# Accounting journals and bank activity

## Accounting journals and bank activity

Journal items are the individual accounting lines that make up your entries.
Bank-statement import brings transactions into bank activity, where you can
review each line and reconcile it with a journal item, a rule, or a manual
counterpart. Reconciliation is the matching of a bank line to the accounting
entry that explains it. Lock dates restrict editing for periods you have closed.

| If you need to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Import a bank statement | [Import and review a bank statement](#import-and-review-a-bank-statement) |
| Find an existing journal line | [Review journal and bank or cash activity](#review-journal-and-bank-or-cash-activity) |
| Match a bank line | [Reconcile bank lines](#reconcile-bank-lines) |
| Prevent changes before a closing date | [Set lock dates](#set-lock-dates) |
| Start from the wider accounting workspace | [Accounting dashboard](doc:accounting-dashboard) |
| Prepare accounts, taxes, or currencies | [Accounts, taxes, and currencies](doc:accounts-taxes-and-currencies) |
| Continue into reporting and audit work | [Reports and audit work](doc:reports-and-audit-work) |

## Before you start

**Prerequisites**

| Have this ready | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A Bank Journal and a Bank Statement File | The import wizard uses the selected bank journal and uploaded file as its starting information. |
| Access for the accounting work you need to perform | Journal Items is guarded by an accounting read-only group, and Lock Dates is guarded by the account manager group. |
| The statement file and its mapping information | **Import** is available only after preview data exists. |
| A bank line with the needed reconciliation state | **Validate** is shown only when the reconciliation state is balanced. |

Collect the file before opening the import wizard. If the file uses columns that
need mapping, have the date and amount columns identified before you begin.

## Find accounting work

Accounting work is grouped under **Accounting**. Journal Items is under
**Accounting > Accounting > Journals**. Import Bank Statement is also under
**Accounting > Accounting > Journals**. Bank and Cash activity is under
**Accounting > Accounting > Bank and Cash**, and Bank Reconciliation is under
**Accounting > Accounting > Bank and Cash > Bank Reconciliation**. Lock Dates is
under **Accounting > Accounting > Actions > Lock Dates**.

**Steps**

1. Open **Accounting**.
2. Choose the destination that matches your task.

   | If you need to… | Choose |
   |---|---|
   | Work with journal lines | **Journal Items** |
   | Upload a statement file | **Import Bank Statement** |
   | Review bank or cash activity | **Bank and Cash** |
   | Match imported bank lines | **Bank Reconciliation** |
   | Set closing restrictions | **Lock Dates** |

**Result:** The selected accounting destination is open for the accounting job.

## Understand the accounting screens

The Journal Items list shows the accounting lines you can inspect.

| Screen area | Reader-facing fields |
|---|---|
| Journal Items list | Date, Journal, Journal Entry, Account, Partner, Journal Item, Product, Currency, Debit, Credit, Tax Grids, Discount Date, Discount Amount, Originator Tax, Due Date, Residual, Residual in Currency, and Analytic Distribution |
| Journal Item form | Information, Amount, Dates, Taxes, Matching, Currency, Product, States, Analytic, Analytic Lines, and Accounting documents |

The Journal Items search offers Journal Item, **Invoice Date**, **Date**, Due
Date, Discount Date, Amount, **Account**, **Journal**, Journal Entry, and
Originator Tax. Its filters include
Unposted, Posted, To Check, Unreconciled, Sales, Purchases, Bank, Cash,
Miscellaneous, Payable, Receivable, P&L Accounts, Date, and Invoice Date. Use
Group By for Journal Entry, Account, Partner, Journal, Date, Invoice Date,
Taxes, or Tax Grid.

The import wizard is arranged in five steps.
They are 1. Upload File, 2. Format Detection, 3. Column Mapping, 4. Preview & Validation,
and 5. Import Log.
Its file choices
include CSV (Comma-Separated Values), CAMT.053 (European XML - ISO 20022),
OFX/QFX (USA/Canada), MT940 (SWIFT), QIF (Quicken), and Auto-Detect. CSV-specific
settings include CSV Delimiter, Date Format, Number Format, Has Header Row, and
Skip Lines. The preview area includes Total Transactions, Duplicates Found,
Validation Errors, Imported Transactions, Skipped Transactions, and Import Log.

