Richard,

No, unfortunately Ctrl-A does not work either.  No other expense payment can be adjusted either, not just the one in question.  However, all of my general journal entries can be adjusted (a menu item appears on the Entry menu).

Does the fact that I've reconciled the bank statement have anything to do with it?

Thanks both of you for the ideas.

Richard, if you don't use Pay Expenses, what do you use?  We're a small society and don't, as a general rule, create invoices.  Members are retroactively reimbursed by cheque when they incur expenses and they submit them to me.  I suspect General Journal entries will have to do.  I'll take a look at the sample file if you can tell me where it is :-) and after I've caught up and have some spare time.

I can certainly modify a report to correct the error but I'll have to do this for every report, and I'd rather not have to export to Excel every time when the stock report will suffice.  Oh well.

No transactions have been cleared, only reconciled with the bank statement.  In fact, that's where I first noticed the error since it stood out so clearly.

JJD, as Richard pointed out, there is no original invoice and I can't reverse or void the payment.  The only windows open are the main window and the payment window.  The vendor has not been deleted and all vendors are active.

I'll post a picture once I have a chance to look at the sample file as suggested by Richard.

D Masters said:

JJD, as Richard pointed out, there is no original invoice...

Actually, I said "So there is no separate invoice and payment.".  Technically in the manner that Sage 50 works, this means you did not enter an invoice under Purchases and then enter a Payment under Pay Purchase Invoices in the Payments module.  This does not mean you didn't enter an invoice.  Make Other Payment posts the invoice on the Payment date and the Payment at the same time.  An invoice posts the expenses, a payment is a cash flow entry.  In this scenario, both happen at the same time.

D Masters said:

Richard, if you don't use Pay Expenses, what do you use?

The short answer: Purchase data entry screen with the Payment Method changed from Pay Later to Cheque, Cash, or the credit card actually used.

D Masters said:

We're a small society and don't, as a general rule, create invoices.  Members are retroactively reimbursed by cheque when they incur expenses and they submit them to me.  I suspect General Journal entries will have to do.

General Journal entries will not allow you to get a report of all invoices and payments to a specific vendor.  It will work for data entry but you need to think bigger picture and how you use the program to get information out not just in.

Now as you have seen above, you are creating an invoice.  When do you incur the expenses?  The date of the invoice or the date they ask for the money reimbursement?  I don't wish to answer that one because I am not an accountant and I don't know anything about the timing of the requests, nor the importance in your organisation of putting the expenses in the appropriate periods for management and income tax purposes.

Look at the columns you are filling in during a Make Other Payment entry.  Those same columns appear on the Purchases screen.  However, for some companies, they are limiting themselves and forcing themselves to learn too many things at the same time by using Make Other Payment.

Learning Purchases and Learning the Make Other Payment module to do essentially the same thing is a waste of time in my opinion (and I acknowledge that I have some weird opinions sometimes).  If all you do is Make Other Payments, then you are only learning and using one module.  Even if you used both Purchases and Make Other Payment, it is not wrong to do so.  It's just that in my mind, most people have too little time to do their bookkeeping and Simply Accounting was supposed to be Simple.  It's not as simple anymore.  However, it allows for a lot of flexibility.

Make Other Payment does not allow you to use inventory or service items that can help you in reporting and data entry speed.

Make Other Payment Invoice/Ref number does not show in the General Journal/Ledger Reports, only the Vendor Aged Detail Report.  Therefore you cannot search for a specific vendor invoice number in the Payment Journal.  Purchase invoices show both.

Make Other Payment does not allow you payment multiple invoices for the same vendor unless you force them all into one entries.

Make Other Payment (if used for everything) forces you into doing Cash-Basis account for everything whether it is appropriate or not.   Sometimes it is (eg. going to Staples and paying by credit card that same day, farmers, fishers), but over the years of teaching, I have seen many people surprised that when they were posting their utilities and phone bills and monthly Staples bills purchased online and delivered through Make Other Payment they were in fact posting the expenses in the wrong period and sometimes wrong fiscal year because there is no separate invoice date vs. payment date.

The Purchases module allows you to do everything the Make Other Payment module does and all these things above.

The nice thing about the Make Other Payment module when compared to QuickBooks Write Cheques is that the entries show up in the Vendor Aged Detail Report but in QB, they do not easily show up in the vendor historical reports (at least the last time I checked) and still show what is left outstanding to that vendor.

Again, I am not saying that using the Make Other Payment module is wrong, just superfluous (if that's still a word - and again, just my opinion).

Thank you for the detailed explanation.  I understand the case you make for not using Pay Expenses.

Richard S. Ridings said:

The short answer: Purchase data entry screen with the Payment Method changed from Pay Later to Cheque, Cash, or the credit card actually used.

In my version, this must be Suppliers and Expenses > Create Invoice.  If so, I have the following example:

I have received a Rental Agreement for the use of a hall.  There is no supplier Invoice Number so I going to make one up with the date I received the contract.  Two payments are expected: a deposit now and the balance in November.  In this case, if I understand correctly, I create an invoice (Pay Later) for the full amount, then make a "Pay Supplier Invoice" (Cheque) for the deposit amount and process it.  In November, I'll pay the balance with another "Pay Supplier Invoice".

Correct?

I haven't had the time to investigate the sample file (I have yet to find it).

Actually it's the case I made for ME not using Pay Expenses.  As I mentioned, it's not wrong to use the module and it still doesn't explain why you can't adjust an entry in that module.  I think I would have to see your file to be able to tell you exactly what is happening.

I don't know which version you are using because you didn't give it to us in full.  I only know Pro, not the year.

The terminology of Supplier vs. Vendor is probably due to the specific Industry type you have used in the Company information of your file when you set it up.  In Premium or higher you can change the name Supplier to Vendor, Seller, Provider, etc., the name for Invoice to Bill, Tag, Ticket, etc.

