to your account.
- In the Pay to the Order of field, enter or select a vendor. Since this is a returned check, the individual may not be a vendor for your organization. You can add the individual as a vendor, or you can add a generic vendor with the name “Returned Check.”
- Enter the amount of the NSF check plus the amount of the bank charge.
- Optional: Enter either the individual’s name (if using the generic vendor name of “Returned Check”) or the phrase “Returned Check” (if you added the individual as a vendor).
- Click Split Debit.
- In the Debits Account field, enter the general ledger account number that you used for the original deposit. For example, if this check was a part of your weekly deposit for general tithes, enter the account number for general tithes. The checking account displays in the Cred field.
- Press Enter until a new distribution line displays.
- In the Credits Account field, enter the general ledger checking account number, and press Enter.
- In the Amount field, enter the amount of the bank charge for processing the NSF check, and press Enter.
- Click in the Debits Account field, and press Enter until a new distribution line displays.
- In the Debits Account field, enter the general ledger account number for bank charges or fees, and press Enter.
- Optional: Enter a comment.
- Click OK, then Yes.
- After adding the transaction for the NSF check and the bank charge, you must post the transaction.
I posted a deposit for the wrong amount. The bank cleared it for the correct amount. How do I correct this in ACS?
If you posted the deposit in ACS Contributions or Accounts Receivable, check the Contributions and Accounts Receivable help for instructions on correcting the contributor or customer record.
If you are interfaced with the ACS General Ledger module, ACS corrects the general ledger when you post the correction in the Contributions or Accounts Receivable module. However, if you are not interfaced with the general ledger or the deposit was posted in the General Ledger module, you must adjust your checking account balance in ACS for the difference. If you do not make the adjustment and you use ACS Bank Reconciliation, you will not be able to reconcile the bank account.
If you posted the original amount for less than the correct amount, you can post another deposit for the amount of the difference. Use the same date of the original deposit, as well as the correct checking account and the general ledger account for which the funds were given or collected. You can use either the transaction source of Deposit (DEP) or Checking Account Debit (CDB).
If you posted the original amount for more than the correct amount, you can correct the checking account balance the same way you would for a returned check. You can use either the transaction source Checking Account Credit (CCR) or use Deposit (DEP) with a negative amount. The only exception is that you do not have any bank charges or fees to post.
Book balance does not match my checking account balance in General Ledger even though I reconcile to 0.00 every month.
The book balance in Bank Reconciliation does not match my checking account balance in General Ledger even though I reconcile to 0.00 every month.
Bank Reconciliation in ACS assists you in balancing your bank statement only. However, you can reconcile the difference between the ending balance in Bank Reconciliation as compared to the figures on your balance sheet.
In a normal setting where all transactions are posted to the correct month and your bank statement includes the first date of the month and the last date of the month, the Current Bank Statement Balance plus In Transit Deposits plus In Transit Withdrawals should match the balance on your balance sheet for the same month.
If the two amounts are not the same, you have transactions included in the amount on your balance sheet that are not included in bank reconciliation or some transactions are included in bank reconciliation that are not included on the balance sheet.
Following are some examples and their remedies:
- Transactions display in Bank Reconciliation based on transaction date (the check date or the deposit date). The balance sheet is calculated by the posting period of transactions. For example, you issue check number 2365 on 03/04/2XXX but date the check 02/14/2XXX. Your posting period is 03/2XXX. Check number 2365 displays in ACS Check Reconciliation for the period 02/01/2XXX-02/28/2XXX and affects the book balance in Check Reconciliation for February. However, the checking account balance in General Ledger is not affected by this check until March because the posting period was 03/2XXX. When you print your balance sheet for February, the amount of check 2365 is not included in the checking account balance because the transaction was posted to 03/2XXX.