Bank Reconciliation has a list with **Date**, **Journal**, **Partner**, and
**Amount**. Its form groups
the bank line and status, then provides Proposals and Add. The Add area
contains Match a Document, Apply a Rule, and Manual Counterpart. Advanced
matching can add Match Information, Invoice Matching, and Bank Account areas.

The reconciliation states are Nothing to Reconcile, In Progress, Ready
to Validate, and Reconciled. Ready to Validate means the proposals
are balanced for validation; **Reconciled** is the completed state.

Lock Dates contains Management Closing with **Journal Entries Lock Date** and
**Tax Lock Date**, and Account Period Closing with **Lock Date for All Users**.

## Import and review a bank statement

A bank-statement import creates bank activity from a file so that you can review
its transactions and continue with reconciliation.

**Prerequisites**

- Have a **Bank Statement File** and a **Bank Journal** ready.
- Identify the date and amount columns if the file needs manual mapping.

**Steps**

1. Open **Import Bank Statement**.
2. Select a **Bank Journal**.
3. Upload the **Bank Statement File**.
4. Select **Auto-Detect Format** when the file format and mapping need to be detected.
5. Review **Detected Format**, **Detected Encoding**, **Detected Delimiter**,
   **Detected Date Format**, and **Detected Number Format**.
6. Select **Preview**.
7. Review **Total Transactions**, **Duplicates Found**, **Preview Data**, and
   **Validation Errors**.
8. Select **Import** after the preview data is available.
9. Review **Created Statement**, **Imported Transactions**, **Skipped Transactions**,
   and **Import Log**.

**Result:** The imported statement and its resulting bank activity are ready for review.

## Review journal and bank or cash activity

Journal and bank or cash activity is where you inspect accounting lines after
entries or statement transactions exist. Use the list headers and search tools
to narrow the lines before opening a record.

**Prerequisites**

- Have a journal line or bank or cash activity to locate.
- Know whether you are looking for a posted, unposted, bank, cash, payable, or
  receivable line.

**Steps**

1. Open **Journal Items** or **Bank and Cash**.
2. Enter a search term in the search field.
3. Apply the filter that describes the line.

   | If you need to find… | Choose |
   |---|---|
   | Draft journal lines | **Unposted** |
   | Posted journal lines | **Posted** |
   | Lines needing matching | **Unreconciled** |
   | Bank journal lines | **Bank** |
   | Cash journal lines | **Cash** |
   | Customer receivable lines | **Receivable** |
   | Supplier payable lines | **Payable** |

4. Open **Group By** and choose the grouping that matches your review.

   | If you want to group by… | Choose |
   |---|---|
   | The journal entry | **Journal Entry** |
   | The account | **Account** |
   | The partner | **Partner** |
   | The journal | **Journal** |
   | The posting date | **Date** |
   | The invoice date | **Invoice Date** |
   | Taxes | **Taxes** |
   | A tax grid | **Tax Grid** |
5. Open the line whose **Journal Entry**, account, partner, date, or amount
   matches your search.

**Result:** The matching journal or bank activity line is open for review.

## Reconcile bank lines

Reconciliation uses a document match, a rule, or a manual counterpart to clear
an imported bank line against the accounting entry that explains it.

**Prerequisites**

- Open an unreconciled bank line.
- Have a matching document, a reconciliation rule, or the account and amount
  for a manual counterpart.
- For **Validate**, the reconciliation state must be **Ready to Validate**.

