2018-10-21 GnuCash IRC logs

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09:34:44 <spout> hello
09:35:00 <spout> I'm searching for a feature on gnucash, something like tags
09:35:31 <spout> I'm doing my accounting for my organisation, but I would like to be able to separate it by tags (differents projects). Is this possible ?
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10:01:55 <sixwheeledbeast> Like assigning things to "Jobs"
10:21:04 <warlord> spout: Unfortunately there is no official "tags" feature. You could use the Action field (or Num field, or Memo field) and supply a string to use as a tag.
10:30:00 <fell> or use additional accounts per project.
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11:54:45 <koneko> Hello
11:55:40 <koneko> I am french and I have some questions about accounting.
11:55:46 <chris> oui?
11:56:16 <chris> il y a des allemands ici
11:56:18 <koneko> Should I speak english?
11:56:32 <koneko> Que des allemands ?
11:56:38 <chris> comme vous voulez
11:56:45 <koneko> OK
11:56:56 <koneko> Ce sera plus simple pour moi.
11:57:32 <koneko> Voilà, j'aimerais tracer des émissions de chèques pour une association.
11:58:00 <koneko> Le scénario : un prestataire vend un service
11:58:03 <koneko> ou un bien.
11:58:17 <koneko> Une personne de l'association paye le bien.
11:58:31 <koneko> L'association rembourse cette personne.
11:58:38 <koneko> Via un chèque.
11:59:08 <koneko> Je me demande quels types de compte correspondent le mieux.
11:59:25 <koneko> J'avais penser à ce genre de chose :
11:59:52 <koneko> Un compte passif correspondant au dette de l'association envers un membre.
12:00:40 <koneko> Un compte passif correspondant à l'écriture d'un chèque pour rembourser cette dette.
12:01:11 <koneko> Un compte passif correspondant à la remise du chèque.
12:01:44 <chris> tres bonne question et je ne suis pas 100% sur laquelle correspond le mieux
12:01:45 <koneko> Et après je répercute le débit du compte actif en banque sur ce dernier compt.
12:02:25 <koneko> Je trouve que ça fait beaucoup de comptes passifs.
12:03:03 <koneko> Et je ne suis même pas sûr qu'ils le soient vraiment.
12:04:03 <koneko> Typiquement, le dernier compte, que j'ai appelé « Compte de transit », il possède un chèque.
12:04:14 <chris> personnellement j'ajoute une transaction De:"Capital d'Assocation" A:"Depense", et j'annoterai 'frais remboursement a Monsieur Bouchon qui a fait le paiement
12:04:51 <koneko> Un chèque, c'est une reconnaissance de dette. Mais ça a autant de valeur qu'un billet.
12:05:21 <chris> (FAO English speaking: coop needs to repay a coop member who has bought on behalf of the group)
12:05:27 <koneko> C'est marrant, Bouchon, c'est le surnom d'un des membre.
12:05:29 <chris> je continue en anglais
12:05:31 <chris> lol
12:06:13 <chris> c'est le nom le plus francophone de mon imagination...
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12:07:18 <chris> I think there's 2 questions here (1) how to account for expenses paid for by a member (2) how to account for checks between writing check and money withdrawn from bank
12:07:44 <koneko> The second part is more problematic to me.
12:08:13 <chris> (1) I'd send a transfer from Asset:Bank to Expense:Services directly and annotate 'paid to Mr.Bouchon who has paid service provider already'
12:09:41 <chris> (2) most of us would record the transaction on the date of writing check... or occasionally on the date of service rendered... or on the date of purchase... and if they have a long delay between receiving check and cashing into bank, it's their problem; I've already accounted for it from my books and just need to watch my bank statement for the eventual withdrawl
12:11:00 <chris> (2) some would advocate a Suspense Account... Liability:Checks written -> Expense:Sevices, and later on Asset:Bank -> Liability:Checks written to clear the liability suspense account
12:11:09 <chris> I think (2) is more hassle
12:14:14 <chris> it's more complicated in accrual accounting... there may be 4 dates involved: (1) date of service rendered, or item purchased... (2) date of invoice, (3) date of sending payment, (4) date of money leaving my bank
12:26:57 <chris> I'm thinking in case you're keen on using suspense account, and wish to track multiple checks written to various people, and await them to cash the check in the bank, the answer is no- there's no gnucash inbuilt check tracking system... you can use any field eg 'Num' field to write the check numbers and manually tally them up
12:27:03 <chris> gtg sleep here! good luck
12:28:26 <koneko> When you give a check to someone, until is is successfully accepted by the other's bank and the money is withdrawn from your own account, the debt stays.
12:28:50 <koneko> Goodbye chris. Thank you for your attention.
12:29:30 <chris> well technically yes but IMHO by writing and sending the check you've "discharged" from the debt... up to them to cash it in... you're free to keep in in Liability account until then
12:30:34 <koneko> You're right.
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12:31:07 <koneko> Maybe am I a bit to anxious about that…
12:41:03 <spout> mais c'est un chat anglais ou français ici ?
12:41:39 <spout> en fait, toujours la même question, j'aimerais faire ma compta pour ma fondation qui gère des théâtres, mais à la fin pouvoir sortir le compte PP d'un théâtre précis aussi, ou bien celle de l'ensemble
12:41:59 <spout> hormis faire une compta par théâtre et une compta pour la fondation, et tout entrer à double, il y aurait une autre solution ?
