How to create a journal entry in QuickBooks

A journal entry records a transaction without one of QuickBooks' standard forms, such as an invoice or a bill. Intuit mentions using it to track income or expenses, or to move an amount from another account into an income or expense account.

Intuit asks you to understand the basics of debits and credits before you make one, and to consult your accountant if you're unsure. Which accounts an entry uses, and which side each amount sits on, depend on your business and the transaction, so check them with your accountant before entering anything.

Have every line worked out before you start: the accounts involved, the amount for each, and whether it is a debit or a credit. Add the debits together and the credits together. The two totals must match, or the entry won't balance.

Also note, in a sentence, why the entry is needed. That goes in the Memo, which Intuit says is where to explain the reason for the entry.

1. Select + New or + Create.
2. Select Journal entry.
3. On the first line, choose an account in the Account field.
4. Type the amount in either the Debits column or the Credits column.
5. On the second line, choose the other account the amount moves between.
6. Type the same amount in the opposite column, so the two lines balance. QuickBooks may fill this in for you.
7. Add any further lines the same way, checking that total debits still equal total credits across the entry.
8. In the Memo section, describe the reason for the entry.
9. Select Save and new to start another journal entry, or Save and close to finish.

Once saved, the entry is recorded in each account you chose, and it appears in the account history of those accounts. To see every journal entry in one place, run the Journal report.

To print one entry, select the search icon, then Advanced transaction search. Choose Journal from the Transaction type dropdown, add any other filters, and open the entry. Select More, then Transaction journal, then the print icon, and adjust the print settings before selecting Print.

To print several at once, go to Reports, select Standard reports, choose Journal from the Type report name here dropdown and set the Report period. In the Modern view, select Customise, then Filters, and set Transaction type to equals Journal Entry. Columns lets you add, remove or rearrange columns, and Number format, Header and Footer change those parts of the report. Close the menu with X, then select Save As to keep the filters for next time. Then print from the print icon, and edit the saved version later from Custom reports under Reports.

If an entry turns out to be wrong, the how-to on reversing a journal entry explains the choices QuickBooks gives you.

If the report screens don't match the steps above, you may be on the Classic view. Intuit notes that reports look different there. In the Classic view, select Customise, then Filter, and choose Journal Entry from the Transaction Type dropdown. Use Rows/Columns and Change columns to adjust the columns, General for the number format and Header/Footer for those details. Select Run report, then Save customisation to keep the settings, and print from the print icon as before.