Enter Transactions Options dialog

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Use the Enter Transactions Options dialog to select data-entry options for the Enter Transactions screen. These options are intended to make transaction entry faster and more efficient while also allowing you to match data-entry behavior with your preferred workflow. The options that you specify in this dialog are client and user specific, which allows each data-entry staff to set their own options on a client-by-client basis.

Choose Actions > Enter Transactions. In the Enter Transactions screen, choose Edit > Options.

Tabbed pages in this dialog

Settings tab

Select the default data-entry method and bank account, journal, and transaction type to use for this client. The application automatically populates the Type, Bank account, and Journal fields in the Enter Transactions screen with these selections, but you can change those as necessary during data entry.

By default, the application clears the data in the Current Data Entry Session filter when you change the current posting period, select a different client, or close the application. To prevent the application from clearing this data when you change the current posting period or client, mark the Clear data entry session only when the application is closed checkbox.

Notes

  • The first time you open the Enter Transactions screen, the application uses the data-entry method selected in the Setup > Firm Information > Firm > Preferences tab. If you select a different method in this dialog for this client, that selection will become the default for the client.
  • You can quickly switch between data-entry modes without having to open the Enter Transactions Options dialog by clicking the Journal mode Journal mode icon and Bank Account mode Bank acct mode icon buttons in the toolbar.
  • To display the running balance in the Transactions list, you must be in Bank Account mode, and you must sort the transactions by date (by clicking the Date column heading) and remove any searching or filtering criteria that may eliminate bank transactions.
  • Distribution description. Select the default transaction description to use when entering transactions for this client.

    Regardless of which option you select, the application allows you to override text in the distribution description field. When you TAB to the Description column, you can press F2 to move the cursor to the end of the default description so that you can append text to the end.

  • Transaction date / Payroll check date. Select the date to use as the default date in the Date field for transactions and payroll checks when you open the Enter Transactions screen.
    • Current period end date. (Transactions only) The application automatically enters the current period end date in the Date field and considers that the current date when you use shortcuts for entering dates. Therefore, if you enter a two- or three-digit number in the date field, the application automatically fills in the month and year of the current posting period instead of the month and year of the system date.

      If you spell out the month name when this option is selected, the application does not automatically convert that text to the correct month number.

    • None. The application leaves the Date field blank and considers the system date to be the current date when you use shortcuts for entering dates. If you enter a date for a transaction and then save it, the application uses that date as the current date for subsequent transactions until you close the Enter Transactions screen.
    • System date. The application automatically enters your computer's system date in the Date field and considers that the current date when you use shortcuts for entering dates.

    Notes

    • If you override the date and then save the transaction, the application considers that date to be the current date until you close the Enter Transactions screen.
    • If you select different dates for the Transaction date and Payroll date, the application uses the date for the first transaction you save as the current date.

      Example

      The Transaction date is Current posting period end date, and the Payroll date is System date.

      • If the first transaction you save is a payroll check, the application uses the system date as the current date. If the first transaction you save is any other type of transaction, the application uses the current posting period end date. The application uses that date on subsequent transactions of any type.
      • If the default transaction type selected is Check when you open the Enter Transactions screen, the application uses the current period end date as the current date. If you change the type to a Payroll check, the application uses the system date as the current date. If you save the payroll check transaction with the system date and then change the type to a check, the system date remains the default date.
  • Increment <journal entry/deposit/payment> reference by. Mark this checkbox and specify a number to have the application automatically increment the reference number for the journal entry, deposit, or payment by that amount for each new transaction that is entered.

    Notes

    • The reference number can include up to 8 numeric characters.
    • You may use up to 4 decimal places, provided that the total number of characters for the reference including the decimal is no greater than 5.
  • Do not auto-fill values from previous transaction. Mark this checkbox to prevent the application from automatically entering a previous value in the Reference, ID, Payee, and Description fields when you press the TAB key to advance through those fields.

Use the hash totals to verify the accuracy of the data you enter. You can choose to display hash totals for the transaction count, reference, amount, debit and credit amounts, and/or GL account. The application calculates each hash total as a summation based on the transactions in your filtered transactions list and displays the totals in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.

If you choose to display the GL account hash total, you can select a segment from the Account segment field to limit the hash total to that segment only.

Note: Because hash totals are based on the filtered transactions list, you can select the Current Data Entry Session filter to display hash totals of your current data entry session only.

