Checks

Use the Checks window to enter bank, cash, or credit card account activity reported to you by the client. Imported check transactions can be viewed or edited here. This window is NOT intended to be used to enter checks to be printed. Activities>Quick Check is designed for payroll check writing and for recording daily bank account activity. 

Select Write Up>Checks.

Bank Account—Select the bank account that checks will be entered to. Checking type accounts will always open in the drop-down list. Depending on the Options selected, Cash, Credit Cards Payable, and/or Accounts Payable type accounts may also be available for selection depending on the settings in Options. 

Balance—The balance in the selected bank account.

Check Type—Select the type of transaction from the list.

• Deposit to record a deposit.

• General to record a general check.

• Payroll (ATF) to record a payroll check that the client has already written. Live payroll checks are written using Activities>Quick Check.

• Withdrawal to record a deduction that is not a check.

Number—Enter the check number.

Date—Enter the date the client wrote the check. If you enter the date as mmddyy it will be converted to mm/dd/yyyy. If you enter the date as mmdd it will be converted to mm/dd/yyyy with the year being the year of the client current accounting period. If you enter the date as dd it will be converted to mm/dd/yyyy using the month and year of the client current accounting period.

Pay to the order of—Select the payee from the drop-down list, or start typing characters until the correct payee opens and then press Enter or Tab or to accept. If entering a payee that does not have a record in the Company Contacts, a dialog box may open to ask if you want to add the contact (This will depend on the Option selected for Ask Before Adding New Contacts). Click Yes to add a new contact record for the payee. Depending on the option selected for Edit New Contact, other information can be completed for the contact. Clicking No will remove the payee's name from the Pay to the order of field. It is not possible to enter a check with a Pay to the order of name that is not a contact.

Val Code—This field is active, depending on the setting selected for Validate Contact. Validation codes are used to verify that the proper vendor has been selected when recording a check. This can be helpful when the client has several vendors with similar names, in which case, it helps prevent a check being recorded to the wrong vendor. Set up the validation code in the Val Code field on the Contact Vendor Tab.

Unlabeled box—The box under the Date field is the total of the check and functions differently depending on the Validate Amount option.

Memo—Enter a description for the transaction. This description will print in the general ledger reports for all accounts associated with this transaction.

Disbursement area—This is the grid in the lower portion of the window. It is used to post the check to one or more GL accounts. Columns can also be hidden from view and rearranged using Column Configuration.

Account—Enter the desired Account Lookup or select from the drop-down list. You may not select the account which is selected in the Bank Account field at the top of the window.

Description—The account name is displayed in this field and cannot be changed.

Reference—An invoice or PO number may be entered here if desired.

Amount—Enter the amount to be posted to the selected account. If the Check Type is General Check or Withdrawal, a positive amount will be posted as a debit. If the Check Type is Deposit a positive amount will be posted as a credit. If the Check Type is Payroll(ATF) the Payroll Item Type will determine whether the amount will post as a debit or credit.

Qty—Enter the quantity associated with the amount in this line.  The Track Qty box in Setup>Accounts must be checked on the account this line is posting to.

Memo—Enter a description for this amount. This description will print in the general ledger reports only for the account this line is posting to.

Deposit (Memo)—The amount entered in this field will only affect the Balance(Memo) field in Activities>View Check Register and some check register reports. This field is used to reconcile the client's checkbook balance to the reconciled account balance.

Dist—Enter the Distribution Lookup defined on the Distributions tab. The program will create entries for the selected client. When that company file is opened entries can be automatically posted to the correct expense and inter-company transfer accounts. Click here for detailed instructions regarding distributions.

New—Saves the current check and clears the window for the next check entry.

Cancel—Opens a dialog box asking the user to save the check or cancel any changes.

Check Total—Displays the calculated total of the check.

Checks Options

Click the  icon on the Data Bar or select Edit>Commands>Screen Options. 

Check Client Tab—The Check Client tab contains options for the user that apply only to the particular client that is open.

Check System Tab—The Check System tab contains options for the user that apply to all clients.

Default Move (System)

• Default—The window will always open for a new transaction.
• First—The window will always open to the first transaction for the period covered (see Options>View Period) in numeric order.
• Last—The window will always open to the last transaction for the period covered (see Options> View Period) in numeric order.
• New—The window will always open for a new transaction.

Always Ask Before Saving (System)

• Yes—A dialog box will open with the options Yes, No, or Cancel every time before advancing to enter a new check.
• No—The check will be saved automatically when advancing to enter a new check.

Ask Before Adding Contacts (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—When a name is entered in the Contact field that does not match the Lookup for any contact in the Contact Manager, a dialog box is presented asking if you want to add the contact. If you click No, the name in the Contact field will be cleared.
• No—When a name is entered in the Contact field that does not match the Lookup for any contact in the Contact Manager, the program creates a new contact for the name automatically, without asking.
  