- A current or previously posted check was voided to a future posting period. For example, a check dated 01/24/2XXX is posted to 01/2XXX but the void is posted to 02/2XXX. You are reconciling your bank statement with dates of 01/01/2XXX-01/31/2XXX. The check and the voided transaction displays in Check Reconciliation for January; however, the balance sheet balance for January includes only the original check, not the void. You should always void a check to the current General Ledger month (yet to be reconciled) so that this does not occur.
- In examples 1 and 2, you must consider the transactions when you attempt to reconcile the items in Check Reconciliation to your balance sheet balance. In example 3, you might not be able to reconcile back to the balance sheet even when considering the transactions mentioned in examples 1 and 2. In this situation, consider making a journal entry if the difference is the same each month (once all transactions are considered).
- The initial beginning balance entered for the checking account in Add/Edit Transactions did not take into consideration in-transit transactions. When entering the beginning balance for a checking account, you should always back out the outstanding checks and deposits from the checking account balance and enter them as transactions so that you will reconcile correctly. This lets you clear the items when they display on your bank statement and match what you see in Check Reconciliation with the balance you see on the balance sheet.
I have posted several transactions to the wrong month. Can I correct the posting period?
I have posted several transactions to the wrong month. Can I correct the posting period?
One of the most important items in General Ledger is the posting period. If you close your month on a timely basis and change the post month to the current month, you should not experience posting errors. However, this is not always possible.
Whenever your posting period is not the same as the current month, you must remember to change the post month/year to the desired period while entering transactions. ACS prompts you to do this, but if you don’t, you must make corrections to ensure financial reports are accurate.
- Void the transactions and post them to same month of the original transactions.
- Re-enter and post the transactions to the correct posting period.
I entered a journal entry, and when I clicked OK, I received a warning that I was crossing funds. What does this mean?
The accounts you use to post entries and report to your finance committee or church members make up your Chart of Accounts. These accounts are assigned to funds, which is also known as a set of books in General Ledger. You might have one fund set up for the church’s accounts and another fund set up for the day care’s accounts.
When you add accounts to your chart of accounts, you must attach one of these funds to an account and indicate that the account is for that fund only.
When entering transactions in General Ledger or any other module in ACS Financial Suite, you use debit and credit accounts that are assigned to the same fund. If you use a debit account assigned to the church fund and a credit account assigned to the day care fund, you are “crossing funds,” which means you are not using accounts from the same fund.
You might need to cross funds at times, however. If you are certain that your entry is correct, you can accept the warning and continue posting the transaction. However, if you print your balance sheet by fund, your balance sheet displays out of balance due to the cross-fund transaction.
ACS includes an Automatic Fund Balancing feature that corrects funds after posting so that reports are always in balance by fund.
I printed my balance sheet, and it indicates that it is out of balance. What do I do?
I printed my balance sheet, and it indicates that it is out of balance. What do I do?
The filters you selected caused it to appear out of balance. See Step 1.
If you are only out of balance when printing the balance sheet by fund, you have crossed funds while entering a transaction. For example, you have posted one side of the transaction to one fund and the other side of the transaction to another fund. If the transaction is correct, you can enter a transaction between your fund principal accounts for each fund to offset the amount that you crossed. For example:
| Original Entry | Amount |
| Debit Checking | Church $50.00 |
| Credit Expense | Building $50.00 |
| Correcting Entry to Balance the Amount Between Funds | Amount |
| Credit Fund Principal | Church $50.00 |
| Debit Fund Principal | Building $50.00 |
If the transaction was posted incorrectly, you can reverse the transaction and repost it correctly, or you can correct the portion of the transaction that was posted to the wrong fund.
