How-ToFinance & Operations

How to Post General Journals in Business Central

Enter and post manual journal entries in Business Central using the General Journal, including how to balance entries and correct mistakes.

Stein Sæstad
6 min read

The General Journal is where you enter manual journal entries in Business Central. It is used for adjustments, accruals, corrections, and any transaction that does not originate from a sales or purchase document.

  1. Search for General Journals using Alt + Q.
  2. Select the journal batch you want to use. Business Central includes a default batch called DEFAULT, but you can create additional batches to separate types of entries (e.g. ACCRUALS, CORRECTIONS).

Enter Journal Lines

Each journal entry consists of at least two lines that balance to zero. One line debits an account, and the other credits an account.

  1. In the General Journal, place your cursor in a new row.
  2. Set the Posting Date for the entry.
  3. Enter a Document No.. If the batch has a number series assigned, this fills in automatically. Otherwise, enter a number manually, all lines belonging to the same journal entry should share the same document number.
  4. Set the Account Type, typically G/L Account, but can also be Customer, Vendor, Bank Account, or Fixed Asset.
  5. Enter the Account No. for the debit account.
  6. Enter a Description that explains the purpose of the entry.
  7. Enter the amount in the Debit Amount field.
  8. On the next line, set the same Document No. and Posting Date.
  9. Set the Account Type and Account No. for the credit account.
  10. Enter the same amount in the Credit Amount field.

Example Journal Entry

The following example records a prepaid insurance expense:

Document No.Account TypeAccount No.DescriptionDebitCredit
JNL-001G/L Account6110Prepaid insurance Q11 200,00
JNL-001G/L Account1310Prepaid insurance Q11 200,00

Both lines carry the same document number and the same posting date. The entry is balanced, debit equals credit.

Check the Balance Before Posting

The Balance field at the bottom of the journal page shows the net balance of all unposted lines. This must be 0.00 before you can post. If the balance is non-zero, a line is missing or an amount has been entered incorrectly.

The Total Balance field accounts for all lines across the entire journal batch.

Post the Journal

  1. Once the balance is 0.00, press F9 or select Post from the action bar.
  2. Confirm the posting dialog.
  3. Business Central posts all lines in the batch and clears the journal.

Review Posted Entries

To verify the entries were posted correctly:

  1. Search for General Ledger Entries using Alt + Q.
  2. Filter by Document No. or Posting Date to find the entries.

Alternatively, open the Chart of Accounts, select the relevant G/L account, and choose Ledger Entries to see all movements on that account.

Correct a Posted Journal Entry

You cannot delete or edit a posted entry. To reverse a mistake:

  1. Search for General Ledger Entries and locate the entry to reverse.
  2. Select Reverse Transaction from the action bar.
  3. Business Central creates a new journal entry with opposite amounts and the same document number, with the prefix RV. Review it on the Reverse Entries page, then confirm.

This posts a reversing entry on the same or a different date and leaves a clear audit trail. Avoid correcting errors by posting a second manual entry unless the original cannot be found through the standard reversal function.

For recurring entries that post on a schedule, see How to Set Up Recurring General Journals in Business Central.