PeopleSoft Financials User Guide:

Journal Entries

JOURNAL ENTRIES
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview ...................................................................................................................... 3

Journal Entry Instructions ............................................................................................. 3

Create/Update Journal Entries ............................................................................................................... 3
The Header Tab .................................................................................................................................................. 4
The Lines Tab ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Edit & Submit ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Find Journal Entries............................................................................................................................... 11
Search on the Create/Update Journals Screen ................................................................................................ 11
Search Using Journal Inquiry............................................................................................................................ 12
Run the UV_GL_JRNL_INQUIRY query ............................................................................................................. 14
Copy a Journal Entry ............................................................................................................................. 16
Print a Journal Entry.............................................................................................................................. 17
Delete a Journal Entry ........................................................................................................................... 17
Notify Someone about a Journal Entry ................................................................................................. 18

Accounting Policies and Information .......................................................................... 19

Journal Classes - IC and Other .............................................................................................................. 19
Projects Information ............................................................................................................................. 19
Analysis Type on the Journal Line ......................................................................................................... 20
Correcting Journals ............................................................................................................................... 20
Combination Editing Rules for Chartstrings.......................................................................................... 21
Internal Charges Accounts ............................................................................................................................... 21
Donations, Sponsorships, etc........................................................................................................................... 21
Chartfield Value Lists ............................................................................................................................ 22
Chartfield Queries ............................................................................................................................................ 22
Chartfield Spreadsheets ................................................................................................................................... 22
Fund Balancing – what it is and why it is affecting the journal ............................................................ 22
Understanding External Journal Sources .............................................................................................. 23
Accounting Cheat Sheet........................................................................................................................ 24

Journal Errors ............................................................................................................. 25

Invalid Field Value Errors ...................................................................................................................... 25
Journal Edit Errors ................................................................................................................................. 25
Debits and Credits Not Equal ........................................................................................................................... 26

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Chartfield Combination Errors ......................................................................................................................... 26

Budget Checking Errors......................................................................................................................... 27

Shortcuts & Tips ......................................................................................................... 29

Accounting Tags .................................................................................................................................... 29
Spreadsheet Upload Process ................................................................................................................ 29
Save Search Criteria .............................................................................................................................. 29
View More than 10 Lines at Once; Scroll through Lines ....................................................................... 31
Using the Search Feature ...................................................................................................................... 31
Using Change Values to Replace All Values .......................................................................................... 32
Customize the order that fields appear on the Journal page ............................................................... 33
Find Data on a Page .............................................................................................................................. 33
Download Data in a Grid ....................................................................................................................... 33
Open Spreadsheets in the Full Version of Excel, Not Web Excel ......................................................... 34

Frequently Asked Questions ....................................................................................... 34

Who is able to create Journal Entries? ................................................................................................. 34
What if I do not have access to create a journal entry? ....................................................................... 34
Where can I find an explanation of the various ledgers available? ..................................................... 34
When do I use “Internal Charge” for the journal class? ....................................................................... 34
When do I use “Other” for the journal class?....................................................................................... 34
What is the account number and how do I find the correct one? ....................................................... 34
How do I resolve a “no budget exists” error?....................................................................................... 35
Why can’t I print my journal entries? ................................................................................................... 35

Resources ................................................................................................................... 36
Help/Footprints..................................................................................................................................... 36
Training ................................................................................................................................................. 36
Relevant UVM Departments ................................................................................................................. 36
Related Policies ..................................................................................................................................... 36

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 PeopleSoft Financials User Guide:
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Overview

Journals are entries made to the PeopleSoft General Ledger to redistribute or reallocate money
from one budget line to another. Each journal entry must have at least two lines in order to record
both a debit and a credit for every transaction, and the total debits and total credits must be equal.
Typically, journal entries are created to:
• Correct or adjust prior journal entries
• Move expenses from one funding source to another
• Account for the internal sale of goods or services
• Transfer funds from one chartstring to another

Journal Entry Instructions

Create/Update Journal Entries

1. Log in to PeopleSoft Financials
2. Navigate to General Ledger > Journals> Journal Entry > Create/Update Journal Entries.
3. Select the Add a New Value Tab at top.
4. The journal ID field will default to Next. The journal date field will default to the current date.
Always use the current date unless processing a period 12 journal in July. In that case, change
the date to 06/30.