For example, you have two funds: one for the church and one for the day care. You have purchased a new crib for the church nursery that is not used in the day care. When the invoice is paid, the message “This transaction crossed funds and will cause the balance sheet to appear out of balance when printing by fund” displays. When the invoice is paid, the entry is as follows:
| Transaction Type | Description |
| Debit | Nursery Furniture- Day Care |
| Credit | Checking- Church |
This transaction crossed funds and will cause the balance sheet to appear out of balance when printing by fund. You can correct this in one of two ways:
| Transaction Type | Description |
| Debit | Checking- Church |
| Credit | Nursery Furniture – Day Care |
| Transaction Type | Description |
| Debit | Nursery Furniture – Church |
| Credit | Checking - Church |
| Transaction Type | Description |
| Debit | Nursery Furniture – Church |
| Credit | Nursery Furniture – Day Care |
- To determine if you are truly out of balance, print the balance sheet for all accounts with no fund filters and include inactive accounts. If you are in balance when you print the balance sheet using these settings, you are not truly out of balance. The filters you selected caused it to appear out of balance.
- When entering the correcting entries, the system displays a warning that you are crossing funds. Accept the warning since you are correcting a previous entry. Once the correcting transaction s posted, your balance sheet should be in balance for all funds. You can print the Funds out of Balance Report to review crossed funds.
I need to transfer funds from one bank account to another so transactions display in Bank Reconciliation
When you move funds from one bank account to another, you must use the Bank Transfer option so the entries display in Bank Reconciliation.
This function splits the transaction into two transactions: a withdrawal and a deposit.
The withdrawal displays in Bank Reconciliation for the account the money is taken from; the deposit displays in Bank Reconciliation for the account the money is deposited into.
- Under Manage Records, click the Transactions tab.
- In the drop-down list, select General Ledger
Transactions and click Go
- Click Add/Edit Transactions, then click Bank Transfer.
- Enter a reference number or click Next to auto-assign the available reference number for the Transaction Source (Bank Account Transfer).
- Enter the amount of the funds transfer, then enter or select the date of the funds transfer.
- On the Transfer tab, in the Credit Acct field, enter the general ledger account number that will decrease. ACS deducts the funds from this account.
- Optional: In the For field, enter an explanation.
- In the Offset field, enter the general ledger transfer account number. If you do not have a transfer account in your chart of accounts, use the fund principal account for the credit account.
- In the Debit Acct field, enter the general ledger account number that will increase. ACS adds the funds to this account.
- Optional: In the For field, enter an explanation.
- In the Offset field, enter the general ledger transfer account number. If you do not have a transfer account in your chart of accounts, use the fund principal account for the debit account.
- Click OK, then Close.
- Print the Proof List report.
- Click Begin Post.
- Click Yes, OK, and Close.
Moving Accounts by Drag and Drop
You can drag and drop an account from one heading to another.
- Under Manage Records, click the Chart of Accounts tab.
- In the drop-down list, select Add/Edit Chart of
Accounts, and click Go
- Select the account under its present heading, and click Edit Account.
- Enter a new account code. We suggest choosing an account code you will not use, such as all nines (9-999999, 0099999, or similar to fit your account mask).
- In the Name field, enter a new description to indicate that this is no longer a valid account, then click OK.
- Select the correct account heading and click Add Account.
- Enter the original account code and account name.
- Select the fund and any other options that apply to the account, then click OK.
Once the account is added under the correct heading, you must move the balance of the account from the original account to the new account. You cannot move the transactions, only the balance. You can enter a transaction and post it to move the balance.
When you move the balance of the account, you debit one account and credit another account. The account type of the two accounts determines which account is debited and which account is credited. Refer to the following table to determine the correct balance type for each account type. When you want to reduce the balance in one account to zero ($0.00), enter the balance amount as the opposite of its correct balance type.
For example, an expense account has a balance of $250.00. The account should be a liability account. After adding the account with transactions to another heading, you want to move the balance. Enter a transaction to credit the “old” account because the expense account has a debit balance, then credit the new account because liability accounts carry a credit balance.
To balance this transaction, enter a debit amount equal to the amount of the two credits. Use the fund principal account because you have no other account involved in this transaction. However, if you have two accounts to which you enter a debit amount and a credit amount that are equal, do not make any other entries because the transaction is balanced.
The bank cleared a check for the wrong amount
When you discover that a check for an incorrect amount cleared the bank, contact your bank representative immediately so the error can be corrected.
