Recurring Journal Entries General Ledger Recurring Journal Entries

Do you create the same journal entries month after month? In this presentation you will learn two ways to use the previous month’s JE packet for the current month’s recurring journal entries.

GL Main Menu The first thing that has to be done so that you can use the previous month’s JE packet is to update a parameter in Office Manger. Select Option #50 - Office Manger from the General Ledger Main Menu.

GL Office Manager Select Option #2 - Division Definitions, Update mode. You will see “Begin” on the screen. Press <ENTER> until you see a list of all your divisions. Highlight the division you wish to change and <ENTER>

GL Division Definitions This screen will appear. The ONLY parameter you want to change is “Delete Processed Packet?” Answer this question “N”. Press <F8> until you see Transaction Complete.

GL Main Menu Next select Option #12 - Packets from the General Ledger Main Menu.

GL Packets From the Packets Menu select Option #4 Packet Control . Enter the Accounting Period as needed and hit <F9> through the remainder of the screen.

GL Packet Control This displays a list of all packets for the selected accounting period. In the example above two (2) of the packets have a Status of P (processed). These packets have been printed, verified and processed, but still remain in Packet Control because of the parameter change made in Office Manager.

GL Packet Control JETHMS has been processed in accounting period 06/2003 and has an entry date of 06/19/2003. Now we are going to change the information in our test packet.

GL Packets Select Option #12 Change Packet Information from the Packets Menu.

GL Change Packet Information On this screen enter the name of the packet you wish to change and press <ENTER>. A message will appear on the bottom of the screen “Packet Has Already Been Processed; Continue Y/N”. Type “Y” and press <ENTER>.

GL Change Packet Information After you <ENTER> the remainder of the screen will appear. Any field that DOES NOT need to be CHANGED should remain BLANK!! For this example we are changing the Description and Accounting Period. (Remember this is the 06/2003 JE packet.) When the process is complete the cursor will return to Packet Identifier.

GL Change Packet Information Enter the packet name again and <ENTER>. Key in the Entry Date for the transactions in the new packet and the Accounting Period. No matter what changes are made, the Accounting Period must always be entered.

GL Packet Control Select Option #4 - Packet Control from the Packets Menu. Enter down to the Accounting Period, type the period needed and <F9>. Notice that JETHMS is now in Accounting Period 07/2003, the Entry date is 7/31/2003 and the Description is JULY JOURNAL ENTRIES.

GL Packets Now we will change any necessary information in the new packet. Select Option #2 - Update Packet Entries from the Packets Menu.

GL Update Packet Entries Enter the packet name in the Packet Identifier field. If you know the transaction number that needs to be updated, enter it in the “Starting Record Number” or leave blank for the first transaction.

GL Change Packet Information After you press <ENTER> this screen will appear. Highlight or enter the line number of the transaction to update. Use the <F1> to move to the next page. Use <F2> for the previous page.

GL Change Packet Information After you <ENTER> you will see this screen. In the middle of the screen is a message that you are in “Change Mode”.

GL Change Packet Information The cursor will stop on any fields that can be updated….Division, Transaction Date, Reference, Description, Ledger Number, DB/CR and Amount. NOTE: Do not change the Packet Name or Transaction Code fields. After you enter through the Amount field the previous screen will appear and you can select the next transaction, if any, to update.

GL Change Packet Information If this transaction is not needed in the current month’s journal entries, it can be deleted. Press <F3> to delete the transaction.

Once the packet has been updated with the information for the current month, it should be printed, verified and processed as usual. Remember the parameter that was changed in Office Manager, Division Definitions so that processed packets do no delete? After all the packets for the month have been processed, you will need to delete them.

GL Packets To delete the processed packets, select option #13 - Delete Packets by Period from the Packets Menu.

GL Delete Packets by Period Enter the Accounting Period you wish to delete packets for. Answer “Y” to delete; “N” to not delete. In this example, all balanced packets for June 2003 have been processed and will be deleted. NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT DELETE THE PACKETS UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE MOVED THE JE PACKET INTO THE CURRENT ACCOUNTING PERIOD.

GL Packet Control Once the packet delete option is complete, go back into #4 - Packet Control and the only packet on the system is the JE packet for 07/2003.

we took the previous month’s JE packet and converted it to the In the first option, we took the previous month’s JE packet and converted it to the current month’s. For sites choosing to keep all processed packets on the system for a specific length of time, the first option presents a problem. Now we will look at the second way to create recurring journal entries.

GL Main Menu From the GL Main Menu select option #52 - Utilities.

GL Utilities From the Utilities menu select option #13 - Duplicate A Packet.

GL Duplicate Packet This screen will appear after you press <ENTER>. Enter the name of the packet you want to copy in the Copy FROM field. Enter the new packet name in the Copy TO field. Enter the Division for the New Packet. Answer Y to duplicate the packet. In this example, we will copy JETHMS to JE0903.

GL Main Menu We are now ready to make changes to the new packet. Select Option #12 - Packets from the General Ledger Main Menu.

GL Packets Select Option #12 -Change Packet Information from the Packets Menu.

GL Change Packet Information On this screen enter the name of the packet you wish to change and press <ENTER>.

GL Change Packet Information After you <ENTER> the remainder of the screen will appear. Any field that DOES NOT need to be CHANGED should remain BLANK!! For this example we are changing the Description and Accounting Period. (Remember this is the 07/2003 JE packet.) When the process is complete the cursor will return to Packet Identifier.

GL Change Packet Information Enter the packet name again and <ENTER>. Key in the Entry Date for the transactions in the new packet and the Accounting Period. No matter what changes are made, the Accounting Period must always be entered.

GL Packet Control Select Option #4 - Packet Control from the Packets Menu. Enter down to the Accounting Period, enter the period needed and <F9>. Notice that the new packet appears in accounting period 9/2003 with the description entered in the previous steps.

GL Packets Now we will change any necessary information in the new packet. Select Option #2 - Update Packet Entries from the Packets Menu.

GL Update Packet Entries Enter the packet name in the Packet Identifier field. If you know the transaction number that needs to be updated, enter it in the “Starting Record Number” or leave blank for the first transaction.

GL Change Packet Information After you press <ENTER> this screen will appear. Highlight or enter the line number of the transaction to update. Use the <F1> to move to the next page. Use <F2> for the previous page.

GL Change Packet Information After you <ENTER> you will see this screen. In the middle of the screen is a message that you are in “Change Mode”.

GL Change Packet Information The cursor will stop on any fields that can be updated….Division, Transaction Date, Reference, Description, Ledger Number, DB/CR and Amount. NOTE: Do not change the Packet Name or Transaction Code fields. After you enter through the Amount field the previous screen will appear and you can select the next transaction, if any, to update.

GL Change Packet Information If this transaction is not needed in the current month’s journal entries, it can be deleted. Press <F3> to delete the transaction.

Once the packet has been updated with the information for the current month, it should be printed, verified and processed as usual. This concludes the steps to duplicate a packet for recurring journal entries. This presentation and many more are available on the Local Government website http://faq.lgdpc.com/ Note: You can close this window to return to LGDPC’s How-To Presentations Page.