Re: [GNC] Credit card account with two cards
On 9/25/2019 1:53 PM, Derek Atkins wrote: which is contrary to your statement that GnuCash cannot do it. Would you care to specify WHERE you saw that statement you claim is from me? And I believe we are talking about VERY different issues. As I have pointed out, not MY problem since all the organizations for which I keep books have such low volume I do not download bank statements and try to get that data into gnucash. I am simply entering the few transactions that exist from the credit card statement> OBVIOUSLY if manually entering transactions no limitations from gnucash. Please refer back to what was originally asked (not by me) Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Credit card account with two cards
On 9/25/2019 12:14 AM, Zacharie Durand wrote: Hello, I’m wondering if anyone has dealt with multiple credit cards under a single credit card account? My spouse and I each have a credit card under a single credit card account. We make purchases on our separate credit cards. Each month I receive a single bill for both cards. The bill separates my purchases and my spouses into two separate lists and sum them up. This is actually a significant issue for the business version of gnucash because this is exactly how business/organization credit card account work. Authorized individuals have their own cards, and the statement shows use by cards, but the total amount shows under the master account (and that is the one to which payments are made). One of the organizations for which I am treasurer has this. Unfortunately I am not going to be of much help suggesting how to treat, as such low volume I don't bother with downloading from the bank << only one of the authorized persons charges "frequently" and even he rarely as many as 2-3 transactions/month-- the rest don't average even 2/year >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Badly formed URL unknown-type
On 9/20/2019 1:08 PM, Uttam Chakravorty wrote: To go back a little, I have become so sure of GnuCash I have become lazy about taking a milestone backup after every session. I have no excuse as we do the books every 3-6 weeks so it was not really too hard to do. I'm sure Uttam doesn't need this (now) but everyone else, pay heed. The little bits of extra time spent making back-ups of your books will all be made up the one time you need a back-up you didn't bother to make. ESPECIALLY if you enter stuff in your books only now and then << my organizations are all low volume, so it's once a month when I have a bank statement to reconcile against >> there is no excuse not to back up every time. Remember, it's not IF you will need a back-up but WHEN. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Bank check - debit and credit?
On 9/19/2019 10:35 AM, orn...@tutanota.com wrote: Let me expand a little. This is for personal use, such as the purchase of artwork or a service, so its purpose is not for a business. Recent examples were for repair of a vintage fountain pen or a wrist watch. The repairers asked for a bank check, so I wrote a check to the bank for cash, the bank then gave me a "bank check," which I sent to the repairer. What are the mechanics of double entry debits and credits? If I write the check to the bank do I then have to show income to bring it back in? a) If this is frequent, I would probably create an account for "negotiable instruments" (or just "bank checks" if that's the only type dealt with). Your purchase of one is just an asset transfer transaction. When and if used to pay an expense* that transaction would be debit expense and credit this asset. The reason I put the asterisk is often the bank check is needed to purchase an expensive asset (car, house, art work, etc.) so the debit side would be for some fixed asset,not an expense. b) If you are bringing it back in (never used) that would not be income but again an asset transfer transaction. That is actually a fairly frequent use of a bank check, needed if taking part in an auction in case you are high bidder but otherwise returned to the bank. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Bank check - debit and credit?
On 9/19/2019 9:20 AM, orn...@tutanota.com wrote: How does one debit and credit for a bank check when the person/company doesn't want to accept a personal check? I usually forgo reality and just record that I sent the personal check directly to the individual, but that's not exactly what happens. I think this depends on how fancy you want to be. Perhaps not unrelated to how you enter OTHER "check" transactions for which there is no check number like automatic payments, one time electronic payments, etc. IF the money (for purchase the bank check) came from the checking account, I'd probably treat is as a numberless check putting into the description column something like "bank check to..." instead of just the payee. But if there was going to be a significant delay before the bank check/cashiers check was handed over might treat it as an asset << it perhaps is NOT likely to be actually used, say necessary to take part in bidding, but only used if one wins the auction >> But I am NOT an accountant. Just quite aware that this is normal procedure for certain sorts of transactions. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] PSD2
On 9/18/2019 3:42 PM, Fred Bone wrote: This is likely to be completely incompatible with fetching account data programatically, given that many seem to think the best approach is a one-time passcode sent via SMS to your mobile phone after validating your id and password. This seems to becoming more and more common, authentication by a one pass-code sent via SMS to a mobile phone. Totally ignoring that SOME of us don't have mobile phones because they do not work in our rural location << we know from which nearby hilltops one can get a connection, but cannot receive where we live >> SOMETIMES they do allow for an email option (choose instead of mobile phone) but not always. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Credit Card Format Good?
On 9/15/2019 10:01 PM, Peter West wrote: . That means that increases in an Asset are debits, while decreases are credits; and increases in Liabilities (or Equity) are credits, while decreases are debits. Income increases assets; an increase in an asset is a debit; therefore the balancing entry for income must be a credit. Expenses decrease assets; a decrease in an asset is a credit; therefore the balancing entry for expenses must be a debit. Not necessarily, and that needs to be stressed precisely because this began with credit cards. An income item will increase assets OR decrease liabilities << in either case, a debit >> An expense will decrease assets OR increase liabilities << in either case, a credit >> For example, if you paid an expense with a check, db expense; cr checking but if you paid with the credit card would be db expense; cr credit card. Then when you pay against credit card charges might be: 1) balance paid in full, no interest - db credit card; cr checking 2) if interest part of that payment a split db credit card, db credit card interest; cr checking (you might instead choose to have entered the interest as a credit card transaction first) Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Having trouble trying to use Gnucash instead of Aplos
On 9/15/2019 7:03 PM, David Carlson wrote: I think other GnuCash users often resort to spreadsheets or other software when the GnuCash reports don't meet their needs. David Carlson OR additional sets of books (virtual books, etc. ) Using this sort of entity as an example, suppose a church/non-profit that keeps its books on the cash basis needs to be able to send out membership statements (and track who has paid their dues, etc.). At the "price" of additional data entry could have a set of books JUST for that purpose (invoice members, record payments, produce reports on "outstanding", etc.). Of course when a membership/dues/donation payment comes in, would have to be entered there as well as in the main books. BUT, that would be true if keeping those side records on spreadsheets, etc. All I am saying is that gnucash CAN be used that way (instead of a spreadsheet) Similarly, an entity with a real "petty cash fund" might use gnucash to track that separately with a petty cash book << remember, the person in the office handling petty cash might not be accessing the main books. Look at a standard accounting text to see how this was usually done << how the books, once a month or so, interacted >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Having trouble trying to use Gnucash instead of Aplos
On 9/15/2019 9:15 AM, Daniel Wieberdink wrote: I was hoping to transition to Gnucash to track finances for the small church we belong to. I started by optimistically trying to import about 3 years worth of transactions from Aplos into GC via a CSV file. That didn't go as smoothly as I hoped. Let me start by asking an important question. This "Aplos" application where you have the last three years data.Is something wrong with it? You will no longer have it available? << to view, to produce reports from, the existing data >> Because if THAT is the case, why are you trying to migrate this data to your new gnucash books? In the old days, pen and ink on paper in bound volumes, they used to go to "new" books all the time. Close the old books and open new books in fresh volumes on a regular basis << what else to do as physical books became full >> You can do the same sort of thing migrating to gnucash. You use your old application to produce a Balance Sheet as of the date of migration and use this to establish the opening balance of each of the "standing accounts". Then when and if you need to refer to old data (stuff before this date) you use the old application. In my experience, such need to reference the old data is rare. That's what I have done every time I migrated an organization to gnucash. I never tried migrating the old data. Perhaps if I had had to deal with some fixed assets, I might have handled those differently << not just the balance remaining as of of the date of starting the gnucash books but the basis and depreciation history --- if you have to deal with those I will show you >> Michael D Novack PS: I do not ever use "opening balance" instead entering explicit opening the books transactions, one for debits and one for credits. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Gnucash not obtaining lock Solved
On 9/14/2019 5:59 PM, R. Victor Klassen wrote: Well, actually, yes. And it makes sense. They’re trying to protect you from ransomware - software that encrypts your stuff and then offers to give you the decryption key if you pay up. The idea is that a known list of applications are allowed to touch files in the protected directories, and you can add tru AH my misunderstanding is because of how described. Coming from the mainframe world (my working days) the concept of "authorized" programs and directories is quite familiar to me. In that environment there was also a level of authorization based on the login of who was running the program. Normal security to me. The threat less things like ransom ware (full back up daily) than selective changes by a malicious user << which would likely be on all generations of backups before being discovered >> Since I am about to retire this old X200 under 7 replacing with a W541 under 10 I can see I will have a choice to make. Either add the apps I will be installing to the authorized app list or turning the feature off. We might consider an addition to the documentation for installing gnucash under Windows 10 << add to list of authorized apps >> I think this is in general a good idea on a shared computer. In my case, my wife is too non-techie to even think of trying to install something. But if we had grandkids living with us? << the great grands are too young to mess with computers >> Michael D Novack -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Gnucash not obtaining lock Solved
On 9/13/2019 1:50 PM, Bob Hammons wrote: The trouble was Windows Defender in a recent update blocked Gnucash, Quicken and Open Office data directories. This was in the Ransom ware section Here is a website that explains how to fix this .. Wasn't very nice of MS to do this without any notice that these programs would be blocked Thanks again for you help I did learn a little more about Windows but something new will pop up I am sure. That does not seem to me to be much of an explanation. I don't know about Quicken, but with either OpenOffice (I use LibreOffice) or Gnucash the "data directories" (the directory in which the data lives AND where the lock file will be created) is up to you. Certainly MS didn't block "Documents" (the parent directory where LibreOffice documents likely placed). If, what you are referring to are default locations which these applications might use IF you failed to specify where your documents were to be put that's another matter. I'm not at all sure I would be so critical of MS in that case. It is a really bad idea for people to allow applications to simply place data wherever so you don't KNOW the location. For example, if you don;t know the location, how do you know what directories you want copied to your backup device (you DO make periodic backups, right?). Thus, if I Know that ALL such data would be in the "Documents" tree (organized by sub directories so you can find things) then you know your backup procedure would want to copy "Documents" (and everything in it) when making a backup. In which case you don't need to think of separate backup for each application. When you create a new set of books in gnucash (a new file) the FIRST action you should take after opening it should be a "save as" to the desired location << say in a directory under documents named "Gucash Books" --although there I would have a directory for each set of books since I keep several -- that makes it easier to clean out old log/session backups for a particular set of books since those, and the lock file, will be in the directory where the file is >> Michael D Novack PS when some of us say "directory" that is not different from what you know of as a "file folder". We just learned before it was graphical. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] How to manage earmarked funds
On 9/12/2019 1:49 PM, Fred Frazelle wrote: Dear sirs: We are a non-profit and receive contributions. Every once in a while the Assembly sets up a fund for something special, like a Center and the believers contribute. The money in this fund cannot be used for anything else. Since we are just setting this up, we already have some money in one of these Funds. We set the account Center up as a liability, since it hasn't been built yet but then the program says Imbalance (i really like this feature - you can see immediately that something is amiss - lol). i already have the monetary amount listed in one of the Equity/Opening Balances. Obviously i'm not an accountant and am trying to wrap my head around this... But that you got an "Imbalance" simply means that you did not enter the transaction correctly> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Assign one payment to multiple invoices (from several customers)
On 9/12/2019 7:40 AM, Derek Atkins wrote: Um, no, it does not appear regularly. Indeed, this is the first time in 19 years that someone has asked about paying invoices for multiple customers with a single payment. I would think this situation rare, but not unheard of. As the customer, I usually take pains NOT to put the vendor into this situation. For example, say we are paying for magazine sub renewals for our two oldest great grandchildren, I would write a separate check for each invoice. But not ALWAYS. Thus when paying excise tax on our cars (two tax invoices from the town) I know that sometimes I have written a single check. So we'll take that as an example. What would the town tax collector do to enter if using gnucash? I assume she would use her eyes and brains. See that the total of the check matched the total due on both invoices. Then probably enter each invoice paid for its proper amount. After all, what would be done if there were two checks, but the check numbers had been entered manually (as they are with counter checks and/or temporary ones for a new account) and by accident the check number duplicated. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Simple Reports
On 9/9/2019 10:28 AM, mrtibbsabq wrote: Hi. I have been using GnuCash for awhile now but I cannot see a way to tunnel down into the data and generate some simple reports. I would like to generate a report between two dates that show only the expenses for a specific expense category. That seemed easy to do in MS Money but I am stuck with GnuCash. Can someone set me on the right path here? Thanks. Or alternatively, if it is an entire subtree or several subtrees of expenses that you want. Use the "Income Statement" and either: 1) Exclude all the accounts you do not want or (possibly less work) 2) Run the full report, export, and delete the parts you don't want (the possibly less work because this might be vast swaths of the report) Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Thank you
On 9/4/2019 9:09 AM, Doug wrote: Thanks Adrien. Every year I need to send my data to my accountant who does not (yet) use Gnucash. I did not have any success exporting to .qif files: not sure why. (Would not read into Quickbooks) I thought a spreadsheet might be better way to go. This is a new accountant because my last accountant retired (at 85! & still runs a farm: tough people these rural folk). Previously I supplied hard copy reports because they were old-school. The new accountant is quite happy for electronic version, but last year I had no success with her reading my files. Just because you might end up printing an exported report does not mean you have to send to your accountant as hard copy. Instead of printing the file, simply attach it as a document to an email. Your accountant does not need access to gnucash to read an exported document << for example, a browser reads html >> Can YOU read your exported files? What application opened them? Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] 2 Questions About Debit Cards
On 8/28/2019 5:52 AM, Haim Roman wrote: I get separate statements for the checking account & debit card. On the checking account, it just notes that money was transferred to the debit card. It's the debit card statement that says to whom I paid. In addition, sometimes the checking statment notes a *single *transfer to the debit card that actually corresponds to *multiple *transactions on the debit card statement. I live in Israel. Maybe debit cards work a bit differently in other countries. I have a sneaky suspicion that "debit cards" are different in different places. THIS example seems very similar to "petty cash fund" except no need to prefund (gets refreshed as needed by a transfer from the supporting account). If that refresh is always after, you COULD treat like a credit card that was never used to borrow money << ie: a "30 day net" account >> BTW -- that IS how Penny and I use our credit cards and also the business credit cards of the orgs I keep books for. In other words, although on the books as a liability, the balance is always paid in full, no interest ever paid, no loan balances left outstanding << though of course could show that way at the end of a reporting period >> As for where to put an Israeli "debit card", could do either as an asset or a liability << this is easier to see when you just think debits and credits>>I I would decide that by the DATES the bank uses for the "refresh" transfer transaction, is that before or after on the statement. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Bookkeeping for a club's charity account - use business features?
