Create a Balance Sheet rule

Spotlight Forecasting lets you add rules to your Forecast's Balance Sheet. This means you can create journals and set payment timing rules for specific accounts, and manually select the accounts your rule will apply to.

Balance Sheet rules allow you to create a cash and/or accrual journal using accounts you select within a rule:

• Add a Current Assets rule
• Add a Non-Current Assets rule
• Add a Current Liabilities rule
• Add a Non-Current Liabilities rule
• Add an Equity rule

Note: When you create a journal from the Balance Sheet with a corresponding Profit and Loss account, you will see the amounts appear in your Profit and Loss. Click the icon beside the Profit and Loss account name to expand and display the journal amounts.

Elsewhere in Help Centre:

Edit a Balance Sheet default rule
About the Balance Sheet
Edit and delete a rule
Reassign a rule to a different account

Add a Current Assets rule

1. From the Customise Data tab click the Balance Sheet tab and expand the Current Assets section.
2. Click the Add Rule button from the account category header.
3. Rule Name: Name your rule.
4. Choose a rule type from the Rule Type dropdown menu.

Add a Balance Sheet rule:

The Balance Sheet rule allows you to prepare a journal between the account you have selected (at the top of the window - see ‘Select Account to Apply Rule to’), and the ‘Journal To Account’ (at the bottom of the window). If you select a bank account as the ‘Journal To’ account, the rule will create journals that have both a cash and accrual impact - these will appear in the Cashflow Forecast and Balance Sheet.

1. Select Account to Apply Rule to: Select the Balance Sheet account you want to apply this rule to.
2. Journal To Account: Select the other account to apply your rule to.
3. Click Next to enter the amounts in the Journals column.
   Note: All balances on this screen show DR positive and CR negative. The Movements column shows amounts journaled to this account via other rules. The Journals column allows you to create journals between accounts selected on the previous screen. If you chose a bank account as the Journal to Account then the journal amounts will be reflected in the Cashflow Forecast as well as the Balance Sheet.

Add a Bank rule:

This rule can be selected when you have manually added a Bank account.

1. Select Account to Apply Rule to: Select the manually added bank account you want to apply this rule to.
2. Enter an overdraft rate and check the Default Bank Account checkbox if required.
3. Click Next to see opening and closing balances and any interest expense calculation.

1. Click Next.
2. If required, add a note.
3. Save Rule

Add a Non-Current Assets rule

1. From the Customise Data tab click the Balance Sheet tab and expand the Non-Current Assets section.
2. Click the Add Rule button from the account category header.
3. Rule Name: Name your rule.
4. Choose a rule from the Rule Type dropdown menu:
5. Add a Fixed Asset rule: Use this rule to account for fixed asset movements. Edit the Fixed Assets rule
6. Add a Balance Sheet rule: Use this rule to create cash and/or accrual journals to other Balance Sheet accounts or Profit and Loss accounts. Edit the Balance Sheet rule
7. Add a Bank rule: This rule can be selected when you have manually added a Bank account. Edit the Bank rule
8. Click Next.
9. If required, add a note.
10. Save Rule

Add a Current Liabilities rule

1. From the Customise Data tab click the Balance Sheet tab and expand the Current Liabilities section.
2. Click the Add Rule button from the account category header.
3. Rule Name: Name your rule.
4. Choose a rule from the Rule Type dropdown menu:
5. Payment Plan rule: The Payment Plan rule allows you to pay off an account balance over time. The Movements account records amounts journaled against this account by other rules. Enter cash payments as DR positive amounts into the Payments column.  Enter payments into the Payments field beside the applicable month.
6. Balance Sheet rule: Use this rule to create cash and/or accrual journals to other Balance Sheet accounts or Profit and Loss accounts.
   Edit the Balance Sheet Rule
7. Click Next.
8. If required, add a note.
9. Save Rule

Add a Non-Current Liabilities rule

1. From the Customise Data tab click the Balance Sheet tab and expand the Non-Current Liabilities section.
2. Click the Add Rule button from the account category header.
3. Rule Name: Name your rule.
4. Choose a rule from the Rule Type dropdown menu:
5. Payment Plan rule
6. Balance Sheet rule: Use this rule to create cash and/or accrual journals to other Balance Sheet accounts or Profit and Loss accounts.
   Edit the Balance Sheet Rule
7. Click Next.
8. If required, add a note.
9. Save Rule

Add an Equity rule

1. From the Customise Data tab click the Balance Sheet tab and expand the Equities section.
2. Click the Add Rule button from the account category header.
3. Rule Name: Name your rule.
4. Choose a rule from the Rule Type dropdown menu:
5. Payment Plan rule
6. Balance Sheet rule: Use this rule to create cash and/or accrual journals to other Balance Sheet accounts or Profit and Loss accounts.
   Edit the Balance Sheet Rule
7. Click Next.
8. If required, add a note.
9. Save Rule