# &app; Help Manual

2002-2004
Chris Lyttle
GnuCash Documentation Team

&legal;

Chris
Lyttle
GnuCash Documentation Team

     chris@wilddev.net

&app; Help Manual V&manrevision;
&date;

Chris Lyttle chris@wilddev.net

GnuCash Documentation Team

GnuCash Help Manual V1.8.3
Aug 2003

Chris Lyttle chris@wilddev.net

GnuCash Documentation Team

GnuCash Help Manual V1.8.2
Aug 2003

Chris Lyttle chris@wilddev.net

GnuCash Documentation Team

GnuCash Help Manual V1.8.1
May 2003

Chris Lyttle chris@wilddev.net

GnuCash Documentation Team

GnuCash Help Manual V1.8.0
Jan 2003

Chris Lyttle chris@wilddev.net

GnuCash Documentation Team

GnuCash User Manual
June 2002

GnuCash Developers and Documentors gnucash-devel@gnucash.org

GnuCash Documentation Team

This manual describes how to use the GnuCash Financial software.

## Feedback

To report a bug or make a suggestion regarding this package or this manual, follow the directions at the GNOME Bug Tracking System.

## Introduction to GnuCash

### What is GnuCash?

GnuCash is a personal and small business finance application. Its designed to be easy to use, yet powerful and flexible. GnuCash allows you to track your income and expenses, reconcile bank accounts, monitor stock portfolios and manage your small business finances. It is based on professional accounting principles to ensure balanced books and accurate reports.

## Getting Started

### Running GnuCash for the first time

The very first time you run GnuCash you will be presented with the Welcome to GnuCash! menu with three choices. The following table describes the contents of the menu.

####

Menu Item | Description
Create a new set of accounts | Runs the New Account Hierarchy Setup Druid.
Import my QIF files | Runs the Import QIF Files Druid.
Open the new user tutorial | Opens the GnuCash Tutorial and Concepts Guide.

This menu is intended for you to use to get quickly up and running.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the dialog. It will then prompt you to uncheck the checkbox if you do not want to see the Welcome to GnuCash! menu again. The default is to have the Welcome to GnuCash! menu run again.

- The OK button is used to confirm your selection.

You can either use a preset hierarchy of accounts, import Quicken files (QIF files) or view the GnuCash Tutorial and Concepts Guide. Each of these choices will be explained in more depth in the following sections.

- If you wish to have a basic set of accounts to add account transactions into choose Create a new set of accounts.

- If you already have Quicken files (QIF files) from another financial application and wish to import them then choose Import my QIF files.

- If you are a new to GnuCash and just want to be guided though setting up GnuCash then choose Open the new user tutorial.

It is possible to run these items after you have made a choice here but this Welcome to GnuCash! menu will not reappear. To try one of the other choices later, use the following sections to start the other items from the GnuCash menu.

#### New Account Hierarchy Setup

This druid helps you to create a set of GnuCash accounts. It will appear if you choose Create a new set of accounts in the Welcome to GnuCash! menu.

To start this druid manually go to File -> New File. This will create a new blank GnuCash file and then automatically start the New Account Hierarchy Setup druid.

The New Account Hierarchy Setup druid opens with a screen that briefly describes what this druid does. The three buttons at the very bottom of the screen will not change while using the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel creating a new set of accounts. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Forward button will bring up the next screen so you can continue though the druid.

The next screen allows you to select the default currency to use for your accounts. The Select... button on this screen is used to access the list of currencies. The Select... button brings up the Select currency/security dialog.

- The Type: drop down list defaults to CURRENCY. Other types are used for setting up commodities for stock related accounts.

- The Currency/security: drop down list defaults to USD (US Dollar). If you wish your accounts to use a different default currency select one from the list.

- The OK button is used to confirm your selection.

- The New... button brings up the New Currency/Security dialog. This is used for setting up commodities for stock related accounts.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the dialog without using any changes you have made.

The next screen is used to choose a hierarchy of accounts to create. You will see a screen divided into three parts.

- The top part has a list of Account Types and Descriptions for commonly used hierarchies of accounts. Select from this list the types of accounts you wish to use. You can select as many types of accounts as you wish.

- The left bottom part has a Detailed Description of the account type you selected.