However, it may take a couple of months for the correction to display on your statement, and you need to reconcile your current statement.
The bank cleared a check for the wrong amount.
To reconcile your current statement, you must post an entry in ACS for the difference in the true amount of the check and the amount that cleared the bank. Determine the difference by subtracting the smaller amount from the larger amount, then enter and post a transaction for the amount of the bank error.
- In Bank Reconciliation, from the drop-down list, select the bank account, then click the Adjustments tab.
- Click Add New Transaction.
- In the Transaction Source drop-down list, select Checking Account Credit (CCR) or Checking Account Debit (CDB).
- Select the appropriate Checking Account.
- Enter a Reference Number, or click Next to assign the next available reference number for the transaction source.
- In the Date field, enter or select the date of the bank error.
- If you are entering a CCR, click Lookup
- Enter the amount of the bank error.
- Optional: Enter a memo.
- In the Debits field (if entering a CCR), or in the Credits field (if entering a CDB), enter the general ledger account number that you want to charge for the bank error. (You can use the same account number from when you entered the original check or deposit in ACS.)
- Click OK, then Yes.
- Click the Transactions tab and continue with bank reconciliation.Whether you entered the adjustment in Bank Reconciliation or you entered a transaction through Add/Edit Transactions, you must post the transaction.
I need to enter a returned check
The bank returned a check to you and you need to enter it in General Ledger.
If the non-sufficient funds (NSF) check was posted in ACS Contributions or Accounts Receivable and you are interfaced with the ACS General Ledger module, ACS corrects the general ledger when you post the correction in the Contributions or Accounts Receivable module.
If the check was posted in the General Ledger module only, you can deduct the amount of the check from your checking account balance in the general ledger.
If your bank charged your account with a processing fee as a result of the NSF check, you must post the bank charge in the General Ledger module regardless of which module the check was posted in originally.
You can add an NSF check using one of two transaction sources- a checking account credit (CCR) or a deposit (DEP) with a negative amount. The CCR displays with the withdrawals in ACS Bank Reconciliation.
The "negative" deposit displays with the deposits in ACS Bank Reconciliation.
- Under Manage Records, click the Transactions tab.
- Select General Ledger Transactions and click
Go
- Click Add/Edit Transactions then click Add.
- In the Transaction Source drop-down list, select Checking Account Credit (CCR).
- Click Lookup
- Enter a reference number, or click Next to assign the next available reference number for the transaction source.
- In the Date field, enter or select the date that the bank posted the NSF to your account.
- In the Pay to the Order of field, enter or select a vendor. Since this is a returned check, the individual may not be a vendor for your organization. You can add the individual as a vendor, or you can add a generic vendor with the name “Returned Check.”
- Enter the amount of the NSF check plus the amount of the bank charge.
- Optional: Enter either the individual’s name (if using the generic vendor name of “Returned Check”) or the phrase “Returned Check” (if you added the individual as a vendor).
- Click Split Debit.
- In the Debits Account field, enter the general ledger account number that you used for the original deposit. For example, if this check was a part of your weekly deposit for general tithes, enter the account number for general tithes. The checking account displays in the Cred field.
- Press Enter until a new distribution line displays.
- In the Credits Account field, enter the general ledger checking account number, and press Enter.
- In the Amount field, enter the amount of the bank charge for processing the NSF check, and press Enter.
- Click in the Debits Account field, and press Enter until a new distribution line displays.
- In the Debits Account field, enter the general ledger account number for bank charges or fees, and press Enter.
- Optional: Enter a comment.
- Click OK, then Yes.
- After adding the transaction for the NSF check and the bank charge, you must post the transaction.
I posted a deposit for the wrong amount. The bank cleared it for the correct amount. How do I correct this in ACS?
If you posted the deposit in ACS Contributions or Accounts Receivable, check the Contributions and Accounts Receivable help for instructions on correcting the contributor or customer record.
