How to use the lock date feature in Farm Focus

Why use the lock date feature?

Locking  financial data ensures records remain accurate and unaltered. This is especially important during reporting and compliance periods, giving you confidence that no changes will be made after review.

Benefits

• Prevents accidental or unauthorised edits to financial data.
• Ensures consistent and accurate financial reports.
• Supports confidence in decision-making and compliance.

Who can lock or unlock financial dates?

Only accountants can apply or remove a lock on financial data.

NOTE: Farm must be linked to an accountant’s workspace before a lock can be applied.

How to lock a date

Open the farm: In the Workspace, open the farm you want to update.

1. Go to Lock a Date: Select Settings > Financial > Lock a date.
2. Choose your lock option. You have two choices:
   1. Option a: Lock farmers only
      1. Blocks farmers and other non-workspace members from making changes.
      2. Workspace members (e.g., accountants) can still make updates.
      3. Best used while accountants are finalising the EoFY accounts, so clients don’t make conflicting changes.
   2. Option b: Lock everyone
      1. Blocks all users, including accountants and other workspace members, from making changes.
      2. Best used after the EoFY process is complete to fully close the year.

What happens when financial data is locked?

Once a lock is applied:

Farmers cannot:

• Edit invoices or transactions dated on or before the lock date.
• Use the Match function for those transactions.
• Create or edit livestock events dated in the locked period.
• Make changes in the Actuals screen for the locked date or earlier.

If farmers attempt to make changes, they’ll see a warning that the data is locked.

Farmers can:

• View locked invoices and transactions in read-only mode.
• Easily identify locked entries, which are marked with a read-only icon.  

Note: If there is a partially paid invoice showing in the Needs Action screen in the locked period, farmers can still match it to a transaction that sits outside the locked period.  This will not affect the AAR (Accountants Annual  Report), because the amount owing at the balance date has already been included in your reporting.  A common example is a Hire Purchase invoice that spans across several financial years.

How to check if data is locked

1. Go to Settings > Financials.

2. Look for a message indicating that the financial data is locked                                                                                                                       

Unlocking a locked financial year

If you need to make changes after a lock has been applied:

1. Consult your accountant – They can unlock the year if required.

   We strongly advise consulting with your accountant first.

2. Contact Farm Focus Customer Support – Only in exceptional cases (e.g. changing accountancy firms), the organisation admin can contact Customer Support to request an unlock.                                                                                                                                         

Exceptions to the lock

Files imported from external sources (e.g. Invoice Scanner, File Upload, or Bank file) with dates in the locked period can be edited, but only if the date is changed to fall outside the locked period.

Scenario

After your accountant finalises the year-end, they apply a lock to prevent changes. Later, you upload a bank file that includes a transaction with a date in the locked period. You cannot edit it unless you change the transaction date to a period outside the lock.

After your accountant finalises the year-end, they apply a lock to prevent changes. Later, you upload an invoice (using the invoice scanner) with a date that falls before or on the lock date: You can import and edit it, but you won’t be able to save it. If you try to save it, you’ll see an error on the invoice date field. To save it with that earlier date, your accountant will need to temporarily unlock the period, save the invoice, and then relock it. If the invoice date is after the lock date, you can save it without any issue.