Your "menu" options listed show that you use the drop down link under the icons.  I use the Icons.  Once I click on the Purchase Invoices icon, I get the Purchase invoice.  Then in the upper left corner below the toolbar, I can change Transaction to Order if I want a PO.

In Payments, again I click on the Payments icon and in the upper left corner below the toolbar, I can change Pay Purchase Invoices to Pay Credit Card bill, Make Other Payment (the one you are using) and Pay Remittance.  Because when you open the module, the first control selected is this dropdown, I just use the down arrow to get the correct transaction if I wish to change and then Tab through the rest of the screen.

Regarding your invoice paid in two parts, you did not tell me how you would do it if you only ever use Make Other Payment (Pay Expenses).  You may wish to consult your accountant to determine which period the expense should be taken - eg. now when the contract is signed or when the rental is done in November, so you can get a better picture of how to make the entry.  However, here are a couple of options.

1) Yes you can do it the way you have suggested.  If the expense is to be taken now, you would use a 5000 expense account.  If it is to be taken in November, then you could use a Prepaid Expense Asset account (or alternatively the Accrued Liabilities account - creates a negative amount in the account) and then expense it with a general journal entry in November.  Payments would be done as you explained.

2) Don't record the invoice but record the first payment as a Prepayment (Pay Purchase Invoices, Payment menu, Enter Prepayments).  This will show as a negative on the Vendor/Supplier Aged Summary/Detail report.  No expense is recorded because a Prepayment is just a cash flow entry, money out and don't owe the vendor the money.  This also does not record the extra amount still owing in November.  This type of entry is done normally when you don't know the full invoice amount or don't have any invoice details.

Hope this helps

Richard S. Ridings said:

Actually it's the case I made for ME not using Pay Expenses.

Understood, but they seem good enough reasons for me, too. [:)]

Richard S. Ridings said:

I don't know which version you are using because you didn't give it to us in full.  I only know Pro, not the year.

Sage 50 Pro Accounting 2017, Canadian Edition (apologies for not being more specific in the original post).  I'm using the Enhanced View on the Home Window.

Richard S. Ridings said:

Your "menu" options listed show that you use the drop down link under the icons.  I use the Icons.  Once I click on the Purchase Invoices icon, I get the Purchase invoice.  Then in the upper left corner below the toolbar, I can change Transaction to Order if I want a PO.

This is what I see when I follow these steps.  I believe your "Purchase Invoice" is equivalent to my "Supplier Invoices" but I don't see a way to change Transaction to Order, unless this is the difference between "Pay Later" and "Cheque".  My User Preferences selection of Non-Accounting Terms does not have any effect on this, BTW.

Even at this point, with either Supplier Invoice or Payments window displayed, none of the items under the "Expense" or "Payment" menus, respectively, include any kind of adjustment function, greyed out or not.  I can only change Payment Method (Pay Later, Cash, Cheque, Direct Deposit).

Thanks for your continued patience, Richard.  Much appreciated.

D Masters said:

Are they copied to something other than the installation path?

Yes, if they were installed, they are sent to the 'public' folder specified by microsoft for the particular version of Windows

For Windows 10, with Sage 50 Canadian version 2017.x under:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Simply Accounting\2017\Samdata

It looks like the intent is that the 'real' non-sample company data should be nearby so that it can be shared in a multi-user setup:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Simply Accounting\2017\Data

Richard S. Ridings said:

If you can adjust in the sample file in the same manner as you are trying to in your company file, then there must be something wrong in your file. Click on my name to go to my profile and send me an email. I'll arrange to talk to you off forum if you like.

I've not forgotten and still want to resolve this but I've had to move on.  I plan on returning to it and looking into the sample file soon.

Your help is much appreciated.

I have a similar problem.  It occurs in only ONE of my client files.  Normally, I can access and adjust details of "Pay Expenses" transactions - by using "Find Payment" or by clicking on the "source" field in a ledger report.  But, this ONE file does not seem to save any details - after posting a transaction, there is NOTHING to be found when I perform a search (Find Payment).  The journal entry can be viewed, but when I click on the "source", I get the pop-up saying "There is no data to report" - as if the data had been "cleared" via the Maintenance menu. Transactions entered as invoices (i.e. "Pay Later") can be accessed and adjusted.  But, "Pay Expenses" transaction just disappear as soon as I post them.  WHY???

Check the settings under Maintenance | Clear Data | Automatically Clear Data

It's likely set to clear paid transactions.

Nope - no boxes checked.  Thanks for the suggestion, Randy.

Even if the client had done a "Clear Data" (at some time before giving me the file), why would all NEW transactions immediately disappear?

'Clear Data' can be done any time, and should have no future effect. 

Nezzer said:

why would all NEW transactions immediately disappear?

Sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly, they would not / should not clear until a new financial year is opened, AND the question about clearing data is answered.

As for the 'Immediately Disappear' part of the question, there could be other issues with report drill-down into 'Make Other Payment' transactions, especially if there are duplicate payment references.

And it could be an issue with start / finish dates or other filters.

And if the item has actually been adjusted (check by turning off show correction), there is nothing to look up (well, there IS, but Sage won't show it to you). 

There is always the possibility of data corruption, running an Advanced Database Check (after a backup) might show what's wrong, and hopefully fix it.

Again, thanks for the suggestions, Randy, but I have tried everything, including the Advanced Database Check - it finds nothing wrong.  I am now waiting for a Sage support specialist to phone me back - I called them about 5 hours ago...

Hi, you didn't create this vendor as a one-time vendor did you?  This also won't let you see data.  I make sure I always create a new vendor as a permanent vendor to avoid that.  Just thought I would check.