Maintaining Accounts Payable

Maintenance is based in the register, brought up in a manner similar to opening bank account registers (Chapter 5.) If the buttons at the bottom do not appear, run QuickBooks in the full screen mode (Chapter 23 or 24.)

Number field shows the eleven-character reference number entered with the bill (up from seven characters in the DOS versions.) Changing this number on a bill will change it on the payment check (or checks.)

Type tells if the line is a bill, a payment, a credit or a discount.

Vendor is as listed in the list of names.

Account is the opposing account in the double entry transaction, most often an expense, but anything (except Payables) might appear.

Memo comes in with the original Payables entry for this line, and may be edited. Reports can usually be set up to show the memo field. Another memo may be attached to each opposing transaction.

Due Date is from the terms entered with the bill.

Billed is the original amount of the bill.

b accepts entry of b or * similarly to “cleared” and “reconciled” in a bank account, and b may be sensed in reporting as “cleared.”

Paid is the amount of a payment or credit.

Balance is a running balance of the payables account.

Edit button opens the selected transaction for changes. Bills or payment checks may be edited. Caution is needed when editing checks. In bank reconciliation, the prior balance comes from all cleared and reconciled items, and a change in a reconciled check will disrupt this balance.

Record button records any changes made in a selected transaction.

Restore button reverses any changes made in a transaction not yet recorded.

Deleting a transaction is done with Control-D, and some further assertion. Deletion can be subject to a warning, controlled by a Preference, either Data Entry or General.

1-Line toggles between two-line view of the register (shown) and one line per transaction, which means that you see more records, but less information about each one.

Show open balance hides any paid bills, which is convenient if you want it (and a cause of service calls from people who did not expect it.)

Go to lets you jump to another point in the register, based on various parameters. If the A/P register is running full screen, the Go-to window will also run full screen, and be in the way. When the transaction is found, the register will not be visible. Click the Restore Button (see Chapter 23 or Chapter 24.)

Opposing transaction register (when accessible) is reached with Control-G, when possible. (Some things just aren’t possible, like jumping to the other end of an expense transaction.)