How to manage cash with account registers
In Ambrook, your account register contains all of the the activity in a single account that includes:
Recorded transactions
Pending transactions from your bank, if the account is automatically synced
Outstanding checks written from the account
The running balance of your account after each transaction
You can use the register to review your account history, keep track of any checks that your vendors haven’t cashed yet, and see the available balance in your account, net of outstanding checks.
Filtering to a register
To get to the account register for an account, you:
Go to Ledger
Click Filter
Select Account
Select Register →
Account register details
Once you are filtered to the register you will see three balances at the top of the screen (see below):
Current Balance: The balance of your books from all the posted transactions that are recorded in Ambrook. This should be close to the balance you see in your account if you login to your online banking portal.
Outstanding Checks: The sum of all outgoing, recorded checks from the account that have not yet been cleared.
Available Balance: The current balance minus the total of outstanding checks on the account. This is the amount of money you have to spend if all of your vendors were to cash the checks you have written them.
One important thing to know about the account register is that your outstanding checks will always show up on the date you recorded them, even once they are cleared. For example, if:
You record a check dated Jan 1
Your vendor cashes the check on Feb 1, which is when it appears in your bank statement
You clear the Jan 1 check with the Feb 1 transaction
Your account register will show that expense with a date of Jan 1, and your income statement will reflect that expense on Jan 1. The Feb 1 transaction will disappear from your register view, but will continue to be in your Ledger and available for reconciliation.
Tip - For a more detailed review of recording and clearing checks, you can refer to this article
Navigating the register
From the register screen you can:
Use the dropdown arrow next to the account name (Business Checking above) to select a different register to view
Select the back arrow next to the account name to return to original Ledger
FAQ
Q: Why isn’t the “View Register” button showing up?
A: You can only view a register for accounts that you can write checks from. For other kinds of accounts you can use the normal Ledger view, or view the detailed subledger from the Accounting page