**Steps**

1. Open **Bank Reconciliation**.
2. Select **Reconcile** on an unreconciled line.
3. Choose one reconciliation route.

   | If you have… | Choose |
   |---|---|
   | A posted journal item to match | Select the item in **Match a Document**, then select **Add Match**. |
   | A saved reconciliation rule | Select the rule in **Apply a Rule**, then select **Apply Rule**. |
   | The account and amount for the other side | Complete **Manual Counterpart**, then select **Add Counterpart**. |
   | Suggested invoices | Review **Invoice Matching**, then select **Apply Invoice Match**. |
   | A partner bank account to connect | Review **Bank Account**, then select **Link Bank Account**. |

4. Select **Load / Refresh** when you need to load or refresh proposals.
5. Select **Reset Proposals** when you need to remove the current proposals.
6. Review the reconciliation status.
7. Select **Validate** when the status is **Ready to Validate**.
8. Select **Unreconcile** when you need to reverse a completed reconciliation.
9. Confirm the reversal when the confirmation asks:
   `Undo this reconciliation and restore the suspense entry?`

**Result:** The line is reconciled after balanced validation, or the existing
reconciliation is reversed after confirmation.

## Set lock dates

Lock dates define the dates before which accounting or tax journal entries are
restricted. Use them when a closing period must no longer be edited.

**Prerequisites**

- Have account manager access to **Lock Dates**.
- Know the dates for journal-entry, tax, and all-user closing.

**Steps**

1. Open **Lock Dates**.
2. Review **Management Closing** and **Account Period Closing**.
3. Enter the **Journal Entries Lock Date**.
4. Enter the **Tax Lock Date**.
5. Enter the **Lock Date for All Users**.
6. Select **Save**.

**Result:** The lock-date form saves the dates entered for the company.

## When accounting work goes wrong

Use the message on screen to choose the corrective action.

| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| `Error parsing file: %s` | The file could not be parsed. | Review the file format and its mapping, then use **Preview** again. |
| `Please preview the data before importing` | The import has no preview data. | Select **Preview** before selecting **Import**. |
| `No transactions to import` | The import has no transactions to create. | Review the file and its mapped columns. |
| `No transactions could be read from this file: the required column(s) %s are not mapped.\n\nOpen the Column Mapping tab and assign them, or rename the file's header row.` | A required date or amount column is not mapped. | Open **3. Column Mapping** and map the required columns. |
| `No transactions could be read from this file. Check the format, encoding and column mapping — every row failed to produce a valid date and amount.` | Every row failed date and amount validation. | Review the format, encoding, and column mapping. |
| `Auto-detection complete! Review the detected values above. If they look correct, click Preview to see your data.` | Format detection has finished. | Review the detected values and select **Preview**. |
| `All validations passed! Click Import to create the bank statement.` | Preview validation has passed. | Select **Import**. |
| `Import completed successfully!` | The import completed. | Review **Created Statement**, **Imported Transactions**, and **Import Log**. |
| `Only accountants may validate reconciliations.` | The current access does not permit validation. | Ask an accountant to validate the reconciliation. |
| `The reconciliation is not balanced: %(residual).2f remains. Add matching documents or a counterpart before validating.` | The proposals leave a residual amount. | Add a matching document or counterpart, then validate again. |
| `Only accounting managers may undo a reconciliation.` | The current access does not permit undo. | Ask an accounting manager to undo the reconciliation. |
| `Undo this reconciliation and restore the suspense entry?` | The requested action reverses the reconciliation. | Confirm only if restoring the suspense entry is intended. |
| `Nothing to reconcile — every imported bank line is matched.` | All imported bank lines are already matched. | Review the matched activity or open another accounting destination. |
| `You Are Not Allowed To Perform This Operation` | The current access does not permit the lock-date operation. | Ask an account manager to perform it. |

## What to do next

After an import, continue from **Created Statement**, **Imported Transactions**,
**Skipped Transactions**, and **Import Log**. After reconciliation, use the
status to distinguish **In Progress**, **Ready to Validate**, and **Reconciled**.
After setting dates, continue accounting work with the closing restrictions in
place.

Use [Accounting dashboard](doc:accounting-dashboard) to return to the wider
accounting workspace, [Accounts, taxes, and currencies](doc:accounts-taxes-and-currencies)
when setup is needed, or [Reports and audit work](doc:reports-and-audit-work)
when the reviewed activity must support a report or audit task.