What gets posted

Each section below shows what one kind of document posts. The where it comes from column names the setting that picks each account. Under posting groups the group decides the account; otherwise the default accounts in Settings do.

Invoice

When it posts: when the invoice is saved and sent. If your company requires approval for invoices, it posts when the invoice is approved. A draft posts nothing.

Account	Debit	Credit	Where it comes from
Receivables	What the customer owes: the total with tax, less any tax withheld at source		The customer's posting group, or the default receivable account
Sales revenue		The line amounts for products and services	The general posting setup (the customer's business group with the item's product group), or the revenue account
Output VAT or other tax		The tax on the lines	The VAT posting setup, or the tax's own sales account
Withholding tax receivable	Tax the customer withholds at source		The tax's withholding receivable account
Cost of goods sold	What the stock sold cost (stock lines only)		The general posting setup, or the default cost of goods sold account
Inventory		What the stock sold cost (stock lines only)	The inventory posting setup for the location, or the default inventory account

Example. The invoice in Create an invoice bills 2 × Consulting service at ₦150,000 with no tax. It posts:

Account	Debit	Credit
Receivables	₦300,000
Sales revenue		₦300,000

Good to know:

• A GL Account line credits the account chosen on the line, instead of sales revenue.
• Stock lines post at what the stock cost when it left Inventory, not at the selling price.
• The invoice's global dimensions are copied onto every line it posts.
• An invoice in another currency posts in that currency at the invoice's exchange rate.
• If an account can't be found, the invoice is refused with a message such as Revenue account not found for invoice! See how invoices get their accounts.

Payment received on an invoice

When it posts: when you record the payment, either with Payment Made on the invoice or later under Sales › Receive Payment.

Account	Debit	Credit	Where it comes from
Bank or cash	The amount received		The payment account you choose when recording the payment
Receivables		The amount received	The invoice's receivable account
Exchange gain or loss	A loss	A gain	Only when a foreign-currency payment's rate differs from the invoice's

Example. The customer pays the ₦300,000 invoice into your bank account: Dr Bank ₦300,000, Cr Receivables ₦300,000.

Goods received

When it posts: when you select Post on a goods received note (Purchases › GRN). A draft note posts nothing. See receive goods.

Account	Debit	Credit	Where it comes from
Inventory	The order value of stock received (at standard cost for standard-cost items)		The inventory posting setup for the receiving location, or the default inventory account
Project work in progress	The order value of goods received straight to a project		The project's posting group, or the default work-in-progress account
Purchase variance	Either side: for standard-cost items, the difference between the standard cost and the order price		The purchase variance account in the general posting setup
Goods received not invoiced (GRNI)		The order value received	The GRNI account in the general posting setup (the vendor's business group with the item's product group). For stock, if that row has none, the location's inventory interim account

Example. You receive 4 boxes of cable at ₦5,000 each into a warehouse: Dr Inventory ₦20,000, Cr GRNI ₦20,000.

Good to know:

• Every line posts in your base currency at the purchase order's exchange rate.
• Goods that need inspection go into quarantine and post only when someone accepts them. Rejected goods never post.
• Returning goods to the vendor posts the other way round: Dr GRNI, Cr Inventory (or project work in progress). If the goods were already billed, the note tells you to raise a debit note for them.
• If an account can't be found, the note shows Posting failed with the reason, for example a location with no inventory account. Fix the setup, then select Retry posting. It never posts twice.

Vendor bill

When it posts: when you select Generate Bill › Save and Send. If your company requires approval for bills, it posts when the bill is approved. A draft posts nothing. See record a vendor bill.

Account	Debit	Credit	Where it comes from
Payables		What you owe the vendor: the total with tax, less any tax you withhold from them	The vendor's posting group, or the default payable account
Purchase expense	The line amounts for products and services not matched to goods received		The general posting setup (the vendor's business group with the item's product group), or the default expense account
Input VAT or other tax	The tax on the lines		The VAT posting setup's purchase VAT account, or the tax's own account
Withholding tax		Tax you withhold from the vendor	The tax's withholding account
GRNI	What the goods received note accrued, for lines matched to it		The GRNI account the goods received note credited

Example. The bill in Record a vendor bill is for 2 cleaning visits at ₦75,000 with no tax. It posts:

Account	Debit	Credit
Purchase expense	₦150,000
Payables		₦150,000

Good to know:

• A GL Account line debits the account chosen on the line, instead of purchase expense.
• For a line matched to goods received, a price different from the purchase order goes to the stock (or, if the stock was already used, to cost of goods sold, consumption or the project). For a standard-cost item it goes to purchase variance. A different exchange rate posts a realised exchange gain or loss on the bill's currency.
• A matched line whose price is above the price tolerance can't post until someone approves the price variance on the bill.
• A reverse-charged tax posts to the purchase VAT account and the reverse-charge VAT account, and doesn't change what you owe the vendor.
• The bill's global dimensions are copied onto every line it posts. A bill in another currency posts at the bill's exchange rate.
• If an account can't be found, the bill is refused with a message such as Account payable not selected for bill! or Tax '…' has no posting account configured.

Bill payment

When it posts: when you save a payment under Purchases › Bills Settlement › Make Payment, or with Payment Made on a new bill. If your company requires approval for payments, it posts when the payment is approved. See pay a vendor bill.

Account	Debit	Credit	Where it comes from
Payables	The amount paid, at the bill's own exchange rate		The payable account the bill posted to
Bank or cash		The amount paid	The Payment Account you choose
Exchange gain or loss	A loss	A gain	Only when a foreign-currency bill is paid at a different rate. The bill currency's realised gain or loss account

Example. You pay a ₦2,000 bill from your bank account: Dr Payables ₦2,000, Cr Bank ₦2,000.

Reversing a payment leaves the original entries and posts the exact opposite. The amount goes back onto the bill.

Debit note

When it posts: when you post the debit note from Purchases › Debit Notes. If your company requires approval for debit notes, it posts when the note is approved. Creating the note only saves a draft. See create a debit note.

Account	Debit	Credit	Where it comes from
Payables	The note total, less any withheld tax share		The bill's payable account
Purchase expense		The line amounts reduced	The account each bill line posted to (GRNI for a line matched to goods received)
Input VAT or other tax		The tax on the reduced lines	The same tax account the bill used
Withholding tax	The withheld share of the reduced lines		The tax's withholding account

Example. You reduce a bill by 2 units at ₦5,000 with no tax: Dr Payables ₦10,000, Cr Purchase expense ₦10,000.

Good to know:

• A debit note posts at the bill's own exchange rate, so it never creates an exchange gain or loss.
• A GL Account line credits the account chosen on the bill line.
• Cancelling a posted debit note posts the exact opposite of what it posted.

Bank charge or interest from a reconciliation

When it posts: when you select Post as bank charge or Post as interest on an unmatched statement line while reconciling a bank account. The entry is dated on the posting date you choose and carries the reference BANKREC followed by the statement line's reference.

Statement line	Debit	Credit
Money out (a bank charge or fee)	The Charge account you chose	The bank account being reconciled
Money in (interest or other credit)	The bank account being reconciled	The Income account you chose

Both sides are the statement line's full amount. Removing the match later doesn't reverse this entry; post a reversing journal if you need to undo it.

Requisitions and purchase orders

When it posts: never. A material requisition, a request for quote and a purchase order don't post to the ledger. Lines bought for a project are checked against that project's budget, but nothing reaches your accounts until the goods are received or the bill is posted.