- The right bottom part has a list of the Accounts that will be created from the selected account type.

- The Select All button allows you to include all of the account types from the top part.

- The Clear All button allows you to deselect all of the account types from the top part.

The next screen allows you to enter opening balances for your accounts and also select if the account is a placeholder account. Placeholder accounts are used to create a hierarchy of accounts and normally do not have transactions or opening balances. Equity accounts also do not have opening balances.

- The left side of the screen has a list of Account Names. Select each account to enter a opening balance or to make it a placeholder account.

- The right side of the screen has a checkbox to make an account a Placeholder and a box to add the Opening Balance for the selected account.

The last screen gives you a list of three choices to finish the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel creating a new set of accounts. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Finish button creates the accounts you have selected.

You should now have a hierarchy of accounts in your main GnuCash account window.

#### Import QIF Files

This Druid helps you import Quicken (QIF) files. It will appear if you choose Import my QIF files in the Welcome to GnuCash! menu.

To start this druid manually go to File -> Import -> Import QIF... or press Ctrl-I.

The Import QIF files druid opens with a screen that briefly describes what this druid does. The three buttons at the very bottom of the screen will not change while using the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel importing Quicken file data. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Forward button will bring up the next screen so you can continue though the druid.

The next screen allows you to Select a QIF file to load. The Select... button on this screen is used to access the list of files. The Select... button brings up the Select QIF File dialog.

- The Create Dir button allows you to make a directory to store the GnuCash files.

- The Delete File button allows you to remove unwanted files.

- The Rename File button allows you to rename GnuCash files.

- The drop down list allows you to navigate the directory structure.

- The left panel allows you to navigate up and down by directory

- The right panel allows you to select the file you want

- The OK button is used to confirm your selection.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the dialog without using any changes you have made.

Navigate to where you have stored your QIF files and select the first one then click OK. You will now see it listed in the QIF Filename: field.

If the file you are loading does not have an account name listed in it you will see the Set the default QIF account name screen. Otherwise you will skip this screen and go on to the screen in the next section that shows loaded QIF files.

- The Account name: field is used to set an account name for this QIF file.

The next screen shows you the QIF files you have loaded. You can use this screen to return to the previous screen and load more QIF files. It will also let you unload any files you have loaded by mistake.

- The top panel shows the list of QIF Files you have loaded.

- The Load another file button takes you back to the previous screen to load another QIF file.

- The Unload selected file allows you to select a file from the top panel and remove it from the list.

The next screen gives a description of the Accounts and stock holdings matching process on the Match QIF accounts with GnuCash accounts screen. This and other informational screens in the Import QIF files druid can be turned off in the Online Banking & Importing section of the GnuCash Preferences. Please refer to the GnuCash Preferences section of the help for instructions on this.

The next screen lets you Match QIF accounts with GnuCash accounts. You will see a list of QIF account names on the left and suggested GnuCash account names on the right. The New? column indicates if the GnuCash account name will be created by the QIF Import.

To change the GnuCash account to a different one select the QIF account. A dialog will pop up to select another account or create a new one.

- Select an account from the list to choose a already existing account.

- The New Account (child of selected) ... button allows you to add a new account name as a sub-account of the selected account.

- The OK button is used to confirm your selection.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the dialog without using any changes you have made.

The next screen gives a description of the Income and Expense categories matching process on the Match QIF categories with GnuCash accounts screen.

The next screen lets you Match QIF categories with GnuCash accounts. You will see a list of QIF category names on the left and suggested GnuCash account names on the right. The New? column indicates if the GnuCash account name will be created by the QIF Import.

To change the GnuCash account to a different one select the QIF category. A dialog will pop up to select another account or create a new one.

- Select an account from the list to choose a already existing account.

- The New Account (child of selected) ... button allows you to add a new account name as a sub-account of the selected account.

- The OK button is used to confirm your selection.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the dialog without using any changes you have made.

The next screen gives a description of the Payees and memos matching process on the Match payees/memos to GnuCash accounts screen.

The next screen lets you Match payees/memos to GnuCash accounts. You will see a list of QIF payee/memo names on the left and suggested GnuCash account names on the right. The default GnuCash account used is called Unspecified. The New? column indicates if the GnuCash account name will be created by the QIF Import.