On 8/27/2019 2:40 AM, Michael Hendry wrote: I had understood from a recent response from Mike Novack that using an accrual-basis system for cash-basis organisation would be wrong. "Wrong" is the wrong term. I did not say that. I said that adjustments might have to be made (the books kept on accrual basis but the reports had to reflect cash basis). That calls for more than a little bookkeeping experience to do correctly. Back to the suggestion of not posting invoices immediately, that would be correct for memberships/dues (which are not legally receivable) but you could post pledges (which are --once a pledge is made the person owes that amount to the organization). Not that I only know this true for the US. The other thing mentioned, RESTRICTED donations (the donor has earmarked for a set purpose) introduces the need for more record keeping. The treasurer has to track when the organization has "earned" that donation << the restriction removed because that amount has been spent for the designated purpose >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Bookkeeping for a club's charity account - use business features?
On 8/26/2019 6:49 AM, Greg Feneis wrote: Michael, I use GnuCash for my cash business and don't have any trouble with it. I think the only trouble you may have is with report generation. Kind regards, Greg Feneis (Pixel 3) Well yes, it is precisely that, adjustments necessary to convert "accrual" to "cash" for reports. Not THAT hard to do for those experienced in bookkeeping (the old way) and if doesn't need to be done all that often. If quarterly of annually only, I might do it that way. But a business is different than a club/church/charity and it is only for the latter sort of org that I am willing to help in this way. The reason I am suggesting "a second set of books" JUST to send invoices (member statements) is that in my experience possibly the majority of collections will be "not as billed". Take a church/synagogue as am example. The "membership dues" might be set as X, and perhaps half the congregation sends in that amount. The other half, people contact the treasurer (or an abatement committee) and say "sorry,we just can't afford that much" and they get an "abatement" << an arrangement to pay what they can >> In other words, the total of "receivables" is NEVER going to be close to what comes in. Would you, as a business, be so casual about "not had to adjust: is HALF of you invoices involved adjustment to "bad debt"? << in the organizational case, "abated" >> The point is, the second set of books I am talking about is JUST for sending out "statements". You don't necessarily have to record there when payments come in unless you want to be able to send out follow-up statements. There is an argument for NOT doing it. If "abated amount" is put in and statement sent out again (for the lesser amount) that is ALL you would get. And of course might not even get that. But if the person is told by the treasurer or abatement committee ,"look, pay half you can" you MIGHT end up getting more. Usually the board wants to know how many (what percentage of our congregation is abated) and how much collected from all who are abated (for predicting total membership dues for budgeting) but NOT "who is abated and by how much" << that is private, confidential >> Note that is you are recording these incoming payments into the (real/main) books on cash basis and that is the information needed just have to have "membership dues" and under it two child accounts "full membership dues" and "abated membership dues". Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Bookkeeping for a club's charity account - use business features?
On 8/25/2019 3:25 AM, Michael Hendry wrote: First (and an important question) Is your organization om the cash or accrual basis? You should always state that. The business features of gnucash only work for accrual. And I see that your organization does pledges. Here in the US, pledges ARE receivable,but only according to the terms of the pledge << thus if a person pledged X a year for five years, only the X for the current year due NOW >> So pledge accounting will require extra work unless all your pledges are simple, immediate pledges. But you can easily have a second set of books to keep and report on "by member" stuff, and if using the business features, can invoice. Note though that at least in the US "membership dies" are not really receivables <organization at any time -- organizational rules about "demits", etc. apply only if you want to rejoin>> However many organizations even cash basis [prefer being able to send out "statements" (invoices to members) Notice that I misunderstood.What I was suggesting was if you had to supply to the government the CORRECT member name for the donations, not just that it had to be SOME member's name. The latter is of course far simpler in terms of record keeping << I was picturing the former because possibly there were by person limits >> Michael PS: I do NOT attempt to get gnucash to produce reports in their final form. Easier to export full reports and then copy into a document that gets edited to remove extraneous detail, insert annotations, etc. On 24 Aug 2019, at 23:03, Mike or Penny Novack wrote: On 8/24/2019 5:39 PM, Michael Hendry wrote: This is for the Gift Aid claim. We have to put in an annual claim to the taxman, identifying each contributor and his/her total amount donated during the year. Many UK charities use this method to boost their income - for example, when you pay the National Trust for Scotland the admission fee for one of their properties, they’ll ask you if you’re willing for them to make a Gift Aid claim and take down enough details to make that claim. You have to have enough income to be taxed at the basic rate, and the charity can claim tax back at a rate 25% of the admission fee. I have to account for the income as it is received, and I’d prefer to record sufficient detail in GC at that point, rather than run a parallel record on a spreadsheet or whatever. Regards, Michael OK, I think I understand now. And it seems straight forward to implement in gnucash, though you will an easy way to suppress the detail on most reports. When your organization has money come in for any purpose, that is a debit to cash (or some bank account) and a credit to some income account. Could be a split to multiple income accounts. Follow so far? So in your income tree, one item is "donations". Under that you have an account for each donor. A FULL "statement of revenues and expenses" << gnucash name Income Statement but I gave it the usual title a non-profit uses; a for profit says "profit and loss" >> shows the detail (total for each donor. But usually you would probably want to suppress that. You could try a dummy placeholder (say named "donors") in between donations and the individual donor accounts and try hiding that subtree when producing the report for the governing board who might want to know the total of all donations but not how much from each whom. Michael PS: So a typical transaction for an event where person A "rounds up" as a donation. debit cash X credit dinner share X - Y donor A Y It’s actually a little simpler than that, because a nominated cashier collects X from each member at the door but only has to pay X - Y to the venue after the meal, passing Y to the Charities Account. We have chosen to label this income “Charity Choice” - two members are selected at the end of the year to nominate their favourite charities to receive the proceeds. Thus I have: Income:Charity Choice:MemberA Income:Charity Choice:MemberB etc. Visiting members from other Rotary Clubs are charged in the same way, and (so far) I’ve recorded this income in the parent account (Income:Charity Choice), but there might be an argument for accumulating this income in a generic non-member child account (Income:Charity Choice:NonMember). We don’t claim Gift Aid on the latter. My difficulty is that we have several other buckets in which we accumulate income from members during the year, so I need: Income:Bucket1:MemberA … MemberN Income:Bucket2:MemberA … MemberN etc. From time to time during the year I need to report on the total contents of each bucket, and once a year I have to report each individual member’s total contributions to all buckets. I think that using the Business Features might ease these two report
Re: [GNC] Bookkeeping for a club's charity account - use business features?
On 8/24/2019 5:39 PM, Michael Hendry wrote: This is for the Gift Aid claim. We have to put in an annual claim to the taxman, identifying each contributor and his/her total amount donated during the year. Many UK charities use this method to boost their income - for example, when you pay the National Trust for Scotland the admission fee for one of their properties, they’ll ask you if you’re willing for them to make a Gift Aid claim and take down enough details to make that claim. You have to have enough income to be taxed at the basic rate, and the charity can claim tax back at a rate 25% of the admission fee. I have to account for the income as it is received, and I’d prefer to record sufficient detail in GC at that point, rather than run a parallel record on a spreadsheet or whatever. Regards, Michael OK, I think I understand now. And it seems straight forward to implement in gnucash, though you will an easy way to suppress the detail on most reports. When your organization has money come in for any purpose, that is a debit to cash (or some bank account) and a credit to some income account. Could be a split to multiple income accounts. Follow so far? So in your income tree, one item is "donations". Under that you have an account for each donor. A FULL "statement of revenues and expenses" << gnucash name Income Statement but I gave it the usual title a non-profit uses; a for profit says "profit and loss" >> shows the detail (total for each donor. But usually you would probably want to suppress that. You could try a dummy placeholder (say named "donors") in between donations and the individual donor accounts and try hiding that subtree when producing the report for the governing board who might want to know the total of all donations but not how much from each whom. Michael PS: So a typical transaction for an event where person A "rounds up" as a donation. debit cash X credit dinner share X - Y donor A Y ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Bookkeeping for a club's charity account - use business features?
On 8/24/2019 11:57 AM, Michael Hendry wrote: Thanks, Mike. The club itself keeps its own financial records for running expenses etc. Any income arising from charitable activities is passed to a trust which is registered as a charity with OSCR (the relevant regulatory authority in Scotland). Any donation to this charity from a member (or indeed from any member of the public) is eligible for Gift Aid. The treasurer for the last five years is a retired banker, and his accounts were all certified by a chartered account before being passed on to OSCR so I think the principles have been established. What I am trying to do is find the best way of using GC to record and report the necessary information. OK, like I said, I've done stiff like this but don't know YOUR regs and seems different so I want clarification. In addition to knowing the amounts (these extras that are designated as charitable donations) you have to report to the government "from whom"? Here we would not -- thus at an event, might be stated "event cost $X per person, pay at least that much. If people pay more, the extra will be given to charity A. The organization would report the amount, but how much from each person who did donate extra. Like when at a meeting of an organization a motion is raised to donate to some charity by passing around a hat. If it is similar where you are, what is the tracking by member for? Michael ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Bookkeeping for a club's charity account - use business features?