If you are interfaced with the ACS General Ledger module, ACS corrects the general ledger when you post the correction in the Contributions or Accounts Receivable module. However, if you are not interfaced with the general ledger or the deposit was posted in the General Ledger module, you must adjust your checking account balance in ACS for the difference. If you do not make the adjustment and you use ACS Bank Reconciliation, you will not be able to reconcile the bank account.
If you posted the original amount for less than the correct amount, you can post another deposit for the amount of the difference. Use the same date of the original deposit, as well as the correct checking account and the general ledger account for which the funds were given or collected. You can use either the transaction source of Deposit (DEP) or Checking Account Debit (CDB).
If you posted the original amount for more than the correct amount, you can correct the checking account balance the same way you would for a returned check. You can use either the transaction source Checking Account Credit (CCR) or use Deposit (DEP) with a negative amount. The only exception is that you do not have any bank charges or fees to post.
Book balance does not match my checking account balance in General Ledger even though I reconcile to 0.00 every month.
The book balance in Bank Reconciliation does not match my checking account balance in General Ledger even though I reconcile to 0.00 every month.
Bank Reconciliation in ACS assists you in balancing your bank statement only. However, you can reconcile the difference between the ending balance in Bank Reconciliation as compared to the figures on your balance sheet.
In a normal setting where all transactions are posted to the correct month and your bank statement includes the first date of the month and the last date of the month, the Current Bank Statement Balance plus In Transit Deposits plus In Transit Withdrawals should match the balance on your balance sheet for the same month.
If the two amounts are not the same, you have transactions included in the amount on your balance sheet that are not included in bank reconciliation or some transactions are included in bank reconciliation that are not included on the balance sheet.
Following are some examples and their remedies:
- Transactions display in Bank Reconciliation based on transaction date (the check date or the deposit date). The balance sheet is calculated by the posting period of transactions. For example, you issue check number 2365 on 03/04/2XXX but date the check 02/14/2XXX. Your posting period is 03/2XXX. Check number 2365 displays in ACS Check Reconciliation for the period 02/01/2XXX-02/28/2XXX and affects the book balance in Check Reconciliation for February. However, the checking account balance in General Ledger is not affected by this check until March because the posting period was 03/2XXX. When you print your balance sheet for February, the amount of check 2365 is not included in the checking account balance because the transaction was posted to 03/2XXX.
- A current or previously posted check was voided to a future posting period. For example, a check dated 01/24/2XXX is posted to 01/2XXX but the void is posted to 02/2XXX. You are reconciling your bank statement with dates of 01/01/2XXX-01/31/2XXX. The check and the voided transaction displays in Check Reconciliation for January; however, the balance sheet balance for January includes only the original check, not the void. You should always void a check to the current General Ledger month (yet to be reconciled) so that this does not occur.
- In examples 1 and 2, you must consider the transactions when you attempt to reconcile the items in Check Reconciliation to your balance sheet balance. In example 3, you might not be able to reconcile back to the balance sheet even when considering the transactions mentioned in examples 1 and 2. In this situation, consider making a journal entry if the difference is the same each month (once all transactions are considered).
- The initial beginning balance entered for the checking account in Add/Edit Transactions did not take into consideration in-transit transactions. When entering the beginning balance for a checking account, you should always back out the outstanding checks and deposits from the checking account balance and enter them as transactions so that you will reconcile correctly. This lets you clear the items when they display on your bank statement and match what you see in Check Reconciliation with the balance you see on the balance sheet.
I have posted several transactions to the wrong month. Can I correct the posting period?
I have posted several transactions to the wrong month. Can I correct the posting period?
One of the most important items in General Ledger is the posting period. If you close your month on a timely basis and change the post month to the current month, you should not experience posting errors. However, this is not always possible.
Whenever your posting period is not the same as the current month, you must remember to change the post month/year to the desired period while entering transactions. ACS prompts you to do this, but if you don’t, you must make corrections to ensure financial reports are accurate.
- Void the transactions and post them to same month of the original transactions.
- Re-enter and post the transactions to the correct posting period.