icon on the Check
Data Bar or select Screen Options from the Edit/Commands menu when the Quick Check screen is open. From the Write Up menu, select Checks.
Click the icon on the Check
Data Bar or select Screen Options from the Edit/Commands menu when the Quick Check screen is open.
See Check Options, at the end of this topic, for a list of options available to the Checks screen.
Bank selection area -
This is the area at the top of the screen just under the Data Bar.
Bank Account - Select the bank account that you will be entering checks to. The only accounts that appear in the drop-down list are accounts with the Type Checking.
Balance
- The balance in the selected bank account.
Check area - This area
is in the center of the screen in a check format.
Check Type - Select the type of transaction from the list.
Deposit if you want to record a deposit.
General if you want to record a general check.
Payroll (ATF) when you want to record a payroll check that the client has already written. Live payroll checks are written using Activities/Quick Check screen.
Withdrawal if you want to record a deduction that is not a check.
Number - Enter the check number.
Date - Enter the date the client wrote the check.
Pay to the order of - Select the payee from the drop-down list, or start typing characters until the correct payee appears and then press Tab to accept. If you are entering a payee that does not have a record in the Contact Manager, you will be asked if you want to add the contact (depending upon Options selected). Clicking Yes will add a new contact record for the payee. Depending upon the Options selected, other information can be completed for the contact. Clicking No will remove the payee's name from the Pay to the order of field. It is not possible to write a check to a name that is not a contact.
Val
Code - This field is active depending upon Options selected.
Validation codes are used to verify that you have selected the proper
vendor when recording a check. This can be helpful when the client
has several vendors with similar names, in which case, it helps prevent
a check being recorded to the wrong vendor. Record the Validation
code in the Contact Manager - Vendor Tab.
Unlabeled box - The box to the right of the Pay to the order of field is the total of the check and functions differently depending upon the Check Option Validate Amount.
Yes
- When set to Yes, the
total of the check must be entered.
When the check is completed, by clicking New
or when proceeding to a next or previous check, the total disbursement
of the check must equal the amount that was entered in this box.
No - When set to No, the box is not accessible for user input and displays an automatic calculation of the total of the check amount.
Memo - Enter memo information for the check. You can select an Option to skip this field during processing.
Disbursement area - This is the grid in the lower portion of the screen and is used to post the check to one or more GL accounts. Columns can also be hidden from view and rearranged using Column Configuration.
Lower portion of Quick Check screen
New - Saves the current check and clears screen for the next check entry.
Cancel - Displays a dialog asking if you want to save the check or cancel any changes.
Check Total - Displays the calculated total of the check.
Click the icon on the Check
Data Bar or select Screen Options
from the Edit/Commands
menu when the Quick Check screen is
open.
The Check Client tab contains options that apply only to the particular client that is open.
The Check System tab contains options that apply to all clients.
Default Move (System)
Default - Causes the screen to always open for a New transaction.
First - Causes the screen to always open to the first transaction for the period covered (see Option View Period) in numeric order.
Last - Causes the screen to always open to the last transaction for the period covered (see Option View Period) in numeric order.
New - Causes the screen to always open for a New transaction.
Always Ask Before Saving (System)
Yes - Presents a dialog with Yes, No, Cancel dialog before advancing to enter a new check.
No - Saves check automatically when advancing to enter a new check.
Ask Before Adding Contacts (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - When a name is entered in the Pay to the order of field that does not match the Lookup for any contact in the Contact Manager, a dialog is presented asking if you want to add the contact. When the answer to the dialog is No, the name in the Pay to the order of field is cleared. You cannot issue a check without having the payee recorded in the Contact Manager.
No
- Creates a new contact for the name entered automatically, without
asking.
Exception: When the user does not have permission to access
the Contact Manager, the new contact
will not be added and the check cannot be issued to a payee that is not
a current contact.
Edit New Contacts (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - Opens the Contact Manager screen so that the rest of the information can be filled out for the new contact.
No
- The Contact Manager screen
will not be opened when a new contact is created.
