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If you record the same shape of journal entry over and over — monthly rent, payroll accruals, depreciation, a standard reclassification — a template saves you re-keying the account layout each time. A template stores a name, a default voucher type, an optional default memo, and a set of lines, where each line is just an account and a side (debit or credit). It does not store amounts: you fill those in when you turn the template into an actual entry. You’ll find this at: /accounting/journal-entries/templates
📷 Screenshot: Journal Entry Templates list with the “New template” button — to be added.

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How templates fit in

A template is a reusable skeleton. Using one is a two-step idea:
  1. Build the template once — name it and lay out the accounts and their debit/credit sides (e.g. Debit Rent Expense, Credit Bank).
  2. Instantiate it whenever you need it — the system creates a fresh draft journal entry pre-populated with those lines (amounts start at zero), which you then fill in and post like any other entry.
Templates do not post anything by themselves and have no ledger effect. They only speed up the creation of draft journal entries.

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Where templates live (multi-business note)

Templates are scoped to one business and one accounting book. The Templates page only loads once a business is selected — if none is active you’ll see “Select a business to manage journal entry templates.” Switching the active business switches which templates you see. A template’s name must be unique within its business and book. Access to the Templates area follows the journal-entry permissions: the New from template and New template entry points appear for users who can create journal entries (accounting-journal:create). Listing and managing templates is available to users working within the accounting workspace.

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Creating a template

  1. Open /accounting/journal-entries/templates (from the Journal Entries page, click View templates).
  2. Click New template. The New journal entry template dialog opens.
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Define the lines. Each line carries an account, a side (Debit or Credit), an order, and an optional description. A valid template needs:
    • at least 2 lines;
    • at least one debit line and at least one credit line;
    • every line must have an account selected;
    • line order values must be unique.
    Note there are no amount fields here — only which account is debited and which is credited. Amounts are entered later, per entry.
  5. Click Create template. The button stays disabled until the name and a valid debit/credit line layout are present.
📷 Screenshot: New journal entry template dialog with the lines editor showing a debit and a credit line — to be added.
The server enforces the same rules and will reject a template that breaks them (for example “Template must have at least one debit and one credit line”, or “Templates cannot have defaultVoucherType=CLOSING”).

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Editing a template

Click a template’s name in the list to open the edit dialog. You can change the name, default voucher type, default memo, description and the line layout. The same validation rules apply on save. Editing a template does not change any journal entries that were already created from it.

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Deleting a template

Use the Delete action on a template’s row (you’ll be asked to confirm). A template can only be deleted if it has never been used to create an entry. If it has, deletion is blocked with a message like “Template has been used to create 3 journal entries; cannot delete.” This protects the audit trail — every entry remembers which template produced it. If you no longer want a used template, simply stop instantiating it.

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Using a template — “New from template”

To turn a template into a real entry:
  1. On the Journal Entries page (/accounting/journal-entries), click New from template.
  2. Pick the template from the picker. Optionally choose the entry date (it defaults to today).
  3. The system creates a draft journal entry and takes you straight to it. The draft has:
    • the template’s lines (same accounts and debit/credit sides), with amounts set to zero;
    • the template’s default voucher type and default memo;
    • a link back to the template it came from (used by the deletion guard above).
  4. Enter the amounts, make sure the entry balances, then Save Draft, Post, or Submit for Approval exactly as you would for any manual journal entry.
📷 Screenshot: “New from template” picker on the Journal Entries page — to be added.
Because instantiation produces an ordinary draft journal entry, everything in the Journal Entries guide — balancing, previewing, posting, reversing, approval — applies from that point on.

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What the templates list shows

Use Back to entries to return to the Journal Entries list.
  • Journal Entries — creating, balancing, posting and reversing the entries templates produce.
  • Recurring Transactions — for entries that should be generated automatically on a schedule rather than instantiated by hand.