Deferred revenue 2: Review and post the journal

Each month, review the suggested deferred revenue journal, download the detail behind it, and post it to Xero or QuickBooks.

Revenue journals · Deferred revenue 2 of 2 · Every month
Start here › Setup 1 › Setup 2 › Setup 3 › Deferred revenue
Also using accrued revenue? Accrued revenue
Stuck? See the Revenue journal FAQs

Each month, review the deferred revenue journal ScaleXP suggests, download the detail behind it, and post it to Xero or QuickBooks. First time? Complete Deferred revenue 1: Map and filter your accounts first.

Note: In consolidated companies, the deferred revenue journal is reviewed and posted at the subsidiary level, in line with the accounting connection.


1. Open the deferred revenue journal

The deferred revenue journal is found on the Journals top tab: on the Month-End Close page, click Open on Deferred Revenue Journal under Revenue.

Month-End Close page with Deferred Revenue Journal under Revenue

From here, you can review the suggested journal for each month and post it to Xero or QuickBooks.


2. Review the suggested journal

Review ScaleXP’s suggested posting for the month, checking it against your expected revenue and balance sheet positions. How the ScaleXP deferred revenue journal calculates the suggested posting amount explains how the figure is built up and what each section of the page shows. Any outstanding system checks are flagged at the top of the page - click View checks to see what needs attention before you post.

If the balance doesn’t match what you expect, see Why does my deferred revenue balance not reconcile as expected? To adjust revenue or the balance sheet, see How to add a manual invoice to adjust ScaleXP revenue recognition to match your accounting system.


3. Download the journal detail

To document the journal, use the download icon at the top right of the page and choose from the four options: Download Sections 1-7, Download Detail by Customer - all months, Download Journal Detail for Specific Month, and Download Journal Change Report.

Download options on the Deferred Revenue Journal page

Download Journal Detail for Specific Month provides the calculations shown on the report plus invoice line level detail behind:

  • Invoices issued in the month
  • Revenue recognized for the month
  • Deferred revenue on the balance sheet at the end of the month

Read more in How to download invoice line level detail behind the deferred revenue journal.


4. Post the journal

Use the Post journal button at the top of Section 1: The journal to post.

  • In QuickBooks, this posts a journal directly
  • In Xero, this posts a draft journal which you then approve in Xero
  • If the period is locked in your accounting system, ScaleXP automatically suggests posting to the next available open period

Once posted, sync ScaleXP with your accounting system to see the impact - the recommended journal will reduce to nil. Attach the download from Step 3 to the journal in your accounting system to document the detail behind it.

To reconcile the posted journal, select the deferred revenue or revenue account row on the Reports tab to see every transaction behind the balance. See How to see transaction detail behind account balances.


5. Review or change your settings at any time

View or change your settings at any time: click the three dots at the top right, then Settings. See Setup 3: Choose your settings and Deferred revenue 1: Map and filter your accounts.

Three dots menu with Settings
← Deferred revenue 1: Map and filter your accounts
Deferred revenue done for the month. Also using accrued revenue? Accrued revenue 1: Add accrued revenue →