To change the GnuCash account to a different one select the QIF payee/memo. A dialog will pop up to select another account or create a new one.

- Select an account from the list to choose a already existing account.

- The New Account (child of selected) ... button allows you to add a new account name as a sub-account of the selected account.

- The OK button is used to confirm your selection.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the dialog without using any changes you have made.

The next screen allows you to Enter the currency used for new accounts. The drop down list defaults to USD (US Dollar). If you wish the new accounts to use a different currency select one from the list.

The next screen gives a description of the Match duplicate transactions process on the Select possible duplicates screen.

The next screen lets you Select possible duplicate transactions. Imported transactions are shown on the left panel and possible matches to each selected transaction are shown on the right.

- The left panel shows the list of Imported transactions to select from for matching duplicates

- The right panel shows the list of Possible duplicates for the selected imported transaction. Select the one that most closely matches

The last screen gives you a list of three choices to finish the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel creating a new set of accounts. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Finish button creates the accounts you have selected.

You should now have successfully imported your accounts.

#### GnuCash Tutorial and Concepts Guide

This guide is the counterpart to this help. It explains the concepts used in GnuCash and has a tutorial that takes you through using GnuCash to manage your accounts. It will appear if you choose Open the new user tutorial in the Welcome to GnuCash! menu.

To open this Guide manually go to Help -> Tutorial and Concepts Guide.

It is strongly recommended to read this guide if you are new to GnuCash or unfamiliar with accounting concepts.

### Tip of The Day

The Tip of the Day screen starts whenever you start GnuCash. It gives tips on features and using GnuCash. You can use the three buttons at the bottom of the screen to look through the tips.

- The close button is used to dismiss the Tip of the Day dialog

- The Prev button is used to look at the previous tip

- The Next button is used to look at the next tip.

- The Display this dialog next time checkbox is used to enable or disable the Tip of the Day from running at GnuCash startup.

It is also possible to configure if the Tip of the Day runs at startup in Edit -> Preferences -> General. The Tip of the Day can also be manually run by going to Help -> Tip of the Day.

## Usage

### GnuCash Windows

GnuCash windows display the accounts and tools you use to access your financial data. This section gives you an overview of the different windows you will see in GnuCash.

#### Account Tree Window

This window provides an overview of all your accounts and a summary of their balances. It groups the accounts into types based on standard accounting practice. Access to commonly used windows and account tools is through this window.

To reopen the Account Tree if you have closed it or to open an additional Account Tree go to File -> New Account Tree. This will open the account tree in the existing window

To open a new window with an Account Tree go to File -> Open in a New Window. Figure ? shows an Account Tree Window.

Table 2 describes the components of the Account Tree Window.

#####

Component | Description
--- | ---
Menubar | Contains the Menus used in the Account Tree Window
Tool Bar | Contains buttons used to access common Account Tree tasks
Summary Bar | Contains Summary of Financial Data
Account Tree | Contains the Chart of Accounts
Status Bar | Contains a short description of Menu items and a progress bar

##### Menus

The following tables describe the menus in the Account Tree Window.

Table 3: File Menu - Access to file and account operations and printing.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
New File | Starts the New Account Hierarchy Setup Druid and creates a new file
New Account... | Creates a New Account and opens account properties
New Account Tree | Opens a new instance of the Account Tree view
Open... | Opens a different GnuCash file. Menu shortcut F3
Open Account | When an account is selected in the Account Tree opens the register for that account. Menu Shortcut Ctrl-O
Open Sub-Accounts | When an account is selected in the Account Tree opens a General Ledger register for that account and all subaccounts
Open in a New Window | Opens a new Account Tree Window using the current account tree or report.
Open Recent | Opens one of a list of the four most recently opened account files
Save | Saves the currently open file. Menu shortcut Ctrl-S
Save As... | Saves the currently opened file with a different name
Import -> Import QIF File | Starts the Import QIF Files druid to import files from other financial programs.
Export -> Export Accounts | Exports your account hierarchy to a new file. Does not export data.
Print | Prints reports
Properties | Sets options for this file.
Close | Closes the current open account tree or report. Menu shortcut Ctrl-W
Exit | Exits GnuCash. Menu shortcut Ctrl-Q

