This article covers Step 4F of Understanding Accounting Integration: the Store Credit Accrual control account. For the full series, see Accounting Integration Setup: All Steps.
What Is the Store Credit Accrual Account
The Store Credit Accrual account is a General Ledger (GL) account used to track the total value of store credits recorded on Customer Records in Blackpurl. It is typically a liability account and carries a credit balance.
How Store Credits Are Created
A store credit is created when a customer returns a part but chooses to leave the value of that return with the dealership rather than receiving a refund. The workflow looks like this:
1. A customer returns a part and a Customer Order Return is completed in Blackpurl.
2. Instead of refunding the customer directly, the dealership selects Store Credit as the payment method to close out the return.
3. The store credit is applied to the Customer Record in Blackpurl for the customer to use on a future visit.
Once the return is processed, the store credit appears on the customer's record in Blackpurl.
A journal entry for the store credit is then sent to your accounting package automatically.
How the Account Balance Moves
The Store Credit Accrual GL account is updated in two situations:
The account is credited whenever a store credit is created or increased in Blackpurl.
The account is debited whenever a customer uses their store credit in Blackpurl.
Restrictions
All accounting entries to the Store Credit Accrual account must originate from Blackpurl. Never create manual transactions against this account directly in your accounting application — doing so will cause the GL balance to fall out of sync with the store credits recorded in Blackpurl.
The balance of the Store Credit Accrual GL account should always equal the total store credits currently available in Blackpurl. If these figures don't match, investigate for manual entries or unprocessed transactions.
To view and report on store credits in Blackpurl, see Store Credits on a Customer Record.