More in Financial accounting
A journal has two or more lines. Each line is an account with a Dr. or Cr. amount. The rule is simple and strict: the Dr. total must equal the Cr. total, or E-Lab will not save. The header reads Journal.
Example: Shree Diagnostic Supplies delivers reagents worth ₹40,000 on credit. You pay later. Today you record the bill:
| Dr. / Cr. | Account | Dr. Amt. | Cr. Amt. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. | Reagent Purchase | 40,000 | |
| Cr. | Shree Diagnostic Supplies | 40,000 |
Now the Outstanding Report shows ₹40,000 payable to the supplier. When you later pay ₹25,000 by cheque in Bank Entry, it drops to ₹15,000.
On this screen
- Date inside the open financial year
- Dr. / Cr. the side of this line
- Account Name the account for this line
- Amount the line's amount
- Narration explains the whole voucher
- Debit Total must equal Credit Total
- Credit Total must equal Debit Total
- Save saves the journal
Steps
- Open the screen
Go to Financial Accounting > Journal Entry. Vch No. fills itself in Automatic or Daily numbering. In manual numbering a used number warns "Vch No Already exists". - Set the Date
Inside the open financial year. - Add the first line
Pick Dr. / Cr., the Account Name, type the Amount and a Short Narration. Enter in Short Narration adds the line. - Add the other side
Dr. / Cr. switches to the side that is short, and Amount is filled with the difference. Pick the account and press Enter. - Check the totals
Debit Total and Credit Total must match. - Write the Narration and Save
Narration explains the whole voucher. Click Save. You see "Journal Entry Saved", then a question whether to print.
| Account Name keys | F3 new account, F1 edit account, F2 search by U.Card No. |
| Lines grid | Dr. / Cr., Particulars, Dr. Amt., Cr. Amt., Remarks. Double-click a line to take it back into the boxes. Delete removes a line. |
| Save, Delete, Print, Close | Delete asks first. Close with unsaved lines asks "Do you want to Exit Without Saving..?". |
| Additional | Opens extra information boxes. They are not saved in this version. |
Messages you may see: "Amount Should not be Zero", "Account name is not valid", "Debit & Credit Totals Should be Equal".
Questions people ask
Journal won't save.
Debit Total and Credit Total are not equal. Add or correct a line.
Should I use Journal to pay cash?
No. Use Quick Payment. Journal is for entries where no cash or bank moves.
Can a journal have more than two lines?
Yes. For example, one salary-due journal can credit three staff and debit Salary once.