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I can't use some Xero tools because of this default on journal creation. Why it was ever set up that way is ridiculous.

Please please please fix this.

Kelly, this is a HUGE headache - it causes all sort of issues. Please listen to your users, canvass 20 customers who manage larger transaction flows or multiple clients. Ask them why it matters if this forum isn't enough to convince you.

It's really simple, it just needs the default to change. It's a 1/0, binary setting. It'll take a developer no time, or give it to Claude...10s and done. The release note will take more time than the fix.

It's such an easy win. Not glamorous, but all the accountants will thank you for it. And they'll have more time with their families, or passing more journals, or whatever.

Manual Journals defaulting to Cash makes zero sense for a professional accounting platform. Most journals are, by definition, accruals.

As a Senior Accounts Manager overseeing multiple entities, this is currently a huge headache, especially not having the ability to mass-edit or recode these entries means I’m losing hours manually editing individual journals one by one.

This is a basic feature that has significant implications to the integrity of the accounts.
We need the ability to set the default basis by organisation.
We need the ability to mass edit these Journals.

Hi Team, just wanted to further emphasize that this feature change is highly desired and would make a massive difference to our small business.

At present cash summary reports are inaccurate and taking a lot of work to rectify.

Please prioritize making the checkbox unticked by default or provide a custom preference for the journals to post on an accrual basis. Thanks in advance

It's shocking that something so fundamental has been outstanding for approaching half a decade. They couldn't find a single programmer to swap the default state of a tick box, but they're happy to thrash out this new liquid glass eyesore. Software for Small Businesses TM, especially if you despise your accountants

crazy default!

It seems so bizarre that the default is for journals to show up on cash basis reports. It's so hard to remember to turn this off every single time I post a journal, and if I don't then my cash reports don't work properly. At least allow users a default choice please!

This causes so much confusion AND is such an easy fix. Come on Xero.

This is a ridiculous default setting. A manual journal will likely never be a cash item. Is Xero designed by accountants for accountants? Sometimes I doubt it...!

Agree with all comments made prior - manual journals are mainly used by accountants to be on an accruals basis. It does makes cash summary report hard to use/more time consuming having to fix journals to untick cash basis due to default.

Not a financial advisor etc, but I imagine the Xero stock price would have its biggest single day rise in 15 years if they fixed this issue. It would indicate that the product team understands what accountants actually need.

If you can make the software default for it to be ticked, is it not possible for the box to be unticked by default and then ticked by the user if it is required? this would make the cash reports more useful for many more people. Thank you

Having to remember to untick the box every time a manual journal is posted is frustrating, as manual journals are generally not cash based.

Yes for me the Statement of Cash Flows is basically a useless feature as it includes journals which in our case we would very very rarely use a journal to provide a cash entry.

Xero - PLEASE listen to what we are saying! Rob Schmitt has made it very clear. I cannot rely on any cash-based reporting that Xero claims to provide.

Well said Rudi.
One minor change will make a considerable improvement

Kelly - I believe the Xero Product team may have misunderstood the issue.

The core problem is that cash reports are inaccurate because imported journals are being included - even though this is almost never required. This prevents users from accurately relying on Xero’s cash reporting features and undermines valuable existing functionality.

This affects a material part of your product, yet the fix is simple: change the default so that “Show journal on cash basis reports” is unticked by default — which is correct 99% of the time. It’s extremely rare to journal a cash transaction - that’s what bank feeds are for.

You don’t need to make this a configurable default; just change it centrally. Doing so would instantly improve accuracy and make your entire user base happier. The only reason you haven’t heard more complaints is likely because many users simply don’t realise their cash reporting is wrong.

Implementing this small change would resolve the issue for most users and remove unnecessary frustration. Please reconsider.

Unfortunately, this response demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of what a manual journal actually is. In no way should entries on Xero made on a manual journal be reported on a cash report. I hope this decision is reviewed and reversed, preferably by a team that includes some qualified accountants.

This response is unreasonable and nonsensical. This is a clear product issue that undermines the accuracy of cash reporting and is more important than introducing new features. Our use of journals for revenue recognition, given that Xero does not support this either, creates a significant problem for us and many others. If Xero’s staff had a better understanding of their clients and the broader impact on other features, they would prioritise resolving this issue immediately - wake up...

It looks great but essentially Xero's cash means nothing to us as long as journals automatically posting come through with the cash tick on, which discounts Xero's information significantly. This is an urgent essential upgrade Xero is behind on.