5. Click Add.

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The Header Tab

6. The Header Tab will appear. Enter text into the Long Description Field. This field should
explain, in detail, the reason for the journal entry in under 254 characters. Financial Reporting
and Accounting Services (FRAS) and Sponsored Project Administration (SPA) will use this
information to ensure that the journal is doing what it is intended to do and that the journal is
appropriate.
• Use full sentences.
• Provide as much identifying information as possible.
• No acronyms or abbreviations – the approvers and auditors need to understand what this
journal is trying to accomplish.
• No payroll transfers – salary, wage, and benefits transfers must be processed by Payroll
Services. Submit a request by email to [email protected].
• If the journal is a correction, indicate the source of the original transaction (PurCard journal
P12345-51, PO45678 etc.).
• When making corrections, one journal can correct multiple transactions that are charged to
incorrect chartstrings. Indicate in the description field what each of the lines is correcting.
NOTE: Use the little arrow in the upper right corner of the Long Description box to pop out the
text box so that you can see all of the text at once.
7. Use the Attachments link in the center left section of the page to add any attachment that you
like to support the journal, if desired.

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8. Type in a three-character Source value or click the magnifying glass on the Source field to select
the source. The Source code in the Header section should always represent the unit of the
individual entering the journal. (If it does not, navigate to Main Menu > Employee Self-Service >
User Defaults to update it, or log a Footprint to have the default Journal Source changed to the
appropriate value.)

9. Journal Class: Use the following grid to select the appropriate class.

Journal Class Use on Sponsored Project? When to use

AR No When entering a journal entry to

record your external billing and
accounts receivable for non-
sponsored customers

CSTTR<90 Yes Use for cost transfers when the

submit date of the journal is less than
90 days from the original accounting

CSTTR>90 Yes Use for cost transfer when the submit

date of the journal is greater than 90
days from the original accounting

IC Yes Use for all internal charges.

Other Yes Use for all other journals or leave

blank

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NOTE: For more information on ICs, see the Accounting Policies and FAQs sections of this
document.

The Lines Tab

10. Once all of the required criteria has been entered, click on the Lines tab.

11. Enter the chartfield values and journal information in the appropriate boxes below:

NOTE: Clicking the magnifying glass next to each chartfield to select each value (account,
operating unit, dept, etc.); can be time-consuming. It is more efficient to have the chartstring
handy and type it in manually.

12. After entering the chartstring, scroll all the way over to the right side of the screen and enter
the amount to be credited or debited for the selected transaction in the Base Amount field.

13. Click the Projected Balance link at the end of the row to display the T-Account information for
the journal line's chartstring. This amount reflects what the ledger balance of the selected
chartstring would be if the selected journal line is posted.

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14. The Journal Line Description will update automatically in based on the account chartfield
entered. In most cases, change this Line Description to something about the transaction that is
more meaningful than just the account name.
NOTE: Click the arrow icon in the top right corner to open a pop-up window to make data entry
easier.
• Click the Personalize link in the top right corner to change the order of the fields and to hide
certain fields. See Customizing the order that fields appear on the Journal page for
information on how to customize grids.
• Use the Reference field on the journal line to hold a voucher number, a PO number, or a
previous journal number.
• A user can edit the journal line description to something other than the account name
default.
• Enter information that will be meaningful on a budget report.

15. Now enter the credit amount. Next to Lines to add click the plus sign to add more lines.

NOTE: If entering multiple journal entries, add multiple lines by typing in a numeric value in the
Lines to add field, rather than clicking the plus sign every time.
16. When the plus sign is selected, the new line autopopulates with the appropriate credit/debit.

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17. Totals are displayed in the Totals box at the bottom next to the Journal Status.

18. Click Save. This message will appear, click OK. The number that appears will be the new Journal
ID.

Edit & Submit

19. Select Edit Journal from the Process drop-down box and click Process to check for various types
of errors.

NOTE: If the journal is 20 lines or fewer, while the journal is editing a spinning circle will appear
and users will not be able to navigate away from the page or do anything else in PeopleSoft.
If the journal is greater than 20 lines, it will be edited in batch mode. Users will receive a
notification and be brought to the Process Monitor page while the journal edit process runs.
Click OK. If Cancel is clicked, the journal will not be edited.

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In the Process Monitor, periodically click Refresh until the Run Status is either Success or
Warning. Return to the Journal Entry page and open the journal. If the Run Status is Success,
there are no edit or budget check errors; if it reads Warning, any edit or budget check errors
need to be resolved before submitting the journal.
When the process is complete, navigate back into the journal to submit it or to correct errors.

20. The Journal Status and Budget Status should read V (for valid). If an error occurs, see Journal
Errors section of this document to learn more.

21. Select Submit Journal from the Process drop-down box and click Process. This must be done
in order for the journal to be processed and posted.

