Issue detected in the "Journal Entry" module of QuickBooks

Good evening, @scartes.

How are you doing today? I hope all is well. 

I appreciate the detailed information and screenshots of your issue. It's a big help to understand your situation. 

In QuickBooks Online, when multiple users simultaneously create journal entries, the system might assign the same journal number (ID) to each session, potentially leading to duplicated numbers. However, you can disable the auto-filling of journal numbers and manually enter your own.

Here's how: 

1. Go to the Gear icon, then Account and Settings.
2. Select the Advanced tab, then Automation.
3. Uncheck the box for "Pre-fill forms with previously entered content".
4. Save and then Done.

That should do the trick. For more information about this process, check out the help guides I'm including below.

• Use auto-recall to pre-fill transactions in QuickBooks Online
• Customize your transaction numbers in QuickBooks Online

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns that I can assist you with. I'm happy to lend a hand. Have a good one! 

Good evening, and thank you for your kind message.

I really appreciate the explanation and the workaround you suggested. However, I believe the issue goes beyond the auto-fill feature.

The main problem is that the system generates and displays the journal number as soon as the screen is opened, even if the user hasn’t saved anything yet. So, when two users open the form at the same time, they both get the same number — regardless of whether auto-fill is enabled or not.

Disabling the “Pre-fill” option might help in some cases, but it doesn’t fully prevent journal number duplication in concurrent usage scenarios.

That’s why we believe the best solution would be to assign the journal number only at the time of saving, or through a reservation mechanism that avoids overlap between users.

Is there any plan to improve this functionality in upcoming updates of QuickBooks? Currently, this limitation makes concurrent work within our organization quite difficult.

Thanks again for your support!

In QuickBooks Online, the numbering system works sequentially, choosing the number of the new transaction based on the last number entered, Scartes. Allow me to help you send feedback to our Product Development Team and provide information on this below.
 

I encourage you to share your suggestions directly with our Product Development Team, as they actively seek user feedback to improve our platform. Here's how you can submit your input:
 

1. Log in to your QuickBooks Online account.
2. Click the Gear icon located at the top-right corner.
3. Select Feedback under the Profile section.
4. Enter your suggestions and click Next.
    

Meanwhile, you can manually modify existing journal numbers to match your preferred number or sequence when creating journal entries.
 

To do so:
 

1. Locate the journal number field (positioned just above the journal entry details).
2. Enter your preferred number in the field.
    

For comprehensive insights on understanding debits and credits in an accounting system, you may refer to this informative article: Debit vs. credit in accounting: The ultimate guide and examples.
 

Transaction numbers are essential for efficiently managing your books, Scartes. As part of the QuickBooks support team, we are committed to enhancing your navigation experience with QBO, please know that the community will be there 24/7 ready to assist you.

Thank you for the detailed response and for guiding me on how to submit feedback — I’ve already done so via the Gear icon in QuickBooks Online yesterday.

Just to clarify, the concern is not about manually editing journal numbers, but rather about how the system behaves when multiple users access the Journal Entry screen at the same time. In those cases, the system pre-fills the same number for both users even before any entry is saved, which causes conflicts and manual corrections later.

This behavior significantly impacts our operations team, especially during peak hours when several users need to work in parallel. We hope this scenario can be considered for improvement in future updates.

Additionally, you mentioned the Product Development Team — would it be possible to formally escalate this issue to them or check if there is any visibility of improvements in the roadmap related to this functionality?

Thanks again for your support and for keeping the community active and responsive!

Sorry for writing again but I’d like to clarify a key point regarding the issue we’re experiencing with journal entry numbers in QuickBooks Online, as I believe there may have been a misunderstanding.

The problem is not simply that two users are creating journal entries at the exact same moment. Rather, the issue stems from the way the system pre-generates the journal number as soon as a user opens the entry screen — regardless of when they save it.