Fields to Skip tab

Mark the checkbox for any field to skip as you enter data in the fields in the Transaction Detail section. When you press the TAB key to move from field to field, the application skips the fields selected in this section.

Mark the checkbox for any column to skip as you enter data in the Distributions grid. When you press the TAB key to move to the next column, the application skips the columns selected in this section.

Transaction Defaults tab

The application uses the journals and reference numbers you specify here for various transaction types that are automatically created by the application.

For each transaction type, select the appropriate journal from the drop-down list, and then enter a reference.

  • Account activity - to record Activity journal entries that the application creates when non-transaction-specific data is entered for a client (for example, balances that are imported from a spreadsheet, converted from another application, or entered in the Actions > Enter Trial Balance grid).
  • Impound withdrawals - to record impound payments that the application creates when an ACH file is created to fund payroll, taxes, etc. for a client.
  • Payroll checks - to record all payroll checks entered in the application.

    Note: You can group payroll checks into a single journal entry on the General Ledger report by marking the Summarize payroll journal entries by pay date checkbox (to group individual payroll checks with the same check date) or the Summarize payroll journal entries checkbox (to group individual payroll checks from the date range of the report) in the Journal Entry Format section of the File > Print Reports screen.

  • Payroll liability payments - to record liability payments from the Payroll Liabilities tab of the File > Print Checks screen. By default, the application uses the General journal. If you select a different journal in any of the following fields when making the payment, the application will use that journal instead.

    For AP payment applications, the application uses the journal selected in the Preferences tab of the Manage Payment Options dialog.

Payroll tab

  • Suppress GL account verification. Mark this checkbox to have the application save checks without alerting you if GL accounts are missing for one or more distributions.
  • Suppress benefit accrual verification. Mark this checkbox to have the application suppress the alert notification when the number of accruable benefit hours used on a payroll check exceeds the accruable benefit hours available for the employee.
  • Convert hours to decimal. Mark this checkbox to have the application accept work hours that are entered as hours and minutes in the Enter Transactions screen and convert them automatically to the decimal equivalent.

    Note: The application does not assume any trailing zeros when you enter the minutes, so it interprets .3 as 3 minutes and .30 as 30 minutes.

    Examples

    • 30.15 (30 hours and 15 minutes) converts to 30.25.
    • 30.75 (30 hours and 75 minutes) converts to 31.25.
    • 30.3 (30 hours and 3 minutes) converts to 30.05. 
    • 30.30 (30 hours and 30 minutes) converts to 30.5. 
  • Include inactive employees. By default, the application filters out employees who are inactive as of the current system date from the Employee field in the Enter Transactions screen. Mark this checkbox to include them. For example, if you need to enter a payroll check for an employee who is now inactive, mark this checkbox to include inactive employees in the Employee drop-down list.
  • Display taxes that have zero wages and amounts. Mark this checkbox to have the application display tax items in the Enter Transactions screen even if they have zero taxable wages and zero tax amounts. By default, check entry screens do not display tax items that have not yet reached the threshold required to begin calculating (such as the Additional Medicare Tax item) nor tax items that have exceeded their limits (such as FICA-SS, FUTA, or SUI). So, if this checkbox is unmarked, no tax information is displayed in the Main tab of the Enter Transactions screen for this employee until you enter taxable wages for that employee.

Use this grid to specify which columns to hide from the grid in the Main tab of the Enter Transactions screen and which columns to skip during data entry. To prevent a column from being displayed, mark the checkbox in the Hide column for the applicable item. To skip a column when tabbing through the fields during data entry, mark the checkbox in the Skip column for the applicable item.

Use these settings to specify how the application handles payroll checks created from a template and how the application handles updates to a template.

  • Check template retrieval. Specify how the application should handle payroll checks when a payroll check template exists for the selected employee.
    • Never. Choose this option to have the application start with a blank transaction record when creating a new payroll check.
    • Always. Choose this option to have the application automatically populate the transaction record with template information when creating a new payroll check.
    • Prompt for template. Choose this option to have the application display a prompt asking if you want to use the employee's payroll check template when creating a new payroll check.
  • Check template update. Specify how the application should handle updates to an employee's payroll check template.
    • Never. Choose this option to have the application keep the existing template information, even if changes were made to the transaction.
    • Always. Choose this option to have the application overwrite the existing template information with any changes made to the transaction.
    • Prompt if different. Choose this option to have the application display a message prompt asking if you want to overwrite the existing template information with any changes made to the transaction.

    Note: The application will not update a payroll check template if no changes were made.

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