Customer Journals |
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Customer Journals
Go to: Customer > Customer Journals
The Customer Journals module contains two main functions:
•New Payment Received — Records customer payments directly into a bank account, including consolidated payments covering multiple customers or invoices.
•New Journal — Records manual adjustments to customer accounts, opening balances, and other customer journal transactions.
New Payment Received (Menu Bar)
Go to: Customer > Customer Journals > New Payment Received
Use this function to record payments received from customers directly into a bank account.
Important: Preferred Method for Recording Customer Payments
The recommended method for recording ordinary customer payments is: Go to: Customer > Receive Payment.
Use Customer Journals > New Payment Received when you need specialised functionality, such as consolidating multiple customer allocations into a single General Ledger bank entry.
When to use New Payment Received in Customer Journals
Use this function when:
•You receive one combined bank payment covering invoices belonging to multiple customers.
•You need one bank entry in the General Ledger for a consolidated payment.
•You need to allocate a single payment across multiple customers or invoices
•You need to maintain separate customer accounts and statements for the individual customers included in the payment. (not possible with the Paid By option).
Example: Consolidated Payment from Government Agencies
Several government agencies purchase goods from your business. Each agency has its own customer account and invoices, but the Provincial Treasury makes one combined payment covering all the agencies.
You want to allocate the payment to the correct invoices while recording only one bank debit entry in the General Ledger.
To achieve this, use Consolidate All (customer Journal >Extra > Consolidate All) when processing the payment.
How Consolidate All Works
•Smart-IT creates one consolidated bank entry in the General Ledger for the combined payment.
•Each customer’s account is updated individually
•The payment is allocated to the relevant customer invoices.
•Individual customer statements remain available.
This differs from using the Paid By option, which does not provide the same ability to print separate statements for each agency or customer.
New Customer Journal
Go to: Customer > Customer Journals > New Journal
Use New Journal to record manual transactions and adjustments directly to customer accounts.
Common uses include:
•Opening balances: Capture customer balances when setting up Smart-IT or introducing customer accounts.
•Manual adjustments: Record debit or credit adjustments that are not linked to ordinary invoices or credit notes.
•Account corrections: Correct errors in customer account balances where a journal adjustment is appropriate.
•Customer refunds: Record customer refunds using the appropriate debit entry and refund account.
Image of a Customer Journal.
Important Fields and Buttons on the Customer Journal Form(See screenshot above for visual reference)
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Post |
Posts the customer journal batch to the General Ledger and applies the relevant accounting entries. |
Save |
Saves the journal batch without posting it. Use Save when you want to retain the batch for further editing or review before posting.
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Delete Journal Batch |
Deletes the current journal batch.
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Check for Errors |
Validates entries before posting.
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Reverse |
Reverse FunctionReopens a previously posted journal batch so that corrections or deletions can be made, subject to the applicable Smart-IT rules and permissions.
Security Control: Access to the Reverse function can be restricted through the relevant security settings.
Notes •Use Reverse only when a batch needs to be corrected or removed. •Ensure appropriate permissions are granted before attempting this action.
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Import |
ImportImports customer journal entries from an Excel file.
Go to: Customer Journal > Extra > Import
To import a customer journal:
1. Select the Excel file containing the journal entries. 2. Match the Excel columns to the corresponding fields in Smart-IT. 3. Click Import
Ensure that the Excel file contains the required information and that the columns are mapped to the correct Smart-IT fields.
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Prints the customer journal.
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Print On Post |
When enabled, Smart-IT automatically prints the journal when the batch is posted.
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Discount Amount Column |
The Discount column allows you to record a discount separately from the credit amount entered on a customer journal.
A credit amount reduces the customer's outstanding balance. A credit entered in the Discount column also reduces the customer's balance, while the two amounts are posted separately to the General Ledger.
Example: Credit amount - R800 Discount Amount - R200 Total Reduction in customer balance - R1000
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How to Process a Customer Refund
A customer refund may be required when a customer has paid a deposit or has a credit balance that must be repaid.
Refunds may be paid by EFT, petty cash, or another appropriate payment method.
Steps to Record Refund a Customer
1.Open Customer > Customer Journals > New Journal.
2.Select the customer from the customer list.
3.Select the appropriate refund account, such as Bank, Petty Cash, or Safe.
4.Enter the refund amount in the Debit column.
5.Post the transaction.
See also
•Corrections: Refer to the Corrections guide for handling errors.
•Customer Receipts: See the Customer Receipts guide for detailed payment processing.