22. Click the Approval Tab to check that a journal has been submitted. It should have an approval
status of Pending Approval.

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NOTE: PurCard journals will have an approval status of Approved to Post as soon as they are
submitted.

Once a journal entry has been submitted, it will be routed to worklist for approval to either Financial
Reporting and Accounting Services (FRAS) or Sponsored Project Administration (SPA), depending on
what types of budgets are being charged. If the journal entry has activity on Sponsored Projects
(GCA01 business unit projects), it requires approval by SPA.

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To determine what worklist the journal entry is in, refer to the “Approval Rule Set” column in the
Search Results on the Create/Update Journal Entry page.

Find Journal Entries

There are three ways to find a particular journal that has already been created:
1) Search on the Create/Update Journals Screen.
2) Searching for the journal(s) using the Journal Inquiry.
1) Running the General Ledger Query called UV_GL_JRNL_INQUIRY.

Search on the Create/Update Journals Screen

The easiest way to find a journal in PeopleSoft is to search on the Create/Update Journals screen.
1. Log in to PeopleSoft Financials
2. Navigate to General Ledger > Journals > Journal Entry > Create/Update Journal Entries.
3. Select the Find an Existing Value tab.
4. Ensure that the Business Unit field value is UVM01.

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5. In the Entered By field, type the user’s NetID, enter relevant criteria (Journal date, etc.) to limit
the search results, and click Search.
Click any line in the Search Results table to open that particular journal.

6. On the open journal page, use the navigational buttons at the bottom to move between
journals or to return to the Search Results table.

Search Using Journal Inquiry

1. To search for journals using Journal Inquiry, log in to PeopleSoft Financials
2. Navigate to: Main Menu > General Ledger > Review Financial Information > Journals
3. Select the Find an Existing Value tab (if necessary).

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4. Click the Search button.

5. If there is one journal inquiry already in the system, it will open. If there are multiple journal
inquiries in the system, the system will ask to choose one from among them to open.
If there are no journal inquiries in the system, the message - No matching values were found -
will be returned. Go to Step 6 to create an inquiry.
If the search brought back an inquiry that can be used, skip to Step 8; otherwise follow the
directions in Step 6 to create a new inquiry.
NOTE: Unlike a Run Control ID, Inquiries may be deleted at any time, so don’t worry about
adding too many new ones.
6. Select the Add a New Value tab. Type in a name for the inquiry up to 10 characters long. Spaces
are okay.

7. Click Add. A journal inquiry page will open.

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8. Enter UVM01 as the business Unit, enter ACTUALS as the Ledger, and enter the fiscal year as
the Year.
9. Enter the From Period and To Period fields. If period 1 to period 12 is entered, the search will
return all journals within the fiscal year indicated.
10. To search for all existing journals, enter the NetID in the User field and leave the other fields
blank.
11. To search for all the journals that have been entered from a particular source, enter the three-
letter source code in the Source field (e.g., CHM for Chemistry, etc., click the Search icon for a
list) and leave the other fields blank.
12. Journals can also be searched for by date or by status (e.g., to see journals that are valid but not
yet posted, enter a “V” in the Status field).
13. Press the Search button to bring up a list of the journals.
14. Sort the search results by clicking on a column heading.
15. Download the search results into Excel by clicking on the Download to Excel icon at the top of
the search results table.

16. Click a Journal ID from the search results in order to see detailed information on that particular
journal.
17. To edit a journal that has not been posted, first find and open the journal. Navigate to: Main
Menu > General Ledger > Journals > Journal Entry > Create/Update Journal Entries.

Run the UV_GL_JRNL_INQUIRY query

1. To search for journals using the UV_GL_JRNL_INQUIRY query, log in to PeopleSoft Financials
2. Navigate to: Main Menu > Reporting Tools > Query > Query Viewer

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3. In the Query Name begins with field, type UV_GL_JRNL_INQUIRY, or

UV_GL_JRNL_INQUIRY_CF_DESCRS, and click Search.
NOTE: These queries will return identical results. The only difference is that the results for the
second query ending with CF_DESCRS will include a column for each chartfield description –
the textual representation of each chartfield – which can be helpful, though makes for a very
wide report.

4. Choose the appropriate query from the list.

5. If the query will be used frequently, click the Favorite link in the Add to Favorites column. The
selected query will appear under My Favorite Queries on the Query Viewer page.

