Tips & Tricks

General Ledger Tips & Tricks

1. New Budget Import and Export Utility
2. Balance Sheet Trends Report
3. Budget Analysis Report
4. Understanding the 12-month Spreadsheet
5. How to Enter a New Budget Without Affecting the Current Year

New Budget Import and Export Utility

A new budget import and export utility has been created. The budget can now be exported and imported from the Budget Utilities. This feature is found under GL, Chart of Accounts, by selecting an account, and clicking the Budget button. At the bottom of the screen you will see the new Utility button.

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Balance Sheet Trends Report

The new Balance Sheet Trends report allows you to add notes to the balance sheet to explain changes from month to month. To create this interactive report, click GL, Reports, Balance Sheet, and click the Balance Trends Report button at the bottom of the screen.

To begin a new version of the report notes file, click Create New and enter the notes for each line item. You may also customize the heading text on the report. Click the save button if you wish to return to this report and edit it later, or click print to print it right away.

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Budget Analysis Report

The new Budget Analysis report allows you to add notes to income statements to explain budget variations. To generate this interactive report, click GL, Reports, Income Statement, and click the Budget Analysis Report button at the bottom of the screen.

To begin a new version of the report notes file, click Create New and enter the notes for each line item. You may also customize the heading text on the report. Click the save button if you wish to return to this report and edit it later, or click print to print it right away.

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Understanding the 12-month Spreadsheet

It always helps in budget preparation to see what the actual income and expenses have been for each month up to the current month. The 12 Month Spreadsheet shows you this information.

1. From the G/L Menu, select "Reports".
2. Then select "Yearly Spreadsheet". You have three report options:

• 12 Month Actual — the actual income/expense through the current month.
• 12 Month Budget — see what was budgeted for the current year.
• 12 Month Projection - take the actual income/expense through the current month, then enter projected income and expenses to get projected year-end totals.

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How to Enter a New Budget Without Affecting the Current Year

Approved Budgets need to be entered into TOPS v3.2.1™ so they can be printed on financial statements for the new year. You may do this in
TOPS v3.2.1™ without affecting the current year's Budget, which you still need for reporting purposes to finish the current year.

1. From the G/L menu, click Chart of Accounts.
2. Select the first G/L account where a budget needs to be entered.
3. Then click the Budgets button at the top of the screen.
   You will see the CURRENT YEAR budget.
4. To enter the new year, click Next Year button at the bottom of the screen.
5. Enter the budget amounts for each period, or use the Yearly Budget button to enter the total year's budget, and have the software automatically distribute the amount equally.
6. Click OK to save the new budget.
7. Then select your next account and enter the budgets too.

Remember that income budgets need to be entered as negative numbers with a minus (-) sign. Expenses are entered with no sign.

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