Costpoint Online Help

Review Revenue Discrepancies

View this special topic to learn how to review and investigate revenue discrepancies identified when you run Revenue Reconciliation Inquiry.

Revenue discrepancies do not always indicate an error, as some differences are expected due to timing or rate variations. However, persistent or unexplained variances should be investigated. The sections below describe the most common causes of these discrepancies and what to review in each case.

The guidance provided describes common troubleshooting approaches but may not apply in all situations.

Variance Examples

General Ledger Total Too High

Possible Cause: The account is mapped to multiple revenue lines on the F/S Code.

If an account is included on more than one revenue line within the same F/S Code, Costpoint will count that account's GL activity once for each revenue line it is mapped to. For example, if an account is on three revenue lines, its amount will be tripled in the GL Total.

What to Check:

  • Access the Manage Financial Statements screen.
  • Enter the relevant Financial Statement Code.
  • Verify if the relevant account is included in multiple revenue lines.
  • If it is included in multiple revenue lines, remove it from the lines where it should not be added.
  • Re-run the Revenue Reconciliation Inquiry screen to verify if the GL Total is updated.

General Ledger Total Too Low

Possible Cause: The account is not mapped to the F/S Code or is not assigned as a revenue account.

If GL activity exists for an account, but that account is not mapped to the F/S Code you selected, or it is mapped but the line is not marked as a Revenue line, the entire amount will be excluded from the GL Total.

What to Check:

  • Access the Manage Financial Statements screen.
  • Enter the relevant Financial Statement Code and verify that the account in question is listed on a revenue line.
  • Check that the line has its Revenue checkbox selected.
  • If the account is missing, add it to the appropriate revenue line and re-run the inquiry.
  • If the account is on the wrong line type (e.g., an expense line instead of a revenue line), move it to the correct line and re-run the inquiry.

Variance Caused by Rate Type

Possible Cause: Difference is expected when you run the inquiry using different rate types.

If you set the Rate Type to Target, the Project Ledger Total uses target billing rates which may legitimately differ from the actual amounts posted to the GL. This is not an error; it reflects a known difference between what was budgeted at target rates and what was actually posted.

What to Check:

  • If you expect the two ledgers to match, make sure to select a Rate Type that aligns with how your GL postings are calculated.
  • Run separate inquiries, one with the Rate Type set to Actual and another set to Target, to determine which produces a smaller variance and to confirm whether the remaining difference is expected.

Variance Caused by Timing

Possible Cause: GL postings and Project Ledger recognition are in different periods.

General Ledger transactions are posted to the accounting period in which they occur. Project Ledger revenue recognition may be calculated and stored at a different time. For example, if revenue is recognized in the Project Ledger in period 10 but the corresponding General Ledger entry is posted in period 11, a variance is reflected when you view year‑to‑date totals for period 11.

What to Check:

  • Run the inquiry for a broader scope, such as year‑to‑date (YTD) or inception‑to‑date (ITD), to determine whether the variance is attributable to timing differences rather than a permanent condition.
  • Review the GL Details subtask for the affected rows to identify the accounting periods in which the General Ledger transactions were posted.
  • Compare the results with project revenue recognition reports to confirm the period in which revenue was recognized in the Project Ledger.

Unexpected Child Project Activity

Possible Cause: Project roll-up is broader than expected.

When you enter a project and set the Project Level to a value greater than 0, the inquiry includes all child projects beneath that project in the hierarchy. If child projects with unexpected activity exist, their amounts are included in the totals.

What to Check:

  • Enter 0 as the Project Level to view a detailed breakdown by individual project ID.
  • Review the General Ledger table window to identify which specific project IDs are contributing amounts.
  • If unexpected projects are listed, investigate whether activity was posted to an incorrect project.

Recommended Reconciliation Approach

When you encounter variance, use the following steps to efficiently identify the possible cause:

  1. Confirm that the inquiry parameters are what you intended.

    Verify the Fiscal Year, Period, F/S Code, Additional Options, and Rate Type. A common cause of unexpected variances is running YTD when PTD was intended, or using the wrong rate type.

  2. Determine whether the variance is proportional, such as exactly two or three times the expected amount.

    If the GL Total is an exact multiple of the expected amount, this typically indicates that the account is mapped to multiple revenue lines on the Financial Statement. Review the account mappings for the relevant Financial Statement Code in Manage Financial Statements.

  3. Check if accounts are missing from the GL Total.

    If the GL Total is lower than expected, access the Manage Financial Statements screen to verify if all revenue accounts are mapped to a revenue line under the correct Financial Statement Code.

  4. Use the GL Details subtask to review individual transactions.

    Select a record in the GL table window and click the GL Details subtask to view transaction-level detail for that record. The details display exactly which journal entries make up the amount, including the period, subperiod, posting user, and reference numbers. This is useful for confirming which specific transactions are included or excluded.

  5. Compare YTD and ITD to check for timing differences.

    If a variance exists when you run the inquiry using year‑to‑date (YTD) values but no variance exists when you run the inquiry using inception‑to‑date (ITD) values, the difference is attributable to timing. This indicates that amounts were posted or recognized in different periods, but the cumulative totals match.

  6. Important: Contact Deltek Support if the cause cannot be identified.

    If you complete the steps above and are unable to determine the cause of the variance, contact Deltek Support and provide the specific screen parameters used, including the Fiscal Year, Period, F/S Code, Rate Type, Additional Options, and any filter values. Deltek Support can run diagnostic queries to identify the records contributing to each total.