Sage Instant Accounts

jilt

My client uses Sage Instant Accounts and it looks as though the audit trail has never been cleared. I've just done a year end for March 2011 and cleared the audit trail etc but there are still lots of old transactions dating back to 2002!

A lot of the entries, most I think, are showing as not being reconciled at the bank??!!! The bank has been successfully reconciled for at least the past 9 months, what happened prior to that is unknown.

Does anyone know how to clear all these old transactions? I've already cleared about 15000 but there are still loads on there which slow up reports etc and are preventing me deleting some customer and supplier accounts which are no longer required. I've managed to delete 363 customer accounts but there are 4 left they don't require which have no outstanding items at all and no postings in this financial year so I can't understand why they can't be deleted.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated, I don't really want to clear the transactions using rebuild and key in opening balances.

anniem

I have a similar thing with a client on Sage Instant Accounts - I have to say that I don't like the program at all!

Like you I have uncleared items going back to the previous decade (NO I AM NOT JOKING!)

Where more than one bank account is used I think items have been entered twice in some instances and cleared through one account, but just left hanging in the other.

For the items in this year, I just added them all up and put through a balancing contra to clear them through the bank ...... I have no idea if this is the right thing to do, but it made me feel like I had done something to get rid of them. I did print off details of all the transactions I was going to post/contra so I knew what had been adjusted.

The problem with the ones from previous years is I don't know how the accountant posted them - I expect that they have already gone through the P&L in previous years.

Technically, I suppose you should enter a credit note/refund for each to balance them out of the bank rec and out of the P&L. But it's so time consuming finding all the different entries in Sage Instant!

Are they all in different ledger accounts? I wonder if you could create an 'Error' account, post them to that, and then run through credit note/refunds to clear everything? But if you have loads of errors it's going to take AGES!!!!!

That doesn't include the VAT problem that will arise .........

I think I'm talking in circles!

SAGE HELPLINE METHINKS!

Let me know what you do as you have reminded me that it's something I must do ..... when there are at least 10 x 30 hour days in the week!

Annie xxx

jilt

anniem wrote: »

I have a similar thing with a client on Sage Instant Accounts - I have to say that I don't like the program at all!

Like you I have uncleared items going back to the previous decade (NO I AM NOT JOKING!)

Where more than one bank account is used I think items have been entered twice in some instances and cleared through one account, but just left hanging in the other.

For the items in this year, I just added them all up and put through a balancing contra to clear them through the bank ...... I have no idea if this is the right thing to do, but it made me feel like I had done something to get rid of them. I did print off details of all the transactions I was going to post/contra so I knew what had been adjusted.

The problem with the ones from previous years is I don't know how the accountant posted them - I expect that they have already gone through the P&L in previous years.

Technically, I suppose you should enter a credit note/refund for each to balance them out of the bank rec and out of the P&L. But it's so time consuming finding all the different entries in Sage Instant!

Are they all in different ledger accounts? I wonder if you could create an 'Error' account, post them to that, and then run through credit note/refunds to clear everything? But if you have loads of errors it's going to take AGES!!!!!

That doesn't include the VAT problem that will arise .........

I think I'm talking in circles!

SAGE HELPLINE METHINKS!

Let me know what you do as you have reminded me that it's something I must do ..... when there are at least 10 x 30 hour days in the week!

Annie xxx

Thanks Annie,

Must admit some days it feels like they are 30 hours long! lol

It's not that there are old items showing outstanding in accounts it's that some transactions aren't reconciled at the bank according to the audit trail but when you do a bank reconciliation there are only recent transactions showing. It's all very bizarre

So you see there's no credits etc to post just old stuff to get rid off the audit trail. I did speak to the helpline but they could on;y tell me how to reconcile any old vat items which I'd already done.

I'll let you know if I get anywhere. Good look with your problem.

Jill x

Bluewednesday

There is 'clear audit trail' in the menu, I presume you have done that?

I guess then it relates to them being active and not reconciling, I take it nothing is coming up on the aged debtors report showing that they haven't cleared against each other? What I mean is that the balance is showing as nil but when you run the aged debtor it shows an invoice and a credit for the same amount which just haven't been cleared via the bank?

jilt

Bluewednesday wrote: »

There is 'clear audit trail' in the menu, I presume you have done that?

I guess then it relates to them being active and not reconciling, I take it nothing is coming up on the aged debtors report showing that they haven't cleared against each other? What I mean is that the balance is showing as nil but when you run the aged debtor it shows an invoice and a credit for the same amount which just haven't been cleared via the bank?

Have tried clearing the audit trail yes Annette. I've checked customers accounts and there are no items in the O/S column so I'm very confused. Ah well, it'll wait, some of them have been there since 2002 so a few more weeks won't hurt!

Bluewednesday

I thought you probably had Jill, I don't understand how unreconciled items aren't showing up in the bank rec screen, seems really strange.

Have you got Sage support? It might be worth giving them a ring otherwise - especially if it's slowing up reports. Other than that I guess the start off again and beginning of year will be the only way to go unfortunately.

jilt

It's a lot quicker now I've got rid of 15000 transactions but I'd love to clear everything. Might try the helpline again next time I'm at their office. If no joy clear the transactions and input new TB it will be.