The quick answer
Go to Transactions > Management > Enter Memorized Transactions and find the reminder whose Next Date has arrived. Click Enter on its row. NetSuite opens a new journal marked Memorized Transaction, with the lines copied from the definition. Check the Date, Posting Period and lines, then click Save. Nothing is created until you save. After the save, the definition's Next Date moves to the next period, its Number Remaining drops by one, and the new journal shows up on its Transactions subtab.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own definition and values when following the steps.
Before you start
In this example, Alex Morgan at Example Supply Co. accrues a refrigeration service contract every month with a memorized journal called Monthly refrigeration service accrual. It debits 6540 Equipment Maintenance and credits 2130 Accrued Liabilities for 3,275.00. The definition's Action is Reminder, so NetSuite doesn't post it on its own. Someone has to enter each month's journal. September's journal, JE1187, was entered on 09/01/2026. It's now 10/01/2026, and October's hasn't been entered.
This guide starts from a definition that already exists. To set one up, see how to create a monthly memorized reminder. Your role needs access to memorized transactions and permission to create journal entries, and the menus you see can vary by role. If journal approval is turned on in your account, the saved journal may wait for approval before it posts.
01. Find the reminder that is due
Go to Transactions > Management > Enter Memorized Transactions. The Date field at the top shows 10/01/2026. Has Remaining is Yes, so only definitions with occurrences left are listed, and Next Date is All, so no date range filters them. The list is sorted by Next Date.
Monthly refrigeration service accrual is the first row: Next Date 10/01/2026, Transaction Type Journal, Time Period Month, Number Remaining 9, Action Reminder. A reminder is due once its Next Date has arrived. This one's Next Date is today, so October's accrual hasn't been entered. Forklift loan interest is due 10/31/2026 and Quarterly property tax accrual on 12/31/2026. Inventory count adjustment is a Template Only definition with no Next Date. The Amount column is blank for these journals in this view. The amounts are on the journal lines.
02. Open the occurrence with Enter
Click Enter on the Monthly refrigeration service accrual row. NetSuite opens a new Journal marked Memorized Transaction. Entry No. shows To Be Generated, because the number is assigned on save. Check the Date and Posting Period before you do anything else: here they're 10/01/2026 and Oct 2026.
The Date and Use Next Date controls at the top of Enter Memorized Transactions apply when you check several rows and click Submit. With the Enter link, confirm the date the form opened with.
Scroll to the Lines subtab. The two lines come from the definition: 3,275.00 debit to 6540 Equipment Maintenance and 3,275.00 credit to 2130 Accrued Liabilities, each with the memo Monthly refrigeration service accrual. Total Debit and Total Credit are both 3,275.00, so the journal is balanced.
Because it's a Reminder, you can change a line if this month's accrual is different. The change applies only to this journal. It doesn't update the definition, so next month opens with the stored lines again. To change future months, edit the definition. If you'd rather not enter it now, click Cancel. The definition stays as it was.
03. Save the journal
Click Save. NetSuite shows Transaction successfully Saved and the saved journal, JE1216. It's dated 10/01/2026 in Oct 2026, with a Total Journal Amount of 3,275.00 and the same two lines.
Saved isn't always posted. If journal approval is on, JE1216 can exist and still wait for approval. The Posting Period matters too. A closed period can't be used, so pick an open one on the form. A locked period needs Allow Posting in Locked Period checked on the definition, and your role's period permissions, such as Override Period Restrictions, still apply.
04. Confirm the reminder moved
Go back to Transactions > Management > Enter Memorized Transactions. Monthly refrigeration service accrual now shows Next Date 11/01/2026 and Number Remaining 8. In this view, sorted by Next Date, it now sits below Forklift loan interest. Its Next Date is in November, so it's no longer due. The October occurrence has been used.
A definition set to Indefinite shows Forever under Number Remaining. That doesn't count down, but its Next Date still moves.
05. Check the definition's history
Go to Transactions > Management > Enter Memorized Transactions > List and click View on Monthly refrigeration service accrual. View opens the definition read-only, so you can't change it by accident. The Recurring subtab shows Next Date 11/01/2026, Repeat Every 1, Time Period Month and Number Remaining 8.
Click the Transactions subtab. JE1216, dated 10/01/2026 for 3,275.00, is listed above September's JE1187, newest first in this view.
Check the result
- JE1216 is saved, dated 10/01/2026 in Oct 2026, with 3,275.00 debit to 6540 Equipment Maintenance and 3,275.00 credit to 2130 Accrued Liabilities.
- On Enter Memorized Transactions, Monthly refrigeration service accrual shows Next Date 11/01/2026 and Number Remaining 8.
- The definition's Recurring subtab shows the same Next Date and Number Remaining.
- The definition's Transactions subtab lists JE1216 above JE1187.
If the Next Date didn't move or JE1216 isn't on the Transactions subtab, don't enter the occurrence again yet. Check that the journal was actually saved, which period it landed in, and whether an approval is holding it. Also check that the definition isn't inactive or out of occurrences, and that your role can see the journal.
Common questions
How do I enter a memorized transaction reminder in NetSuite?
Go to Transactions > Management > Enter Memorized Transactions and click Enter on the reminder's row. NetSuite opens a new transaction marked Memorized Transaction with the stored lines. Check the Date, Posting Period and lines, then click Save.
Where do I find memorized transactions that are due?
On Transactions > Management > Enter Memorized Transactions. The list shows each definition's Next Date, Time Period, Number Remaining and Action. Use the Has Remaining, Next Date, From, To and Action filters to narrow it, for example Action set to Reminder to see only the ones that wait for a person.
What is the difference between a Reminder and an Automatic memorized transaction?
A Reminder waits for someone to enter it, so you can review the transaction before it's saved. An Automatic definition creates the transaction when NetSuite processes the scheduled occurrence, with no manual step. A Template Only definition has no schedule and is only used when you enter it yourself.
Why hasn't my recurring journal entry posted this month?
If its Action is Reminder, nothing posts until someone enters it. Check the definition's Next Date on Enter Memorized Transactions: if it's still this month's date, the occurrence hasn't been entered. If the journal was saved but journal approval is on in your account, it may be waiting for approval.
Does entering a memorized transaction update its Next Date and Number Remaining?
Yes, once the transaction is saved. In this example, saving JE1216 moved the Next Date from 10/01/2026 to 11/01/2026 and Number Remaining from 9 to 8. Clicking Cancel leaves the definition as it was, and an Indefinite definition shows Forever instead of a count.
How do I see which transactions were created from a memorized transaction?
Go to Transactions > Management > Enter Memorized Transactions > List, click View on the definition, and open its Transactions subtab. In this example it lists JE1216 dated 10/01/2026 and JE1187 dated 09/01/2026, both for 3,275.00.
Can I change the amount on a memorized journal before saving it?
Yes. Edit the lines on the journal that opens from Enter, keep it balanced, and save. The change applies only to that journal. To change the amount for future months, edit the definition.
What date does NetSuite use when I enter a memorized transaction?
Check the Date and Posting Period on the form that opens before you save. In this example it opened with 10/01/2026 in Oct 2026. The Date and Use Next Date controls at the top of Enter Memorized Transactions apply when you check several rows and click Submit.
What happens to a memorized transaction in a closed or locked period?
A closed period can't be used, so pick an open Posting Period on the form. A locked period needs Allow Posting in Locked Period checked on the definition, and your role's period permissions still apply.