---
title: "Create and Post a Multi-Company Journal Entry"
canonical: "https://kb.myframeworks.com.au/space/CO/398983178/Create%20and%20Post%20a%20Multi-Company%20Journal%20Entry"
format: markdown
---
The **Journal Entry** module allows you to create manual adjustments to the General Ledger across multiple companies. Use this procedure when you need to record transactions that span different companies within your organisation, such as inter-company transfers, allocations, or adjustments.
## Multi-Company Requirements
**User Security:** Users must be configured with access to multiple companies. Access can be set to:
- All companies (unrestricted access)
- Selected list of specific companies
User security is configured in **User Maintenance**.
**Inter-Company Loan Accounts:** When a journal includes transaction lines from different companies, Frameworks requires inter-company loan accounts to be configured. These accounts track the financial relationship between companies and ensure accurate inter-company balances.
Configure inter-company loan accounts in **Ledger Loan Accounts** before creating multi-company journals. One inter-company loan account must exist for each pair of companies that will transact with each other.
**Restrictions:**
- Inter-company accruals are not allowed. If you enable the **Accrual** checkbox on a multi-company journal, Frameworks will prevent posting.
- Standing journals cannot be posted (this applies to all journals, not just multi-company).
- All companies in the journal must use the same General Ledger year and be in compatible periods.
**Best Practices:**
- Create inter-company loan accounts before attempting multi-company journals.
- Use clear narrations that identify the purpose of inter-company transfers.
- Review inter-company loan account balances regularly to ensure they reconcile between companies.
- Consider using standing journal templates for recurring inter-company transactions.
> π ## Prerequisites
> π
> π Before creating a multi-company journal entry, ensure you have:
> π
> π - User security permission to access the General Ledger module
> π - User security configured with access to all required companies (single company, all companies, or selected list of companies).
> π - Inter-company loan accounts configured in **Ledger Loan Accounts** for transactions between companies.
> π - The General Ledger account numbers you need to debit and credit across the relevant companies.
> π - The journal date that determines which GL period the entry will post to.
> π - User security flag **Closed G/L Period** enabled if posting to a closed period (optional).
## Create the Journal Entry
1. Navigate to **General Ledger > Transaction Processing > Journal Entry**.
2. Click **New** to open the **New Journal** window.
3. In the **Narration** field, enter a brief description identifying the purpose of the journal.
4. In the **Journal Date** field, select the date that determines the GL period for posting (defaults to current date).
5. Enable the **Accrual** checkbox if Frameworks should automatically reverse the entry in the following month (inter-company accruals are not allowed).
6. Enable the **Standing Journal** checkbox if creating a template journal for recurring use (standing journals cannot be posted).
7. Enable the **Copy Narrations** checkbox if the line narrations should copy from the journal narration.
8. Click **Save** to create the draft journal and open the **Journal Entry** screen.
The **Journal** field and **Owner** field populate automatically when the journal is saved. The journal header displays the primary company for this journal.
Click **Attachments** to attach documents to the journal record.
## Add Transaction Lines
1. Click **Add** to create a transaction line.
2. In the **Company** drop-down menu, select the company for this transaction line.
3. In the **Acct. No** field, enter the GL account number or click the finder icon to search by account description.
> β
**Tip:** You can enter text in the **Acct. No** field and press the finder icon to search for accounts matching that text in the account description.
4. In the **Narration** field, enter a description for the transaction line.
5. In the **Amount** field, enter a positive number for debits or negative number for credits (exclusive of tax).
6. From the **BAS Code** drop-down menu, select a tax code (if applicable).
7. In the **Tax Amount** field, enter the tax amount for the selected tax code (if applicable).
> βΉοΈ The **Tax Amount **may be auto-calculated based on the **BAS Code **selected.
