Most
transactions in
ContactsLaw are one-to-many; that is to say, one account is debited and one or more other accounts are credited, or vice-versa. Though sufficient for most accounting purposes, there are situations when it is desirable to transfer funds between multiple accounts within the same activity. This is where the
many-to-many transaction becomes useful.
In the many-to-many transaction
activity, you can enter debits and credits separately against any
general account. Once you have achieved balance, the transaction can be posted. The M-M transaction works by posting two complimentary one-to-many transactions to the
suspense (or
historical balancing, depending on the situation)
controlled account; one for the debits and one for the credits. The net effect on the suspense account is zero after these transactions have taken effect.