Transaction Numbering System

Every financial transaction in AccuArk is assigned a unique transaction number. These numbers are generated automatically using a standardized format that makes transactions easy to identify, sort, and reference. This guide explains how the numbering system works.

The Format

Transaction numbers follow the format:

TXN-YYYY-NNNNN

Where:

• TXN — A fixed prefix identifying this as a transaction number
• YYYY — The four-digit year, based on the transaction date
• NNNNN — A five-digit sequence number, zero-padded (for example, 00001, 00042, 01337)

Examples:

• TXN-2026-00001 — The first transaction of 2026
• TXN-2026-00150 — The 150th transaction of 2026
• TXN-2025-00483 — The 483rd transaction of 2025

How the Year Component Works

The year portion of the transaction number is derived from the transaction date, not the date when the transaction was entered into the system. This distinction is important:

• If you create a transaction on January 3, 2026 with a transaction date of December 31, 2025, the number will use 2025 as the year component (for example, TXN-2025-00484)
• If you create a transaction on December 31, 2025 with a transaction date of January 1, 2026, the number will use 2026 as the year component

This ensures that transaction numbers are grouped by the fiscal period they belong to, not by when they were physically entered.

How Sequence Numbers Increment

Sequence numbers increment independently for each year:

• The first transaction with a 2026 date gets sequence number 00001
• The next transaction with a 2026 date gets 00002
• And so on

The sequence number is determined by querying the highest existing sequence number for the given year and adding one. This means:

• Sequence numbers always increase within a year
• Each new year starts fresh at 00001
• There are no gaps in the sequence under normal operation

The five-digit format supports up to 99,999 transactions per year. For most businesses, this is more than sufficient.

Uniqueness Enforcement

AccuArk enforces uniqueness of transaction numbers at the database level. The transaction_number column in the account_transactions table has a unique constraint. This means:

• No two transactions can ever have the same number
• If a duplicate number is generated due to a race condition (two transactions created at the exact same moment), the database rejects the duplicate and AccuArk retries with the next available number
• Transaction numbers are never reused, even if a transaction is deleted

System-Generated vs. Manual Entries

All transactions in AccuArk receive auto-generated numbers, regardless of how they are created:

System-Generated Transactions

Transactions created automatically by AccuArk features receive numbers in the same format:

• Recurring journal entries processed at startup
• Transactions generated from invoice payments
• Transactions generated from bill payments

These follow the exact same TXN-YYYY-NNNNN format and increment the same sequence counter.

Manual Transactions

Transactions entered manually through the Account Transactions form or the Journal Entry form also receive auto-generated numbers. You cannot specify a custom transaction number. This ensures consistency and prevents numbering conflicts.

Journal Entries and Transaction Numbers

When you create a journal entry with multiple debit and credit lines, a single transaction number is assigned to the parent transaction. All split lines (stored in account_transaction_splits) share the same parent transaction number. This means:

• A multi-line journal entry consumes only one sequence number
• You can look up all lines of a journal entry by searching for the single transaction number
• The transaction number appears in the Account Transactions grid for each affected account

Referencing Transaction Numbers

Transaction numbers appear in several places throughout AccuArk:

• Account Transactions grid — The TXN # column shows the number for each transaction
• Transaction Audit History — Audit records reference the transaction number
• Financial reports — Transaction numbers appear in detailed report views
• Recurring Journal Log — Shows which transaction number was generated for each recurring entry

When communicating with your accountant or auditor, transaction numbers provide a precise way to reference specific entries.

Tips

• Use transaction numbers for cross-referencing — When discussing a specific transaction with colleagues or auditors, reference the TXN number for clarity
• Numbers indicate chronological order — Within the same year, a higher sequence number means the transaction was created later
• Year boundaries are clean — Each calendar year starts its own sequence, making it easy to see at a glance which year a transaction belongs to
• Deleted transactions leave gaps — If a transaction is deleted, its number is not reused. Small gaps in the sequence are normal and expected.