6. Click the HTML link to open the results of this query in a web browser, or click on Excel to open
the results of the query search in an Excel spreadsheet.
NOTE: If running the query to the screen (HTML), the option of downloading to an Excel
spreadsheet later will be available.
7. Enter a From, and Through Date range. Enter any other search criteria necessary in order to
limit the search. (The example below is set to search for journals between January 1 and
January 31, with a valid status and have not yet been posted from Financial Reporting and
Account Services (Journal Source ACT). Note the V in the Journal Header Status box. )
NOTE: Most queries will not return any data unless a wildcard character is entered in the empty
search criteria fields. Look for the (%) percentage sign in parenthesis, or lack thereof, to know
what to type in a field that will not be populated with a value related to the search.

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8. After the criteria have been entered, click View Results.

9. The results will be displayed below the criteria selection area. If the query returns more than
100 lines, click the View All link in order to see them all displayed.
10. If the query ran to HTML, click the link to download the results into an Excel spreadsheet or a
comma-delimited file if desired.

NOTE: After reviewing the journals, it may be determined that some journals that have been
entered but have not yet posted may be deleted.
Once a journal has been posted, it cannot be deleted. See the Delete a Journal Entry section for
instructions on how to delete a journal.

Copy a Journal Entry

1. Create new journals by copying existing journals. Open the existing journal to copy, on the Lines
tab, select Copy Journal from the Process menu, and click Process.

2. Select the Journal Date for the new, copied journal, if the date needs to be something other
than the current date. Journals cannot be posted to closed periods, so do not select a date in a
closed fiscal period.

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NOTE: The copy function can also reverse a journal: check the box “Reverse Signs” and a new
journal will be created with the original debits and credits reversed.
Click OK and a new journal will open.

NOTE: Everything on the journal will copy, so make sure to update the header description on
the new journal as appropriate. If copying someone else’s journal, update the Journal Source in
the header to the new department’s source.

Print a Journal Entry

1. Select Print Journal from the process box at the top of the lines page and press Process.

2. A new browser tab will open, displaying the printable report in PDF format. If the tab does
not open, there may be a message indicating that pop-ups are blocked. Change the browser
set-up to allow pop-up windows for uvm.edu.
3. Print the report using the print icon, the location of which may vary depending on your
browser.

Delete a Journal Entry

Once a journal has been posted, it cannot be deleted. As long as the journal has not yet been
posted, it can be deleted.

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1. Log in to PeopleSoft Financials

2. Navigate to: Main Menu > General Ledger > Journals > Journal Entry > Create/Update Journal.
3. Select Delete Journal from the Process box and press the Process button.

4. Confirm that the data to be deleted permanently is the correct journal to be deleted before
pressing OK.
NOTE: If the journal was budget-checked (which updates the Commitment Control ledgers),
deleting the journal will undo that process. Recognize that once a journal is deleted, it is gone
from the system.

Notify Someone about a Journal Entry

1. To send an email to someone who needs to review the journal, click the Notify button at the
bottom of the page. This can be done from any page in PeopleSoft where the Notify button is
seen.

2. When the Send Notification page appears, fill in the email addresses using a semi-colon to
separate multiple addresses. Enter the Subject. Do not change anything in the Template text
box because this section creates the link in the email that allows the user to click into the
journal entry from within the email. Type the message in the message box and press OK to send
the email.

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Accounting Policies and Information

Journal Classes - IC and Other

When processing interdepartmental billing journals (using journal class IC), make sure the revenue
accounts are in the following ranges of IC accounts:

• Credits to IC Revenue accounts 48001 – 48999, or accounts that start with 452.
• If the journal is to transfer/correct a regular expense, do not use journal class IC.
The journal class OTHER can be used to indicate that the journal is not for internal charges. Using
this class is optional (the journal class field can also be left blank if the journal is not for internal
charges).

Projects Information
When entering a project journal, make sure to select the Projects Business Unit first, then the
project ID, then the activity ID, then the Analysis Type. The Project Business Unit controls the list of
project IDs, so that if GCA01 is selected, only sponsored projects will be seen. If PC001 is selected,
only non-sponsored projects will be seen. Similarly, after selecting a project ID, only the Activities
associated with that project will be seen.

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Whenever a chartstring involves a project, then the Project Business Unit, Project ID, Activity, and
Analysis Type fields must be filled in. If there is no project, then the Project Business Unit, Project
ID, Activity, and Analysis Type fields must be left blank.

Analysis Type on the Journal Line

The Analysis Type on the journal line is used in Grants billing processes and project reporting. It is
important that this field be filled in accurately.
Here are the rules for selecting the Analysis Type:
1. If there is a project on the journal line, and if the account is a revenue account, use Analysis
Type GLR (GL Revenue).
2. If the project is sponsored (the business unit will be GCA01), the account is an expense
account, and the function is a cost share function, then use the Analysis Type CGE (Cost
Sharing GL Expense). Otherwise, use the analysis type GLE (GL Expense).

