---
key: post-a-journal-entry
title: Post a manual journal entry
audience: staff
section: bookkeeping
routes: ["/bookkeeping/journal-entries", "/bookkeeping/journal-entries/new"]
permissions: ["bookkeeping.journal.read"]
features: ["bookkeeping"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: "Record an adjustment directly in the ledger with balanced debit and credit lines, and reverse a posted entry with a mirror-image entry when it was wrong."
keywords: [journal, adjusting entry, debit credit, GL entry, accountant adjustment, reverse entry, correction, depreciation]
related: [set-up-a-recurring-journal-entry, add-a-ledger-account, run-a-financial-report, close-the-books-for-a-period]
---

In the sidebar, open **Bookkeeping**, then **Accounting**, then **Journal Entries**. The page address is `/bookkeeping/journal-entries`. A new entry opens at `/bookkeeping/journal-entries/new`.

## Before you start

- Most of your books post on their own from invoices, payments, expenses and categorized bank lines. Use a journal entry only for something those do not cover, such as depreciation or an adjustment your accountant asked for.
- Debits and credits must be equal before Nova will post the entry.
- Your role needs permission to post journal entries. Reversing needs its own permission.

## Steps

1. Press **New journal entry**. The **New journal entry** window opens with two empty lines.
2. **Journal entry number** fills in with your next number. Keep it, or type your own.
3. Set the **Date** (it starts at today) and type a **Memo** that says what the entry is for.
4. On the first line, pick the **Account** and type either a **Debit** or a **Credit** amount. Typing in one clears the other. Add a **Description** if the line needs one.
5. Fill in the second line the same way, with the opposite side.
6. Press **+ line** for more lines, and **Remove** on a line you do not need. Two lines are always kept.
7. Watch the **Totals** row. It reads **Balanced** when debits equal credits, or Out of balance by the difference.
8. Press **Post journal entry**. Nova shows **Journal entry posted.**, closes the window and the entry appears in the list with the status posted.

## What you see

- The list shows each entry's **Journal number**, **Date**, **Memo** and **Status**, newest first. Click a row or choose **View** to see its lines with each **Account**, **Debit**, **Credit** and **Description**.
- Only entries made on this page appear here. Postings that came from invoices, expenses and bank lines show in each account's register instead; see [[add-a-ledger-account]].
- The search box matches the memo or the number.

## If something looks different

- **New journal entry** is missing: your role cannot post journal entries.
- **Post journal entry** stays greyed out: the entry is out of balance, has fewer than two lines with an account and an amount, or the organization's currency settings are incomplete.
- Posting fails with a message that the accounting period is closed: that date is inside a closed period. See [[close-the-books-for-a-period]].
- The window you open from the list is titled Unnamed journal entry: that is how Nova titles every entry; the number is under **Journal entry number**.
- A posted entry was wrong: open it and press **Reverse entry**, or choose **Reverse** from its row. In **Reverse journal entry**, pick a **Reason category**, add a **Business explanation** if asked, and press **Post reversal**. Nova shows **Journal entry reversed with a new balancing entry.** It posts a mirror-image entry dated today, so the two net to zero. The reversal is not listed on this page (it shows in each account's register), and the original stays in the list as posted without the **Reverse** option. Then post the correct entry fresh.
- **Reverse** is missing on an entry: your role cannot reverse entries, or the entry was already reversed.

[[route:/bookkeeping/journal-entries/new|New journal entry]]