Table 4: Edit Menu - Access to file and account editing operations and preferences.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Cut |
Copy |
Paste |
Edit Account |
Delete Account |
Preferences... |
Style Sheets... |
Tax Options |

Table 5: View Menu - Changes Account Tree Window view.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Refresh |
Toolbar |
Summary Bar |
Status Bar |

Table 6: Actions Menu - Setup scheduled transactions, repair accounts, perform stock splits,transfer and reconcile transactions.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Scheduled Transactions -> Scheduled Transaction Editor |
Scheduled Transactions ->Since Last Run... |
Scheduled Transactions -> Mortgage & Loan Repayment Setup |
Transfer... |
Reconcile... |
Stock Split... |
Check & Repair -> Check & Repair Account |
Check & Repair -> Check & Repair Subaccounts |
Check & Repair -> Check & Repair All |

Table 7: Business Menu - Access small business features of GnuCash.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Customers -> New Customer |
Customers -> Find Customer |
Customers -> New Invoice |
Customers -> Find Invoice |
Customers -> New Job |
Customers -> Find Job |
Customers -> Process Payment |
Vendors -> New Vendor |
Vendors -> Find Vendor |
Vendors -> New Bill |
Vendors -> Find Bill |
Vendors -> New Job |
Vendors -> Find Job |
Vendors -> Process Payment |
Tax Tables |
Billing Terms |

Table 8: Reports Menu - Access GnuCash Reports and Charts.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Account Summary |
Tax Report & TXF Export |
Transaction Report |
Sample & Custom -> Welcome Sample Report |
Sample & Custom -> Custom Multicolumn Report |
Sample & Custom -> Custom Web Report |
Sample & Custom -> Sample Report With Examples |
Assets & Liabilities -> Advanced Portfolio |
Assets & Liabilities -> Asset Barchart |
Assets & Liabilities -> Asset Piechart |
Assets & Liabilities -> Average Balance |
Assets & Liabilities -> Balance Sheet |
Assets & Liabilities -> Investment Portfolio |
Assets & Liabilities -> Liability Barchart |
Assets & Liabilities -> Liability Piechart |
Assets & Liabilities -> Net Worth Barchart |
Assets & Liabilities -> Price Scatterplot |
Income & Expense -> Expense Barchart |
Income & Expense -> Expense Piechart |
Income & Expense -> Income & Expense Chart |
Income & Expense -> Income Barchart |
Income & Expense -> Income Piechart |
Income & Expense -> Profit & Loss |
Business Reports -> Customer Report |
Business Reports -> Payable Aging |
Business Reports -> Printable Invoice |
Business Reports -> Receivable Aging |
Business Reports -> Vendor Report |

Table 9: Tools Menu - Access to miscellaneous tools and editors

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
General Ledger |
Price Editor |
Commodity Editor |
Financial Calculator |
Find Transactions |

Table 10: Help Menu - Access to this help and the GnuCash Tutorial and Concepts Guide.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
GnuCash Tutorial & Concepts Guide |
Tips Of The Day |
Help |
About... |

##### Tool Bar Buttons

The Account Tree Window has a tool bar to access quickly some common functions used with accounts. The Tool Bar can be hidden or shown by selecting the Toolbar item on the View menu.

Table 11: Account Tree Window Tool Bar

######

Tool Bar Button | Description
--- | ---
Save |
Close |
Open |
Edit |
Options |
New |
Delete |
Exit |

##### Summary Bar

The Summary Bar displays your Net Assets and Profits at a glance. The Summary Bar can be hidden or shown by selecting the Summary Bar item on the View menu.

##### Account Tree

The Account Tree displays the list of your accounts in hierarchical format. This enables you to organize your accounts by account type.

The boxed plus shape beside the account name is used to open and close the account tree. When you click on the box the plus sign changes into a minus sign to indicate that the tree is opened. You will then see directly below the account name a line leading to either the sub account or another box. This shows you the linked lower level of the account tree.

The default display for the Account Tree Window is in Notebook mode. This is indicated by the tab on the left side of the Account Tree Window. Other tabs will appear below this one when you open reports and more Account Trees.