The current cost share functions are:

212 CostShr-Inst-Spon
213 CostShr-SalCap-Ins
312 CostShr -Rsch-Spon
313 CostShr -SalCap -Rsch
352 Cost Shr-Exp Station
412 Cost Shr- Public Service
413 Cost Shr- Sal Cap Pub Service
422 Cost Shr-Extension Services

3. If there is no project on the line, leave the Analysis Type blank.

Correcting Journals
If a journal is being entered in order to correct another journal entry, enter the details of the work
being done in the journal and, if possible, the reference number of the original document that is
being corrected in the Long Description field of the Journal Header. Examples of original document
reference numbers include: original journal ID, Expense Report number for travel- or expense-
related journals, and PO ID or Voucher number for payables/purchasing-related transfers.
• Simple corrections to the chartstring of another transaction are not considered internal
charges. Internal charges are generated by income/expense activities, such as the Bookstore or
Print and Mail.
• A correcting journal does not need the IC in the journal class field on the header tab. Removing
the IC from the journal class field cannot be done centrally. PeopleSoft will assign the ID of the
person performing the edits to the journal.

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If frequent corrections are being made, ask why. Consider whether the origin of the transactions
needs updating:
• Do the PurCard default chartstrings need to be updated?
o PeopleSoft query: UV_INTERIM_PURCARD_QRY –Purcard in Jrnls-Interim Qry
o Purcard Reallocation User Guide (PDF)
• Do traveler’s default chartstrings need to be updated?
o PeopleSoft query: UV_EXPENSE_PROFILE_BY_DEPT1 – Look up exp profiles by dept.
• Does a requester’s default chartstring need to be updated?
• The Close Out Report (PDF) is a good way to verify traveler (section 12B) and PurCard (section
12A) defaults.

Combination Editing Rules for Chartstrings

There are certain chartfields that work in combination. These rules are called “combination edit” or
“combo edit” rules in PeopleSoft. For more information about which chartfields work together, see
the Chart of Accounts User Guide (PDF).

Internal Charges Accounts

The revenue and expense accounts for internal charges must be used in pairs.
• Revenue accounts 452XX-Product Sales Internal Charges or 48XXX-Internal Income are used
with Expense accounts 8XXXX-Internal Charge Expense.
o A journal with a 452XX IC revenue account and an 6XXXX true expense account will not
be processed.
o A journal with a 451XX true revenue account with an 8XXXX IC expense account will not
be processed.

Donations, Sponsorships, etc.

• Account 64011-Bookstore Donations is for use only by the Bookstore when making a donation to
other University activities.
• When two chartstrings are both in fund 100, enter a budget transfer instead of a journal entry to
complete the transaction.
• If the donating chartstring is a gift or endowment (funds 310, 311, 320, or 321), a true expense
needs to be moved to the gift or endowment (i.e. 6XXXX or 8XXXX).
o The UVM Foundation will not reimburse fund transfers processed against fund 311
Foundation Gift and fund 321 Foundation Endowment income.

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o A fund balance transfer cannot be processed on an endowment income fund 320 or

endowment principal fund 400.
• In cases where the chartstrings are between two different funds (except as noted above), a fund
transfer is more appropriate than a journal entry.
o The credit line should use account 49900 with function 994.
o The expense line should use account 81900.

Chartfield Value Lists

There are two ways to access a list of available chartfield values.

Chartfield Queries
For the most current list of chartfield values and their descriptions, run the relevant query for the
chartfield of interest. Navigate to Main Menu > Reporting Tools > Query > Query Viewer and search
for one of the following:

UV_GL_DEPARTMENT_LIST
UV_GL_FUNCTION_LIST
UV_GL_FUND_LIST
UV_GL_OPER_UNIT_LIST
UV_GL_ACCOUNT_LIST
UV_GL_PROJECT_LIST
UV_GL_PROPERTY_LIST
UV_GL_PURPOSE_LIST
UV_GL_SOURCE_LIST
UV_GL_PROGRAM_LIST

Chartfield Spreadsheets
Excel spreadsheets listing each of the valid chartfield values are updated annually in July and posted on
the FRAS webpage.

Fund Balancing – what it is and why it is affecting the journal

The system will automatically produce fund-balancing entries that will be non-editable and appear
at the bottom of the journal when it is edited. The fund-balancing entries are necessary to ensure
that the University can create balance sheets by fund. These entries will automatically be created
whenever the journal shows credits and debits to different funds. The fund that is credited will
have a debit asset-balancing entry and the fund that is debited will have a credit asset-balancing
entry.

