Standing Journals

The instructions in this article relate to Standing Journals. The icon may be located on your StrataMax Desktop or found using the StrataMax Search for both StrataMax and GLMax.

Standing Journals is a tool that can create journals for future and reoccurring transactions. If you want to create future and reoccurring transactions for multiple debtors (Owners), creditors or to a general account code, you can use Auto Entry Transaction Maker. 

Once transactions have been created these will be posted automatically on or after the invoice date entered and you can edit and delete those transactions if required.

Creating a Standing Journal

The information below lists the transaction types to enter when creating a standing journal. 

B - Direct Debit / Credit
This entry type is taken up as a debit or credit and the balancing account is 012 Cash at Bank. Ideally this entry type is not required to be used.

C - Creditor Invoice
This entry type will require the creditor account code (0820000X) and the balancing entry will be the expense account code for example 'Cleaning'.

D - Debtor Commitment
This entry type will be a transaction to a lot account code (0210000X) and the balancing entry will be generally be an income account code and will also require an invoice code type, for example 'Admin Fund'.

J - Journal
When this type of entry has been created, both the credit and debit entries will need to be created.

1. Open the Auto Reverse menu.
2. Click the Edit button and then click Insert.
3. Enter the date in the Date field - this is the date the standing journal will process. If the Frequency field is also used, it will repeat based on this date and frequency.
4. Enter the account code in the Code field. 
5. The Transaction Type will depend on the transaction you create. It is either Creditor Invoice (C), Debtor Commitment (D) or Journal (J) and will depend who and what you're creating the transaction for. It is recommended that the Direct Debit/Credit (B) entry is not used.
6. Enter the Amount, the Description and any Extra Details of the journal.
7. Select the Frequency if this transaction is a repeatable transaction and the Final Entry if applicable.
8. Click OK once the above information has been entered.
   • If a Creditor Invoice (C) is created, select the contract account code, then click OK.
   • If a Debtor Commitment (D) is created, select the Invoice Code that these transactions relate to, then click OK. You will then need to select the contra account code. This is normally the income code, then click OK.
   • In a Journal is created (J), select the contract account code, then click OK.

Editing a Standing Journal

Editing a standing journal should be done with care to ensure all entries are edited correctly. Some edits can be done using the automated process such as changing the next process date or filtering an account to change the date or frequency for a group of entries for the filtered account. 

Manually Editing an Entry

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. Highlight the existing primary auto transaction journal and click Edit. The contra journal will update when the first entry is amended. If the transaction that is not the primary is selected, you will receive a warning message.
4. Update the required information and click OK.
5. Based on the transaction type that has been created; select the appropriate contra account code from the list and click OK.
   • If a Creditor Invoice (C) is created, tag the relevant Creditors for this transaction, then click OK.
   • If a Debtor Commitment (D) is created, select the Invoice Code that these transactions relate to, then click OK. You will then need to tag the relevant lots for this transactions then click OK.
   • If a Journal is created (J), select the account to make up this journal, then click OK.

Change Next Process Date

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. Highlight the existing primary journal and then select the File menu and then select Change Next Process Date.
4. In the Replace with field, enter the new process date. This will be applied to all transactions with the date displayed in the Find field. Then click OK.

Filter Selected Account

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. Highlight an existing journal and then select the File > Filter Selected Account.
4. Highlight one or more item transaction lines using the Shift or Ctrl keys to select multiple lines. Then click on Change Date or Change Frequency.
5. Enter the new date if changing the next process date, or select the frequency type if changing the processing frequency, then click OK.

Deleting a Standing Journals

Deleting a journal can be done in one of two ways. To either delete the entry or enter a Final Entry date. If the current date is later than the Final Entry date, the transaction will no longer be available to process. If the transaction type is a 'J-Journal',  you will also need to delete the balancing auto entry journal (the opposite journal).

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. Highlight the existing primary auto reverse entry and click 'Delete'. The contra entry will update when the first entry is amended, based on what transaction type.
   • If the entry was J-Journal, then both sides will need to be deleted.
4. Confirm Yes to Delete this record?.
5. Click Close / Close to exit Standing Journals.

Posting a Standing Journals (Local)

Posting standing journal transactions will check the next process date and the frequency of all transactions set up for a building. If the next process date is today, then the standing journal transaction will then be created in the transaction ledger. This area can be checked if required before posting the transactions or can be posted directly from here. This is the local method of posting these journals. 

1. Search of select Standing Journals..
2. If the entry is required to be 'previewed' before processing, click the Edit button to review.
3. To post the entry immediately, click Post.
4. Click Close to exit Standing Journals

Post Standing Journals (Global)

Refer to our article on Post Standing Journals (Global).

