GL - Accounts
Overview
This is the program used to add, view and edit your GL Chart of Accounts (COA), attach GL reporting codes to your COA entries and assign account responsibilities for each account. You may also view a detailed 'Account Ledger' from within this program.
Adding a New Account
To enter a new GL Account, click the 'New' icon to display a blank 'Account Info' screen.
The focus is on the 'New' icon when the screen first loads. Press 'Enter' to open the 'Account Info screen.
When a new record is saved and refreshed to the screen, the following additional tabs are also displayed to view and add additional details to an account.
'Reporting Codes' Tab.
'Responsibility' Tab.
'Ledger' Tab.
The 'Account Info' screen is discussed in detail below.
Viewing and Editing Accounts
To 'View' or 'Edit' a General Ledger Account, use the search screen to search for records in the database.
This search screen provides the facility to search for existing accounts in the database using various search fields.
Searchable areas include: Search Criteria, Segment Filters, Accounts Selections and Ledger Search.
Click the 'GO' button (or press 'Enter') to execute the search and display the 'Accounts List' screen with the matching records.
Accounts List Screen
The 'Accounts List' displays the General Ledger Accounts matching the search criteria that you have entered and is primarily sorted by the 'Account Code'.
Accounts can be re-sorted by clicking on the heading links above the various fields displayed in the list.
Account List fields include 'Account Code', 'Description', 'Type', 'Tax Code', 'Year' and 'Balance'.
The 'Year' and 'Balance' columns will only display data in the corresponding field where a 'Year' is specified in the 'Ledger Search' of the 'Accounts' search screen.
'View' and 'Edit' functions are available to alter previously created Accounts.
A user can also create a new account from the 'Account List' screen by selecting the 'New' icon at the top of the screen.
Uploading GL Accounts
This option will be used during your initial GL setup. It is recommended that you start with the Excel® document that was provided in the school's TASS project planning meeting, ' GL Account Upload Example.xlsx'.
Use Excel® to make any changes that are required (adding or deleting accounts) and save the file into the format specified below.
It is unlikely to be used after your school's General Ledger is 'live', unless there is a need for adding a lot of new accounts, e.g. An entirely new segment is being added into your Chart of Accounts.
The spreadsheet must be saved in comma-delimited (.csv) format and contain the following columns:
Column | Field Name | Field Type/Size | Field Description |
|---|---|---|---|
A | GL Account Code | Characters Max. 18 | Mandatory. Must be in the same structure as defined in program Finance > General Ledger > Setup Information > General Ledger Setup on the 'GL Structure' tab. |
B | GL Account Description | Characters Max. 40 | Mandatory. |
C | Start Year | Number | Mandatory. Must be the current year or one year before or after the current year. |
D | Start Period | Number | Mandatory. Must be a period number that is within the periods set up in 'Years and Periods' program |
E | Group Code | Characters Max. 7 | Optional. It must be a valid 'Group Code'. |
F | Type | Characters Max. 1 | Mandatory. Must be one of the valid 'Types': A, L, I, E, N |
G | Tax Code | Characters Max. 3 | Optional. It must be a valid 'Tax Code'. |
H | External Code | Characters Max. 20 | Optional. |
The sheet must NOT have header or footer rows.
All formats must be removed from this sheet (Within Microsoft Excel® go Edit > Clear > Formats).
After you click the 'Upload GL Accounts' button, the 'Upload GL Accounts' screen will be displayed.
Use the 'Choose File' button to locate the .csv file that you intend to upload and click the 'GO' button.
The system will validate the file to ensure that it meets the format described above.
If validation is unsuccessful, the program will produce an exception report. You will need to address the issues in the .csv file and re-import the data.
Printing Your Account List
Select the 'Print' icon to produce a 'Chart of Accounts Listing' from the 'Accounts List' screen.
The list can be produced in several formats:
With account type indicator, group and tax code and start and end period.
With reporting codes.
With current account balances.
With the opening balance at the beginning of the year, a total of the debit transactions, a total of the credit transitions and the closing balance.
With details of the teachers or employees responsible for budgets or purchase order requisitions.