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The debits and credits for these lines will be added to the total debits and credits seen on the
journal. In order to see the totals without the fund-balancing debits and credits, print the journal,
which will show the totals without the fund-balancing entries.

Understanding External Journal Sources

Some journals come into PeopleSoft from external systems. The transactions are created in other
systems and imported into PeopleSoft. If the journal source of a journal starts with X, that means
the journal has come from another system outside of PeopleSoft. The journal source can be seen
on the journal header page.
Example: Work order charges are generated in the FAMIS Work Order system and brought into
PeopleSoft as journal entries. Often, the system that originated the transactions contains the detail
behind the transactions. In order to find out more about a transaction from one of these systems,
contact the person responsible for that system. PeopleSoft can only display the information that is
sent from the source system. If PeopleSoft does not contain the information that is needed,
contact the unit in question.
Journal Source Description Contact
XAC Animal Care Billing John Lovelette
See the Animal Care website for detailed 656-2206
information about how to gain more Business Manager, Animal Care
information about the charges. Management
XBK UVM Bookstore charges Phil Geraghty
Generated by Nebraska Books System 656-3379
TechStore Supervisor, UVM Bookstore
XBN BANNER – Transactions from the Student Joan Solomon
Financial system 656-0884
Business Manager, Student Financial
Svcs
XCS Generated by FAMIS Business Manager, Custodial Services
XDA UVM Foundation automated gift deposits. Mark Metivier
656-8401
Assistant Vice President and Controller,
UVMF
XEC Student Loan Servicing Joan Solomon
656-0884
Business Manager, Student Financial
Svcs
XES University Event Services Transactions Aide Ramirez-Shepard
656-0563
Business Manager, University Event Svcs
XFA Generated by FAMIS Karen Lemire or Mary Cannizzaro-
Barton
656-2083 or 656-1078
Physical Plant

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Journal Source Description Contact

XFD Endowment-related accounting entries Patty Dubie
uploaded from the FundDriver software 656-1335
system. Fin Rptng & Acct Svcs
XKP CompTimeErn-Police generated by Kronos Anne Martin
656-1037
Business Manager, Transportation &
Parking Admn
XKT CompTimeErn-TrnsParking generated by Anne Martin
Kronos 656-1037
Business Manager, Transportation &
Parking Admn
XMA Medical Admissions deposits Tiffany Delaney
656-2267
Student/Acad Srvs Mgr., College of
Medicine Admissions
XMI Microscopy Imaging Center charges Dawn Richardson
656-0617
Business Manager, Pathology
XMP Medical Photo charges. Raj Chawla
656-2254
Medical Photography
XSF Environmental Safety Facility Billings Francis Churchill
generated by Chemical System 656-5400
Sr. Asst Dir for Safety & Health
XTC Telecom monthly telephone and network Delia Tardella
charges 656-7898
Telecomm & Network Services
XTP Generated by Parking System Anne Martin
656-1037
Business Manager, Transportation &
Parking

Accounting Cheat Sheet

This table provides guidance on which sign (+ or –) to use for basic journal entry in PeopleSoft.

General
Account Type Used on Journal Action
Ledger Journal
+ Expense (6) or IC (8) Debit (+) expense to increase expense
– Expense (these begin with 6) Credit (–) expense to decrease expense
+ Revenue (these begin with 4) Debit (+) revenue to decrease revenue
– Revenue (these begin with 4) Credit (–) revenue to increase revenue

+ Assets (these begin with 1) Debit (+) asset to increase asset

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– Assets (these begin with 1) Credit (–) asset to decrease asset

Credit (–) increases liability. (Liability is

– Liability (these begin with 2) what UVM owes to an external
vendor/contractor.)

If doing a new journal entry to correct the signs entered backwards the first time around, simply
flip the signs as they appeared in the original entry, and double the amounts posted.

Commitment
Control
Account Type Used on Transfer Action
Budget
Transfer

+ Budget Only or Expense Account Debit (+) to increase budget

– Budget Only or Expense Account Credit (–) to decrease budget

Journal Errors

Invalid Field Value Errors

If an invalid chartfield is entered, the field will turn red and the system will require the value to be
changed. Select a valid value from the list.

Journal Edit Errors

The journal edit process checks for various types of errors. To see only the lines in error, check the
Errors Only checkbox in the top row of the Lines tab.