On 8/23/2019 10:59 AM, Wm via gnucash-user wrote: For example, the price of the meals at meetings is rounded up to the nearest pound, and the remainder is earmarked for “Charity Choice”. Not all members attend every meeting, and some members skip the meal and make a token payment to Charity Choice. There are several such income headings to deal with. Sounds like crap to me. Think about this: I went to dinner with my mates, said it cost more than it did and said the difference was for charity. Would you believe me? The difficulty is that it must be possible to document each individual member’s contributions over the year in order to make a Gift Aid claim to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which tops up the members’ contributions by 25%. OK, it sounds to me like you're being asked to cheat HMRC. Are you prepared to do that? You know all that much, both about the charitable components (tax deductible, need to be reported separately) of organizations that while non-profit (tax exempt) are not "deductible" << for example, a "fraternal" society -- what this is >> and specifically what is required in the UK? What was asked for here seemed perfectly above board to me. Besides being treasurer of 501(c)3's I also belong to organizations that are not deductible BUT do sometimes make charitable donations. In some cases, that is a lot of what these organizations do beyond their social functions << Lions, Shriners, etc. >> I do not know how they report even here in the US let alone in the UK. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] journal entries
On 8/13/2019 10:57 AM, Dale Alspach wrote: The Gnucash documentation could make some general statements about differences between Gnucash and other accounting software, but it would be too much to expect specifics about the other software. Dale Gnucash IS ordinary, run of the mill, double entry accounting software << all the double entry apps I have used are also "virtual journal" >> There is little to learn for anybody familiar with double entry bookkeeping (and that IS standard for accounting, has been for a VERY long time) If you mean "differences from other applications that are NOT standard accounting" why should that be necessary. Shouldn't simply saying that gnucash is "double entry bookkeeping" enough? The documentation DOES make that clear. Not up to gnucash to point out that non-double entry isn't standard accounting. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] journal entries
On 8/12/2019 12:45 PM, Clint Chaplin wrote: This is also similar to NetSuite, which is an on-line double entry bookkeeping service, and where "journal entries" are a special case transaction, even though by definition everything is really a journal entry. It is definitely a terminology confusion. In the old days, especially with "cash book" accounting*, a "journal entry" referred to a transaction that was not affecting any of the cash accounts. So mainly corrections and adjustments (example: recording depreciation). It has no real meaning in a "virtual journal" system like gnucash. Michael D Novack * A shortcut where there was a special part of the ledger called the "cash book" which had the account for cash and a half dozen or so of the most affected other accounts. Any transactions that could skipped the "enter into the journal first" step and were entered directly in the cash book << usually 90+% of transactions could be >> Any transactions that affected OTHER accounts were entered the usual way, in the journal and then posted to the ledger. When I did this, I usually reserved a pair of columns in the cash book for the journal. For example, using 12 column paper, I could have the journal, cash, and the four "most popular" other ledger accounts. Or possibly more if only keeping one side here << the "real" ledger had all the accounts, even those in the cashbook. At the bottom of each cashbook page the totals were posted to the "real account" >> The reason for using a cashbook was to reduce posting. Transcription errors during posting were by far the majority of all errors. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Questions on how best to setup a non-profit account in gnucash
On 8/8/2019 12:24 PM, Larry Wagner wrote: I would like some comments about how one would set up gnucash for a non-profit. Here are some of the specifics: What kind of non-profit are you? What do you have to file with what jurisdictions? << There are non-profits that do not pay taxes, but are not tax deductible organizations. The rules are different with what gets filed with whom >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Newbie
On 8/8/2019 6:47 AM, S. Sliackus wrote: Hi guys I am new to GnuCash. I came up with this piece of software by searching practical solution to couple of my charities and small business. I have quite mixed feelings about this program, I found some things over complicated (some invoicing aspects, customer list and search, transactions split etc etc) some things inconsistent and some things missing (cash basis vs accrual basis, transactions print/export from viewing screen etc. etc.) and some working bad (import of list Some of this is misconception. True, you can only use the business features like invoicing when on the accrual basis << this perhaps should be addressed -- not only do many organizations keep books on the cash basis (but would like to be able to produce invoices for members) but some businesses by tradition/law use cash >>. But otherwise you can most certainly specify either cash or accrual. And for those asking about setting up books but finding the "templates" do not match their needs the solution is simple. Just set up your CoA the way you need it or your accountant advises. You do NOT have to use any of the templates. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Income statement incorrect
On 8/3/2019 6:16 AM, Liz wrote: On Wed, 31 Jul 2019 09:10:02 -0700 (PDT) Rich Shepard wrote: Would be nice to have a cash accounting option in addition to the default accrual accounting option. Whether a business uses cash or accrual accounting in Australia is set by the tax authorities, so I am obliged to use cash accounting. This is a common situation in many jurisdictions with certain sorts of businesses required to use either cash of accrual. The difficulty is that gnucash does not support PRODUCING invoices for cash based << in other words, simply producing an invoice but NOT entering transaction to A/R and income >> That's why I am mentioning "multiple books". If I had to produce invoices, it is what I would do. Set up a virtual entity associated with the actual entity. This virtual entity would be "accrual" and so have A/R and income and it would produce the invoices to be sent out (and track which paid, which outstanding) but the A/R and income would otherwise be ignored << when invoice paid, a transaction in the main (cash books affecting cash and income >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Club membership fees and charitable contributions - Business Features or Assets?
On 8/2/2019 1:21 PM, Adrien Monteleone wrote: Yes, I understand they are different. The Business Features *could* still be used, just not considered in a formal way. But certainly, manual entries are possible. The tough part of pledges is they really don’t go anywhere in the account tree that I can see. They are not assets, not AR from a legal standpoint, not liabilities, not income, and since none of those, not equity either. Perhaps they should be tracked separately since trying to do so in GnuCash requires shoehorning something of the app to fit. But if one likes using shoehorns... Regards, Adrien Sorry, but PLEDGES (unlike membership dues, etc.) are receivables. But only according to the terms of the pledge. If you pledge $X (unconditionally) that is a current receivable of $X. If you pledge $X in each of the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 then only $X is receivable now, $X more becomes receivable after Jan 1, 2020, etc. Membership dues are not receivable when billed because legally a member can quit at any time. Rules of the organization may require notice, permission to demit, etc. but are not enforceable unless the member later seeks to rejoin. HOWEVER --- charities and other non-profits rarely seek to enforce pledges because except in the circumstances where would not cause bad publicity. Thus if somebody (who clearly had the money) pledged 10 million to their college endowment fund but dropped dead of a heart attack before sending it they probably WOULD approach the executor of the estate asking for it. But might not go to court if turned down. Michael D Novack PS: This is the reason why charities, etc. like to have you make a pledge (and set up automatic payment) of $Y/month. Because it IS then a receivable for them. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Club membership fees and charitable contributions - Business Features or Assets?
On 8/2/2019 3:34 AM, Adrien Monteleone wrote: I’m not sure about keeping track of member donations in an Asset account. There are difficult issues doing financials for non-profits which can require some fiddling using gnucash (or any alternative). For example -- the members may want to receive "statements" (invoices) and want these to reflect a unified statement (membership as well as pledges) BUT membership dues are NOT a receivable for such organizations> ONE solution is to bite the bullet and keep multiple books for different purposes. Main books on a cash basis NOT tracking members but just the source of the income (dues, donations, pledges, etc.) and the other used just to be able to invoice and track which members have paid, etc. In the example situation above where members may contribute (get credited for contributions actually made by others) that is another level of complexity. Michal D Novack * Thus if a pledge is $5000 in the form of $1000 a year for five years they do not owe $5000 immediately ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Gnucash bug
On 7/30/2019 3:52 AM, Wm via gnucash-user wrote: On 09/07/2019 03:45, John Ralls wrote: On 8 juil. 2019, at 08:55, R. Victor Klassen wrote: Perhaps this has been fixed. I’m using 2.6.21 for production. Using SQLite I am expecting every transaction to hit disk immediately. Saturday we had a power failure and lost about five days’ worth of transactions including at least 10 invoices and three new customers. I think I can reconstruct. But I wouldn’t expect this to have happened. It is also a "work flow" issue. You SHOULD want "clean" recovery points. So what you should ask yourself is whether you should make sure of an EXPLICIT save: 1) After entering transactions for a day 2) After entering data like "customers" Do you understand what I am saying? Even if SQLite were saving data after each entry (I am used to SQL systems that would need a "commit") you would not know WHERE you were at. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Inventory
On 7/24/2019 9:38 AM, David Carlson wrote: Basically, GnuCash cannot handle inventory. It may be possible to create a fictitious commodity and assign a value to it, but You cannot do any of the usual inventory functions such as tracking locations, etc. Or store the other information (location, reorder points, supplier info, alternative suppliers, etc.) that a fullblown inventory system handles (as well as interfacing with "general ledger") I wish a more modular approach had been used for gnucash --- designed to accept feeds from pieces like "inventory", POS (point of sales", Payroll, etc. With the gnucash "general ledger" handling just the pure accounting. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Non-profit accounts - reporting of restricted funds and of future commitments
First of all, in theory appropriate spreadsheets obviously COULD be used. Remember,in the old days there was just pen and ink on paper. Still legal, and so would be spreadsheets with columns just like the old style accounting paper had. I do NOT recommend this because: 1) You would need to be experienced with old fashioned pen and ink on paper bookkeeping. I could do it, because I learned back when that was all that there was. 2) It was error prone, especially in the posting process (transcription errors). Not easy to find/correct unless you know all the tricks. A modern system like gnucash is essentially "autoposting" (post directly into the ledger, the journal is virtual) and the computer will not make arithmetic mistakes. Also, it can easily produce the usual reports. I am a retired senior systems and business analyst and treasurer of some 501(c)3's << US tax exempt non-profits). You have permission to email me directly and we would exchange questions back and forth till it is clear how your books should be set up. To start: 1) What is your jurisdiction? Do you know the line items needed for the reports to gov't etc.? 2) You have choices how to handle restricted funds. For example, something long term like a "building fund" you would probably want to handle as a liability. Short term restricted donations << likely/certain able to use for intended purpose within the accounting period maybe less formally. Frequency of transactions going OUT from the restriction many also play a roll. IN ANY CASE --- you will almost certainly be entering two transactions for each << one for the actual money; one to reflect removal of restriction << could be done with a single two way split transaction but leave that till experienced. 3) Do you have fixed assets? I was thinking not until I saw "building".If so, your organizations needs to decide on a de minimis amount << even though for something long lasting, too minor to treat as a fixed asset) and the time period over which fixed assets are depreciated. Michael D Novack On 7/20/2019 9:07 AM, Christopher Lam wrote: On Sat, 20 Jul 2019 at 12:28, Michael Hendry wrote: Assets/Current Assets/Charity/Charity Current Assets/Current Assets/Charity/Charity Savings I’d like to be able to report on both accounts as if they were a single account (the spreadsheet simply treated these as a single account and ignored the transfers between the accounts) but a request for a report on the parent (Assets/Current Assets/Charity) in a Balance Sheet report gives a zero result. Are you using the default Balance Sheet? You'll need to choose, from Display / Parent account balances or Parent balance subtotals, a suitable choice. Hint: don't choose subtotals in both. B. Some charitable receipts are earmarked as they are received - e.g. Income/Earmarked Funds/Polio Plus Income/Earmarked Funds/Water Account and I’d like a similar composite report on the children of Income/Earmarked Funds, preferably on the same report as in A. above, to guide members on what is actually available for them to spend. Is this the best way of recording earmarked funds? I'd imagine recording from the donor, wish #polioplus in description, would be more suitable? Anyway, Transaction Report, originating from Earmarked Funds account, select children. C. Sometimes a decision is made to commit funds already collected but in a situation where the money won’t be spent immediately - e.g. a building project. This is obviously similar to the Earmarked Funds in B., but I’m not sure how best to handle it. I could create a transaction between the Charity Current Account with today’s date and Expenses/Charity/Committed Funds as the destination account. This is similar to budgeting? If this internal allocation of funds isn't to be used anywhere else, would an asset account were created as a child of Asset/CurrentAssets/Charity called 'Restricted Funds', and transferred to Asset/EarmarkedFunds/Projects be better, and check the parent-account balance to determine 'unallocated funds' ? I don't know. What *could* be implemented, is the concept of 'virtual transactions' whereby the balances are counted separately from the real-life transactions ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
Re: [GNC] multiple accounts
On 7/18/2019 3:27 AM, David Cousens wrote: Bob An additional point. At least on Linux you can have multiple instances of GnuCash running open at different files at the same time. David But a word of warning. You might think you could save time by having more than one set of books open at a time. But I guarantee you, ONE mistake where you have accidentally entered a transaction into the wrong set of books will take you more time to find/solve/fix than all the time you have saved to that point. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] multiple accounts
On 7/17/2019 3:42 PM, Bob Sisk wrote: I tried setting up another set of books, then when I tried to open my original set it would not allow me to open it, it kept opening the second set. I had to uninstall Gnucash then open my backup date to open the original set of books. ? Misunderstanding. You meant to say you didn't KNOW how to do it, and instead of asking for help, assumed that reinstalling gnucash and backup data was the solution. a) IF you are going to have several sets of books (I do) and if it is pretty random which you would want to open (not particularly more likely the last one open) you probably should use the -nofile parameter. We can explain how you set that up. Then, when you start gnucash it won't open any but give you a list of the last four and let you choose. BUT, you could still use file=>open to open a different one not on that list. b) If you have two (or more) but only one is much used you could simply start gnucash. It will open that set of books BUT you can use file=>open to open another instead. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Change a batch of transactions from income to Expense
On 7/4/2019 10:06 AM, morayweb wrote: That sound brilliant. What would be the costs for that. I am in Scotland just thinking of time diference. Thank you. No charge (I am long retired from doing systems/business analysis for a living). Time difference matters less when it is exchange of emails. Think about a description of the camp financial activities, what's coming in (from what sources) and what's going out (for what expenses). Send your "first draft" of that directly to my email address, I'll send you back questions, and we'll work at getting the description finalized. THAT will then go to the whole list in the form of "this is what my organization looks like; how do I set up gnucash books for it?" << there is no good reason for the whole list to have to watch the intermediate steps -- it'd be OK if that were just a couple of back and forth's but we don't know that yet >> Michael ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Change a batch of transactions from income to Expense
Morayweb, Gnucash, well any method of double entry bookkeeping can do so much more for you. What you have described is much as double entry was many centuries ago. You can (and should) set up the accounts so that you can get much more information about the finances of the camp. Imagine (with what you have) the camp board asked a question like "how much was spent on food?" or "what did we get in donations?". I am going to suggest something, that we work off-line/on-line so that what I would do for you (I am experienced with non-profit bookkeeping as well as a retired systems/business analyst) will be most helpful to both you AND other inexperienced people trying to set up books for a non-profit/club/etc. First << working off-line, direct email >> we will work together formulating the question you SHOULD have asked*. Something along the lines of "this is how our scout camp works; how do I set up books for it?". When we have THAT worked out you would submit that to the list << sort of starting this process over >> to get an immediate response from me << we would already have that worked out off-line >> what your CoA (chart of accounts; the hierarchy/tree of accounts) might look like for the camp operation you asked about. That could also describe the reports you would likely run to extract information about the finances of the camp. If you are game, let me know. Michael D Novack * Helping a client with this is one of the things a business analyst does. The client knows the answers, but needs to be prompted. If the "business operation" isn't descried correctly, then the "systems" (in this case the books) won't be correct. On 7/4/2019 8:29 AM, morayweb wrote: Hi sorry for all this hastle. I am trying to setup a simple money in and out system for a non profit scout group. We have a Bank account with all money in it. If we were holding a camp say, then Camp out would be the money spent on food and expenses for the camp and Camp In would be Money coming in from the scouts going on the camp. The same would go for events. Building and maintenance etc is just money out. We also have a few other things coming in like gift aid or grants. So basically a 2 column cash book. Hope this is a bit better. Thanks -- Sent from: http://gnucash.1415818.n4.nabble.com/GnuCash-User-f1415819.html ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Balance sheet report period
On 7/3/2019 9:44 AM, Christopher Lam wrote: Or, you could download 3.6 and test the new experimental multi date balance sheets :-) THAT, however, has nothing to do with this question. The "multi date balance sheet" report ISN'T a balance sheet with multiple dates but a report that shows multiple balance sheets each for some different date. It is STANDARD for certain financial reports to show two balance sheet reports in parallel. For example, a balance sheet at the start of an interval (end of previous period) and at the end plus the Income statement (aka P aka Revenue statement) for the interval. Following advice of the accountants, I put this together OUTSIDE of gnucash using raw reports exported from gnucash. I suppose lots of folks here would have preferred I had coded this << a retired software professional, I could have >> but the accountants were right, I am ALWAYS having to do some editing. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Balance sheet report period
On 7/2/2019 4:20 PM, Rich Shepard wrote: Looking in the Guide the only reference I see to 'balance sheet report' is a brief description. When I prepare the report the only date option I see is the ending date. Is the start date that of the first entry in GnuCash? Can I produce a balancve sheet account for only the year-to-date and exclude previous years? Or does that violate accounting practices? Rich The Balance Sheet is a "snapshot" of the books as of a specific date, not an interval. There is neither a start date nor an end date; just an "as of" date. It includes explicitly all of the standing account balances (account types asset, liability, and equity). The accounts types income and expense are not shown because they are actually temporary accounts of fundamental type equity. Their NET will appear as the unrealized gain or loss in the Balance Sheet. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] New computer to set up gnucash and migrate from old.
