Setting Up Separate Numbering for Manual Journal Entries

This feature allows you to separate the numbering sequence of manually created journal entries from the numbering sequence of automatically generated entries, enabling you to distinguish between the two types by their reference numbers alone in any report or ledger without opening the entry itself.

Before You Start

• Ensure that the Chart of Accounts & Journals Accounting app  is enabled by navigating to Settings from the main menu, then selecting Apps Manager.

Steps

You can access this setting in two ways:

Method 1: From Auto Number Settings

1. From the main menu, click Settings.
2. Select Auto Number Settings.
3. Click All Apps, then select Accounting and click Manual Journal.
4. Enable the Separate Manual Entry Numbering toggle.
5. Configure the following fields as needed:
   • Next Number: The number assigned to the next manual journal entry.
   • Sequence Format: The type of format used, such as numeric digits (0, 1, 2, …), letters, or a combination of both.
   • Number of digits: The number of digits for the serial number. If the current number is shorter than this length, leading zeros are added automatically (for example, if the number of digits is 5 and the current number is 3, it appears as 00003).
   • Unique: A toggle that ensures each number in the sequence is unique and not duplicated.
   • Prefix: A toggle for adding a code or letters before the journal entry number to distinguish it. The prefix can be fixed (such as INV-) or variable based on the year or month (such as 2025-001 or APR-001) using the available Variables Guide. After enabling it, enter the prefix text in the Prefix Format field (the value “JNL-M” is shown as an actual preconfigured example for manual journal entries). If the prefix uses a variable format, also select one of the following options for handling prefix changes: Continue From The Last Number (the system continues numbering sequentially from the last number used regardless of prefix changes), Create A Separate Serial For Each Prefix (each prefix has its own independent numbering sequence), or Start From Beginning (numbering resets to “1” whenever the prefix changes).
6. Click Save.

Method 2: From General Accounting Settings

1. From the main menu, click Accounting.
2. Select Accounting Settings.
3. Click General Accounting Settings.
4. Navigate to the Journal Entry Configuration section.
5. Enable the Separate Manual Entry Numbering toggle if you want to separate the numbering sequence of manual journal entries from automatically generated entries.
6. Once enabled, the Next Auto-Generated Manual Journal Entry Number field appears below the toggle. To configure the numbering criteria (next number, prefix, and other settings) for manual journal entries, click the Auto Number Settings button displayed specifically next to this field. This button is separate from the similar button for automatically generated entries.
7. Click Save.

How the System Works

• The Separate Manual Entry Numbering toggle is disabled by default. In this case, manual journal entries and automatically generated entries share the same numbering settings and prefix, which is the current default behavior. The following explanatory text appears below the toggle: “Enable a separate numbering sequence for manually created entries, independent of automatically generated entries.”
• When the toggle is enabled for the first time, manual journal numbering adopts the same settings applied to automatically generated entries, including the same format and prefix. However, the Manual Entry Next Number is reset to its initial value to start a new independent sequence.
• If you later disable the toggle and then enable it again, the criteria previously applied to manual journal entry numbering are preserved without being reset.
• When the toggle is enabled, manual journal entries and automatically generated entries each maintain a completely independent number counter, with the option to use a different prefix for each type.
• The Journal Entry Configuration screen always displays the Next Auto-Generated Journal Entry Number field for automatically generated entries, along with an Auto Number Settings button. After enabling the Separate Manual Entry Numbering toggle, a similar field titled Next Auto-Generated Manual Journal Entry Number appears directly below it, along with its own Auto Number Settings button, completely separate from the button for automatically generated entries.