12:42:58 <spout> avant je parlais de tags, mais en fait le mot n'a pas d'importance, mon but c'est de pouvoir sortir des comptes pour un projet, ou pour l'ensemble
12:47:43 <jralls> spout: The only french speaker just went to bed (he lives in Australia). Can you read and write in English?
12:47:50 <spout> yeah sry
12:48:07 <spout> it's the same question as before, but i probably explained it the wrong way
12:48:27 <spout> so, i'm doing the accounting job for my foundation, which owns a few theaters
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12:49:09 <spout> and at the end, i'd like to be able to output profit and lose account for just one theater, or all the foundation together
12:49:52 <spout> but the solution would be to do everything in multiples gnucash files, one for the foundation, and one for each theater, and write everything in two files
12:50:02 <spout> this looks dumb, is there no easy solution ?
12:50:24 <spout> i said "tag", but it's probably not the right word
12:51:02 <spout> or, if it's impossible in gnucash, is there any other software (free) that could do it ?
12:51:09 <spout> or does it have no sense in accounting logic ?
12:51:48 <jralls> There's no easy solution. You can reduce the double-work with multiple files by making aggregate journal entries in the foundation book for each theater periodically, maybe once a month.
12:52:47 <spout> and any other software could do it ?
12:52:49 <jralls> Does each theater have it's own bank accounts?
12:53:15 <spout> no, it doesn't :/
12:53:32 <jralls> I don't know about other software. There's probably commercial software out there but it may be expensive.
12:54:03 <spout> we are working lean, so cashflow is kinda messy
12:54:22 <spout> if you had to do it, you would have different bank accounts for each theater ?
12:55:20 <jralls> If the bank account(s) belong to the foundation then you probably want a single book. You might set up income and expense accounts per theater and then have P&L reports that use only the filters for each theater as well as one that looks at everything.
12:55:52 <spout> so, filters ?
12:58:05 <jralls> One or several bank accounts is more a management issue than an accounting one. If each theater has separate staff responsible for depositing sales receipts and paying expenses then it might make life easier to have a separate bank account for each. OTOH if all of that is handled by one person or group then separate accounts would be a pain in the rear.
12:58:24 <spout> how do you use filters in gnucash for p&l ?
13:01:57 <jralls> Same for all reports: Open the report, open report options, go to the account tab and select the accounts you want. Give the report a useful name and title on the General tab. Make any other adjustments you need. Save the report configuration with a descriptive name. Lather, rinse, repeat for each theater.
13:03:42 <spout> and then, how would you separate one theater from the other ? by differents accounts?
13:04:22 <spout> it means, i got a "bank UBS 93xxxxxxx" account, with childrens "theater alpha", and "theater 2" ?
13:05:05 <jralls> Yes. You'll need to duplicate each income and expense account that the theaters use. You can arrange that hierarchically or not however it suits you.
13:05:11 <spout> that's a little complicated, but it's less stupid than having two differents gnucash files
13:05:37 <jralls> Not two, n + 1 where n is the number of theaters.
13:05:38 <spout> smart and complicated is better than dumb :)
13:06:30 <spout> and one last question, not related
13:06:51 <jralls> Again, which is smarter depends on how the foundation is managed. The fact that there's only one bank account suggests that finances are managed collectively, so one book makes more sense.
13:08:16 <jralls> If each theater had its own bookkeeper and bank account then it would make more sense for each to have its own GnuCash file and to report summary amounts tot he foundation book keeper weekly or monthly.
13:09:24 <spout> I am in Switzerland, where everybody uses WinBiz. Is WinBiz and GnuCash compatible ?
13:09:48 <jralls> I've never heard of WinBiz.
13:11:03 <jralls> www.winbiz.ch says it's a ERP with its own accounting module. Why would someone using that want GnuCash too?
13:11:26 <spout> what is erp ?
13:12:29 <Mechtilde> ERp = Enterprise Resource Planning
13:12:33 <jralls> "Enterprise Resource Planning". It's software for coordinating manufacturing businesses by tracking inventories and production flow.
13:12:49 <spout> i'm the new accountant for that foundation, I use GnuCash because i like free (like in free speech) softwares. The old accountant used winbiz, and our account auditor uses WinBiz because everybody use it in Switzerland
13:14:08 <Mechtilde> that's like Starmoney in GErman
13:14:25 <Mechtilde> in Germany
13:14:47 <jralls> If you have an auditor then GnuCash might be a problem. It's intended for personal and sole-proprietor use so there are no internal controls in it. You'll need to get the auditor's permission to switch.
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13:15:43 <spout> that's a bummer
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13:17:59 <jralls> Maybe. You'd need to get the auditor's permission to switch software no matter what you pick, and they'll probably want to do a really deep audit of the conversion.
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13:57:09 <fell> jralls: I had forwarded spout to the user ML. Mike Novak might have a better answer.
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21:09:00 <dunbrokin> I am having a problem with currency...it is returning 0...I have entered my Alphavantage pin as suggested...and set the namespace to Currencies...when I hit GetQuotes on Price Database, it returns " Unable to retrieve quotes for these items Currency:AUD etc.
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