Understanding "Entered By" and "Entered On" on an Offering

The two dates on every offering

Open any offering's detail view and you'll see "Entered by {name} on {date}", this is the real system timestamp of when the record was actually created in Sermfy, and it's kept separate from the offering's own transaction date, the date the money was actually given or collected.

Why they're kept apart

Without this separation, backdating an offering's entry date could make it look like the record mysteriously reverted to today's date, or obscure who actually entered it and when. Keeping "Entered By" and "Entered On" as their own fields means you always know who created the record and when they did it, no matter what transaction date the offering itself carries.

Reading the two together

A large gap between the transaction date and the Entered On date isn't a mistake, it usually just means the offering was recorded after the fact, historical data entry, a correction, a batch caught up later, both dates are telling you something true, just about different moments.

Best practice

When you're auditing giving records or tracing down a discrepancy, check both dates rather than just one, the transaction date tells you when the money came in, and "Entered by / Entered on" tells you who's accountable for the record and when it entered the system.