On 6/17/2019 7:29 PM, Randy Rosebrock wrote: I'll check it out. You would thing gnucash would build in a backup/export/import function. You are slightly misunderstanding the problems because you are thinking of gnucash as being used to keep only one set of books. Also, gnucash keeps a list of the last four books open and if not otherwise instructed will try to open the last that was open. Many of us who keep multiple sets of books turn that off. We are having gnucash start without opening any set of books and then explicitly telling it which to open. Particularly after migrating to a new computer with different OS, even if you have only one set of books the "last open" might not be found << path is different >> file => open will let you CHOOSE the file (set of books) that you want gnucash to open. Michael D Novack PS: The issue of preferences/settings IF these are to be different for the different sets of books is most easily solved by having them under different users (different computer logins). Just because you are one human being doesn't mean that your computer knows that. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] New computer to set up gnucash and migrate from old.
On 6/17/2019 12:58 PM, Randy Rosebrock wrote: Under normal default install where are these files location I need to copy from? On Mon, Jun 17, 2019 at 8:49 AM Mike or Penny Novack mailto:stepbystepf...@comcast.net>> wrote: Since you did not tell us the operating system of the old computer (and I do not know for Windows 10) I can't tell you where your user data lives. Pretty much all modern operating systems (last decade or two) support multiple users (multiple SEQUENTIAL users) and each would have his or her own data area. Probably something like /users/username/ (that's the name you log in as) So if you are doing a full data backup for a user, that is the directory (aka "file folder") you would copy into something like ../backups/backup20190617 on your backup drive (say a large USB drive) You DO make backups? On some regular basis? Yes? << remember, it is not IF a computer will fail but WHEN? >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] New computer to set up gnucash and migrate from old.
On 6/16/2019 5:41 PM, Adrien Monteleone wrote: Randy, If the old computer still runs at all, you can network them together and use the Windows User Migration feature. (not certain of the exact name, but that term should get you close in a search engine) It will move all of your data and settings as part of your user account. (you get to fine tune what it migrates as well) Regards, Adrien << I often leave things out >> I did not describe this for the simple reason that even if you do not make regular backups THIS is a situation where you would want a full backup. In other words, when migrating to a new computer you would almost always want to copy ALL your user data to an external device (your external backup drive) and then you would copy from that to where user data goes on your new computer. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] New computer to set up gnucash and migrate from old.
On 6/16/2019 2:22 AM, rhrosebr wrote: Just bought a new win 10 computer. Old computer hd unstable. How do I get gnucash to new computer? Do I install latest version then copy whole directory and overlay new directory. I'm not seeing anything on migrating gnu to new computer. TIA Randy If you are migrating to a new computer you will want to: 1) Install all the applications you are used to using. 2) Migrate over all of your data. If the data paths to the data will be different, in each case you will have to find the data on the new computer. But the point I am making is that migrating gnucash (program and data) is likely only a tiny subset of the programs and data you will be migrating. IF the new computer is under the same OS as the old one, only a little care will be needed to have the data paths be the same and all data will be found where expected. But when not, it may be impossible to have the same path. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Local one-on-one tutorial help with Gnucash?
On 6/11/2019 8:07 PM, Libby Shaw wrote: Looking for an experienced Gnucash user in or near Watertown, Massachusetts who could provide a few hours of tutorial help with Gnucash. Libby, I am both an experienced gnucash user and been Treasurer for 501(c)3's. Unfortunately, at my age, Watertown is a bit too far for me to drive a round trip and still expect to get work done (it's 2+ hours driving time, and I need breaks so longer elapsed time). However if the Berkshires aren't too far for you to come bringing your machine, maybe we could work something out. Being retired, usually easy for me to schedule things. ROFLOL but I am in the process of training somebody to take over as Treasurer of my remaining organization as bad practice for it to be depending on somebody already in their mid 70's Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Export files for audit
On 6/7/2019 9:54 AM, Mike stagl wrote: This is end of my first year as Treasurer of a PTA, and my first year using gnucash. What is the best way to export or print a year's worth of gnucash data for an auditor to review? What is the auditor asking for? Is the auditor willing to install gnucash (in which case you could send the FILE which is the books and the auditor could look at whatever). Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Unsplitting a transaction
On 6/6/2019 10:07 AM, Stephen C. Camidge wrote: For personal use and for most businesses, this would be the appropriate method. For larger businesses with EDP Auditors (do they still exist?) and regulations with accountability for the how data is maintained, the transactions should be locked. However, in that kind of environment, a free program like GNU Cash would not likely meet their needs or be permitted. So, it is safe to continue not to support that feature. I will however point out, that for experienced computer professionals like myself, even proprietary "locked" systems would not be "locked". The point I was making about open source programs was that in THAT case no great amount of skill/imagination would be required and it would be perfectly legal (to make your own version of the program sans lock). Only average programming skills of being able to read source code, edit it, and recompile. Do note that large businesses with large DP shops would likely contain at least SOME people with the level of experience and imagination necessary to "break" into proprietary code << when I was altering programs without the source code (programs still in use but lost* source code) it was perfectly legal as they were our own proprietary programs >> Secure systems are not secure from those who maintain their security. A proper audit takes this into account. Michael D Novack * Once upon a time, the source code of programs lived on decks of cards. Decades later (but many decades ago) somebody made all these programs members of a library on disk << in the case of where I worked, that somebody was me >> If some of these decks of cards never were never handed in to be included in the batches being loaded to disk, the source code for those programs would later be impossible to find, cards having been thrown out. I had the joy of disassembling the lost puppies and rewriting the output of the disassembler into decently human readable form so the programs could be maintained/altered (disassembler output is gobbly-gook) That something WAS lost usually not discovered until there was some need to change it. It is actually sort of fun, but only if you enjoy hard puzzles. -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Unsplitting a transaction
On 6/5/2019 3:45 PM, Stephen M. Butler wrote: If you did that, then you didn't properly remove the other splits. You need to go into each cell and manually remove the data, then tab out.. Then use the arrow key to move up and the split will disappear. Continue until all the extra splits are gone. Not a practical "how to do" answer but it might be a good time to mention that "how to correct" in general involves the question "how formal is your process"? In the old days, pen and ink on paper, erroneous transactions were never removed. They were offset (enter the reverse transaction) and then the correct transaction entered. In other words, preserving an audit trail that there was an error that was corrected << the description fields would explain/refer to the erroneous transaction >> THIS PROCESS is still what is done by those of us required to maintain formal books. SOME accounting software will require it, not allow existing transactions to be deleted/altered. Might be required in some jurisdictions. There has been discussion in this forum that gnucash being unable to prevent deletion/alteration is a fault << that is, not offering this option -- in effect, open source software cannot provide this sort of security as those with programming ability could use an altered version of the program to defeat it >> HOWEVER -- most of us using gnucash are not following the formal process. WE will simply delete/alter erroneous transactions. Michael ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] GAU as currency
On 9/6/2018 12:26 PM, David T. via gnucash-user wrote: I am not an expert, but my understanding is that the currency codes are derived from the ISO standards. GAU isn't among those. David On Thu, Sep 6, 2018 at 12:19, Muhammad Bashir Al-Noimi wrote: Hi, How can use GAU (gold gram) as a currency in GNC instead of XAU (gold ounce)? I'm using GAU on daily basis. -- Best Regards, Muhammad Bashir Al-Noimi Not a currency but a commodity. The reason no currency symbol is at present there is no jurisdiction using gram Au as its CURRENCY. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] [OT] Why is Debit abbreviated Dr?
On 9/5/2018 2:42 PM, Geoff Jankowski via gnucash-user wrote: David I would love to agree with you but….. In standard journal notation cr is a debt and dr an asset. This is because it is nothing to do with credit (+ve) and debit (-ve) in any sense (or tense) but to do with a creditor (to whom we owe) and a debtor (who owes us). Hence dr and cr relate to debtor and creditor and not to any form of debit or credit. Ah but it does, and will make sense once you realize that the origins of double entry goes back in time long enough that educated Europeans still used Latin for some purposes. Not "a debit" or "a credit" but Latin for "he owes" (me) and "he trusts" (me). Thus assets were debits (amounts somebody owed one) and liabilities credits (what one owed somebody). Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] How to best set up account structure for multiple Tax IDs?
On 9/3/2018 12:33 PM, Jens Dill wrote: On 2018-09-03 12:28 PM, Jens Dill wrote: And, I should add, my CPA has told me she would be perfectly happy if I kept everything in spreadsheets. Sure she would. You are paying her for her time. But do not sell spread sheets short. If you had learned bookkeeping back i n the old pen and ink on paper days you would immediately realize that you COULD have some spread sheets with columns matching the ruled lines on traditional ledger and journal paper or in more modern ledger with running balance format. The spreadsheet app could prevent arithmetic errors. And you could have it all in one with division into entities. But your spreadsheet would be VERY wide (awkward to view) and not protect you from entering transactions that were not in balance. Gnucash is "virtual journal" bookkeeping, you enter transactions directly into the ledger, it will tell you if entered not in balance (something will show up in Imbalance) Up to you of course, but I would keep separate books. If my bank would not give me multiple accounts, might check on other banks. Perhaps the same with the credit card, especially if the business credit cards are not carrying balance. It might seem like a lot of extra time entering what you see as "duplicate" but consider the amount of time spent figuring out even one instance where something got entered incorrectly. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Veihicle mileage cost such in HomeBank?
