Journal Entries

Journal Entries

Journal entries record adjustments, accruals, and corrections in your books. Alignmint keeps debits and credits balanced on every posted entry so your reports stay trustworthy for boards and auditors.

What You Can Do

• Create manual entries with multiple lines, memos, and attachments
• Save drafts while you gather support, then post when ready
• Void posted entries with an automatic reversing entry for the audit trail
• Review automatic entries created from donations, bills, and payroll imports

How balanced entries work

Every transaction affects at least two accounts. Total debits must equal total credits. For example:

• Receiving a donation: Debit Cash (increase asset), Credit Contribution Revenue (increase revenue)

• Paying a bill: Debit Expense (increase expense), Credit Cash (decrease asset)

• Recording a pledge: Debit Pledges Receivable (increase asset), Credit Contribution Revenue (increase revenue)

Creating a Journal Entry

1. Navigate to Accounting → Journal Entries
2. Click "New Entry"
3. Enter the transaction date
4. Add a description/memo explaining the transaction
5. Add line items with accounts, debits, and credits
6. Assign to a fund if tracking restricted funds
7. Attach supporting documents (receipts, invoices)
8. Save as Draft or Post immediately

Entry Status

• Draft: Saved but not posted. Can be freely edited or deleted. Does not affect reports.

• Posted: Finalized and reflected in all reports. Cannot be edited - must be voided and re-entered if corrections needed.

• Voided: Reversed with an automatic correcting entry. Original entry preserved for audit trail.

Automatic Journal Entries

Alignmint automatically creates journal entries for:

• Donations recorded through the Donor Hub
• Online donations
• Expenses entered through the Expense Manager
• Reimbursements processed
• Bank transactions imported automatically

Recurring Entries

Set up recurring journal entries for transactions that repeat:

• Monthly rent or lease payments
• Depreciation entries
• Accruals and deferrals
• Regular allocations between funds

Searching and Filtering

Find entries quickly using:

• Date range filters
• Account filters
• Amount range
• Status (Draft, Posted, Voided)
• Full-text search on descriptions

Audit Trail

Every journal entry maintains a complete audit trail showing:

• Who created the entry and when
• Who posted or voided the entry
• All attached documents
• Related transactions (if voided, link to reversing entry)