Exception: When the user does not
have permission to access the Contact Manager,
the Contact Manager dialog will not
open and the check cannot be issued to a payee that is not a current contact.
View Period (Client)
The option selected controls
what checks will be displayed in the List
, as well as the checks that can be accessed in the screen
when scrolling through the checks using the Data
Bar commands.
Accounting Year to Date - Includes all checks for the current accounting year.
All - All checks.
Current Accounting Period - Includes all checks within the current accounting period.
Last 30 days - Includes all checks with dates within 30 days up to the current date.
Last 60 days - Includes all checks with dates within 60 days up to the current date.
Last 90 days - Includes all checks with dates within 90 days up to the current date.
Last Year - Includes all checks with dates within the last calendar year.
Year to Date - Includes all checks with dates within the current calendar year.
Automatic New Entry (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - Automatically creates a new transaction when a row is entered but an account is not entered or selected.
No
- Continues to create new record rows even if no data is entered on a
row.
View By Bank Account (Client)
Yes - When set to Yes, only checks written on the bank account selected at the top of the screen will be shown in the List or in the screen when scrolling through the checks using the Move Previous and Move Next icons on the Data bar.
No
- When set to No, all checks
written on any bank account will be shown in the List
or in the screen when scrolling through the checks using the Move
Previous and Move Next
icons on the Data
bar.
When scrolling, the Bank
account will change to the account that the check was written on.
Validate Amount (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
AFT Only - When set to AFT Only, it uses the Validate Amount only uses the Validate column for After-the-Fact checks.
Yes - When set to Yes, the total of the check must be entered in the box to the right of the Pay to the order of field, and the total of all rows in the disbursement (grid) area must equal the amount entered in this box for the check to be saved.
No - When set to No, the box to the right of the Pay to the order of field is not accessible to the user and will display the calculated total of the check.
Splits - When set to Splits, it uses the Validate Amount only when the check is distributed to more than one account.
Validate Contact (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - When set to Yes, the contact for the check in the Pay to the order of field is verified by the matching Val Code that is recorded for the contact in the Contact Manager.
No - When set to No, the Val Code field is not accessible to the user.
Skip Contact (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - Causes the cursor to skip over the Contact field when entering or tabbing through the screen. Contact field can be accessed with the mouse.
No - Causes the cursor to stop in the Contact field when entering or tabbing through the screen.
Skip Date (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - Causes the cursor to skip over the Date field when entering or tabbing through the screen. Date field can be accessed with the mouse.
No - Causes the cursor to stop in the Date field when entering or tabbing through the screen.
Skip Memo (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - Causes the cursor to skip over the Memo field when entering or tabbing through the screen. Memo field can be accessed with the mouse.
No
- Causes the cursor to stop
in the Memo field when entering
or tabbing through the screen.
Auto Increment Number (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - Starts the next check with a Number that is one higher than the last check recorded. The Number can be overwritten when breaks in numbering occur.
No - Starts the next check with a blank Number field.
Remember Date (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - Defaults to the date of the last check written.
No - Defaults to the current date.
Default Checking Account
(Client)
Select the account that you want to always be selected in
the Bank Account field
when the Check screen opens.
[Specific Account] - A list of Checking type accounts will appear, and you can select one of them to be the account that the screen always opens to.
Last - When Last is selected, the screen will always open with the account selected that you used last.
Fed ATF Tax Mode - After-the-fact payroll only (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
As Entered - The system will save ATF payroll checks as entered without checking or correcting Social Security or Medicare Withholding Taxes.
Prompt - The system will compare Social Security and Medicare Withholding taxes entered to what should have been withheld. If there is a discrepancy, a window will pop up and show you what should have been withheld. You have the opportunity to save the check with the incorrect amounts or edit the check.
Auto Correct - The system will adjust the Social Security and Medicare to the correct amounts, if necessary, and will adjust any discrepancy through Federal Withholding.
State ATF Tax Mode - After-the-fact payroll only (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
As Entered - The system will save ATF payroll checks as entered without checking or correcting state unemployment or disability withholding taxes.
