Finance troubleshooting
The messages you may meet in Finance, what each one means and how to fix it.
How to use this table
Find the message you saw, read what it means, then follow the fix. Names in angle brackets, such as the account code, are replaced by the real value on your screen.
Messages
| Message | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 'Debits and credits must balance exactly.' | The journal entry's total debits differ from its total credits. | Correct the amounts until the Balanced badge shows, then post. |
| 'Each line needs exactly one positive debit or credit.' | A line has both a debit and a credit, or neither. | Put the amount on one side only. |
| 'This accounting period is locked.' | The posting date is on or before the company lock date. | Use a later date. Only a company administrator can move the lock date, and only forward. |
| '<Period> is soft closed for the general ledger. An adjusting entry needs the right to post into a soft-closed period.' | The period is soft closed and you lack the adjusting right. | Ask a user with period.adjust to post it, or use a date in an open period. |
| '<Period> is closed for the general ledger. It has to be reopened before anything can be posted into it.' | The period is Closed. | Request a reopen (see Close a month and a year) or post into an open period. |
| '<code> <name> is maintained by the customer records. Use the operational document rather than a manual journal, or it will stop agreeing with them.' | You used a control account on a journal type that refuses them. | Use the invoice, bill or payment, or an adjustment journal type that allows control accounts. |
| '<code> <name> is a header account and cannot receive postings. Post to one of the accounts beneath it.' | Header and total accounts take no postings. | Choose an account beneath it. |
| '<code> <name> is blocked and cannot receive postings.' | The account status is not active. | Choose another account, or have the administrator reactivate it. |
| 'No approved spot rate for USD to AED on or before <date>. Enter one before posting; a missing rate is not treated as parity.' | A foreign-currency posting has no approved rate. | Enter the rate, then have a different person approve it. |
| 'Whoever prepares a journal does not approve it. Another person with the approval permission has to agree.' | You tried to approve your own entry. | Ask another user with journal.approve. |
| 'A posted entry is corrected by reversing it, not by editing it.' | Posted entries are fixed. | Use Reverse, or Reset to draft on a manual entry. |
| 'This entry was raised by a document. Correct the document; its journal follows.' | The entry came from an invoice, bill or similar. | Correct or credit the source document. |
| 'A lock date cannot be moved backwards through this action.' | The new lock date is earlier than the current one. | Choose a date on or after the current lock date. |
| 'Somebody other than the person who prepared, uploaded or validated this batch has to approve it.' | The opening balance batch preparer tried to approve. | Ask a second user with journal.approve. |
| 'Only a batch whose last dry run was clean can be approved.' | The batch has problems or a difference. | Fix the rows and run the dry run again. |
| '<n> has only <amount> outstanding.' | You allocated or wrote off more than the document owes. | Enter an amount up to the outstanding balance. |
| 'Somebody other than the person who asked has to approve a write-off.' | The requester tried to approve their own write-off. | Ask a journal.approve holder. |
| 'Somebody other than the person who prepared this proposal has to approve it.' | A payment proposal preparer tried to approve. | A different user with payment.approve approves it. |
| 'You are not an authorised signer of <bank account>.' | The releaser is not on the account's signer list. | Release with a listed signer, or ask the administrator to update the signers. |
| 'You submitted this reconciliation, so someone else has to approve it (maker-checker).' | The submitter tried to approve a bank reconciliation. | A user with bankrec.approve approves it. |
| 'The lines add up to <n>, which takes <opening> to ...' | The statement's lines do not reach its closing balance. | Check the file, opening and closing balances. |
| 'Somebody other than the person who asked has to approve a credit override.' | The requester tried to approve. | A user with credit.release approves. |
| 'Somebody other than the person who prepared the year-end close has to execute it.' | The preparer tried to close the year. | A second user with period.lock executes it. |
| 'This rate is approved. Record a correction on a new date instead.' | Approved rates are frozen. | Enter the corrected rate on a later date. |
| 'Budget control <code>: ...' | A block policy stopped the posting because spending would pass the budget. | Request a budget override, which a second person approves. |