> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hitaji360.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Journal Entry Templates

> If you record the same shape of journal entry over and over — monthly rent, payroll accruals, depreciation, a standard reclassification — a template saves…

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.*

***

## 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.

***

## 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.

***

## 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:

   | Field                    | Notes                                                                                                                                             |
   | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
   | **Name** *(required)*    | A clear label, e.g. "Monthly Office Rent". Must be unique in this business/book.                                                                  |
   | **Default voucher type** | Pre-selected on entries made from this template. Defaults to **Manual**. The picker excludes **Closing** and **Reversal** (both are system-only). |
   | **Default memo**         | Optional text that pre-fills the memo of entries created from the template.                                                                       |
   | **Description**          | Optional internal note about what the template is for.                                                                                            |
   | **Lines**                | The account layout — see below.                                                                                                                   |

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"*).

***

## 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.

***

## 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.

***

## 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](/accounting/user/transactions/journal-entries) guide — balancing, previewing, posting,
reversing, approval — applies from that point on.

***

## What the templates list shows

| Column              | Meaning                                                |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Name**            | Template name (click to edit).                         |
| **Default voucher** | The voucher type entries will default to.              |
| **Lines**           | How many lines the template defines.                   |
| **Updated**         | When the template was last changed.                    |
| *(action)*          | **Delete** the template (blocked if it has been used). |

Use **Back to entries** to return to the Journal Entries list.

***

## Related

* [Journal Entries](/accounting/user/transactions/journal-entries) — creating, balancing, posting and reversing the entries templates produce.
* [Recurring Transactions](/accounting/user/transactions/recurring-transactions) — for entries that should be generated automatically on a schedule rather than instantiated by hand.