Eaglesoft End-of-Day: How to Close Your Books Properly

Eaglesoft has everything you need for a clean closeout. The trick is knowing which features to use and in what order.

Understanding Eaglesoft Day-End

Patterson Dental's Eaglesoft is one of the major practice management systems in dentistry. Its financial management features are comprehensive but require proper setup and consistent use to work effectively.

Eaglesoft's day-end process involves verifying payments, reconciling to deposits, and generating reports that ensure nothing slips through the cracks. This guide walks through the complete process.

Eaglesoft Payment Flow

How Payments Enter Eaglesoft

Payments come into Eaglesoft through several paths:

Patient payments: Entered through the Account module during checkout or via the Payment Entry screen.

Insurance payments: Posted manually from EOBs or electronically via ERA auto-posting through Eaglesoft's eClaims integration.

Batch payments: Multiple payments entered together, typically for insurance posting sessions.

Payment Types in Eaglesoft

Eaglesoft uses payment types to categorize transactions:

Standard types:

• Cash
• Check
• Credit Card (may have subtypes for Visa, MC, etc.)
• Insurance Check
• EFT

Configuration: Payment types are configured in Lists → Payment Types. Customize to match your practice needs and reconciliation requirements.

The Deposit Slip Feature

Eaglesoft's deposit slip functionality groups payments for bank reconciliation.

How it works:

• Payments are assigned to deposit slips
• Deposit slips track what goes to the bank
• Reports show deposit totals for matching

Location: Activities → Deposit Slip Entry

Essential Eaglesoft Reports

Daily Journal

The comprehensive daily activity report.

Location: Reports → Daily Reports → Daily Journal

What it shows:

• All financial activity for the day
• Production, payments, adjustments
• Detailed transaction listing

Use for: Complete record of day's activity, audit trail.

Payment Report

Payment detail for reconciliation.

Location: Reports → Daily Reports → Payment Report

What it shows:

• All payments by type
• Payment amounts and patients
• Totals by payment category

Use for: Reconciling cash drawer, credit cards, and checks.

Deposit Slip Report

Deposit summary and detail.

Location: Reports → Daily Reports → Deposit Slip Report

What it shows:

• Deposits created
• Payments in each deposit
• Deposit totals

Use for: Matching Eaglesoft deposits to bank deposits.

Day Sheet

Summary of daily production and collections.

Location: Reports → Daily Reports → Day Sheet

What it shows:

• Production by provider
• Collections by type
• Adjustments
• Daily summary totals

Use for: Management overview, daily verification.

Insurance Payment Report

Insurance-specific payment detail.

Location: Reports → Insurance Reports → Insurance Payment Report

What it shows:

• Payments by insurance carrier
• Claim-level detail
• Payment dates and amounts

Use for: Reconciling insurance EFTs to posted payments.

Daily Closeout Procedure

Step 1: Verify All Work is Complete

Before starting closeout:

Checklist:

• All patients checked out
• All payments entered
• All insurance payments for the day posted
• All adjustments entered
• No pending items in queue

Step 2: Run the Payment Report

Generate payment detail for the day.

Process:

1. Go to Reports → Daily Reports → Payment Report
2. Set date range to today
3. Include all payment types
4. Run and review

Review for:

• Total by each payment type
• Any obviously incorrect entries
• Payments that need investigation

Step 3: Reconcile Cash

Match cash payments to physical cash.

Process:

1. Note cash total from Payment Report
2. Count cash in drawer
3. Compare totals
4. Investigate any variance

Common variances:

• Payment entered as wrong type
• Payment not entered
• Cash collected but drawer short
• Counting error

Document: Record cash count on verification form.

Step 4: Reconcile Credit Cards

Match credit card payments to merchant batch.

Process:

1. Note credit card total from Payment Report
2. Settle batch on credit card terminal
3. Compare totals
4. Investigate any variance

Common variances:

• Declined transaction recorded as payment
• Refund not in Eaglesoft
• Transaction from prior day in batch
• Terminal/Eaglesoft timing difference

Document: Save batch settlement report.

Step 5: Reconcile Checks

Match check payments to physical checks.

Process:

1. Note check total from Payment Report
2. List all physical checks
3. Compare totals and check numbers
4. Verify all checks are accounted for

Step 6: Create Deposit Slip

Group payments into a deposit.

In Eaglesoft:

1. Go to Activities → Deposit Slip Entry
2. Create new deposit slip
3. Select payments to include
4. Verify total
5. Print deposit slip

Physical preparation:

1. Prepare cash per deposit slip
2. Prepare checks per deposit slip
3. Complete bank deposit slip
4. Verify totals match

Step 7: Run Day-End Reports

Generate required documentation.

Standard day-end reports:

• Payment Report (for records)
• Deposit Slip Report
• Day Sheet (for management)
• Daily Journal (for complete audit trail)

Save or print as required by your documentation policy.

Step 8: Submit and File

Complete the closeout.