On 8/27/2018 10:17 AM, Adrien Monteleone wrote: I would think it possible to do this in your regular books, with a bit of care. I would favor using equity accounts only, but I suppose using Income/Expense (as you noted are really Equity anyway) is probably easier for many to wrap their head around. The care would come in that you’d need to create new parent accounts of your fundamental type choice, and be sure not to include that part of your tree in ’normal’ reports. Regards, Adrien Yes, possible, but why? Some relationship? I admit that SOME possible mileage categories would have relationship to taxes, but not others. I realize that lots of folks here are keeping multiple currencies in a single book. Just strikes me as error prone and a last resort thing to do. Michael ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Help breaking up a file
On 8/27/2018 4:59 AM, Colin Law wrote: Wow, that is a lot of personal data, mine goes back to 2001 and is only 2MB. Is that the default file type (XML) and have you specified Compress files in Preferences > General? In my opinion it is best to keep all the data in one file, then you have immediate access to all the history. So far for me the PC power has kept pace with the file size so I have not noticed much difference over the years. However, maybe good to discuss the original question. TWO parts to this, splitting OLD data into separate years vs in the future having separate years. Or perhaps something in between, every several years when the file grows too large, starting over. Yes, it is important to be able to access historical data. But important to consider how often one needs to do that. It doesn't hurt very much if rare operations are slow as long as frequent operations are fast. Thus you could consider (for that third choice) at the end of the current year opening a new set off books for the next year. You would do this from the end of the year Balance Sheet << export the CoA and then plug in the standing account balances from the Balance Sheet >> You then open gnucash with this new set of books for continuing on BUT can always open the old file if and when you need to look at historical data. Personally (for added safety) I would have burned that file (the old books) on ROM medium and when wanting to look at historical data, slip that disk in and then tell gnucash to open* THAT file (rather than the current books). Safe from you accidentally changing something. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Veihicle mileage cost such in HomeBank?
On 8/25/2018 2:32 PM, Riccardo Delpopolo Carciopolo wrote: Hello Rich, thank you for the extended explanation! I think I would end to use a simple spreadsheet as you suggest. Regards HOWEVER (since this might be useful for others) I use a spreadsheet for mileage since we want to be able to have totals by category. Medical and non-profit for taxes and we track civic and political too just to see how much driving we do for those. That few number of columns easy to do/print from a spread sheet. In spite of the fact that gnucash is an accounting package, this could provide a simple example of using "virtual books". Imagine for just a moment that there was a country whose currency was "miles". You could set up a very funny partial set of books. Instead of fundamental types asset, liability, equity, income, and expense suppose you did away with all but income and expense (technically those are of fundamental type equity). Under Income would be just a single account called "total miles". Under Expense would be an account for each mileage category you wanted to track plus one miscellaneous for other trips. The only report you would run would be the income statement. Your transactions are just total miles (income) allocated to the category (expense) << a single trip MIGHT need a split if for more than one purpose >> If you only have a few categories, I'd use a spread sheet. But those can be annoying when MANY columns wide. Let's suppose that you did contracting jobs, perhaps a dozen or two every year, or even more. And suppose each of these had mileage associated with it. And suppose you wanted to track all of this << see how much mileage for each job" >> Now using gnucash in the "funny" way might seem attractive. Michael Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Loan/Mortgage payments with "adjusted" principle (eg after an extra principle payment), SOLVED
On 8/13/2018 11:29 AM, azalea4va wrote: I addressed this in the file I provided. There is one and only one correct answer mathematically. I am surprised the moderators have not stepped in. If you want to continue this, I suggest off list. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] keeping entities separate
On 8/14/2018 1:28 AM, patrush...@aol.com wrote: Thanks for responding. I am clear that I want to have all the entities separate- I thought I had set them up that way, but cannot discern how to access them individually, and that's why I think I might have missed something in the initial set up and that they are combined. If you are keeping books for multiple entities and there is no good reason to suppose that you would be wanting to work on the same set of books as the last set you were working on (as opposed to last having worked on one of the others) you can set gnucash to override the default "open the last books that were opened" << look up references to "nofile" for how to do that >> I suspect that your problem began because you were always just opening the last set of books even if you had created separate books for each entity. Then gnucash will start without opening a file, requiring you to choose/specify "which" but there will be a drop down list of the last several you can simply pick from instead of typing in the file name, The only time I would not do that is if out of entities, one would be worked on daily and the others rarely, perhaps only once a month or even less frequently. Even when gnucash does open the last set worked on you can tell it to open a different set of books. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] keeping entities separate
On 8/13/2018 8:52 AM, patrushkha via gnucash-user wrote: I just started using Gnucash and thought I'd gotten through the learning curve; I have 2 small businesses and entered both of them as well as my personal data, but discovered they are all mixed together. At least I think so, I'm not versed enough to understand how I got there or how to untangle entities. Can anyone suggest a process to separate them OR do I have to start all over? I'm also willing to hire someone to get me on track- Los Angeles area. Thank you so much, Pat Oh dear. You are describing THREE entities here so ideally you should want to have three sets of books If you are showing somebody the set of books for one of the businesses (say you are selling it) no reason for this prospective buyer to see anything about the other business or your personal finances. I can't tell you whether better literally to start over or to disentangle (temporarily having FOUR sets of books). There are other questions you need to answer. For example, do these businesses have their own bank accounts? Or are you perforce going to remain somewhat entangled. Michael D Novack PS: If one or both of these "businesses" are small/minor it WOULD be possible to carry them within your main personal books. And still be able to see/report on each separately. BUT be advised that the chances of error would be very high because neither gnucash nor any other bookkeeping system would prevent you from entering a transaction in the wrong place. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Loan/Mortgage payments with "adjusted" principle (eg after an extra principle payment), SOLVED
On 8/12/2018 12:58 PM, azalea4va wrote: Sorry, I missed this reply. So a little late, but ... I should perhaps have indicated that writing this sort of thing used to be "my line of country". I have written these things. Mike or Penny Novack-3 wrote a) method? << by "present value" of series of "rents" or by "trial and error" >> I am not sure what ""present value" of series of "rents"" means, but the answer is by math. This is just a mathematical calculation. As was indicated in the code provided. I did not specify, but the math was based on 30/360 calculations, the one most often used in determining mortgage payments. OK --- The periodic payments are called "rents" and dependent on the "discount rate" (the mortgage interest rate in this case) that series of future payments has a PRESENT value. So ONE way of doing the math is to take the payment amount to be 1.... (number of decimal places not going to be agreed) and discounting each by the interest for the interval. That gives a number you can divide into the starting principle amount. Another way for a program to address the problem is "trail and error"where starting with an initial guess as to what the payment would be this is adjusted until the "best fit" results << see my question about "final payment" >> Mike or Penny Novack-3 wrote b) where will rounding take place? I addressed this in the file I provided. There is one and only one correct answer mathematically. Not true. Depends, for example, on how many decimal places in the calculations and whether only final rounding or rounding at multiple places during the calculations. Since you and the bank will not be in agreement won;t get the same answer. Again I will refer to the alternate "trial and error" method of calculating the payment which MIGHT give better results. Mike or Penny Novack-3 wrote c) how will the final payment be figured? To be honest, I forget (because I do not care). Did I add the code to to make the final payment the amount due at that time? Again, there are choices here. Was the calculation made so that there was NO additional (small) payment at the end? Was the calculation such that the final payment would be as close as possible but not more than the rest of the payments? What do you do IF the choice is between a final payment much smaller than the others or going over a small amount if the payment amount is 1 cent higher? Do these issues explain why (in practice) my "amortab" programs (create an amortization table for a loan amount, interest rate, and number of payments) were usually written to use the "trial and error" method? << I might get a first approximation by calculating the "present value" and THEN seeing if small adjustments up or down gave a better fit to all the desired conditions. >> For understanding what I mean by "trial and error" methods look up something like "Newton's Method" -- I was NOT referring to "non-math" but an algorithm, a PROCESS, guaranteed to converge on a best approximation of a value. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Operating Checking Account in Overdraft
On 8/2/2018 10:15 PM, Adrien Monteleone wrote: GnuCash lets you create any account you want and put it (pretty much) wherever you want. Contra-Accounts are sometimes desired to be where they are as true contra-balanced accounts. Others prefer or need them on the opposite side of the equation. I think the user should decide, and not be prompted by the software or overridden by the software. If you would prefer a contra-asset to be a liability, then simply create a liability account instead and place it there. Since the (initial) question was about an account of type asset, I will give an example where asset accounts would NORMALLY be "contra". Forget "current assets" for a moment and consider "fixed assets". A fixed asset would normally have two children under it, "basis" and "accumulated depreciation" << yes, the "basis" COULD have additional transactions --- thus some "repairs" to a farm tractor considered routine and thus current expenses but rarely other major things like an engine rebuild might be considered extending the life of the asset and thus capitalized over time >> The accumulated depreciation account would be a contra account. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Operating Checking Account in Overdraft
On 8/2/2018 9:21 AM, Adrien Monteleone wrote: I have sent an email to the Australian and New Zealand Chartered Accountants asking them the question. I will let you know what they say. Kind Regards, Murray This is something we here in the US can't help much on because we do not have "two way checking accounts". We might have checking accounts with "overdraft protection" but with those the credit balance situation is assumed to be temporary. We might have lines of credit accounts against which checks can be written (normal way to make disbursements from the account) but with these the balance is almost never* debit, the account a liability. What we don't have is accounts designed to be used either way. Michael D. Novack * Having had one of these many decades ago, I seem to recall sometimes making an extra large payment before leaving for a month or two hiking. But this would be a temporary situation, just like temporary the other way around with a checking account that had overdraft protection. I had one of those two back then, but can't remember how long I had to straighten out a "overdraft" situation. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Payroll add-on, module, software?
: Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable are in a similar vein. In fact, they share a common feature with payroll in that they deal with 3rd party entities (Receivable -- entities who owe you money; Payable -- entities to whom you owe money; Payroll -- entities who get paid for a salary/wage). That common module of dealing with names/addresses and relationships could be abstracted out of all three modules and made a common service. -- Stephen M Butler, PMP, PSM stephen.m.butle...@gmail.com kg...@arrl.net 253-350-0166 Oh dear. No, I would see them as VERY different. And very different information being kept. When I have a payable I owe THAT person an amount. When I have a payroll event I owe THAT person something (some portion of the gross amount), and according to information on that person's record owe (for example) the Feds various amounts, the state various amounts (and neither of the previous single accounts -- example, income tax and SS and medicare separate; state income tax and state workman's comp separate, etc. ) and possibly various other entities/accounts. I am required (by many jurisdictions) not only that amounts be correct but that the employee get a statement along with that check (or direct deposit). Many/most of the amounts depend on data on the HR record. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Payroll add-on, module, software?
I often get accused (not just here) of leaving something critical out. Jumping over the obvious, just not so obvious to all. On 7/26/2018 11:21 AM, John Ralls wrote: All sharing the same feed format << and each "make" dependent on THAT but not each other, or for that matter gnucash except with regard to the format of the feed >> THIS is perhaps what I am not making clear enough. We have been seeing calls for gnucash to be able to handle inventory, pos, and here payroll, etc. Functions important to businesses, functions which for some would be simple systems but for others very complex. Functions which are doing many things unrelated to accounting. But which share IN COMMON that they all would create transactions for accounting. That is the main reason I don't think of these as much suited to be "plug ins" as independent systems that create feeds for the accounting system (send transactions to the accounting system) because the accounting system then only needs ONE method of receiving feeds from whatever outside systems exist. And businesses that have grown beyond a couple employees, grown to the point where employee X does payroll/hr, employee Y does inventory, etc. but none of those employees should necessarily have access even to look at the company books. This would also allow for multiple solutions for these "outside" functions, simple ones for those whose needs are simple, and complex ones for those whose needs are complex (assuming that somebody would create powerful versions). Thus in this discussion with regard to payroll, some say "well I can do it with a spreadsheet, how hard could it be" while other see the need for a powerful system able to deal with all sorts of complication (exempt, vs non-exempt, differing jurisdictions applying, standard taxes vs voluntary larger amounts withheld, etc. on an employee by employee basis) << inventory and pos have similar simple vs complex issues -- thus for pos, not only do different jurisdictions have different tax rates but differ on what is taxable (and at what rate) and may depend on where the customer lives/goods delivered and on the tax status of the customer << and if a tax exempt organization, is the paperwork submitted for this transaction --- a complication not obvious those who do not interact with tax exempt entities* >> Michael D Novack * As somebody who keeps books for exempt organizations, obvious to me form the customer end of things (what paperwork needed to be submitted so NOT charged sales tax on an otherwise taxable purchase) but not on the vendor's side of that problem, how their system enters the transaction. And BTW, even things like "where" not so obvious -- mailing address for a location might not indicate the correct state for sales tax purposes as postal routes do NOT respect state boundaries << thus where I used to work, customer records kept both "mailing" and "legal" state as insurance law is state by state >> ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Payroll add-on, module, software?