##### Status Bar

The Status Bar displays tooltips for the menus that give more explanation to a menu item. It also shows a progress bar when opening or saving a GnuCash data file. The Status Bar can be hidden or shown by selecting the Status Bar item on the View menu.

#### Account Register Window

This window is used to enter and edit your account data. It also provides tools for scheduling future transactions, finding and reporting on transactions and printing checks.

To open the Account Register Window for an account, select the account in the Account Tree then go to File -> Open Account or press Ctrl-O. This will open a new window with the Account Register. Pressing the Open button on the Tool Bar in the Account Tree Window or the Jump button in the Account Register Window are alternate methods.

Figure ? shows an Account Register Window.

Table 12 describes the components of the Account Register Window.

#####

Component | Description
--- | ---
Menubar | Contains the Menus used in the Account Register Window
Tool Bar | Contains buttons used to access common Account Register tasks
Summary Bar | Contains Summary of Financial Data
List of Transactions | Area where transactions are entered and edited.
Status Bar | Contains a short description of the different list of transactions areas.

##### Menus

The following tables describe the menus in the Account Register Window.

Table 13: File Menu - Access to file and account operations and printing.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
New Account | Creates a New Account and opens account properties
Save | Saves the currently open file. Menu shortcut Ctrl-S
Save As... | Saves the currently opened file with a different name
Print | Prints the Account Report
Print Check | Prints the selected check
Close | Closes the current open account tree or report. Menu shortcut Ctrl-W
Exit | Exits GnuCash. Menu shortcut Ctrl-Q

Table 14: Edit Menu - Access to account and transaction editing operations and finding transactions.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Cut |
Copy |
Paste |
Edit Account |
Cut Transaction |
Copy Transaction |
Paste Transaction |
Find... |

Table 15: View Menu - Changes Account Register Window view.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Toolbar |
Summary Bar |
Status Bar |
Date Range -> Show All |
Date Range -> Set Range |
Sort Order -> Standard |
Sort Order -> Date |
Sort Order -> Date of Entry |
Sort Order -> Statement Date |
Sort Order -> Number |
Sort Order -> Amount |
Sort Order -> Memo |
Sort Order -> Description |
Style -> Basic Ledger |
Style -> Auto-Split Ledger |
Style -> Transaction Journal |
Style -> Double Line |

Table 16: Actions Menu - Enter, delete, split and duplicate transactions. Setup scheduled transactions, repair accounts, perform stock splits,transfer and reconcile transactions.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Transfer... |
Reconcile... |
Stock Split... |
Enter |
Cancel |
Delete |
Blank |
Duplicate Transaction... |
Split Transaction |
Schedule... |
Jump |
Check & Repair -> All Transactions |
Check & Repair -> This Transaction |

Table 17: Reports Menu - Access GnuCash Reports and Charts.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Account Report |
Transaction Report |

Table 18: Tools Menu - Access to miscellaneous tools and editors

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
General Ledger |
Price Editor |
Commodity Editor |
Financial Calculator |

Table 19: Help Menu - Access to this help and the GnuCash Tutorial and Concepts Guide.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
GnuCash Tutorial & Concepts Guide |
Tips Of The Day |
Help |
About... |

##### Tool Bar Buttons

The Account Register Window has a tool bar to access quickly some common functions used with the list of transactions. The Tool Bar can be hidden or shown by selecting the Toolbar item on the View menu.

Table 20: Account Register Window Tool Bar

######

Tool Bar Button | Description
--- | ---
Close |
Enter |
Cancel |
Delete |
Duplicate |
Schedule |
Split |
Blank |
Jump |
Transfer |
Find |
Report |
Print |

##### Summary Bar

The Summary Bar displays balances appropriate for the opened account type at a glance. Usually accounts display today's account balance, any balance for future dates, a balance for cleared items and a reconciled balance. Stock accounts, however, display shares totals and their value. The Summary Bar can be hidden or shown by selecting the Summary Bar item on the View menu.

##### List of Transactions

The List of Transactions displays transactions you have entered and a running balance. It also provides a blank transaction to enter new transactions. The column headings vary according to what type of account you have opened. Common headings are Date, Description, Transfer and Balance.

The View menu can be used to alter the appearance of the List of Transactions. Possible changes are limiting the number of transactions shown, using a different sort order and changing the style to more easily see transactions. The split button also provides quick access to view all the parts of a transaction.

