Definition
A journal entry (also known as a GL entry in Anglo-Saxon accounting systems) is the lowest-level accounting record of a business transaction.It always contains at least two lines and must balance: the total debits equal the total credits.
This principle is universal across all accounting models and forms the foundation of (double-entry) bookkeeping.
Purpose
- Serves as the base unit of accounting: every transaction ultimately results in one or more journal entries.
- Provides full flexibility: any transaction can be recorded here, from simple payments to complex adjustments.
- While journal entries can always be used, the API also exposes specialized entry endpoints (e.g. Financial Entries, Sales/Purchase Entries) that simplify common use cases by exposing only the relevent fields.
Structure
Each journal entry includes:- Date of transaction
- Reference/description
- Journal identifier (the journal where the entry is recorded)
- Lines (minimum two: each line is a debit or credit on a ledger account, and all lines must balance)
- Optional links to source documents (e.g. invoice, bank statement)
Relationships
- Recorded inside a specific journal (and therefore linked to a bookyear via the journal).
- References ledger accounts through debit and credit lines.
- Can be generated automatically from higher-level abstractions such as invoices or financial entries.
- Specialized entry types (sales, purchase, financial) are simplified versions of journal entries.
Endpoints
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
| POST | Create Journal Entry | Create a journal entry |
| POST | Create a Financial Entry | Create a simplified financial entry |
| GET | Get Journal Entries | List all journal entries |
| GET | Get Journal Entries (Multiple Analytic Plans) | List journal entries with multiple analytic plans |
| GET | Get One Journal Entry | Retrieve a specific journal entry |
| POST | Match Entries | Match journal entries for reconciliation |