Flush Standing Journals

From time to time, when entries post there may be a record held on the Standing Journal screen which requires flushing. Flushing records will only update the table to include current and future dated transactions and remove old posted transactions.

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click the Edit button then click Flush Posted.
3. Click Close and Close again to exit Standing Journals.

Standing Journal List

A report can be produced in either Excel or as a PDF of all current and or future transactions in Standing Journals. There is also an option to generate this report for multiple buildings, however a report will be produced for each building individually.

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. If required, click Change Building and tag the required buildings (or Crtl+A to tag all buildings). Note: If you are selecting multiple buildings to report on, a preview page will appear for each building if the Screen output is selected. If the Printer output is selected, all reports will be printed to the selected printer and will not preview on the screen. 
3. Tag the required account codes if needed, or if no accounts are tagged all records will tag as default when you click Proceed. Note: if you select a specific account code, it will report on the selected codes only and not the contra journal. 
4. If Preview is ticked, the output will be appear as a table on screen. This will have the option to Print or Export. If not ticked, the report will default to the StrataMax PDF preview window or printed. 
5. Click Proceed.

Change Next Process Date

Changing the next process date of a transaction should be done with care. We recommend that Change Next Process Date is used as this will apply the changes made to an entry with a ‘Find and Replace’ function, which will ensure consistency. Note: this applies the change to all transactions with the specified date, so this may not be suitable if you're not applying this change to all transactions with this date. Use the Filter Selected Accounts instructions below as an alternative.

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click Edit and review the table of entries.
3. Highlight required primary account code for the next process date change.
4. Select the File > Change Next Process Date.
5. Update the Replace with date field with the next process date, then click OK.

Filter Selected Accounts

If there are a number or journals in your list, Filter Selected Accounts is a quick way to filter for a selected account. This is also an easy way to update the next process date for a group of journals. 

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click Edit and review the table of entries.
3. Highlight required primary account code.
4. Select the File > Filter Selected Accounts. 
5. The highlighted account code will be filtered but the contra entries won't, however any changes made here will be made to the contra entry as well. In this list you can select a single transaction line or use the Ctrl and Shift keys to select multiple transaction lines. 
6. The following actions can be carried out from here:
   • ‘Delete’ will delete the highlighted entries and the contra journals. However, if the entry is a J-Journal type entry, both sides will need to be deleted.
   • ‘Change Date’ allows you to change the next process date for the highlighted transactions. If the entry is a J-Journal type entry, both sides would need to have the date changed individually.
   • ‘Change Frequency’ will update the frequency of the highlighted transactions. If the entry is a J-Journal type entry, both sides would need to have the frequency changed individually.

Invoice / Journal Notes

If notes are required to be added to a standing journal for reference, this can be added using Invoice/Journal Notes. For D-Debtor and C-Creditors, this will only be available for the primary transaction for J-Journals this can be added to both sides. 

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click Edit and review the table of entries.
3. Highlight the required transaction, then select the File > Invoice/ Journal Notes.
4. Create a note as required then click OK.
5. To view the notes, repeat the same steps above; File > Invoice/ Journal Notes.

No GST Toggle

For buildings that are GST Registered, standing journals (and auto reverse and auto entries) will be processed based on the account code's Tax Code by default. If GST is NOT to be applied when these journals are processed, this option can be applied to switch on and off. 

Flagging an Entry to not include GST

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click Edit and review the table of entries.
3. Highlight required account code, then click File then the No GST Toggle.
4. The GST Switch column will display NOGST. This means that that transaction will not calculate GST when processed. 

Removing No GST flag (calculate GST)

1. Search of select Standing Journals.
2. Click Edit and review the table of entries.
3. Highlight required account code that has NOGST displayed in the GST Switch column. 
4. Click File then the No GST Toggle. NOGST will no longer display on the highlighted transaction under the GST Switch column. 

Standing Journal Reports

Report Setup

Report setup is where you select the column headings that will export to Excel when running the Report Selected Records.

1. Select the File > Report Setup. 
2. Review and tag required Column Name fields for reporting then click OK.

Report Selected Records

After setting the report fields for output, select the journals to export to Excel. 

1. Highlight required journals (you can use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select multiple transactions).
2. Select the File menu and then Report Selected Records. This will export to Excel.

View Edit Log

This area will confirm which users were in the menu area with a date and time stamp. There will be the ability to confirm what entries existed with original dates, amounts and frequency. Some of the logs may only confirm what was edited, rather than a confirmation of the existing entry and what data was changed.

1. Open any of the following menus: Standing Journals, Auto Reverse or Auto Entry Transaction Maker. 
2. Click Edit.
3. Select the File menu and then View Edit Log.
4. Click OK to close once the log has been reviewed.