On 7/26/2018 11:21 AM, John Ralls wrote: or as a separate program that maintains all of the HR stuff and just sends the financial transactions to GnuCash. << Just back from camping in the woods >> THAT is the sense I meant, though I would not think of it as a "plug in" but possibly one of several external programs that were keeping their own sort of data (like Payroll having HR data; Inventory having things like shelving location, reorder levels, alternate supply vendors, one like POS sending feeds to both Accounting ad Inventory, etc.) All sharing the same feed format << and each "make" dependent on THAT but not each other, or for that matter gnucash except with regard to the format of the feed >> However "feed format" goes two ways, also a common ERROR format by which the (new) input edit component reports WHY a feed was rejected (or part of a feed if on a transaction by transaction basis). Michael P ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Payroll add-on, module, software?
On 7/25/2018 8:20 PM, John Ralls wrote: GnuCash is actually very modular (perhaps a little too much, there are parts of it that are modules and probably shouldn't be). I wouldn't say it's easy, nothing in programming GnuCash seems to be easy, but it's possible for a third party developer to create a payroll module for their jurisdiction and for users in that jurisdiction to add it to their GnuCash installations. But in 20 years no third party developer has ever expressed any interest in creating a GnuCash plugin. Regards, John Ralls "Plug ins" (feeds) have TWO parts. Sender and receiver. As I understand the issues (decades of experience in software design) there are TWO parts to a "plug", can think of as male (sender) and female) receiver. It is the receiver that needs to be responsible for input editing of feeds and THAT is a good sized project all by itself << do not accept a feed that will not work, how to report this to sender, etc. >> Saying that no third party has expressed interest in writing something that would send a feed to gnucash ignores that gnucash does not have the capability of (properly) dealing with batch feeds. Michael -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Payroll add-on, module, software?
On 7/25/2018 2:06 PM, Adrien Monteleone wrote: R. but the short answer is, no, there is no (and probably won’t ever be) any payroll module or features. Unfortunately, the jurisdictional requirement nightmare to comply with every nuance across the entire planet is beyond the time and resources of the small development team. However, GnuCash can handle the payroll accounting entries and even print the checks. (with vouchers if you’re up for some finagling) You’ll have to calculate the deductions from gross separately in some other software first though. The most common suggestion I’ve seen is to setup a spreadsheet with the proper deduction rates and you just fill in the gross. But that is ONLY if there is an insistence on monolithic design. What might not be beyond the capabilities of the development team is to introduce a facility for gnucash to accept FEEDS (from external components). Once that capability is present, it would be possible for OTHER teams to come into existence to create POS and Payroll systems << both of those have jurisdiction dependencies so might well be just for this or that jurisdiction >> that would interface with gnucash and other external facilities like "inventory" which would be more likely universal << not jurisdiction dependent >> However I've always been on the modular side in the great monolithic vs modular debate. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Future Payments
On 7/14/2018 10:28 AM, adb34 via gnucash-user wrote: Sorry to trouble everybody, I know you have better things to do than answer a deft question. I have been trying to setup a future payment on 31st July for the value of £20. Then I setup the schedule. My question is - how do I stop this value showing under Expenses until the date arrives? What exactly do you mean by "until the date arrives?" Accounting books are not "real time". You can enter transactions after the (real time) date and you can enter transactions before the (real time) date << an example of that might be "payroll processing" which might be being done before the EFFECTIVE date of the transactions. The employer wants the checks/payroll statements ready to hand out on pay day >> When you say "shows up in expenses "early" do you mean in terms of the REAL TIME date? Or the effective date of some report? Thus I am about to prepare the 2nd quarter reports for the organizations for which I keep books (the end of June bank statements against which I reconcile just arrived in the mail yesterday. But I have already entered some July transactions. Those will NOT show on the "as of June 30th reports". Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] How to move my Windows 10 2.6.17 to a new Windows, 10 machine?
On 7/13/2018 8:20 AM, Stan Brown wrote: I think there's a mechanism for entering that as a request for the product, and I think it would be a great idea. Programs in general ought to make it easier not just to move their settings but to back them up. P.S. I'm not really a programmer any more, but I still keep my hand in with various forms of scripting, mainly AWK and batch files. One day I'll learn Windows PowerShell, maybe. Absolutely not. Not on a program by program, application by application basis. Look, if on computer there is a data area ... users/user-name/. and if THIS (entire directory) is copied to back-up then ALL of that user's data has been backed up in one operation. SPACE (cheap these days) is the only good reason to do incremental back-ups. But if this method is used, should be neither the responsibility of programs nor manual actions by the user, but an automated back-up system designed for the purpose << say runs every night and makes a (new) back-up of every file that has changed since the day before >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] How to move my Windows 10 2.6.17 to a new Windows, 10 machine?
On 7/13/2018 4:59 AM, Norbert Klein wrote: Thanks, Stan, for sharing your work with all. But it only makes me feel sorry - I am a non-programmer user of GnuCash :-( I still hope there will be - some time in the not too distant future - a program which can be used also by a non-programmer to move a well working GnuCash system from one Widows 10 computer to a new Windows 10 computer. Still not giving up hope. Norbert This is not really a "program which can be used by a non-programmer" issue. It is more a issue about "computer used by a non-programmer" issue (a special case of a more general problem). Computer users who do not have a "support person" have to learn how to do SOME basic tasks for themselves. How do you move ANY data between devices, between computers or from computer to backup device and how to restore from backup? Do you see why your question "how do I move gnucash data?" is just a special case of this more general problem << how do I move data from my old computer to a back-up device, USB stick or external drive or network place, and how do I "restore" this data to my computer, in this case the new one. If you don't know how to make backups of your data and restore from backup and you don't have a "support person" to do tasks like this for you, then you as a computer user have to learn how to do this basic (absolutely necessary) thing for yourself. If you do not have back-ups, it is not a question of whether you will lose your data but when you will lose your data. Not just your gnucash data but ALL of your data. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] How To Record an In-Kind Charitable Donation?
On 6/30/2018 3:10 PM, Eric H. Bowen via gnucash-user wrote: I performed some design work and provided custom-printed envelopes and materials for a local 501c3 charitable ministry. I am not charging them money for the items, but I would like to receive credit for their fair market value as an in-kind charitable donation. The ministry's treasurer said to send him an invoice for the material and he would acknowledge its receipt as a donation. Am I able to use Gnucash to track this donation and, if so, what is the proper way to record the activity? The proper way is the way your tax lawyer/accountant tells you to. Once THAT has been settled, we can then tell you "how in gnucash". I lack the "qualifications" to give this sort of advice, especially as there are two parts to it. The "materials" part of it is easy, a debit to donations and a credit to your materials inventory. The "design work" part of it I would not be willing to hazard a guess. Maybe somebody on this list who donates professional services might answer. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Fwd: The two modules
On 6/28/2018 9:39 AM, D via gnucash-user wrote: Before you convert an existing parent account to a placeholder (by checking the placeholder checkbox in the Edit Account dialog), you will need to transfer any transactions into it to an appropriate child/sub-account. My experience is that a placeholder account can have in turn child accounts which are also placeholders as well as child active accounts, which is OK and makes sense. In practice, you might better be doing this by a sequence of account name changes. In my experience, the most common situation where an account (with transactions) is becoming a parent is when it is observed that NOW (the reason for the change) is that these transactions are of two (or more) distinct types and so splitting into multiple accounts is desired. But the NAME you want for the parent is that of the existing account. a) rename that account to its desired new name. b) create a new account with the old name, making it a placeholder account. c) make "a" a child of "b" d) create the other child account (or accounts) e) optional --- move transactions here that are in the wrong child IF you want to alter the past << I never do that >> Michael ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Profit and Loss Spreadsheet
On 6/3/2018 3:01 AM, John Robins wrote: Got it! Thank you. One quick follow up question. Would it be possible for a gnucash developer to add this report into the software, could I commission a developer to add this report in (or would it be too expensive), or is it not the type of report that could be added in? All the best, John Assuming a developer were willing to take this on (unlikely*) the first step would be thinking about the not so simple things. When you run ONE "Income Statement" report the CoA is as it is at the end of that period. But when you are running for multiple months you have no assurance that the CoA will be the same each time. How is that to be handled? << I am NOT asking how implemented but what do you expect to see in the report >> Notice that with the manual process that has been described to you you might encounter this situation also, and IF SO, make a decision what to do at that time. But if coded, need to have decided that in advance. In my working days, probably 20% or more of a project's "time charges" were for user meetings to decide matters like this, "what should the program do IF ...? As a general rule, expect 80% of the code (or more) to e dealing with all the rare "exception" situations. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Invoice tax rouding issue in 2.x
On 5/23/2018 9:17 AM, Nathanial Jones wrote: The "It can't be fixed," attitude is just wrong, since there is a conceptually simple fix. It may take a while to code, but why not just put a check box or option group into the tax rate setup that defines whether it is a "per item" or "total" rate. I did NOT mean "uncodeable" for some specific jurisdiction/situation. I meant a GENERAL fix (work for all the possible rules). Yes a "switch" between two rules would of course be possible. Keep in mind that users who only have to deal with the rules of one jurisdiction are going to see the problem as much simpler than those who have to deal with many. But I think time for an "aside" on the term "bug". A "bug" is an error in a program where the program is not doing what it should according to the formal definition of what it should do. A bug is NOT "program does not do what the user expected it to do" where there was no formal decision on the matter. So in this specific case, would be a bug if/f the program was supposed to figure the tax on the total but was doing it per item or was doing it on the total when supposed to do it per item. It is a FEATURE request "provide a switch" to allow both methods. It is the lack of USER commitment to the development process for the phase "define what the program is supposed to do" that is the reason why I am not helping with development. In my working days (design/implementation of financial systems software) that initial "formal definition" phase was >20% of the total development time charges << and then more user commitment for the testing phase >> Michael D Novack PS: Take something as simple as a "meals tax" on a restaurant bill. Here we have a state one and MAY have a local one. These are almost always on the total pre-tax amount but there is the rule question "apply separately or one on top of the other? and if one on top of the other, which first?" So more switches. Similarly with things for which there is Federal excise and state sales tax. Rules about whether figure separately or one on top of the other. LOTS of switches. POS systems are usually doing these calculations for the accounting system, not the accounting system itself. That isolates the problems. I don't know if anybody has tried to come up with a universal POS << have provisions/tables/switches to deal with the rules of every jurisdiction on the planet >> ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Invoice tax rouding issue in 2.x
There is no solution to this. Among other things, it would be dependent on the rules of the jurisdiction whether the tax is supposed to be figured per item or on the total of all taxable items. So what would fix it in one case would break it in the other. It simply is true that rounded(a) + rounded(b) may not equal rounded(a+b). One of the things I used to do in my working days was to calculate the correct "fuzz" (maximum discrepancy) for comparison tests << effective equality >> It is not only with this that we have a problem. Those of us who keep books to exact amounts but must file with governmental agencies on a whole dollar basis know how much "fun" it is deciding which amounts to juggle up or down (what is the LEAST alteration) as necessary to the book amounts to make the whole dollar report come out right. This this year, for one organization, fudging two amounts by a few cents was enough to make the 990-EZ come out right. BTW, there are analogous problems with things like figuring amortization tables for loans )) how much of each payment is interest and how much principle). There is no "right" way to do this and so any function used by a program might not match what the particular bank says. In cases like these we can't ask that the program be "fixed" to agree. Michael D Novack On 5/22/2018 9:11 PM, Matthew Pounsett wrote: I've got an off-by-a-cent error on an invoice due to the way taxes are calculated. GnuCash (2.6.21) is calculating the tax on each individual taxable item, then summing that up, and adding that value to the subtotal. This causes an error because each individual tax calculation is rounded prior to subtotalling. Given a tax rate of 13%, GnuCash is doing this: Item Tax 277.50 36.08 92.50 12.03 Subtotal: 370.00 + 48.11 = 418.11 When the real calculation should be: Item Tax 277.50 36.075 92.50 12.025 Subtotal: 370.00 + 48.100 = 418.10 This could be fixed by GnuCash not rounding tax amounts until the final total, but typically I believe the calculation done is to add up all the taxable items and apply the tax calculation to that subtotal, so that it's not necessary to track many decimal places to avoid a rounding error. I did some searching through the mailing lists and I see a lot of reported issues about rounding errors in GnuCash 2.x. I can work around this by putting in an extra line item to correct the taxes, but it would be nice not to have to do that. Is this something that's been fixed in 3.x? I've been avoiding the update because I haven't had time for a careful migration, and testing whether I'm affected by any of the various issues that have been reported since its release. But, this might be a reason to set that time aside. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] House renovation Expense or Asset?