  Exception: If the user does not have User Permission to access the Contact Manager, the new contact will not be added.
  

Edit New Contacts (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Opens the Company Contacts window so information in addition to the Lookup and Display Name can be filled out for the new contact.
• No—The Company Contacts window will not be opened when a new contact is created.
  
  Exception: When the user does not have permission to access Company Contacts, the window will not open and the check cannot be issued to a payee that is not a current contact. 

View Period (Both)

The option selected controls what checks will be displayed in the List button, as well as the checks that can be accessed in the window when scrolling through the checks using the Data Bar commands.

• Accounting Year to Date—Includes all checks for the current accounting year.
• All—All checks.
• Current Accounting Period—Includes all checks within the current accounting period.
• Last 30 days—Includes all checks with dates within 30 days up to the current date.
• Last 60 days—Includes all checks with dates within 60 days up to the current date.
• Last 90 days—Includes all checks with dates within 90 days up to the current date.
• Last Year—Includes all checks with dates within the last calendar year.
• Year to Date—Includes all checks with dates within the current calendar year. 

Automatic New Entry (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Automatically creates a new transaction when a row is entered but an account is not entered or selected.
• No—Continues to create new record rows even if no data is entered on a row.

View By Bank Account (Client)

• Yes—When set to Yes, only checks written on the bank account selected at the top of the window will be shown in the List or in the window when scrolling through the checks using the icons on the Data bar.
• No—When set to No, all checks written on any bank account will be shown in the List or in the window when scrolling through the checks using the icons on the Data bar. When scrolling, the Bank account will change to the account that the check was written on. 

Validate Amount (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• ATF Only—When set to AFT Only, the program uses the Validate Amount only for After-the-Fact checks.
• Yes—When set to Yes, the total of the check must be entered in the box to the right of the Pay to the order of field, and the total of all rows in the disbursement (grid) area must equal the amount entered in this box for the check to be saved.
• No—When set to No, the box to the right of the Pay to the order of field is not accessible to the user and will display the calculated total of the check.
• Splits—When set to Splits, the program uses the Validate Amount only when the check is distributed to more than one account.

Validate Contact (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—When set to Yes, the contact for the check in the Pay to the order of field is verified by the matching Val Code that is recorded for the contact in Company Contacts.
• No—When set to No, the Val Code field is not accessible to the user. 

Skip Contact (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Causes the cursor to skip over the Contact field when pressing Enter or Tab to move through the window. The Contact field can still be accessed with the mouse.
• No—Causes the cursor to stop in the Contact field when pressing Enter or Tab to move through the window.

Skip Date (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Causes the cursor to skip over the Date field when pressing Enter or Tab to move through the window. The Date field can still be accessed with the mouse.
• No—Causes the cursor to stop in the Date field when pressing Enter or Tab to move through the window.

Skip Memo (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Causes the cursor to skip over the Memo field when pressing Enter or Tab to move through the window. The Memo field can still be accessed with the mouse.
• No—Causes the cursor to stop in the Memo field when pressing Enter or Tab to move through the window.

Auto Increment Number (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Starts the next check with a Number that is one higher than the last check recorded. The Number can be overwritten when breaks in numbering occur.
• No—Starts the next check with a blank Number field.

Remember Date (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Defaults to the date of the last check written.
• No—Defaults to the last day of the current period. 

Default Checking Account (Client) 

Select the account to be selected in the Bank Account field when the Check window opens.

• [Account#]—When a specific account is selected from a list of Checking type accounts, the window will always open with that specific account selected at the Bank Account.
• Last—When Last is selected, the window will always open to the Bank Account that was used last.
• Use Select Account Window—A dialog box will open with a list of available accounts when the Checks window is opened. Select the desired account and click OK to enter checks. 

Fed ATF Tax Mode - After-the-fact payroll only (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• As Entered—The system will save ATF payroll checks as entered without checking or correcting Social Security or Medicare withholding taxes.
• Prompt—The system will compare Social Security and Medicare Withholding taxes entered to what should have been withheld. If there is a discrepancy, a window will open and show what should have been withheld. The check may be saved as entered or edited.
• Auto Correct—The system will adjust the Social Security and Medicare to the correct amounts, if necessary, and will adjust any discrepancy through Federal Withholding. 

State ATF Tax Mode - After-the-fact payroll only (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• As Entered—The system will save ATF payroll checks as entered without checking or correcting state unemployment or disability withholding taxes.
• Prompt—The system will compare state unemployment or disability withholding taxes entered to what should have been withheld. If there is a discrepancy, a window will pop up and show what should have been withheld. The check may be saved as entered or edited.
• Auto Correct—The system will adjust the state unemployment or disability withholding to the correct amounts, if necessary, and will adjust any discrepancy through state withholding tax.