8. From the **Analysis** drop-down menu, select an analysis code (if applicable).
9. Press **Enter** to create the next transaction line.
10. Repeat steps 1-9 until all transaction lines are entered (minimum 2 lines required).
11. Verify the **Balance** at the bottom of the screen shows **$0.00**.
12. Click **Save** to save the journal with **Draft** status.
**Multi-company validation:** When transaction lines have a different **Company** value than the journal's company, Frameworks validates that an inter-company loan account exists between the companies. If an inter-company loan account is not found, the error message "*The inter-company loan account between company "n" and company "1" was not found for the posting to gl account "nnnn"*" displays and prevents saving the transaction lines.
**Company access validation:** Frameworks validates the **Company** selection against available companies for the user. If you attempt to select a company you don't have access to, an error message displays.
**Account validation:** The **Acct. No** field is validated against the selected **Company** for each transaction line. If you attempt to enter an account that doesn't exist in the selected company, an error message displays.
> β **Closed period restriction:** You will only be allowed to post to a closed period in the current GL year if the user security flag **Closed G/L Period** is enabled.
> β οΈ GST is not calculated for BAS Codes **01 - Not Reported on BAS, 02 - GST Free Purchases, 05 - Non Deductable,** and **10 - Sales GST Free**. If line totals and GST donβt match the invoice amount, youβll see: *βAllocated Amounts + GST of all lines do not match the Invoice Amount.β*
**Additional actions available:**
- Click **Remove** to delete a selected transaction line.
- Click **Delete** to delete the entire draft journal.
- Enable the **Print Journal** checkbox and select a **Printer** to print the journal when posting.
### Alternative: Import Journal Transactions from CSV
Instead of manually adding transaction lines, you can:
1. Click **Import** to open the **Journal Import** screen.
2. Select and upload your CSV file containing journal transaction lines (must include company codes).
3. Review and edit the imported transactions as needed.
4. Frameworks will validate all company selections and inter-company loan accounts during import.
5. Click **Save** to save the imported transactions.
> β
See: [https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CO/pages/30515882](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CO/pages/30515882) for more information.
## Post the Journal Entry
1. Click **Post** to post the journal to the General Ledger across all companies included in the transaction lines.
**To post a draft journal later:**
1. Navigate to **General Ledger > Transaction Processing > Journal Entry**.
2. Enter the journal number in the **Journal** field and click **Find**.
3. Click the **Journal** hyperlink to open the **Journal Entry** screen.
4. Verify all transaction details are correct and the **Balance** shows **$0.00**.
5. Click **Post** to post the journal to the General Ledger.
## Result
When you click **Post**, the journal posts to the General Ledger for all companies included in the transaction lines, and the status changes from **Draft** to **Posted**. Posted journals can still be viewed but cannot be edited or deleted.
**What happens after posting:**
- The journal transactions update the relevant General Ledger account balances in each company.
- Inter-company loan accounts automatically update to reflect transfers between companies.
- If the **Accrual** checkbox was enabled, Frameworks will automatically reverse the journal entry in the following month (note: inter-company accruals are not allowed, so this should only be used for single-company transactions within a multi-company journal).
- If the **Print Journal** checkbox was enabled and a printer was selected, the journal transaction prints.
**If the journal does not post:** Frameworks will not post the journal and it will remain in **Draft** status if:
- The **Balance** does not equal **$0.00** (debits and credits are not equal).
- Required fields are missing on any transaction line.
- Inter-company loan accounts are not configured for companies in the transaction lines.
- You attempted to create an inter-company accrual journal.
- An error message displays indicating validation issues.
You can return to the **Journal Entry** screen at any time to correct errors and post the draft journal.
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## Related Tasks
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> β
- [https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CO/pages/30507298](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CO/pages/30507298)
> β
- [https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CO/pages/30510416](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CO/pages/30510416)
> β
- [Journal Entry DashboardΒ - Field Definitions](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28385070)
> β
- [Journal Entry Maintenance - Field Definitions](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28401446)
> β
- [Configure Inter-Company Loan Accounts](https://sterlandsupport.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FRAM/pages/28404070)