Date range too large when matching transactions
This help guide article covers how the payments process in ExpensePlus should work, the common issues that lead to more than one bank transaction needing to be selected when matching transactions, and how to overcome these.
How the payments process with ExpensePlus should work
If you are using the Expenses and Payment process in ExpensePlus then payments that your organisation make should be driven by the payments that appear on the payment screen within ExpensePlus. As these are made, the payments on the payment screen should be marked as paid.
For more information on how payments should be made, click here.
How reconciling transactions in ExpensePlus should work
When reconciling bank transactions, once all recurring transactions have been reconciled (top section), all payments made via the Expenses and Payments process are then matched 1:1 between the left-hand and right-hand tables (example shown below).
For more information on how to reconcile transactions, click here.
Common Issues that cause the date range to be too large when matching transactions
Multiple transactions have been selected on both sides of the match transactions screen
Rather than matching bank transactions one-to-one, multiple transactions have been selected from both the left and right-hand tables on the match transactions screen. Although the totals may add up, we intentionally do not allow this (as this would cause a transaction match spanning multiple dates!)
Solution: Un-select the transactions that have been selected (you might wish to reload the page to clear the transactions selected). Then, select the first transaction in the left-hand table, which should automatically select the corresponding transactions on the right-hand table and go green. Click confirm, and match the next transactions etc.
You are trying to retrospectively process payments through ExpensePlus
The expenses and payments process in ExpensePlus is designed to be used in live time. If you are new to ExpensePlus and are trying to import and reconcile transactions to date, it's far quicker to add transactions that have already been paid directly as part of the bank reconciliation process once you have imported your bank transactions to date. This help guide article explains how to do this. If you need any help, please do click the yellow 'send us a message' button in the top right of this screen and let us know.
Similarly, if you've not been using the expenses and payments process and you are now trying to go back and process transactions retrospectively, then we'd recommend you don't do this. It's not mandatory to use the expenses and payments process flow. Therefore, if you would prefer, simply upload your bank transactions each month and add details for payments directly from the match transactions screen.
Note: If you skipped the expenses and payments process flow to expedite payment, it's best you don't do this. Instead, you can simply enter the purchase that needs to be paid quickly, completing the receipt check and approval steps immediately, then, the payment will show straight away on the payments screen, and you can make payment.
Solution: If you have entered a single purchase for something that was paid in multiple parts, then we'd recommend you delete this payment by clicking the 'edit' button to the right of the payment on the match transactions screen, and then select 'delete'. Continue by following this guidance for how to enter transactions directly from match transactions screen.
Multiple payments were made (but the payment was marked as a single payment within the payment screen)
There are a number of scenarios where this might happen:
(a) Where an invoice is paid in two parts (e.g. deposit, and balance payments) - these should be entered as two separate invoice payments (you can upload the same document to both). This will then enable you to correctly mark each payment as made, within the payment screen, and have a separate payment on the right-hand table of the match transactions screen for each payment that was made.
Solution: On the match transactions screen, select the first bank transaction on the left-hand table, and the payment on the right-hand table, and click 'confirm' (even though the totals don't match). As part of the match, the expenditure amount of the payment will be updated. Then select the second bank transaction on the left-hand table, click the + button, select 'invoice payment' and enter the details (you will later need to upload the same receipt/invoice as the original purchase to this purchase).
(b) Where payment advance for expenses is made - Where you wish to do this, you are best to set up a petty cash account to manage this.
Solution: Add a petty cash account (give it the name of the person who has received the payment advance). Record the payment advance as 'withdrawal of petty cash' within the match transactions. Then, within the petty cash account, record the expenses the payment advance was used to pay for. If any surplus money is returned, you can then record this on the match transactions screen as 'deposit of petty cash' or if additional money is needed, as an additional 'withdrawal of petty cash'. See How do I record a cash advance?
(c) Where the person making payments didn't mark a payment as paid - payments need to be marked as paid within the payments screen as soon as they are paid, otherwise, additional purchases could be added. If you've marked a payment as paid, but the payment actually happened across multiple dates, you will need to correct this in order to be able to match these transactions.
Solution: Select the 'edit' button to the right of the payment, then select the 'unmark as paid' option to send it back to the payments screen. Select or deselect the relavant purchases. Once the payment amount matches what was actually paid in the first payment, mark the payment as paid. You will then be able to reconcile this payment.
(d) Where there is a payment error, and a second correcting payment has been paid
Solution: see this helpguide article
Where a payment was made, but then refunded or returned
Solution: see this helpguide article
To better understand the Bank Reconciliation module, please view the module overview video here.