Warn when date not in period (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—A dialog box will open to warn you if a check is being saved with a date that is not consistent with the period.
• No—Does not present a date warning.

Enter Time Mode (Client)

Enter hours in the Time field if the employees' time is in hours and minutes or minutes rather than hours and fractions of hours. The Qty field will automatically show the hours in fractions of hours based on the Time entered.

• Hours And Minutes—Enter the minutes following a decimal, such as 1.24, where 1 is the number of hours and 24 is the number of minutes. The Qty used for the calculation will be 1.4.
• Minutes—Enter total minutes. Enter 144 minutes and the Qty will be 1.4 hours.

Warn Duplicate Check (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—A dialog box will open to warn you if a check is being saved with a number that has already been used in the current account.
• No—Does not present a warning.

Include Cash Type Account (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Includes accounts with Type of Cash in the Bank Account Selection list.
• No—Does not include accounts with Type of Cash in the Bank Account Selection list.

Include Accounts Payable Type Account (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Includes accounts with Type of Accounts Payable in the Bank Account Selection list.
• No—Does not include accounts with Type of Accounts Payable in the Bank Account Selection list.

Include Credit Cards Payable Type Account (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Includes accounts with Type of Credit Cards Payable in the Bank Account Selection list.
• No—Does not include accounts with Type of Credit Card Payable in the Bank Account Selection list.

Show Account Hash Total (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Shows the total amount of all account codes checks were posted to in the current accounting period.
• No—Does not show Account Hash Total.

Show Check Hash Total (Both)

• Default—Uses the setting on the System tab.
• Yes—Shows the total amount of all checks entered in the current accounting period.
• No—Does not show total amount of all checks entered.

Distributions Tab

Distributions are used when a client owns more than one company, with each company being a separate file, when the client writes checks for expenses from one company's checkbook for expenses belonging to the other companies.

To Set Up Distributions

1. Open the company that the checks are written from and select Write Up>Checks.
2. Click on the Options icon.
3. Click on the Distribution tab.
4. Create a Lookup to identify the company that the expenses belong to.
5. Select the Company that expenses are to be distributed to from the drop-down list.
   
6. Select the Account that will be used for the intercompany transfer. Repeat this for each company that will be receiving distributions.
7. Click OK to save the settings.
8. Close the Write Up>Check window and reopen it before writing any distributed checks.
   
   

To Enter Checks Using Distributions

When checks are entered, select or enter the expense account for the other company in the Account field and enter the Lookup for the other company in the Dist field. The checking account for the company the check is entered in will be credited with the amount and the intercompany transfer account that has been identified on the Distribution tab will be debited. As soon as the first Distribution record is entered, a flag is set in the receiving company indicating that the distribution has been made.

The Distribution column is hidden by default. Change the Column Configuration to display it. Enter all checks for the company with the checkbook, making distributions as needed to other companies for the entire period.

When processing for the period is complete, close the company file and open the first company for which distributions have been made. A dialog box will immediately open showing that distributions are ready to be imported. This dialog box will have information as to which period the checks were recorded in and which period the receiving company is currently in which is the period where the distribution will be recorded.

IMPORTANT: When the dialog box opens, it is likely that the period indicated on the Status line is not for the newly-opened company. Pay close attention to the information on the Distributions dialog box. If the company being opened is not in the correct period, then cancel the action by clicking No. Close into the proper period, then close the company file, then reopen.

Look at the example in the screenshot above. Assuming that both companies are calendar year companies with the same period type (Monthly, etc.), the receiving company is still in February while the distributing company is in March. This being the case, the following steps should be taken:

1. Click No.
2. Close the receiving company into Period 3.
3. Close the receiving company and then reopen. The dialog box shown in the following screenshot should open.
   
   
   
4. Click Yes.
   
   
   
5. Select the desired method of importing.
   • Summarized—All Distribution items will be made in a single transaction with an individual record for each expense item and one total credit to the intercompany transfer account.
   • Individual Transactions—An individual transaction will be made corresponding to each check that was made in the source company with a debit to the expense item and a credit to the intercompany transfer and the page number will be the same as the check number of the original check.

When subsequent distributions are made for a period (i.e. all the distributions were made for the period and then another check which needed to be distributed was entered) any previous distribution transaction for the period will be automatically deleted and a new transaction will be made depending on the current setting (Summarized or Individual Transactions) for the entire period.

Missing accounts—The same Account Code for the intercompany transfer account must exist in both the distributing and receiving companies. If the same Account Code does not exist, a dialog box will open asking for corrections to be made before the distribution can be completed. Any expense accounts that are not existing in the receiving company will automatically be created during the import as will any missing contacts.