##### Status Bar

The Status Bar displays a short description when different fields are selected in the list of transactions. The Status Bar can be hidden or shown by selecting the Status Bar item on the View menu.

##### General Ledger

The General Ledger is an advanced register used to enter transactions without needing to open individual accounts. The General Ledger shows the transaction entries for all accounts on one register.

Entering transactions in the General Ledger is more complicated than entering them in the individual account registers. The advantage is the General Ledger provides a more comprehensive view of the transactions you have entered in all your accounts.

The General Ledger defaults to showing only the previous month of transactions. This is changeable by using the Date Range on the View menu.

#### Report Window

This window is shown whenever a report or chart is selected from the Reports menu. It provides a web browser type display with clickable links to account data.

At this time all the functions of the report window are accessed through Tool Bar buttons.

##### Tool Bar Buttons

The Report Window has a tool bar to access quickly the functions used with reports. The Tool Bar can be hidden or shown by selecting the Toolbar item on the View menu.

Table 21: Report Window Tool Bar

######

Tool Bar Button | Description
--- | ---
Save |
Close |
Back |
Forward |
Reload |
Stop |
Export |
Options |
Print |
Exit |

##### Report

This is where the report or chart you have selected is shown. The properties of this window are editable in two ways. Selecting the Options button on the toolbar lets you edit what the report is showing and which accounts the information is drawn from. Selecting Edit -> Style Sheets... lets you select the properties of the web page that displays your report.

The report is able to act like a web browser if your report contains links to external web pages. The toolbar buttons allow you to move back and forward through web pages. It will also open account information in the register window when you click on links contained in the report.

You can also save your report to a file and print the report through the toolbar buttons.

#### Tool Windows

There are several specialized Tool Windows used in GnuCash. These windows provide additional functions to the basic account register.

To access the Scheduled Transaction Editor go to Actions -> Scheduled Transactions -> Scheduled Transaction Editor. To access the Reconcile Window go to Actions -> Reconcile... (menu shortcut Ctrl-R). The other Tools are accessed by going to the Tools menu.

##### Scheduled Transaction Editor

The Scheduled Transaction Editor is used to create and edit transactions that are to be added to the register in an automated way. This is combined with the Since Last Run druid to review and enter the transactions.

###### Scheduled Transactions Window

The top pane of the Scheduled Transaction Window contains the list of scheduled transactions that are currently setup. This window lists the Name of the transaction, the Frequency that the transaction is entered and the next time the transaction will be entered.

The right side of this window contains three buttons to create and edit scheduled transactions. New and Edit opens the Edit Scheduled Transaction dialog. Delete removes the selected scheduled transaction.

Below the list of scheduled transactions is the Upcoming calendar. This mini calendar lists the dates that the scheduled transactions occur so it is easy to see when the transaction next occurs. Clicking on a date in the calendar brings up a list of scheduled transactions for that date. Moving the mouse over other dates changes to the list of transactions on those dates. Clicking once more on the calendar removes the transaction list.

###### Edit Scheduled Transaction Window

The Edit Scheduled Transaction Window is divided into a Name area, Options pane, End pane, Recurrance Frequency pane, mini calendar and Template Transaction pane.

The Options pane contains checkboxes to set if the transaction is automatically created and how many days in advance the transaction is created or a reminder posted.

The End pane contains selections to set for how long the transaction is entered and the number of

The Recurrance Frequency pane contains selections to set how often the transaction is scheduled to be added and on what dates this occurs.

The mini calendar provides a visual indication of what transactions are already scheduled.

The Template Transaction pane allows you to setup the transaction as you would like it to be entered into the register.

These options are described in more detail in the To Schedule Transactions section of

##### Reconcile Window

The Reconcile Window is used to reconcile bank statements to GnuCash accounts. It provides access to various GnuCash functions to make it easy to enter and update account information during the reconciliation.

The Reconcile Window is accessed in the Account Tree Window by going to Actions -> Reconcile... (menu shortcut Ctrl-R). In the Account Register Window it is accessed by going to Actions -> Reconcile...

Figure ? shows an Reconcile Window.

Table 22 describes the components of the Reconcile Window.