To illustrate this, here’s a real-world scenario:
    - At 10:00 AM, User A opens the journal entry module. The system assigns journal number 1000. They begin entering records but do not save yet.
    - At 10:05 AM, User B opens the module. The system also assigns 1000, since User A hasn't saved yet. User B also begins working.
    - At 10:07 AM, User C opens the module and receives the same 1000.
    - At 10:10 AM, User B finishes and saves their entry. It is saved successfully with number 1000.
    - At 10:13 AM, User A tries to save, but receives an error: "journal number 1000 is already in use."
    - At 10:14 AM, User A manually changes the number to 1001 and saves.
    - At 10:15 AM, User C, unaware of what happened, also tries to save with 1000, receives the same error, and then manually updates to 1001.
    - At 10:16 AM, User C tries to save again and now gets another error because 1001 was already taken by User A. Finally, they update to 1002 and save successfully.

This sequence shows that the issue is not due to simultaneous saving, but due to the system assigning a static number too early, without checking real-time availability upon save. This becomes a real challenge for our operations team when several users are working in parallel — it creates confusion, slows down workflows, and opens up room for human error.

I completely understand that the engineering team doesn’t communicate directly with customers, but I hope this example helps clarify the technical behavior we're observing. If there is a way to escalate this case further or validate whether improvements to this mechanism are being considered in the product roadmap, we would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Thank you very much for your message and for taking the time to follow up on the situation.

Sorry for write a response again but I’d like to clarify a key point regarding the issue we’re experiencing with journal entry numbers in QuickBooks Online, as I believe there may have been a misunderstanding. The problem is not simply that two users are creating journal entries at the exact same moment. Rather, the issue stems from the way the system pre-generates the journal number as soon as a user opens the entry screen — regardless of when they save it.

To illustrate this, here’s a real-world scenario:
    - At 10:00 AM, User A opens the journal entry module. The system assigns journal number 1000. They begin entering records but do not save yet.
    - At 10:05 AM, User B opens the module. The system also assigns 1000, since User A hasn't saved yet. User B also begins working.
    - At 10:07 AM, User C opens the module and receives the same 1000.
    - At 10:10 AM, User B finishes and saves their entry. It is saved successfully with number 1000.
    - At 10:13 AM, User A tries to save, but receives an error: "journal number 1000 is already in use."
    - At 10:14 AM, User A manually changes the number to 1001 and saves.
    - At 10:15 AM, User C, unaware of what happened, also tries to save with 1000, receives the same error, and then manually updates to 1001.
    - At 10:16 AM, User C tries to save again and now gets another error because 1001 was already taken by User A. Finally, they update to 1002 and save successfully.

This sequence shows that the issue is not due to simultaneous saving, but due to the system assigning a static number too early, without checking real-time availability upon save. This becomes a real challenge for our operations team when several users are working in parallel — it creates confusion, slows down workflows, and opens up room for human error.

I completely understand that the engineering team doesn’t communicate directly with customers, but I hope this example helps clarify the technical behavior we're observing. If there is a way to escalate this case further or validate whether improvements to this mechanism are being considered in the product roadmap, we would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you again for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Much appreciated for providing clarity regarding the behavior of the system along with the steps you followed in sending feedback, scartes. We can check if there are planned updates in the roadmap that address this functionality. Allow me to provide more information below.

It's important to note that suggestions can only be submitted through our Feedback mechanism. The implementation of these suggestions depends on the volume of similar requests, and they must undergo testing.

To continue, you can visit our Feedback page. There you'll find a list of recently updated ideas and can check the status of suggestions that might be similar to yours. This transparency provides valuable insights into how user feedback, like yours, helps shape our improvements.

Please use this link to view the progress of your suggestions: Customer Feedback for QuickBooks Online.

For future reference, we can check this resource on how to print a journal entry report in QuickBooks Online: Print a journal entry report in QuickBooks Online.

We appreciate your involvement and support in improving our services. Please let us know if you have additional questions about this topic. We'll provide continuous assistance. You have a great day ahead.