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Debits and Credits Not Equal

The journal edit process makes sure that the journal’s debits and credits are balanced. If they are
not, the Errors tab will display this message:

Chartfield Combination Errors

The journal edit process will check for adherence to chartfield combination (combo edit) rules. (See
Budget Checking Errors section in the Chart of Accounts User Guide (PDF) for more information.)
A blue X will appear next to the line in error.

Click the X to go to the Errors tab and see the errors.

Although not always included in a combo edit, the only chartfields that should be left blank are the
ones related to projects (Project, Activity, and Analysis Type). All others should have a valid value or
zeros.
Account-Function combination: The message below indicates that the combination of the account
and function chartfields is inappropriate. For example, the use of an expense function with a
revenue account would cause this. For revenue accounts, the function must be a revenue, agency,
or recharge function.

Expense transactions require the account, department, function (expense or non-IPEDs functions
only), fund, operating unit, program, property, purpose, and source chartfields.

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Revenue transactions require the account, department, function (revenue, agency, or recharge
only), fund, operating unit, program, purpose, and source chartfields.

Balance sheet transactions require the account, department, fund, operating unit and source
chartfields. For balance sheet transactions, the function chartfield must be 000. The error below
means that a function other than 000 has been used on a balance sheet account.

Budget Checking Errors

If there is an “E” in the Budget Status field on the bottom of the journal lines page, it means that
there are budget checking errors. The budget errors will need to be resolved before the journal
entry can be posted.

To view the budget checking errors, click the E under Budget Status. This will open a new window
where the errors can be reviewed.

Click the Budget Chartfields tab to see the line(s) with an error. Then click the Expand button to
expand the section to see all chartfield values. There may be multiple journal lines that are in error.
This is because the system is performing checks at various levels and will repeat the message.
The type of error generated will depend on the fund being used in the chartstring:
A “no budget exists” error means that a budget for that chartstring is required but does
not yet exist. A budget needs to be created for that chartstring to be used in a
transaction.

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An “exceeds budget tolerance” error means that the transaction exceeds the
established budget for that chartstring (applicable for funds that are on control and do
not allow spending over budget).
A “Date out of bounds” error means that the transaction date exceeds the project
start/end date.

The chartstring causing the issue can then be viewed.

Clicking the magnifying glass will open a page that shows the details of the line causing the error.
Click OK to go back to the lines page. When done reviewing errors, close this browser window and
return to the window with the original journal entry, or click the link next to the journal ID on this
page to return to the original journal.

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Shortcuts & Tips

Accounting Tags
Accounting Tags allow users to assign a set of chartfield values to a specific name and to add them
to a journal or budget transfer with one click. See the Accounting Tag Guide (PDF) for more
information on how to create and manage accounting tags.

Spreadsheet Upload Process

In order to do a spreadsheet journal upload (a batch process for loading Excel spreadsheets into
journals), review instructions in the Spreadsheet Journal Upload Process User Guide (PDF).

Save Search Criteria

When frequently searching for journals using the same criteria, save this criteria to make the
search more efficient. This saved search feature can be used anywhere in PeopleSoft where Save
Search Criteria is seen. Saved searches can also be deleted or edited.
1. Enter search criteria.

2. Click the Save Search Criteria link. On the Save Search As page, enter a name for the search and
click Save.

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3. A message like the one below will appear. Click Return to Advanced Search.

4. When searching for journals, the Use Saved Search box will appear and select the saved search.
Selecting it automatically searches for the journals. There is no need to press the Search
button.

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5. To edit an existing saved search, select a saved search, modify the criteria, click Save Search
Criteria, and keep the same name.

View More than 10 Lines at Once; Scroll through Lines

The journal lines page only shows 10 lines at once by default. This is to enhance page performance
since drawing hundreds of lines on the page is slower than drawing only 10.

To see more than 10 lines at once:

Change the number from “10” to the number of lines desired to be seen, and press Enter or the
button to the right of the Line box to retrieve that number of lines.
To scroll through 10 lines at a time:
Press the double down-arrow or double up-arrow buttons to the right or left of the Line box at the
top of the page.
To go to the first or last set of lines:
Press the single down-arrow or single up-arrow buttons to the left or right of the Line box.

Using the Search Feature

Use the Search Criteria link on the Journal Lines tab to search for a particular chartfield value on a
journal line, to find lines using a particular set of chartfields, or to go to a journal line (which can be
useful on a particularly large journal). Fill in the chartfields and click OK.

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Using Change Values to Replace All Values

Use the Change Values link on the Journal Lines tab to replace all instances of one chartfield with
another or to replace a blank chartfield with a value. For instance, to fill in all blank property value
lines with 0000, set up the page as below and click OK. Make sure to check the Selected checkbox
for lines that are to be changed.

