# Check why a journal entry is locked

Distinguish posted entries from drafts blocked by dates, missing lines, permissions, or Nonprofit setup.

Canonical: https://demo.qixcount.com/help/accounts-and-journals/why-a-journal-entry-is-locked

Who can do this: Owners, or people with *View journal entries*; backdating settings need *Manage business settings, roles & permissions*

Where: Books, then Journal entries

You'll need: Advanced accounting turned on in Features

An entry does not have a separate locked status. Its status is draft, posted, or reversed. A fiscal period can be locked, which can prevent a draft from posting.

## Check the entry and date

| What you find | What QixCount allows |
| --- | --- |
| Posted or reversed entry | Editing and deletion are blocked. An eligible posted original can be reversed with permission. |
| Unequal draft totals | Posting is blocked until debits equal credits. |
| Fewer than two saved lines | Posting is blocked. Zero-amount lines do not count because they are not saved. |
| Date in a closed or locked period | An ordinary journal cannot post to that period. The draft can still be edited. |
| Date outside the backdating limit | Posting is rejected even if the draft otherwise appears ready. |
| Missing action permission | A visible button can still return a permission error. Creating, editing, deleting, posting, and reversing use separate permissions. |

In General, a closed year blocks ordinary journals even without monthly periods. Monthly periods take precedence over an annual period for the same date. If monthly periods overlap, a closed or locked overlapping month prevents an ordinary journal from posting. Nonprofit also checks every period covering the date and the year-end closing record. A closed year or another closed or locked period can still block posting after a month is reopened. Ask a user who manages fiscal periods to review the date and period status.

## Find the backdating setting

A user with **Manage business settings, roles & permissions** permission can open **Settings**, then **Accounting setup**, and review **Posting rules**. When **Prevent backdating** is on, **Oldest allowed date** sets how many days back posting is allowed. The setting accepts 1 to 365 days. Saving a draft does not bypass that check.

## Check Nonprofit setup

Nonprofit also requires approved account mappings, an active Operating fund, an accessible active or trial Nonprofit subscription, valid coding, and balanced funds. A selected archived fund, program, grant, or restriction must be reactivated. Expense lines need a function or an approved default.

If **Post Entry** is unavailable, review the date and period status even when **Balanced** says yes. If fund totals differ, [preview interfund offsets](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/accounts-and-journals/balance-funds-with-interfund-offsets). Contact support if the entry still cannot post after its date, lines, permissions, and setup have been checked.

Next, [edit the draft](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/accounts-and-journals/edit-or-delete-a-draft), [post it](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/accounts-and-journals/post-a-journal-entry), or [reverse a posted original](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/accounts-and-journals/reverse-a-journal-entry).