Prompt - The system will compare state unemployment or disability withholding taxes entered to what should have been withheld. If there is a discrepancy, a window will pop up and show you what should have been withheld. You have the opportunity to save the check with the incorrect amounts or edit the check.
Auto Correct - The system will adjust the state unemployment or disability withholding to the correct amounts, if necessary, and will adjust any discrepancy through state withholding tax.
Warn when date not in period (Both)
Default - Uses the setting on the System tab.
Yes - Warns in a dialog box if a check is being saved with a date that is not consistent with the period. This is primarily used in the Activities/Quick Check screen where live checks are being written.
No - Does not present a date warning.
Enter Time Mode (Client) - Use Enter Time Mode if you have employees' time in hours and minutes rather than hours and fractions of hours and are entering the time using the Time field in the Quick Check screen. The Qty field will automatically show the hours in fractions of hours based upon the Time entered.
Hours And Minutes - Enter the minutes following a decimal such as: 1.25 where 1 is the hours and 25 are the minutes.
Minutes - Enter total of minutes.
Distributions are used where a client owns more than one company with each company being a separate file and the client writes checks for expenses from one company's checkbook for expenses belonging to other companies. The steps to set Distributions up are as follows:
1. With the company file open that the checks are
written from, select Write Up/Checks
and click on the Options
icon 
.
2. Click on the Distribution tab.
3. Create a Lookup to identify the company that the expenses belong to.
4. Using the drop-down box in the Company field, select the company that you are going to distributed to.
5. In the Account box, select the Account that you will be using for your intercompany transfer. Repeat this for each company that will be receiving distributions.
6. Click OK for the Distribution tab.
7. Close the Write Up/Check screen and reopen the screen before writing any distributed checks.
When checks are written, the expense account for the other company will be recorded in the Account field as you normally do and the Lookup for the other company will be entered in the Dist field. The checking account for the company you are writing checks from will be credited with the amount and the intercompany transfer account that you identified on the Distribution tab will be debited for the amount. As soon as you enter the first Distribution record, a flag is set in the receiving company indicating that the distribution has been made.
The Distribution column is by default hidden, so you will need to open the Column Configuration to un-hide it. Enter all checks for the company with the checkbook making distributions as needed to other companies for the entire period.
When processing for the period is complete, close the company file and open the first company for which distributions have been made. A dialog will immediately pop up informing you that distributions are ready to be imported. This dialog will inform you as to which period the checks were recorded in and which period the receiving company is currently in which is the period where the distribution will be recorded.
IMPORTANT - When the dialog pops up, it is likely that the screen will not be fully refreshed for the new company and the period indicated on the Status line may not be updated for the newly opened company. Therefore, it is critical that you pay close attention to the information on the Distributions dialog. If the company you are opening is not in the correct period, then cancel the action, by clicking No, close the period into the proper period and then close the file and reopen.
Look at the example above. Assuming that both companies are calendar year companies with the same period type (Monthly, etc.), the receiving company is still in February while the distributing company is in March. This being the case, you will want to:
1. Click No.
2. Close the receiving company into Period 3.
3. Close the receiving company and then reopen. You should now receive the following dialog:
4. Click Yes.
5. Select the method of importing you desire.
Summarized - All Distribution items will be made in a single transaction with an individual record for each expense item and one total credit to the intercompany transfer account.
Individual Transactions - An individual transaction will be made corresponding to each check that was made in the source company with a debit to the expense item and a credit to the intercompany transfer and the page number the same as the check number of the original check.
Note 1 - When subsequent distributions are made for a period (i.e. you made all the distributions for the period and then forgot another check which needed to be distributed) any previous distribution transaction for the period will be automatically deleted and a new transaction will be made depending on your current choice (Summarized or Individual Transactions) for the entire period.
Note 2 - Missing accounts - You must have the same Account Code for your intercompany transfer account in both the distributing and receiving companies. If you do not have the same Account Code, a dialog will appear asking you to correct it before you can proceed. Any expense accounts that are not existing in the receiving company will automatically be credited during the import as are any missing contacts.