What you can use it for
The GL report is designed for three things:
Closing out the day: Did the money you recorded match the money that actually moved?
Reconciling with your bank: The cash rows correspond directly to bank deposits
Sharing with your accountant: The report is formatted the way accountants expect, so there's no translation needed
The four tabs
Tab | What's in it |
Report Info | Your practice name, location, the date range you ran it for, and the timezone |
Glossary | Definitions for every row label on the report—if a term is unclear, check here first |
General Ledger | The main report—a summary of all financial activity for the period |
General Ledger Detail | The line-by-line breakdown behind every summary number—every payment and invoice |
Tip: If a number on the summary doesn't look right, the Detail tab shows exactly what's behind it. See General Ledger Report: Detail Tab for more details on how to use it.
Revenue shows up when an invoice is closed, not before
Your practice earns revenue when an invoice is closed and finalized. Until that happens—even if a patient has been seen and charges have been added—nothing appears in the report's Sales rows.
This matters because it means the report only shows finalized activity, not work in progress.
What about payments made before the invoice closes? If a client pays a deposit or pays toward a visit that's still open, that payment still shows up on today's report. It sits in a holding row until the invoice closes. At that point, the payment is applied, and the invoice revenue is recorded. Nothing gets counted twice.
Note: If an invoice is reopened after it was closed, the revenue is reversed on the day it was reopened. The original day's report doesn't change.
The totals will always match
The report has a Total row at the bottom. The Debit total (money in, or newly owed) and the Credit total (revenue earned, tax collected, deposits held, or an old IOU being cleared) will always be equal. This is built into how the report works—every dollar is always accounted for on both sides.
Multi-location practices
If your practice has more than one location in Instinct, each location gets its own report. Payments and refunds appear in the location where they were recorded. Revenue shows up at the location where the visit took place.
If you're a single-location practice, this doesn't apply, and everything is in one report.
The report uses your local time zone
All activity is recorded using your practice's local time zone. A payment processed at 11:50 PM counts for that day. One processed at 12:10 AM counts for the next day.
If a transaction is corrected (a voided payment, a date change, a reopened invoice), the correction shows up on the day it was made, not the original day.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I download the GL report?
In Instinct, navigate to the Analytics section from the left side pane. The General Ledger report is located under Reports. Select General Ledger Report → Generate New Report → Select the appropriate date and time, then click Generate.
Can I run the report for more than one day?
Yes, you can select any date range up to 31 days when generating the report.
Still need help?
Contact support via live chat or email [email protected]