Film Accounting Glossary
GL code
What is a GL code?
Also called general ledger code.
A GL code is the specific general ledger account number a cost is posted to, taken from the chart of accounts.
Coding is the moment cost data is created or destroyed: a picture-car rental coded to grip equipment will never appear in the transportation variance, and the department head will chase a discrepancy that does not exist. Consistent coding matters more to a usable cost report than any software choice.
Example
A picture-car rental coded to grip equipment will never appear in the transportation variance. The transportation coordinator reports on budget, the grip department reports blown, and the real position of the show is invisible until someone re-codes it.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Assigned at invoice and timecard entry. Consistent coding matters more to a usable cost report than any software choice.
Common mistake
Coding from the vendor's category rather than the production's. A vehicle invoice from an equipment house still belongs in transportation if that is where the budget carries it.
Related questions
- Who decides the GL code for an invoice?
- Accounting, working from the chart of accounts and the purchase order raised by the department, not from how the vendor describes its own service.
- Does accounting software matter more than coding?
- No. Consistent coding decides whether a cost report is usable. Good software with careless coding still produces variances nobody can act on.