It is advisable to generate a 'Chart of Accounts' listing when first setting up your accounts, or after making amendments to multiple accounts for crosschecking and reference purposes.
Layout Options
Account Listing | This option will list the accounts based on the 'Sort Order' that you select. |
Summary by Group Code – Pre Close | This option will group all accounts with the same 'Group Code'. If you have entered DET item codes in the 'Group Code' field on the account records, this option will allow you to produce a report consolidated by DET item code. For more information, refer to 'DoE Financial Questionnaire Preparation Checklist'. If you run this for a prior year the report uses the pre-close figures so that Income and Expense account totals are included. |
Formatting Options
Print Options | Choose the 'destination' of the report. This can be to Adobe® PDF viewer, Microsoft Excel® or Microsoft Word®. |
Show Table Borders and Alternative Row Colours | The 'Table Borders' and 'Alternate Row Colours' options can enhance the readability of the report, but are not available if the listing destination is Excel® |
Include Current Balance | If you tick this option and you are running the report for the current year, the report will include the current balance for all accounts. If you are running the report for a previous year, the report will include the balance for asset and liability accounts at the end of that year. Income and expense accounts will have a zero balance if the year-end close periods has been run. To view the movement in Income and Expense account for a prior year select the 'Include Opening Balance and Movement' box below. |
Include Opening Balance and Movement | This box is only active if you have ticked the 'Include Current Balance' above. If you tick this option the report will (based on the year that you selected on the 'Accounts' screen), also include:
You would most likely use this to highlight the change in Asset and Liability accounts. It might also be used to provide a summarised view of the debit and credit changes to Income and Expense accounts. |
Include Responsibilities | Tick this box to display the teacher(s) or employee(s) responsible for each account. The report will include the Responsibilities for each account code. For PDF/Word® these will be listed on separate lines immediately below the account details; for Excel® there will be an extra column appended for each teacher/employee. Use the optional picklist to filter by 'Responsibility Level'. Three options are provided:
For more information, refer to 'GL Account Responsibility Grid'. |
Additional Fields
You can select the 'Additional Fields' to include in your listing by highlighting them with a mouse click. The 'Account Code', 'Description', 'Type' and 'Tax Code' fields are automatically included and are not available for selection.
Holding down the 'Shift' key while clicking on your options permits a range selection; holding down the 'Ctrl' key enables selection of discrete (individual) criterion.
Click the 'Run' button to execute the search and display the 'Chart of Accounts Listing' with the matching records.
Account Info Screen
These screens display the following tabs in a multiple tab layout; 'General', 'Reporting Codes', 'Responsibility' and 'Ledger' tabs.
Click on the required tab to access fields and enter or view account information.
General Tab
Fields that require further explanation | |
|---|---|
Account Code | Unique GL account code for this account. The account code may contain a maximum of 18 alphanumeric characters, with up to 10 different segments, and each school may define their own GL structure to suit their requirements. This structure is defined in Finance > General Ledger > Setup Information > General Ledger Setup on the 'GL Structure' tab. The GL structure cannot be changed after the initial processing of transactions. |
Start and End / Year and Period | The start and end year and period for which the journal is active, i.e. Processing cannot occur on the account outside the range nominated here. |
Group Code | Optional group code field, which is used for generating reports that are outside the segment or account code structure. The group code must have been previously defined in Finance > General Ledger > Setup Information > General Ledger Setup on the 'Group Codes' tab. |
Type | The type and role of the account in the accounting equation. One of:
There can only be one Net Worth account. This is the account used for your entity's Net Surplus/Deficit for the financial year, and the balance of this account is determined and recorded when end of year rollup procedures are performed. |
Default Tax Code | Optional tax code which is defaulted into various distribution screens such as invoice and credit distributions, receipt distributions, and into the cash book debits/charges distributions. Therefore, it is only necessary to add default tax codes to account codes that are likely to be used in these areas. These tax codes are pre-defined in Finance > General Ledger > Setup Information > General Ledger Setup on the 'Tax Codes' tab. Examples of codes are:
|
Export Code | This is an optional field that can be used to record a reference code used by an external application. This field can be selected as an additional field when running the following reports:
|
Reporting Codes Tab
Reporting codes are an optional field set up in Finance > General Ledger > Setup Information > General Ledger Setup on the 'Reporting Codes' tab.
