7.2 Transaction Record

1. Transactions Overview
A Transaction records money paid In or Out of an Account.

Transactions normally have the date on which they are created, but this and most other details about a Transaction can be edited, including setting the date in the past or the future.

Each Transaction has a Transaction Number, starting at 1 which is displayed in the Ledger. Each transaction also has a unique tkey which is a unique identifier in the Beacon database and is shown in some Excel downloads.

You may view a Transaction Record by clicking on the Transaction number in the Ledger and from other places where Transaction numbers are displayed:

Transactions for New Memberships and Membership Renewals are automatically added to the Ledger and are associated with the member(s):

1.1 Pending Transactions

An option added in April 2024 is to be able to configure Finance Accounts such that that Transactions can be shown as Pending. Any account so configured has a Pending tick box below the Amount:

See 7.10.5 Pending Transactions for further details.

1.2 Refunds

An option added in September 2024 is to be able to configure Finance Accounts such that that Transactions can be fully or part refunded. Transactions that have been refunded show the amount refunded and have a button with 3 dots that can be clicked to view the Refund Transaction:

See 7.10.7 Refunds for further details.

2. Adding Transactions
To create a Transaction that is not associated with a Membership payment, click Add transaction from the Home page or the Ledger.

Select either Money received or Payment. The field below will toggle between From and To accordingly.

• Enter the person (or body) From whom the money has been received or To whom it has been paid. The Amount should always be a positive figure.
  
  
• The Date may be changed by clicking in the date box and selecting the required date from the calendar.
  
  
• Select a Payment Method from the drop-down list and (optionally) add a cheque number or other reference in the Payment Reference.
  
  
• Detail (which will be shown in the Ledger) should give a concise reason for the payment. Additional information can be entered in Remarks.
  
  
• Transactions may be linked to 1 or 2 Members or a Group by selecting from the Associate transaction with drop-down lists.
  
  
• On the right side is a list of defined financial Categories. You must assign the money paid or received to one or more categories such that the total of the categories equals the Amount. You will not be able to save the transaction if this is not the case.
  
  
• Normally categories are positive amounts for a payment or receipt. An exception is Paypal Commission for an online membership transaction which is shown as a negative amount.

 When all is complete, press the Save button to commit the Transaction. If you press the Save & Add Another button, a new form will be shown to enable a succession of transactions to be entered efficiently. Otherwise the saved Transaction is re-displayed as confirmation.

2.1 Transferring Between Accounts

There is a special type of Transaction that is used for transferring money between Finance Accounts; see 7.3 Transfer Money for further information.

3. Changing and Deleting Transactions
After changing any fields in a Transaction, press the Save button to commit the changes.

Ordinarily, for reasons of financial integrity, Transactions should not be deleted. Instead another Transaction should be added that negates the first Transaction, or (if the Refund functionality has been enabled for your u3a) the Transaction should be refunded; see 7.10.7 Refunds.

However, if a genuine mistake has been made that is recognised straight away (a Transaction being entered twice, for example) it may be deleted by pressing the Delete button.

Notes:

• All changes to data throughout Beacon are audited
  
  
• Transactions that have been Cleared cannot be deleted or changed, except that the figures in the Category fields may be edited and Transactions in the current or previous financial year can be Un-cleared; see 7.5 Reconcile Account.

 Cleared Transactions can be recognised by a ‘Cleared date’ in the last column of the Ledger.

Cleared Transaction Records display a note saying that the Transaction has been cleared, the cleared date and a tick box to Un-clear the Transaction if it relates to the current or previous financial year.

v1	2020	Graeme Bunting	First version
v2	2021-04-23	Lyn Bossons	Merged KB Transactions article with start of UG 7.2
v3	2024-01-30	Graeme Bunting	Transactions related to the current or previous financial year can be Un-Cleared
v4	2024-04-09	Graeme Bunting	Pending Transactions option added
v5	2024-09-02	Graeme Bunting	Refunds option added