Understanding the accounting impact of a transaction is essential for troubleshooting, reconciliation, and ensuring the integrity of your financial statements. NetSuite makes this easy by providing a GL Impact view on every posted transaction, which shows the exact journal entry lines (debits and credits) that were created and posted to the general ledger. This guide provides a fact-checked overview of how to access and interpret the GL Impact view.

What is GL Impact?

Behind every financial transaction in NetSuite—whether it is an invoice, a bill, a payment, or a journal entry—there is a corresponding set of journal entry lines that are posted to the general ledger. The GL Impact view displays these lines in a clear, tabular format, showing you exactly which accounts were debited and credited, and for what amounts.

How to Access GL Impact

There are two ways to view the GL Impact of a transaction:

1. GL Impact Subtab: Open the transaction record. At the bottom of the page, you will see a GL Impact subtab. Click on it to view the journal entry lines.

2. Actions Menu: On the transaction record, click the Actions dropdown menu and select GL Impact.

   
   

Understanding the GL Impact Display

The GL Impact view is a table with the following columns:

The most important rule to remember is that total debits must always equal total credits. If they do not, there is a configuration error with the transaction.

Common Transaction Patterns

Understanding the typical GL Impact for standard transactions will help you quickly identify errors.

Sales Invoice

• Debit: Accounts Receivable (increases the asset).

• Credit: Revenue Account (increases income).

• Credit: Sales Tax Payable (if sales tax is charged, increases the liability).

Vendor Bill

• Debit: Expense Account or Inventory Account (increases the expense or asset).

• Credit: Accounts Payable (increases the liability).

Customer Payment

• Debit: Bank/Cash Account (increases the asset).

• Credit: Accounts Receivable (decreases the asset).

Vendor Payment

• Debit: Accounts Payable (decreases the liability).

• Credit: Bank/Cash Account (decreases the asset).

  
  

When GL Impact is Not Available

The GL Impact subtab will not appear in the following situations:

• Non-Financial Records: Estimates, opportunities, and other non-posting records do not have a GL Impact because they do not affect the general ledger.

• Pending Transactions: Transactions that are pending approval or have not yet been posted will not have a GL Impact until they are finalized.

• Voided Transactions: If you view a voided transaction, the GL Impact will show the reversal entry that was created to undo the original posting.

  
  

Using GL Impact for Troubleshooting

The GL Impact view is an invaluable tool when investigating discrepancies in your financial statements.

• Problem: An account balance seems incorrect.

• Solution: Find the transactions that should have affected that account and view their GL Impact to verify they posted to the correct accounts and for the correct amounts.

• Problem: A transaction is not appearing on a financial report.

Solution: View the GL Impact to confirm the transaction was posted to the expected account and period.