Deferred and Unbilled Rollforward

What it is

The Deferred and Unbilled Rollforwards show how contract liability (Deferred) and contract asset (Unbilled) balances move over a month—from the beginning balance, through invoicing, revenue earned, and credit memo adjustments, to the ending balance. They’re the place to reconcile period activity to journal entries during month-end close without jumping between screens.

Both reports share the same layout and workflow. The difference is the balance they track and how the period formula is signed:

• Deferred Revenue (contract liability): amounts billed before delivery. Invoicing increases the balance; earning releases it to revenue.
• Unbilled Receivables (contract asset): amounts earned before invoicing. Earning increases the balance; invoicing releases it.

Under ASC 606, these reports help you confirm that Tabs balances, GL activity, and the story of the month all line up for each side of the contract balance sheet.

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.

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
• 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

Go to Tabs side navigation menu:

• Revenue → Deferred rollforward
• Revenue → Unbilled rollforward

You can also open either report from Close Management → Rolling balances via Review Rollforward on the deferred or unbilled row.

When to use it

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

How it works

The steps below apply to both reports. Where labels or defaults differ, both are called out.

Step 1. Set Period & Currency

Use the Period and Currency dropdown to set the reporting period and currency as needed.

Step 2. Start with Preliminary Review

Tabs Revenue Agent will take a first pass at reviewing journal entry activity for the balance in view (Deferred or Unbilled accounts) and highlight key findings to guide you through the reconciliation process. Depending on the activity, you may see exceptions, period movements, historical trends, and key drivers with stats and instructions to help you identify contracts to investigate below.

• Exceptions: Unusual or outlier transactions that deviate from expected patterns and may require investigation.
• Period Movements: Changes in balances or activity between reporting periods, highlighting significant increases, decreases, or shifts.
• Historical Trends: Patterns in financial or operational data over time used to identify consistency, anomalies, and changes in behavior.
• Key Drivers: The underlying factors, such as volume, pricing, mix, timing, or customer activity, that explain movements and trends.

Step 3. Review Rollforward Summary

This is where Tabs rolls the balance forward for the selected period. The math is the same shape on both reports; Unbilled is the mirror of Deferred because Unbilled is a debit-normal asset (earning raises it; invoicing releases it).

Deferred Revenue

Unbilled Receivables

Step 4. Review 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. Activity columns follow the same order and signs as the summary for that report:

• Deferred: (+) Invoiced then (−) Earned
• Unbilled: (+) Earned then (−) Invoiced

Review only the balance’s journal entries

By default, the rollforward displays journal entries filtered to the accounts configured in Integration Items for that balance:

• Deferred report → Deferred accounts (+ Missing)
• Unbilled report → Unbilled accounts (+ Missing)

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 or Unbilled balance.

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

Ask Revenue Agent to explain

To simplify your review, hover over the icon to the right of each detail row and ask Revenue Agent to surface the contract billing term and performance obligation details beyond the journal entries shown on the screen.

Reconciliation example

When a customer’s period activity doesn’t match expectations, filter to that customer and expand the contract in question. Leave the default GL filter on to review only Deferred or Unbilled entries first, then 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.