Enabling Require Cost Centers on Manual Journals and Selecting the Accounts That Require Distribution
You can require users to distribute specific accounts to cost centers when creating or editing a manual journal, so that no journal is saved on these accounts without a distribution. To do this, enable the Require Cost Centers on Manual Journals option, then select the accounts that require distribution.
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Note: Configuring this setting requires the Edit General Settings permission. The setting affects manual journals only, not automatic journals created from invoices and other transactions.
Contents
Enable the Requirement and Select Accounts
- From the main menu, click General Accounts, then Accounting Settings.
- Click the General Accounting Settings card.
- Go to the Cost Center Distribution Rules section.
- Below the Allow Cost Center Distribution to Exceed 100% option, turn on Require Cost Centers on Manual Journals so it shows Enabled.
- Click Manage Accounts. The Accounts Requiring a Cost Center window opens.
- Select the accounts you want, then click Save in the window.
- Click Save at the top of the settings page.
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Note: The Manage Accounts button works only after you turn on the option. The setting isn’t saved as enabled unless at least one account is selected.
How to Select Accounts
| Selection | Result |
|---|---|
| Checking the Accounts box in the list header | All accounts require distribution to cost centers, including accounts added later. |
| Selecting a parent account | All its sub-accounts are required, including sub-accounts added under it later. |
| Selecting a sub-account | Only this account is required. |
You can select several parent accounts and sub-accounts together, and search for accounts by name or code from the Search box at the top of the window.
Effect on Manual Journals
After you enable the option, when you create or edit a manual journal:
- Every journal line on a required account must be distributed to at least one cost center.
- Lines on accounts that aren’t required are saved as usual, with or without a distribution.
- If you don’t distribute a line on a required account, the system refuses to save the journal and lists the account names and codes in one message.
- Account names in the message appear in the system’s interface language.
Turn Off the Requirement
To turn off the requirement, turn off Require Cost Centers on Manual Journals, then click Save. Turning it off clears the list of selected accounts, so if you turn the option on again, you’ll need to select the accounts again.
Error Messages and Solutions
| Cause | Message | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| You saved a manual journal without distributing one or more lines on a required account. | The Journal could not be saved. Please, try again Cost Center is required for ‘Account Name’ #Code, ‘Account Name’ #Code |
Distribute each line on the accounts shown in the message to a cost center, then save the journal again. |
| You turned on the option and saved the settings without selecting any account. | Select accounts where the user is required to distribute to cost centers when creating/editing a manual journal entry. | The other settings are saved, but this option isn’t enabled. Click Manage Accounts, select at least one account, then save again. |
FAQ
Does the setting affect automatic journals from invoices?
No. It affects only manual journals when they’re created or edited.
Are new sub-accounts required automatically?
Yes, if their parent account is selected, or if you selected all accounts.
What happens to existing manual journals?
They aren’t affected until you edit them. When you edit an existing journal, the requirement applies before saving.