These reporting codes are used for the separation and/or consolidation of account groupings on your main financial reports — the Balance Sheet, the Income Statement and Cash Flow Statement (Statement of Cash Flows).
Fields that require further explanation | |
|---|---|
Rep Code # 1 - 9 | Unique reporting code predefined in Finance > General Ledger > Setup Information > General Ledger Setup on the 'Reporting Codes' tab. |
Description | Description attached to this reporting code number. |
Associated to | This function is mainly used to offset accumulated depreciation accounts against their associated asset accounts when printing on the Balance Sheet. It can only able to be used for 'Asset' and 'Liability' accounts. The association that it creates can only be 'Asset' to 'Asset' or 'Liability' to 'Liability'. An account can only be associated with one other account. Refer to the guide 'How to Set Up Account Offset Associations' for details on setting up account associations. You associate the accumulated depreciation account to the asset account. Therefore, the asset account does not have any account in the 'Associated to' field. |
Responsibility Name | Optional field describing the teaching or non-teaching staff member assigned responsibility to these reporting codes. Information only field. |
Optional. The email address of the 'Responsibility' user previously defined. Information only field. | |
Reporting codes 2, 3, 4 and 5 have been reserved specifically for customisation of the layout of the TASS.web 'Balance Sheet' and 'Income Statement' (follow the relevant link for detail of their implementation).
It is strongly recommended that you click on the link above to the Income Statement and Balance Sheet online help and review the sections covering the use of reporting codes for the relevant reports.
Responsibility Tab
Responsibilities are used to determine the teachers and employees that can access this General Ledger account for the following Staff Kiosk functions:
Accessing Budget Information.
Raising Purchase Order Requisitions.
Approving Purchase Order Requisitions.
Creating Events and Payments.
Up to 7 levels of responsibility are available: | |
|---|---|
Level 1 | The teacher/employee can:
|
Level 2 | The teacher/employee can raise a purchase order requisition using this account. |
Level 3 - 7 | The teacher/employee can approve a purchase order requisition using this account. Each level (3-7) is allocated a monetary limit (GST exclusive) that the teacher/employees can approve up to. For example: Level 3 can approve requisitions up to $500 Level 4 can approve requisitions up to $2,000 Level 5 can approve requisitions up to $5,000 Level 6 can approve requisitions up to no limit 'Approval Limits' are maintained in program Finance > Purchasing > Setup Information > Purchasing Setup. |
Responsibility levels are hierarchical; therefore the higher access levels inherit the functions of the lower levels.
To add a new responsibility, click the 'Add NEW Responsibility' button.
To 'View', 'Edit' or 'Delete' a responsibility, click on the associated link in the 'Action' column.
Fields that require further explanation | |
|---|---|
Teacher / Employee | Indicate if the person that you adding a responsibility for this account is a teacher or a non-teaching employee. The ability to enter responsibilities against non-teaching staff is dependent on your school running the TASS Employee/HR module. |
User Code | If you selected 'Teacher' (above), nominate the teacher code. If you selected 'Employee' (above), nominate the employee code. Use the 'Lookup' (Binoculars) icon and search for a valid teacher or employee code in the database. |
Name | Name of this teacher or employee. This field is read-only and automatically populated. |
Status | Status of this teacher, one of Current or Non-Current. This field is read-only and automatically populated. |
Responsibility Level | Select the responsibility level for this teacher/employee. |
If you are setting up multiple account responsibilities a faster way is to use program Finance > General Ledger > Account & Journal Info > Account Responsibility Grid.
Ledger Tab
This screen is read-only and displays account activity (debits, credits and balances), outstanding commitments against this account and budget information across the various years and periods.
You may drill-down on period journal transactions created for this account by selecting an entry within the 'Actuals' column. This displays the 'Ledger Details' screen, with detailed information of journal batches created within this period.