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Creating a Journal Entry

Step-by-step guide for capturing a balanced manual journal and either saving it as a draft or posting it immediately.

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Creating a Journal Entry

This page shows you how to capture a manual journal entry, balance it correctly, and either save it as a draft or post it immediately.

Product: Beam Machine
Module: Accounting -> Journals
Role: Bookkeeper, Accountant, Finance Lead
Difficulty: Intermediate
Time: 10 minutes first time, 3 minutes repeat
Last Updated: 2026-03-10
Version: Current Beam Machine app build in this repo

Before You Start

  • You need access to the Accounting module.
  • You need to know the active entity and the date of the journal.
  • You should already know which accounts the debit and credit lines belong to.
  • Read ../modules/01-working-in-accounting.md if you need the wider accounting context first.

What is a journal entry?

A journal entry is the manual accounting record you use when a transaction or adjustment needs to be recorded directly in the books. On paper, this is the classic debit-and-credit journal. In Beam Machine, you create it in Accounting -> Journals -> New.

When do you use this?

Use a manual journal when the transaction is not already being created automatically by another workflow, or when finance needs an explicit adjustment, accrual, correction, or reclassification.

If you post the wrong journal, reports and tax outputs become wrong very quickly. If you leave the journal unbalanced, the system will stop you from posting it.

Where to find it

Primary path: Finance -> Accounting -> Journals -> New Journal
Route: /dashboard/accounting/journals/new

How to create a journal entry

  1. Open Accounting from the left sidebar.
  2. Click Journals.
  3. Click New Journal.
  4. In Date, enter the correct journal date.
  5. In Description, enter a short explanation that another reviewer can understand later.

āœ… Checkpoint: You should now see the Journal Details card completed and the Journal Lines table below it.

  1. In the first line, select the debit account from the Account dropdown.
  2. In the first line Description field, enter the line explanation if needed.
  3. In the first line Debit field, enter the amount in cents.
  4. Leave the first line Credit field at 0.
  5. In the second line, select the credit account from the Account dropdown.
  6. In the second line Description field, enter the line explanation if needed.
  7. In the second line Credit field, enter the amount in cents.
  8. Leave the second line Debit field at 0.

āœ… Checkpoint: The footer should show Total Debits, Total Credits, and a Balanced status. If it still shows a difference, do not post yet.

  1. If you need more than two lines, click Add Line and complete the extra line.
  2. If you added too many lines, click the trash icon on the extra row.
  3. If the journal still needs review, click Save as Draft.
  4. If the journal is final and balanced, click Post Journal.

What happens next: A successful save or post returns you to the journals list. Posted journals affect the books immediately. Draft journals do not.

Common Questions & Issues

"The Post Journal button is disabled"

Why this happens: The journal is not balanced, or the total value is still zero.

Fix: Check the footer totals. Total Debits and Total Credits must match exactly, and the total must be greater than zero.

"I saved it, but the books still do not show the movement"

Why this happens: You may have clicked Save as Draft instead of Post Journal.

Fix: Go back to the journals list, open the draft, review it, and post it if appropriate.

"I entered rands, not cents"

Why this happens: The current form fields use cents for debit and credit amounts.

Fix: Correct the amounts before posting. If you mean R1,500.00, the field should contain 150000.

What's Next

Related Pages

SA Compliance Reference

  • Accurate journals support reliable financial statements, tax calculations, and audit trails. This page does not replace your firm approval policy for manual postings.

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