On 5/11/2018 1:21 PM, Tony Vanson wrote: I assume that when all the construction is finished, the total cost could be assumed to be treated as an asset increase to the value of the house? In this instance, would all additional expenses occurring during construction be treated as a debit on my bank account but a credit as an asset increase? I would really appreciate some advice from any of the many knowledgeable users on this forum. Correct, with the caveat that while we are competent to tell you HOW to do things using gnucash, and while many of us KNOW the the correct answer, we do not hold the qualifications to give accounting/tax advice of this sort. At least I do not. Michael D Novack PS -- Do you understand WHY this is a tax issue? Again speaking as an "amateur", living expenses are not deductible, maintenance expenses are not deductible, but capital improvement expenses eventually ARE (in effect) deductible from the capital gain which may result when you sell the house. Raising the basis reduces the gain. -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] using Guile
On 5/10/2018 4:12 PM, John C wrote: How can I use Guile in an interactive window outside of Gnucash? I'm using Windoze 10 and Gnucash 2.6.17 I want refresh my scheme programming knowledge with small experimental code. Can you install emacs for windows? That should give you a LISP environment. From that I would assume you might be able to get to a dialect specific environment. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Handling VISA Debit Accounts
On 5/7/2018 8:45 PM, randix wrote: Did VISA debit cards do somethin' to you as a child, why are you pickin' on them (that reply is to no one in particular, only the thread, so pleeze, no one get defensive)? A debit card [to me] is a non-existent entity, it has no business having its own "account". My schwab checking account has a VISA debit card THAT is what the question was about. YOUR debit card is associated with a checking account. That is one common type. But there are OTHER sorts of debit cards. There are ones associated with what are more like savings accounts (no checks, the debit card is used for all withdrawals). There are "free standing" debit cards (pre-paid debit cards) that are stand alone, associated with no bank account and which should be handled like "gift cards", just not tied to a particular vendor. And then there are "debit cards" associated to virtual accounts << some agency might be adding so much per month to the debit card balance >> YOUR type of debit card would/should have no existence in the CoA. Some of these other sorts (I will avoid the word "type") would. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Handling VISA Debit Accounts
On 5/7/2018 10:36 AM, John Ralls wrote: On May 7, 2018, at 6:37 AM, Mike or Penny Novack <stepbystepf...@dialup4less.com> wrote: HOWEVER -- you have raised a more general question, perhaps misunderstanding something. The "built in default" accounts that come with gnucash CoA skeletons are just for convenience satisfying the needs of many new users. There is nothing magic about the types of accounts included, either that they would be necessary or sufficient. If you find you need another category of asset accounts (another sub tree under assets) simply add that. Same with liabilities and equity (and thus for income and expense). That’s not quite right. The account *types* are hard coded and control program behavior: For example, types STOCK and FUND have a different register display from the rest. There is neither UI nor API for adding types. Regards, John Ralls Misunderstanding. The term "type" being used to mean different things. The original question was using "type" in the sense I was answering the question. Things like "gift cards", "pre-paid debit cards, bank account associated debit cards, etc. are not "types" in the sense you mean (STOCK, FUND, etc.) Assets of type (sense 1) stock, fund, etc. not the same thing as accounts of type (sense2) STOCK, FUND. << one could keep books under gnucash involving assets of type (sense1) stocks ad funds without using the built in (sense2) types. though it might help doing that to have learned bookkeeping in the old pen and ink on paper days >> Michael D Novack -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Handling VISA Debit Accounts
On 5/7/2018 2:39 AM, Karen Stingel wrote: This is a Fix of my previous thread ... Re: gnucash-user Digest, Vol 182, Issue 8, apologies for not clarifying the subject line last time. How does gnc handle the Case of a VISA Debit card? Technically, this is a BANK account with a VISA enabled card and a $0.00 Credit Limit Should it just be created as a normal BANK account type? Are there any plans to include this as a new Asset Account type in future editions of gnc? As others have already answered, if this is just a payment card associated with an existing bank account (just another way of making withdrawals from THAT account) no account to be added. But if it is a separate account (with some institution) then yes. Thus you might have an asset account category for "gift cards", "prepaid debit cards", etc. HOWEVER -- you have raised a more general question, perhaps misunderstanding something. The "built in default" accounts that come with gnucash CoA skeletons are just for convenience satisfying the needs of many new users. There is nothing magic about the types of accounts included, either that they would be necessary or sufficient. If you find you need another category of asset accounts (another sub tree under assets) simply add that. Same with liabilities and equity (and thus for income and expense). Your CoA is YOUR CoA specific to YOUR needs. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] help setting accounts to track contributions
On 5/4/2018 9:24 AM, Matthew Pounsett wrote: This doesn't sound straightforward at all. What's complicated about treating joint contributions to the household coffers as "income" to the household? Treating that income as ever-increasing equity would confuse P and cashflow calculations, wouldn't it? AS DESCRIBED this apartment/house partnership has no income. The P report not so strange if you consider some of the alternative names for this report that not or profit entities use. Thus "Income and Expenses" except that as described, no income. BUT --- there COULD be income. Let's say that this were a house or large apartment, and in addition to the partners living there and sharing expenses they sometimes rented out a room to a non-partner. THAT would be income to the partnership. BTW -- there might be other, actual business partnerships, even ones intended to make a profit, that initially and perhaps for some time would have no income. Imagine a partnership that came together for the purpose of buying some real estate with currently un-inhabitable buildings, fixing this up, and later selling it for a profit. Could be a project that took a couple of years to complete. Do you not see that pretty much until the end there would be no income? Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] help setting accounts to track contributions
On 5/4/2018 4:13 AM, Gio Bacareza wrote: Hi, My partner and I are moving in together and we'd like to share expenses like groceries, rent, etc. So we'd like to track expenses as well as our appropriate contributions to make sure that we both are contributing equally to house expenses. How should I set up the contribution? Under what main account type should it be? Any recommendations? I am going to suggest something more straight forward than treating contributions as "income", less distorting to what the situation is. Imagine that this were an ordinary (business) partnership, income, expenses, and partner's "drawings" or "contributions" (partner's drawing accounts are under equity, representing each partner's investment in the enterprise). In other words, you can look in a standard accounting text under "accounting for partnerships". OK, this is a special sort of partnership that only has expenses, no income. So the drawing account of each partner will only show contributions. Going to be very easy to see if the total contributions are equal or not. In other words, a funny set of books, in effect just "expenses" and "equity" trees with meaningful content. You can leave the top level parents "assets", "income", and "liabilities" in there, but usually these would have no contents. Or perhaps because of how you run your household, they might. For example, could be a "cookie jar" for small amounts of cash held on hand, so something under assets. Or there might be a situation where one partner pays a large bill but that partner's contributions are already higher. So treat that as a loan to the partnership and now something under "liabilities" Michael D Novack -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] accounts setup for a cooperation with members
On 4/25/2018 8:50 AM, Martina di Vertacollini wrote: Hi Everybody, I am new to GnuCash and wish to set up the financial administration for a cooperation with members/owners. Can anybody help me with this? -- Martina di Vertacollini You problem is not "how to do this using gnucash" but "how to do this however the bookkeeping is done". In other words, basic accounting for corporations << seek out a suitable text >> That said, what kind of corporation* is this? A for profit? A non-profit? What jurisdiction are you operating in and what filings must you be able to do for this jurisdiction? Michael D Novack * For example, in the US there are different sorts of corporations. Since you refer to "members/owners" rather than "stockholders" could be one of the "pass through: sort like S corporations or LLCs. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] splits 3+ accounts, how to
On 4/24/2018 10:39 PM, DaveC49 wrote: Eric, Mike To be fair to GnuCash, I have not been able to find a formal definition of split in my accounting text books In the senses we are using here, there would not be a definition in accounting text books. In formal accounting, a transaction is (first) entered into the journal with as many lines as needed, one line per account, plus one or more lines for description << there must be at least two accounts . Simply nothing special about having more than one debit account and more than one credit account. With gnucash we are using "spit" to refer to the process by which we are entering transactions. If a transaction affects only two accounts it can be entered on one line. But if more than two accounts we have to use"split". That changes the view so we can enter the transaction as if we were doing it in the journal. Michael ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] splits 3+ accounts, how to
On 4/22/2018 9:38 AM, Derek Atkins wrote: E.. Thus, what in accounting terms is a simple, un-split transaction, is stored in GnuCash as two "splits" (one each for the debit and credit entries). The reason we old timers don't see it that way. In old pen and in on paper bookkeeping for each transaction there is one entry in the journal (with at least one debit and one credit) but just like with gnucash there would be at least TWO entries when posted into the ledger, one in each of the (at least two) accounts affected. Gnucash is a ledger without a journal (virtual journal; gnucash can show it to you if you ask). It is doing just the ledger part. So to folks like me (who grew up doing bookkeeping pen and in on accounting paper) we don't see gnucash doing any splitting of simple transactions. Michael D Novack -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] How do you edit the defaults for new account creation?
On 4/22/2018 1:14 AM, johnblue wrote: Hello, I want to use individual folders to sort each year with the .gnucash database file named with the corresponding year. eg: 2018.gnucash Is there way to create a new "account" that is prepopulated with my bank, credit card, mortgage and expense categories information using automation as opposed to manual entry? It is unclear for what you are asking. Do you want separate books for each year? (like in the old days of pen and ink on paper, they might start off each year with a fresh set of books.) Something else in mind? Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Treasury Bills
On 4/20/2018 10:46 PM, Les wrote: Hi Gnucashers: Curious, I am wondering if it is correct to classify TBills as "Cash"? Suggestions? Thanks, Les Not cash but probably cash equivalents (so still under current assets). Other "negotiable paper" probably treated the same way. But I learned in the old days, and perhaps now* that direct wire transfers are much used, maybe modern accounting has another take on this. The point is, this is not really a gnucash question. You don't have a problem about HOW to enter an account for these but WHERE in the CoA the account belongs. That is an accounting question, not a gnucash question << you are looking for an answer that would apply even were you keeping books the old fashioned way, pen and ink on paper >> Michael D Novack * The point here is that going back hundreds of years, "bills of exchange" and other negotiable paper was how large amounts were moved over distance. Much safer than shipping gold. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] splits 3+ accounts, how to
Ah .. That is what had me confused about "three way splits" 1) A single debit and more than one credit or a single credit and more than one debit I would call a "one way split" (only one side of the transaction is split). You enter these beginning with the side that is single (enter transaction from that account) but instead of hitting enter, hit split. That will bring up an expanded view of the transaction. Simply change the amount (on the split side) and specify the account and hit enter. What remains will appear on a new line as Imbalance, change that to the correct account, change the amount to be right for that account, and hit enter. 2) What I would call a "two way split" would be a transaction that is split on BOTH the debit and the credit side. I suggest people not attempt those until pretty experienced with one way splits. It will take a little "playing around" to get a two way split transaction entered, so for now easier to use two consecutive transactions. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] splits 3+ accounts, how to
On 4/19/2018 5:19 PM, Peter M. Coons wrote: I've tried to learn how to do a three way split like entering a months of checks and after an hour still can't get it right. a step by step or other help would be great. Thanks in advance What are you calling a "three way split"? Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] FINANCIAL STATEMENT COLUMNS
On 4/11/2018 10:13 AM, tino mateka wrote: Hi How do I put my financials for different months in different columns under one aggregated financial statement. Tinotenda Mateka Well I can describe how I do it. Not different months in my case, but consecutive years, because that is how non-profits usually present their annual statements. I have gnucash produce the (raw) reports for the two periods and export those << well actually I produce just the reports for the currently ending period and export those because I did the previous ones last time. I then bring this data into a document using my favorite editor. I remove extraneous data (detail levels kept for historical reasons or needed to prepare governmental filings but of no interest to the board), realign for differences in what accounts present in the two periods, pretty print changing fonts, font sizes, etc., and add any necessary annotations to explain anything unusual. Also add any fixed text describing principles used << for example, what was the amount the organization chose to be the minimum amount for fixed assets, depreciation schedule, etc. the boards would know these things but non-profit financial reports are supposed to be open to the public so explanations in order >> For the interim reports (quarterly for the organizations I keep books) not two side by side, just the current quarter, but the same general method. Asking the accounting package to incorporate the full power of a general purpose editor is silly, unnecessary, since good editors already exist. And this is the opinion of somebody like myself who used to make my living designing/writing financial system software. A few hundred thousand lines of code in my day, and since able to at least read LISP, would have been a short learning curve to have written custom reports in Scheme. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: [GNC] Sending data to my accountant
