Multiple Journals in Odoo Accounting#
Journals are the workbooks of accounting - each journal holds a specific type of transaction. Organizing transactions into dedicated journals makes auditing easier, bank reconciliation cleaner, and financial reporting more transparent.
Default Journals#
Odoo creates these journals automatically during setup:
| Journal | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Invoices | Sales | All customer invoices and credit notes |
| Vendor Bills | Purchase | All vendor bills and refunds |
| Bank | Bank | Transactions from your main bank account |
| Cash | Cash | Petty cash transactions |
| Miscellaneous | Miscellaneous | Manual journal entries |
Creating Additional Journals#
Accounting → Configuration → Journals → New:
Example: Second Bank Account (USD Account)
- Name: USD Operating Account
- Type: Bank
- Default Account: USD Bank Account (150200)
- Currency: USD
- Short Code: BK2
Example: Card Payments Journal
- Name: Card Payments
- Type: Bank
- Default Account: Card Clearing Account
- Short Code: CARD
Each bank account, payment terminal, or cash register should have its own journal for clean reconciliation.
Journal for Each Currency#
For foreign currency transactions:
- Name: EUR Receipts
- Type: Bank
- Currency: EUR
- Default Account: EUR Bank Account
Transactions in EUR automatically use this journal; Odoo converts to functional currency for reporting.
Dedicated Journals for Recurring Entries#
Create specialized journals for specific transaction types:
- Payroll Journal: salary and payroll-related entries (separates payroll from normal expenses)
- Depreciation Journal: all depreciation entries (easy to filter for asset reporting)
- Opening Journal: used only for the opening balance entry when migrating
Journal Sequence Numbers#
Each journal has its own sequence:
- INV/2027/00001, INV/2027/00002 (customer invoices)
- BILL/2027/00001 (vendor bills)
- BK1/2027/00001 (bank)
This sequential numbering is the basis for audit trail continuity - auditors verify no gaps in the sequence.
Journal Access Control#
Restrict journals by user group:
Journal → Advanced Settings → Accounting Groups:
- Sales team: can post to Sales journal only
- Finance team: can post to all journals
- Auditors: read-only access to all journals
This prevents data entry errors from users posting in the wrong journal.