######

Component | Description
--- | ---
Menubar | Contains the Menus used in the Reconcile Window.
Tool Bar | Contains buttons used to access common Reconcile Window tasks.
Funds In | Contains a list of funds deposited in the account.
Funds Out | Contains a list of funds withdrawn from the account.
Balance Pane | Contains a list of balances to use in reconciling.

###### Menus

The following tables describe menus in the Reconcile Window.

Table 23: Reconcile Menu - Access to Reconcile Information and finishing or postponing.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Reconcile Information |
Finish |
Postpone |
Cancel |

Table 24: Account Menu - Access to account operations.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Open Account |
Edit Account |
Transfer... |
Check |

Table 25: Transaction Menu - Access to transaction editing operations.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
New |
Edit |
Delete |

Table 26: Help Menu - Access to help.

######

Menu Item | Description
--- | ---
Help |

###### Tool Bar Buttons

The Reconcile Window has a tool bar to access quickly some common functions used with reconciliation.

Table 27: Reconcile Window Tool Bar

######

Tool Bar Button | Description
--- | ---
New |
Edit |
Delete |
Open |
Finish |

###### Reconciling Window

The Funds In pane shows all unreconciled deposits to the account.

- Date: The date of the unreconciled transaction.

- Num: The number of the unreconciled transaction.

- Description: The Description of the unreconciled transaction.

- Amount: The Amount of the unreconciled transaction.

- R: Shows a green tick if the transaction will be reconciled when done.

The Funds Out pane shows all unreconciled expenses from the account.

- Date: The date of the unreconciled transaction.

- Num: The number of the unreconciled transaction.

- Description: The Description of the unreconciled transaction.

- Amount: The Amount of the unreconciled transaction.

- R: Shows a green tick if the transaction will be reconciled when done.

The Balance pane shows the balances used in reconciliation.

- Starting Balance: The balance at the end of the last reconciliation.

- Ending Balance: The balance entered from the statement.

- Reconciled Balance: The balance of selected transactions.

- Difference: The difference between the Reconciled and Ending Balances.

##### Price Editor

The Price Editor is used to track the value of currency, mutual fund and stock type accounts. It provides a unified interface to updating the values of these commodities and is able to update manually or through online quotes.

Each entry in the editor shows a record of a commodity price:

- Commodity: The commodity being priced.

- Currency: The currency the price is recorded in.

- Date: The date the price was recorded.

- Source: The source of the commodities price quote. Typically, this will be either "user:price-editor", indicating you entered it directly, or "Finance::Quote", indicating that it was retrieved from an online source by the Finance::Quote module.

- Type: There are several different types of stock price quotes.

- Bid: Indicates what a specialist dealer is prepared to pay for a stock.

- Ask: Indicates at what price the dealers are prepared to sell a stock.

- Last: Indicate the price at which the last trade in that stock/security occurred at. This is the price most commonly quoted in the media.

- Net Asset Value: Are typically used for mutual funds. They are calculated on the net value of the fund's assets.

- Unknown: Use this if the type of price quoted is not known.

- Price: The actual price of the commodity.

To add a new price, click on Add, and enter the details of the price into the dialog box. To edit an existing price, select the price in the price list, click the Edit button, and edit the figures.

To remove just one price, select the price and click the Remove button. If you want to remove all prices older than a certain time, click on the Remove Old... button and enter the details in the dialog box.

To support online quotations for a particular stock or mutual fund account, you must first enable online price quoting and select a price source. This is described in detail in the To Create a New Account section of Setting up And Editing Accounts. Once online quotes are enabled, you can update prices for your stocks and mutual funds by clicking the Get Quotes button.

##### Commodity Editor

The Commodity Editor is used to create and edit commodities that are used by mutual fund and stock type accounts. It also shows the details of National Currencies that are used by GnuCash.

Each entry in the editor shows the details used by the commodity:

- Type: Indicates for stocks the exchange on which a stock is traded. For mutual funds use the FUND type. If your commodity is not of one of these types, you can create a new type by typing it in the box. For national currencies the type is ISO4217. ISO-4217 is an international standard which defines unique three-letter symbols for each currency. National currencies are not user editable.