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Customize the order that fields appear on the Journal page

Use the Personalize link to change the column order, hide fields, or sort the data.
NOTE: Columns that are frozen always appear at the right side of the tab; this works similarly to the
Freeze Panes feature in Excel. Unfreezing a column allows more chartfields to be visible at once on
the line.

Find Data on a Page

Use the Find link to find a value in the page. After the value is entered, the cursor will move to the
field where the value first appears.

Download Data in a Grid

Data can be downloaded from any page in PeopleSoft where the spreadsheet icon is displayed.
Click the spreadsheet icon to download the data to Excel. For more information on downloading
data to Excel, see Running Reports and Queries in PeopleSoft (PDF).

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Open Spreadsheets in the Full Version of Excel, Not Web Excel

See Browser Tips for PeopleSoft (PDF) to learn how to make the Excel downloads open the full
version of Excel rather than the web version on computers using Windows versions earlier than
Windows 7.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is able to create Journal Entries?

Any individual whose job requires them to create journal entries may be granted a journal entry
role.

What if I do not have access to create a journal entry?

If there is an infrequent need to create a journal entry, ask the departmental business manager to
create the entry. Otherwise, the business manager should submit a request to grant the user the
journal entry role by submitting a Footprint. The ticket should include the user’s UVM netID and
roles needed.

Where can I find an explanation of the various ledgers available?

See the appendix of the Commitment Control Reporting User Guide (PDF) under “Choosing the
Correct Ledger Group.”

When do I use “Internal Charge” for the journal class?

The Internal Charge journal classification is used when processing interdepartmental billing journals
(where an income/expense activity bills another department). It is only appropriate to use this
classification when the revenue account falls between the ranges of 45201 to 45220, or 48001 to
48999.

When do I use “Other” for the journal class?

When creating a journal entry that is not an Internal Charge, use the journal classification “other"
or leave it blank.

What is the account number and how do I find the correct one?
The Account number (chartfield value) represents the expense type (in the case of expenditures) or
the revenue type (in the case of revenue).
There are two main ways to find the correct account number: (1) look it up while working on a
journal in PeopleSoft by clicking the magnifying glass icon, or (2) look it up in the chartfield values
spreadsheets.

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If searching for an account number within PeopleSoft, follow these general instructions:
1. Typically, when an account number is needed, there will be a search icon (magnifying glass)
beside the account field. Click the search icon to bring up a search page.
2. Narrow the search by typing the appropriate number in the Account begins with box. (For
revenue, type “4”; for expenses related to salary or benefits, type “5”; for operating expenses,
type “6”, “7”, or “8”.)
3. In the upper header row of the Search Results table, click View All to see every account in the
category being searched.
4. In the lower header row, click on the word Description to sort the results alphabetically.
Choose an appropriate account from the list by clicking on the hyperlinked account number.
5. If unsure which correct account to use, contact the Dean’s Office, a business manager, or email
Financial Reporting and Accounting Services.

How do I resolve a “no budget exists” error?

First, review the chartstring and make sure it is correct.
If using a grant project (fund 300), call Sponsored Projects Administration. If using a UVM
Foundation gift or endowment chartstring (funds 311, 321, or 371), call the UVM Foundation. If
using fund 100, call Financial Analysis & Budgeting (FAB). If using any other fund chartstring, email
General Accounting.

Why can’t I print my journal entries?

When printing a journal, PeopleSoft creates a .pdf document that can be printed. In order to print
the document, use the Process Monitor. The Process Monitor will not open if the browser is set to
block pop-up windows. See the Browser Tips User Guide (PDF) for how to allow pop-ups for
uvm.edu. If allowing pop-ups from uvm.edu still does not allow for printing a journal using the
process monitor, submit a Footprint and explain the problem.
Depending on the browser settings, a full cache can prevent a journal from being printed. Try
deleting the browser cache. If that does not work, try printing the journal from another computer.
For help with computer settings, locate the appropriate IT support person and/or call the UVM
Computing helpline at 656-0800.

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Resources

Help/Footprints
If you have questions about information in this document, or, if after reading it, you cannot find the
information you need, please submit a PeopleSoft help desk ticket in Footprints.

Training
• UFS Roadshow Training Topics (PDF)
• Professional Development & Training

Relevant UVM Departments

• Financial Analysis & Budgeting
• Financial Reporting and Accounting Services
• Sponsored Project Administration

Related Policies
• Cost Transfers Involving Sponsored Agreements UOP
• Payroll Cost Transfer Request Justification Form (PDF)
• Non-Payroll Cost Transfer Request Form (PDF)

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