Overview: Users are able to export balancing journals to the client's file or export as a CSV from the Journals screen.
Note: Direct export to the client's file is only available for cloud accounting sources supported by Active, including Xero, MYOB, QBO, etc..
Please refer to the Glossary for definitions of key terms used in this article.
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Export a balancing journal
If you are processing all journals through Active Ledger and not directly in the client accounting file, you will need to export any pending journals back to the accounting source file. This can be done by exporting a balancing journal which will 'tag' all pending journal transactions as exported, and create a balancing journal in the system.
To ensure a journal is flagged as a pending export journal, ensure the 'Flag as Pending Export to Client File' checkbox is ticked.
Note: When a balancing journal is created, the journals' effect is removed from the trial balance. This is based on the expectation that your source system will contain these journals, and these trial balance figures will be re-imported automatically to reflect this.
If you do not wish to create a balancing journal, you can simply untick the 'Flag as Pending Export to Client File' checkbox. This will ensure your journals continue to impact your trial balance figures and do not get pushed back to the client's file.
To export a balancing journal, head to the Journals screen within the relevant dataset and click Prepare a Balancing Journal.
This will generate a list of all accounts and coresponding balances that are waiting to be exported.
Export to client file
To export directly to the client file, click Export Balancing Journal.
A default memo will generate. This can be changed if required. Once happy, click Export.
This will then push the journal to the client's file, mark the journal as a 'Balancing' journal and change the journals within the balancing journal to 'Exported'.
Export via CSV
If you are not connected to a client file, you are able to export via CSV and manually upload into the client's file. To do this, right-click anywhere along the account lines, hover over Export and click CSV Export.
This will download a CSV copy of the balancing journal to either be sent to the client for them to post or to manually post in their file on your end.
Once this has been complete, you are able to tag the journal as exported so it shows as exported in Active. To do this, click Tag as Exported.
A default memo will generate. This can be changed if required. Once happy, click Export.
This will then mark the journal as a 'Balancing' journal and change the journals within the balancing journal to 'Exported'.
Note: It is advisable to do a fresh import from the source system after the balancing journal has been processed by clicking Load Data in the Information screen of your dataset because the 'tagged' journals will be excluded from the calculation of the trial balance in future reports to prevent any doubling up of information.
WARNING: Depending on the setup of your client's accounting system, the exported journal may be sitting in their file as a 'draft journal' and, therefore, it will first need to be posted in the accounting system before it will be imported back into Active Ledger.
More specifically, for Xero source files, please check that the journal has posted. If it has not, review the Draft Journals screen in the connected Xero file and post them manually. Additionally, Xero will not let you post journals to bank accounts and other system accounts. Please see Locked and system accounts in your chart of accounts for more information.
For MYOB source files, verify that the journal has posted. If not, in the relevant MYOB file, check the 'Transaction Journal' for the year-end (30th June) date, as sometimes failed journals will post in MYOB as at the year-end date.
Undo a balancing journal
If you need to undo a previously exported balancing journal, navigate to the Journals tab within the relevant dataset and select the balancing journal.
Within the journal, click Undo Balancing Journal. This will remove the balancing journal from Active and remove it from the client file (if it was posted there). It will also change the tag of the associated journals back to 'Pending Export'.
