Deferred Revenue Rollforward Reconciliation

Last updated: August 24, 2026

What it is

The Deferred Revenue Rollforward shows how Deferred Revenue moves over a month—from the beginning balance, through invoices sent, revenue earned, and credit memo adjustments, to the ending balance. It’s the place to reconcile deferred revenue period activity to journal entries during month-end close without jumping between screens.

Under ASC 606, amounts billed before delivery are deferred (a contract liability) until performance obligations are satisfied. This report helps you confirm that Tabs deferred balances, deferred GL activity, and the story of the month all line up.

If you recognize revenue when you send invoices (Performance Obligation recognition pattern = Recognize as Billed), configure ERP items to revenue accounts to bypass Tabs revenue journal entries. There will be no Deferred Revenue (contract liability) impact. Your ERP will post the necessary Accounts Receivable and Revenue journal entries directly.

Before you start

To ensure Tabs generates journal entries using the correct GL accounts for movements between Deferred Revenue (Contract Liability), Unbilled (Contract Asset), and Revenue, first configure the integration item account mapping between Tabs and your connected ERP. Incorrect mapping will only create incorrect journal entries on both ERP and Tabs. To review and update, go to Integrations from left navigation → View and sync under Synced items. Make sure you have each type (Revenue, Unbilled, Deferred) mapped to the correct GL accounts.

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Tabs automatically generates journal entries based on the integration item account mapping and the integration items set on the Billing Terms and Performance Obligations. These must be mapped correctly so Tabs knows which GL account to use for each invoice, credit memo, and revenue journal entry. If the mapping is missing or incorrect:

  • Journal entries will have missing accounts

  • Deferred, Unbilled, and Revenue journal entries will be incorrect

  • Deferred Revenue Rollforward journal entry details will not show the activity you expect

If you find a mapping issue, return to the contract to correct the Integration Item setting, then update the month’s journal entries and reopen the rollforward to review the changes.

Where to find it

  1. Go to Revenue → Close management → Select a period

  2. Scroll to Review flux analysis

  3. In Rolling balances, open the menu next to Deferred → Review Rollforward

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When to use it

Use it during month-end close after resolving billing and before pushing journal entries for the period—typically when you’re reconciling Deferred Revenue to confirm contract-level journal entries are correct.

How it works

Rollforward Summary

Row

Definition

Beginning Deferred Revenue

= Prior period ending balance

(+) Invoiced

Billed to customers before performance obligations satisfied

(−) Earned

Performance obligations satisfied, released to revenue

(+/−) Adjustments

Credit memos issued

(=) Ending Deferred Revenue

= Beginning + Invoiced − Earned +/− Adjustments

Rollforward Details

Below the summary, the report shows the same rollforward for each customer > contract, with an aggregated footer total you can use to reconcile back to the period summary.

Review only Deferred journal entries

By default, the rollforward displays journal entries filtered to the Deferred Accounts configured in Integration Items.Use this view to review activity and identify potential account mapping issues.

Expand a row to view the journal entry lines that make up each period movement total, grouped by journal entry type. You can reconcile the total debits and credits to each rollforward movement at the contract level.

See all journal entries

You can also clear the GL account filter to see both sides of the entry and further investigate how journal entries impact the period Deferred Revenue balance.

Use Export if you need an Excel copy for workpapers or auditors.

Reconciliation example

When a customer’s period activity doesn’t match expectations, filter to that customer and
expand the contract in question. Leave the deferred filter on to review only Deferred entries first, use the description field to drill down into invoices or credit memos.

Clear the GL account filter to see the full journal entries and identify mis-mapped or missing entries so you can make the proper corrections.