G/L Options Field List

This field defaults to the currency corresponding to the payroll company setup  (USD or CAD).

Account groups are used to assign each General Ledger account to a standard account category, such as current asset, revenue, cost of sales. Account groups are mainly used by the Financial Reporter's standard financial statements.

If you select the Use Account Groups option on the G/L Options window, you must assign an account group to each of your accounts, when you add the account to your ledger using the G/L Accounts window. You can create an unlimited number of your own account groups, and use one of those, or select one of the standard sample account groups that shipped with General Ledger.

The maximum character-length for account group codes is 12.

You can use this option whether or not you also use Financial Reporter's standard financial statements.

This is the account to which the Create New Year window closes all income and expense accounts that are not specifically assigned to another retained earnings account.

If you have multi-segment account numbers, you can close income and expense accounts by segments, and assign a separate retained earnings account to each segment code, using the G/L Segment Codes window.

For example, you can do year-end closing by the department segment, and assign a different retained earnings account to each department in your company. If any department lacks a retained earnings account, General Ledger uses the default account you enter on the Account tab of the G/L Options window.

If you have single-segment account numbers, you can specify particular account numbers as the closing accounts for each of the accounts in your ledger.

You can change the default closing account before or after doing year-end closing.

If you want to allow batches to be posted to previous years, select this check box.

Because you can turn this option on or off at any time, you might want to leave it off to ensure that you do not accidentally post to a prior year, such as when you enter an incorrect transaction date.

Enter, or select using the Finder, the source code you prefer to use as the default in Export G/L Batch File.

The Edit Imported Entries option determines the type of changes that you can make to batches imported from non-Sage HRMS Payroll applications.

You can allow changes to everything in the batches, limit changes to the fiscal period, fiscal year, or transaction date, or not allow any changes.

You can change your choice for this option at any time.

Use the Years Of Fiscal Sets field to specify the number of years (prior to the current year) that you want the program to save period balances and net changes for accounts.

General Ledger uses this information when you do Period End Maintenance at Year-End to decide which period information to delete. Period End Maintenance encompasses the Clear Bank History and Using Create Bank G/L Batch processes. Use these processes to delete fiscal period balances and net changes that are older than the number of years of fiscal sets.

You can keep up to 99 years of transaction detail and fiscal sets if you are using the Sage HRMS Payroll.

The number you enter in the Years Of Transaction Detail field determines how many years (prior to the current year) of posted transaction history are kept. The number of years for which you keep detail must not exceed the number in the Years Of Fiscal Sets field.

General Ledger uses this information when you do Period End Maintenance at Year-End to decide which transaction details to delete. Period End Maintenance encompasses the Clear Bank History and Using Create Bank G/L Batch processes. Use these processes to delete fiscal period balances and net changes that are older than the number of years of fiscal sets.

This column assigns a number to each segment you define. For each segment you use, you must provide a description and a length, and state whether you plan to close income and expense accounts at Year-End by this segment (for example, by department).  You can have up to 10 account segments.

Enter a name of up to 60 characters for the segment.

A segment can be from 1 to 15 characters long (excluding the delimiter characters).

General Ledger lets you close different income and expense accounts at Year-End to different retained earnings accounts.

If you have more than one account segment, the method for closing to different retained earnings accounts is as follows:

• Specify that a segment is used in closing (on the G/L Options window).
• Define the valid codes (such as department codes) for a segment, then specify the retained earnings account for each code (on the Segment Codes window).
• Specify the segment you use for closing each account in the account record (using the G/L Accounts window).

One segment of every account number is called the account segment. This segment identifies the account (such as petty cash). You enter the number that represents this segment in the Account Segment field on the Segments tab of the G/L Options window.

Every account number and account structure you add must have the account segment. For example, if you have two segments in your account numbers, one will be the account segment, and the other will typically identify a department, division, or location.

• You can define up to ten segments to be used in your General Ledger account numbers, and you can use up to 15 characters in a single segment.
• A one-segment account number has only an account segment. Single-segment income and expense accounts are closed to the default closing account specified on the Account tab of the G/L Options window.
• If your account numbers have more than one segment (such as an account segment and a department segment), you can automatically close income and expense account by segment code.
• Other account number segments can identify divisions, departments, warehouse locations, and so on.
• You can use each account number segment you define to select and sort accounts that display on reports and inquiries.
• The delimiter character is used to separate the segments of the account number during entry and display, and on reports, making it easier to read.

At any time, you can:

• Add new segments (up to the limit of ten).
• Change segment descriptions.
• Delete a segment, providing it is not used in an account structure.
• Change the length of a segment, providing it is not used in an account structure.

You can select the character that will separate the different segments of the account number.

When you enter account numbers throughout the program, you can type the delimiter characters yourself, or let General Ledger automatically insert them for you.

Valid delimiters are - / \ . *

This field identifies the account number structure used most often in your General Ledger account numbers. For example, If you have two account number segments, and most of your account numbers use both segments, you would enter the code for the account number structure that includes both segments.

The Default Structure Code you specify displays on the G/L Accounts Detail tab when you are adding new accounts, and sets the format of the account number, unless you assign a different structure.

Use the Account Structure choice on the G/L Setup window to define the account number structures you want to use with General Ledger.