Actions:

• Submit daily report to corporate/owner
• File documentation per policy
• Secure deposit
• Note any issues for follow-up

Insurance Payment Reconciliation

ERA Auto-Posting

If using Eaglesoft's electronic remittance:

Setup: Configure through eClaims settings

Process:

1. Download ERAs from clearinghouse
2. Import into Eaglesoft
3. Auto-post to patient accounts
4. Review posting accuracy
5. Match totals to bank EFTs

Verification:

• Run Insurance Payment Report
• Compare to ERA totals
• Investigate discrepancies

Manual EOB Posting

If posting from paper EOBs:

Process:

1. Open patient account in Eaglesoft
2. Navigate to insurance claim
3. Post payment and adjustments per EOB
4. Verify amounts match EOB

Batch posting:

• Track total check amount
• Post all claims on EOB
• Verify posted total matches check

Matching Insurance EFTs

Reconcile bank deposits to posted payments.

Process:

1. Identify insurance EFT in bank
2. Find corresponding ERA
3. Run Insurance Payment Report for carrier/date
4. Verify Eaglesoft total matches EFT

Common issues:

• Multiple ERAs in one EFT
• Partial postings
• Timing differences

Monthly Reconciliation

Bank-to-Eaglesoft Reconciliation

Monthly verification of collections.

Process:

1. Run Payment Report for entire month
2. Sum bank deposits for month
3. Compare totals
4. Investigate variance

Expected variances:

• Deposits in transit
• Credit card processing fees
• Non-revenue deposits in bank

AR Reconciliation

Verify AR balance accuracy.

Reports:

• Aging Report: AR by age
• Insurance Aging: Insurance AR detail

Review:

• Total AR reasonable
• Aging distribution appropriate
• No unexpected balances

Adjustment Analysis

Monitor adjustment activity.

Process:

1. Run Adjustment Report for month
2. Review by adjustment type
3. Verify large adjustments documented
4. Calculate adjustment percentage of production

Common Eaglesoft Issues

Payment Type Errors

Payment entered with wrong type.

Symptoms:

• Cash does not balance
• Credit card does not match batch
• Payment shows in wrong category

Fix:

1. Find the incorrect payment
2. Void or edit the payment
3. Re-enter with correct type
4. Rerun reports to verify

Deposit Slip Discrepancies

Deposit slip does not match bank.

Causes:

• Payments not included
• Wrong payments grouped
• Arithmetic errors

Fix:

1. Review deposit slip contents
2. Edit to include/exclude correct payments
3. Regenerate and verify

Unposted Insurance Payments

ERA received but not fully posted.

Symptoms:

• Bank EFT does not match posted payments
• Claims show pending status
• ERA total exceeds posted total

Fix:

1. Review ERA for unposted claims
2. Post remaining claims
3. Verify totals match

Split Payments Not Reconciling

Payments split across patients or methods.

Symptoms:

• Payment totals do not add up
• Patient balances incorrect

Fix:

1. Review payment splits
2. Verify allocations are correct
3. Adjust if needed

Eaglesoft Configuration Tips

Payment Type Setup

Configure payment types for clear reconciliation.

Recommendations:

• Separate types for each card brand if helpful
• Clear names that match your workflow
• Disable unused types

Location: Lists → Payment Types

Deposit Slip Settings

Configure deposit slip functionality.

Recommendations:

• Enable automatic payment selection
• Set default deposit slip format
• Configure for your bank's requirements

User Permissions

Control access to financial functions.

Location: Utilities → Security

Recommendations:

• Limit payment entry to authorized staff
• Restrict payment modification
• Enable audit logging

Report Defaults

Save commonly used report settings.

How:

• Run report with desired settings
• Save settings for future use
• Train staff on saved configurations

Multi-Location Considerations

Clinic-Specific Reporting

If using Eaglesoft's multi-location features:

Reporting:

• Filter reports by location
• Each location reconciles separately
• Corporate runs consolidated reports

Deposits:

• Create deposits per location
• Match to location-specific bank accounts

Centralized Oversight

For enterprise oversight:

Options:

• Eaglesoft's enterprise reporting features
• Third-party consolidation tools
• Manual consolidation from location reports

Integrating Automation

Data Export

Automated tools need Eaglesoft data.

Options:

• Database connections (requires technical setup)
• Report exports (CSV, PDF)
• Integration with compatible platforms

Bank Feed Integration

Connect bank data for automated matching.

Requirements:

• Secure bank connection
• Daily data refresh
• Account mapping

Automated Matching Benefits

What automation provides:

• Daily matching without manual comparison
• Exception identification
• Historical tracking
• Multi-location visibility

Using Eaglesoft and want to automate reconciliation? Zeldent integrates with Eaglesoft to match payments to bank deposits automatically, flagging only the exceptions that need your attention. Stop the daily manual verification and focus on what matters. Schedule a demo to see Eaglesoft reconciliation simplified.