Journal Entries

Any transaction that changes the balance in a ledger account does so by posting a journal entry. Transactions that post to ledger accounts are called posting transactions. For example, a bank check is a posting transaction. NetSuite automatically generates journal entries when you record posting transactions.

Journal entry transactions are not posted until they are approved. A journal entry is posted in a period to which the journal entry approver has access. Until a journal entry is approved, NetSuite tentatively displays the posting period based on the transaction date. If the period is locked or closed, the period is determined by the accounting preference Default Posting Period When Transaction Date in Closed Period. For an introduction to NetSuite journal entries, see Journal Entries Overview.

Important:

If you have enabled the Statistical Accounts feature (Setup > Company > Enable Features > Accounting under Advanced Features) and have defined a saved search for general journal entries, to avoid unexpected results, update the search criteria to filter out statistical journal entries. For more information, see Using Statistical Accounts.

If you must adjust the balances in your ledger accounts without entering a specific posting transaction, make a manual journal entry. Automated and manual journal entries move amounts between accounts, representing the flow of funds through your company.

NetSuite enforces double-entry bookkeeping. Therefore, journal entries post changes to accounts using offsetting debits and credits. Each posting transaction in NetSuite posts to at least two accounts, and each journal entry includes at least one debit amount and at least one credit amount.

For instructions for completing journal entry tasks, see the following topics:

Other information related to journal entries is included in the following topics:

Note:

SuiteGL features support customization of general ledger processes to meet your specific business needs. With these features, you can modify the line-level general ledger impact of transactions. You can also design specialized transaction types with unique general ledger capabilities and create customized classifications that improve reporting and analytics. For details, see SuiteGL Features Overview.

Related Topics

General Notices