Understanding and Using Restriction Releases in GrantLink

A restriction release records that a donor's time or purpose restriction has been satisfied. In GrantLink, releases reduce the restricted net asset balance for a donor-restricted grant without creating another expense or moving cash.

GrantLink gives you one place to track releases entered manually and release activity synced from QuickBooks Online, connect releases to qualifying grant expenses, review exceptions, and preserve an audit trail.

Important: Recording a release manually in GrantLink does not create or post a journal entry in QuickBooks. Use the manual workflow to maintain the GrantLink release schedule, and coordinate any general-ledger entry with your accountant. If the entry already exists in QuickBooks, use the QuickBooks workflow below instead of creating a duplicate manual release.

For the accounting concepts behind releases, see Understanding Net Assets Released from Restriction.

What a Release Is—and Is Not

When a donor-restricted grant meets its restriction, the released amount moves from with donor restrictions to without donor restrictions for financial reporting purposes.

A release is:

• A dated net asset reclassification
• Associated with one donor-restricted grant
• Supported, when applicable, by approved or posted expenses for that grant
• Retained in GrantLink's history if it is later reversed

A release is not:

• A cash receipt or payment
• A new grant expense
• An expense allocation
• A second copy of the paired side of a QuickBooks release entry

GrantLink shows grant spending and releases separately. The same expense may support why a restriction was satisfied, but linking that expense as evidence does not change its allocation or count it again.

Before You Start

Confirm the grant is donor-restricted

Releases can only be recorded or assigned to a donor-restricted grant. If the grant is classified as unrestricted, GrantLink disables recording, linking, and reversing releases.

Decide which workflow applies

Use one source for each release:

Situation	Workflow
The release entry already exists in QuickBooks	Configure release accounts and let GrantLink sync it
The release is not represented by a synced QuickBooks entry	Record it manually in GrantLink
Qualifying expenses are already selected on the grant	Create the release from Allocations

Do not create a manual release for an entry that GrantLink will also sync from QuickBooks.

Option 1: Record a Release Manually

1. Open Grants and select the donor-restricted grant.
2. Open the Releases tab.
3. Select Record release. If the grant has no releases yet, you can select Record manually.
4. Enter the Release amount.
5. Choose the Effective date—the date the restriction was satisfied for your reporting schedule.
6. Select a Release reason:
   • Qualifying expenses incurred
   • Time restriction elapsed
   • Asset placed in service
   • Prior eligible costs
   • Simultaneous recognition and release
   • Donor modification
   • Other
7. Add an optional Notes or evidence reference explaining the basis for the release.
8. Select Record release.

The release is recorded as approved in GrantLink. Creating it does not move cash, create an expense, change existing allocations, or post to QuickBooks.

Option 2: Create a Release from Qualifying Expenses

Use this workflow when approved or posted expenses are the evidence for the release:

1. Open the donor-restricted grant and go to Allocations.
2. Select one or more expense rows.
3. Select Create release.
4. Review the amount and selected expense evidence in the release dialog.
5. Confirm the Effective date, Release reason, and optional notes.
6. Select Record release.

GrantLink prefills the release amount from the selected expenses and links those allocations as evidence. Only expense rows can be used; a QuickBooks release line cannot support another release as expense evidence.

Option 3: Track Releases from QuickBooks

If your finance team records release entries in QuickBooks, configure GrantLink to identify the relevant account activity.

Configure organization defaults

1. Open Settings and go to the QuickBooks mapping page.
2. Find Restriction release accounts.
3. Choose the Release account used for the release side of the entry.
4. Choose the distinct Paired account used for the other side.
5. Save the mapping.
6. Sync QuickBooks.

The same QuickBooks account cannot be used on both sides. GrantLink tracks only the release-side line as the release and uses the paired account to understand the reclassification; do not allocate or link both sides as releases.

If one grant uses different accounts, open that grant's QuickBooks links and set its release account overrides under Accounting setup. Organization defaults continue to apply to grants without overrides.

Review synced results

Open Releases from the main navigation:

• All releases contains the organization-wide release register.
• Needs attention contains QuickBooks release activity GrantLink could not place confidently.

When QuickBooks tracking identifies one donor-restricted grant, GrantLink associates the release automatically. If a release has no grant tracking value, select the correct grant from Select grant. This assignment affects the GrantLink workpaper only; it does not edit QuickBooks.

If the entry has ambiguous, conflicting, or invalid QuickBooks tracking, GrantLink displays Resolve in QuickBooks. Correct the source transaction or mapping in QuickBooks, then sync again. GrantLink intentionally does not override source-controlled accounting details.

Add and Review Expense Evidence

Expense evidence documents the qualifying costs that support a release. It is separate from the QuickBooks release entry itself.

To review a release:

1. Open the grant's Releases tab or the organization-wide Releases workspace.
2. Select the release row to open Release record.
3. Review Amount, Evidence, Unexplained, and Evidence status.

Evidence statuses mean:

Status	Meaning
Missing	No qualifying expense evidence is linked
Partial	Some, but not all, of the release amount is supported
Complete	Linked evidence supports the full release amount
Over-supported	Linked evidence is greater than the current release amount and needs review

To add evidence to an active release:

1. Open the release details.
2. Select Add evidence.
3. Choose one or more available expenses.
4. Confirm the Amount to apply.
5. Select Add evidence.

GrantLink offers only positive, approved or posted expenses allocated to the same grant. An expense amount already used as evidence for another active release is not available again. You can remove linked evidence from an approved release with Remove expense evidence.

Not every valid release is expense-driven. For example, a time restriction, donor modification, or asset placed in service may need different support. Choose the accurate release reason and use notes or your document records to identify the supporting evidence your accounting policy requires.

Correct a Release

GrantLink preserves approved release records rather than editing their accounting history. If a release is wrong:

1. Open the release details.
2. Select Reverse.
3. Enter a Reversal date that is on or after the original release date.
4. Enter the required Reason for the correction.
5. Select Reverse release.

The original release remains visible with its reversal details. If needed, record the corrected release separately. Reversing a GrantLink record does not create a reversing entry in QuickBooks; correct a QuickBooks-sourced release in QuickBooks as well, following your normal accounting controls.

Export the Release Register

Use the organization-wide Releases workspace when you need a release schedule for reconciliation or review:

1. Open Releases.
2. Select All releases.
3. Select Export.
4. Choose a fiscal-year reporting period or All time.
5. Select Export.

The export includes the release register and reconciliation workbook for the selected period. Before relying on it for close or audit work, clear the Needs attention queue and review releases with missing, partial, or over-supported evidence.

Recommended Month-End Workflow

1. Confirm restricted grants are classified correctly in GrantLink.
2. Approve or post qualifying expense allocations.
3. Record release entries in QuickBooks according to your accounting policy, or prepare the manual GrantLink release schedule if the entries are handled separately.
4. Sync QuickBooks and review Releases > Needs attention.
5. Assign only genuinely unmatched entries in GrantLink; correct source-controlled issues in QuickBooks.
6. Link qualifying expenses as evidence and investigate unexplained amounts.
7. Compare releases with restricted fund balances and the general ledger.
8. Export the release register for your reviewer, accountant, or audit file.

See Tracking Restricted vs Unrestricted Funds for broader fund tracking guidance and Maintaining Audit-Ready Documentation for documentation practices.

Important Accounting Boundary

GrantLink organizes release records, synced QuickBooks context, expense evidence, exceptions, fund-balance reporting, exports, and activity history. It does not decide when a donor restriction has been satisfied, post a manual release to QuickBooks, or replace your organization's accounting policy and professional review.