On 4/7/2018 7:23 PM, Liz wrote: ph hermes wrote: since i have a lot of irrelevant transactions in my account, i prepare reports that affect my taxes. i have a couple of businesses so i like to separate them from each other. then i save the reports as pdf files and send those to my accountant with any cover letter/ extra info. ph People should keep in mind that the format into which you export gnucash reports and the format in which you send to an accountant (or present to a board) need not be the same. None of the boards (of the organizations for which I keep books) are presented the raw reports as produced by gnucash. I use the DATA of those raw reports to produce the finished product. Not really more work because that means that I don't have to make the reports exclude extraneous data (data that is historical). For example, for the organizations that have interns, vendors paid in some previous period, etc. there is no reason the board wants to see all these accounts in a current report (with the amounts all zero for THIS period). Just as easy to remove these in the after edit as to exclude when running the report. Thus if the accountant wanted reports in PDF, and assuming you have the capability to create a PDF from something else, that is simply an after step. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: virus download version 3.0
On 4/2/2018 11:56 PM, Dave via gnucash-user wrote: Thank you for your assistance and sorry for the false positive report I put out there. All virus checkers must sometimes give false positives or sometimes fail to detect viruses. Consider the special virus program "if the supposedly perfect virus checker reports this program is a virus, halt, else act like a virus". The proposed perfect virus checker MUST incorrectly report this program. Just a modification of "The Fundamental Theorem of Computation". Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Invoicing - percent of labor not taxable
On 3/27/2018 6:28 PM, Matthew Pressly wrote: Our state tax laws are such that most of the work that I do is considered "data processing" of which 20% is exempt and 80% is taxable. Is there a good way to configure GnuCash to handle that when making an invoice? It's worse than this (the general case) and we may be asking too much of an accounting package (as opposed to a "point of sales" system that feeds the accounting package). A state might have complex rules about what is taxable and at what rates. We'll start with to your example. Suppose your services to some client included some sort of work taxed at 100%, some data processing at that 80/20 rate, and some sort of work not taxed at all. Obviously whatever rule could not be based on the invoice total but would have to be based on the parts of the bill. And could you reasonably expect the accounting package to "know" the categories? What if that were complicated. Take a store selling (among other things) clothing in my state. In general "clothing" not taxed BUT individual items of clothing above a certain price taxed and perhaps clothing "accessories" taxed (or other items people might think of as in the category "clothing"). Ordinarily it is a "point of sales" system that accesses a database of what it taxable and produces the receipt/bill with the amount that is tax figured out (and then THAT passed to the accounting package -- and probably the inventory package). When we fault gnucash for not doing some of the things available with this or that commercially available "business system" we forget that those business systems come with parts doing those things. They are built up of cooperating pieces only one of which is "accounting". In many cases not monolithic systems as different sorts of entities would need only certain parts. Thus a "store" would want POS and inventory, a professional service not need those but would want billable hours, and both would want payroll. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: beginning balance of income and expense accounts
On 3/24/2018 4:56 PM, Buddha Buck wrote: In general, I wouldn't bother entering starting balances for income and expense accounts from before the period I am accounting for. Traditionally, those accounts were temporary, and at the end of the accounting period the balances would be reset to zero, being transferred to equity. THAT, if you look closely, is the explanation for the (apparently odd) reduction in equity IF you were entering balances for income (and expense) at the start of the books. Accounts of type income and expense are temporary accounts of fundamental type equity. So if you had begun starting your books with balances in income and equity (say transferring in data from another method of accounting you should expect this result. Yes, entering a balance for income WOULD reduce equity. Or rather, represents a TRANSFER between permanent equity and temporary equity << would be returned to equity by a close the books operation >> That said, it is usual to start a set of books JUST from the balance sheet with income and expense zero. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Date limit on transactions / freezing transactions
On 3/23/2018 2:28 PM, Stan Brown wrote: I am entering historical data 2011-2017 in a Gnucash file separate from my current file (starting 2018). (1) In the historical file, I want to limit transactions so that I can't enter a date of 2018 or otherwise out a certain range. Is there any way? (2) Also in the historical file, once I've checked a month's data against the dBase original, I want to mark those transactions so that they can't be altered. Is there a way to do that? I thought reconciliation might do it, but (a) I can't reconcile even the initial balances, though they do balance, and (b) in the help I saw reference to deleting reconciled transactions, which sounds like they are not protected. Thanks in advance! MARK the transactions so that they cannot be altered? Or MAKE the entire historical set of books unalterable? Am I correct, you want to be able to look at your historical data but not alter it? That's easy. After you have gotten the historical file to your satisfaction, make a copy of the file to ROM (burn it to a DVD, etc.) and delete the one in read/write memory. Now in the future, when you want to look at your historical books, insert that DVD, open gnucash, and tell gnucash to open the file (on the DVD) Michael D Novack -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Finally ready to move from Windoze to Unix, suggestions of flavor of Unix to use **[solved]**
On 3/21/2018 6:05 PM, David Carlson wrote: Linux is not Unix. Nor is BSD. Very few users are interested either of the other two, but they both are very important in the grand scheme of things. David C True about linux and the unixes not being the SAME operating system, but users do not ordinarily interact with their computers at the level of the operating system itself. They interact with a "windows manager" and perhaps if a bit more advanced, at the command line with a "shell language". Since linux and the various unix variants share* choices of windows manager and shell languages and the standard unix library of utilities, share the same notion of "permissions", etc. it makes little practical difference at the user level. If I sat down at a terminal, in front of me say a KDE screen or at the command line of bash I would not immediately know was that linux, an old unix, BSD, etc. and with very little of what I might do would it make any difference. Michael D Novack * A particular linux disto (or unix distro) might not come with the full range of what is available in place, but could always get them. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: GNUcash setup
On 3/18/2018 4:27 PM, Ronal B Morse wrote: Have you looked at using the log files to duplicate transactions from one session into another? I don't think that would fit the case here, as in the general case, the transactions would NOT be duplicates. Take a look at the example Ken gives. "such as expensing a portion of utilities for my home office business expenses" From the point of view of personal books: Check to utility, debit of transaction split between a personal utility expense and probably a loan to the business << or an additional investment in the business >> From the point of view of the business, a debit to a business utility expense (for that amount) and a credit to a liability to the business owner. Or of course could have been treated as a negative draw << additional investment in the business rather than a loan to it. >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Finally ready to move from Windoze to Unix, suggestions of flavor of Unix to use
On 3/15/2018 2:16 PM, Adonay Felipe Nogueira wrote: As you can see, such a question can generate more suggestions than people responding. +1 (I agree), this is mostly because there is no single "Linux", every GNU+Linux system distribution has different goals, different community rules, views, software freedom status, and so on. It's like clothing, some fit and some don't. Perhaps even more to the point for somebody totally new to a 'nix. With the various Windows OS's and with the Mac OS's the "operating system" you get ONE "windows manager". When the users of that Windows OS or Mac OS interact with their computer they see (interact with) that "windows manager" and so see THAT as their operating system. But the actual operating system is underneath that. The typical linux (or unix) distribution offers a CHOICE of "windows manager" (what you as the user interact with). I am not going to go into how these differ except to point out that they all have their adherents, sometimes fiercely partisan in favor of their preference (KDE, Gnome, etc.). The distro you choose MAY come with one of these "as default" but you shouldn't decide "I don't like linux" (should that be the case) based upon JUST experiencing it through the mediation of that windows manager. Before giving up on your linux install, try switching to a different windows manager. Likewise, when working at the command line (if you do) you also usually get a choice of "shell language". Any of these, combined with the standard 'nix library, constitute a powerful "string processing language" << a computer language where the fundamental data type is "string" >> Again, if you don't like the first you get, you can try another << eg: I preferred "bash" >> Michael D Novack PS: I can't help with your linux. Been more than ten years since I last used a 'nix (before the house fire) ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Request for a complete guide to setup and use GNUCash for online seller
On 3/13/2018 1:53 PM, Souradeep Panda wrote: Dear Sir / Madam, I am a newbie online seller, selling my old stuff for some money. I currently use MS-Excel for accounting and stock keeping but it's getting very complicated and logical errors are popping up now and then. I am willing to make a one-time donation if I can make GNU Cash work according to my needs by watching your video guide and/or by reading your ebook / pdf. Thanks & regards. Please explain WHAT you are doing with spreadsheets. In other words, are you simply using spreadsheets to do old fashioned pen and ink on paper double entry bookkeeping (using columns just like standard accounting paper)? In that case, the learning curve would be short (and of course your reference to errors understandable, as finding /correcting the inevitable errors the bane of a bookkeeper's existence in pen and ink on paper days) OR -- have you not been doing double entry? In which case your first step should be to look at the tutorial to see if that provides enough basics << if not, get a double entry bookkeeping 101 type text, with the understanding that you will be ENTERING the data directly into the journal --- so see if it has examples of "cashbook accounting". Michael D Novack -- There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Income shows as negative
On 3/11/2018 3:14 AM, D wrote: Hello, Although I am *not* an accountant, I understand that in standard accounting, income is shown as a negative balance. The Tutorial covers this. There is a setting that allows you to display income accounts with reversed signs, if this bothers you. "debit" and "credit" have the opposite sense in the same way as "positive" and "negative" do but are not the same thing UNLESS you have specified that. In traditional accounting "negative" refers to an account having a balance in the opposite sense of what is expected. For example, a credit balance in an account normally debit or a debit balance in an account normally credit. An account of type "income" would normally have a credit balance. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Account Report/Register Report
On 3/8/2018 5:40 PM, Robin Chattopadhyay wrote: I've tested the report several times under varying use cases and cross-checked against both pen & paper and a spreadsheet, so I'm fairly confident that it's reporting what I want it to report. David C. suggested saving the register report and I certainly could do that. Honestly, it hadn't occurred to me to save the report. The catch is that this report doesn't currently allow you to select/change the account at runtime, so I would have to create a separate, saved report for each account I wanted to report on. Well, after running the report could export it. That's what I do. I have a folder into which reports are exported and then suitably renamed. Then I can refer back to them at any time in the future without gnuscash itself being cluttered. It just needs one "skeleton" for each report I run. For example, take an organization for which I am treasurer and the board of directors meets quarterly. So each quarter I would be running an Income Statement report retitled "Statement of Revenues and Expenses" and a Balance Sheet for the end of that quarter and export them. (already have the Balance Sheet for the beginning of the quarter run as Balance Sheet of the previous quarter) Then I would rename them (in that folder) to something like "Revenues-and-Expenses-q1-2018" and "Balance-Sheet-20180331". << those are the RAW reports -- I use the contents of those to produce the pretty print, excess detail removed reports that the board gets >> Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Finding out taxable income at the end of the year
On 3/8/2018 4:06 AM, Maf. King wrote I cannot look in income:sales to determine how much taxable income I report, because it would include how much I'm owed also. As such, what is the best way to find out how much taxable income I make per year to report on my taxes? Hi, This is the difference between "accruals" accounting and "cash" accounting. Basically, GC's invoice module uses accruals - the tax is calculated based on when you create the invoice, not when you are paid. This is partially a case of "not a gnucash question" Maf. King gave you an answer that partially addresses the "what if my books are kept accrual but I report taxes on the cash basis?" But there is another part of this. As anybody in business knows, SOME of what you are owed never gets paid. In other words, there needs to be a periodic adjustment for "bad debt" and/or the loss when outstanding debt is sold to a collector for less than the face amount. Before asking us "how do I do this using gnucash?" you need to look up "how this is handled in any accounting system". Once you understand THAT (what the transactions would be) you might easily see HOW to enter in gnucash or you ask us at that point. I will just give hints (ideas of what terms you might search for) "bad debt" (generally an expense) "journal transactions" (a term for this sort of adjustment) Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: Integrating Profit and Loss Report into a set of books and the trial balance
On 3/6/2018 10:13 AM, jcnw wrote: I am setting up a set of books for a small church and need to run a month profit and loss report. How do I enter the Net Income for the Period into the books so it shows up in the balance sheet? I have set up the books with Income, Expense, Asset and Liability accounts. Do I need to set up a P account. Thanks for help and consideration John Ah, somebody who learned in the old days. No, you don't have to set up a P account, close the income and expense accounts to it, and close it to main equity. Just run the "Income Statement" (aka "Profit and Loss Report" aka "Statement of Revenues and Expenses" -- which is what a non-profit would call it) for the time interval and "Balance Sheet" reports for the beginning and end (next period just the end as you will have the before from last time). You CAN "close the books" but you don't have to. Michael D Novack ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
Re: GNUcash setup
On 3/2/2018 8:01 PM, Adrien Monteleone wrote: Thanks Dave, Of course can do this. But let me put on my "business analyst" hat for a moment and ask a question. If you were set up this way and you accidentally entered a transaction with one account in the tree of one entity and the other (mistakenly) in an account belonging to another entity, how would you diagnose the problem? << you would be in balance >> Michael D Novack To clarify, what I was suggesting was this: Assets Assets:Personal Assets:Entity1 Assets:Entity2 with appropriate sub-accounts under each. In line with this you’d also have: Expenses Expenses:Personal Expenses:Entity1 Expenses:Entity2 with appropriate sub-accounts under each, and so on for Revenue and then Liabilities and Equity as needed. Each of those ’second levels’ should probably be marked as placeholders to avoid a mess. ___ gnucash-user mailing list gnucash-user@gnucash.org To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information. - Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