- Symbol: Indicates the symbol or abbreviation for the commodity. This is usually the ticker symbol (for stocks) or other unique abbreviation for the commodity. If the commodity is traded on any public exchange, it is important to use the same identifier used on that exchange. For national currencies the symbol is the ISO-4217 currency code.

- Name: The full name of the commodity is a recognizable name such as "US Dollars" or "IBM Common Stock".

- Code: This is any numeric or alphanumeric code that is used to identify the commodity. The CUSIP code is a unique identifying numeric string that is associated with every stock, bond or mutual fund, and most kinds of tradable options, futures and commodities. This code is not required.

- Fraction: This is the smallest tradable unit of the commodity, expressed as a fraction of a single nominal unit. This unit is used by GnuCash accounts as the default fraction for trades in the commodity.

To add a new commodity, click on Add, and enter the details of the commodity into the New Currency/Security dialog box. To edit an existing commodity, select the commodity from the Commodities list, click the Edit button, and edit the New Currency/Security dialog box. To remove a commodity, select the commodity and click the Remove button.

To show the details for National Currencies click the Show National Currencies checkbox.

##### Financial Calculator

The Financial Calculator is used to calculate compound interest. It provides a way of entering four of the five parameters of a compound interest calculation and then calculating the remaining figure.

The calculator is split into two panes. The left pane has five fields with a Calculate button and a Clear button. The Calculate button is used to select the figure to calculate. The Clear button is used to clear any amount in the field.

- Payment Periods: This field is used to select the number of payments you wish to use in the calculation.

- Interest Rate: This field is used for the interest rate percentage.

- Present Value: This field usually contains the amount you have borrowed. It is the base amount you wish to compound.

- Periodic Payment: This field contains the amount that is the payment for the period selected (ie monthly, weekly, etc). If it is for repaying a loan it should be a negative number.

- Future Value: This field contains the final value at the end of the periods above. If we are repaying a loan in full it would be '0'.

The right pane contains buttons to select what sort of payments and compounding is used for the left pane calculations.

- Compounding: This button allows you to select the interval used if the Discrete Compounding button is selected.

- Payments: This button allows you to select the interval used for the Payment Periods field.

- End of Period Payments: Use this button if the payment is at the end of the period.

- Beginning of Period Payments: Use this button if the payment is at the beginning of the period.

- Discrete Compounding: This button is used where interest is charged at a discrete interval defined by the Compounding button above.

- Continuous Compounding: This button is used when the interest is charged continuously.

- Payment Total: This field shows the total amount paid.

Examples of using the Financial Calculator are given in the Tutorial and Concepts Guide.

##### Find Transactions

Find Transactions is used to search for transactions in GnuCash and display the results in a register window. The title bar of the Find Transactions dialog contains 'Search For...' and the first line of the dialog has 'Split Search'. In other search dialogs used in GnuCash the first line contains a different description but the same basic layout.

To open the Find Transactions dialog in the Account Tree Window go to the Tools menu and select Find Transactions or type menu shortcut Ctrl-F. To open the Find Transactions dialog in the Account Register Window go to the Edit menu and select Find... or type menu shortcut F6.

There are two panes in the search dialog. The top pane contains the Search Criteria buttons and the bottom pane contains the Type of Search selection.

There are two buttons in the top of the Search Criteria pane. The left button allows you to add another criteria row to search for multiple criteria. The existing criteria row needs to be completed before adding a new row. The right button is used to Search for items where all criteria are met or Search for items where any criteria are met. The all criteria are met search requires all of the criteria rows to have at least one match. The any criteria are met search requires only one of the criteria rows to be matched.

The criteria row is used to combine different criteria buttons. The following table describes the possible button combinations (regex means regular expression search);

Table 28: Search criteria buttons.

######

Button 1 | Button2 | Button3 | Button4 | Button5 | Button 6 | Button 7 | Button 8
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Description | contains | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Description | does not contain | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Description | matches regex | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Description | does not match regex | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Memo | contains | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Memo | does not contain | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Memo | matches regex | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Memo | does not match regex | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Number | contains | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Number | does not contain | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Number | matches regex | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Number | does not match regex | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Action | contains | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Action | does not contain | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Action | matches regex | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Action | does not match regex | Criteria entry field | Is entry Case Insensitive? | Remove row |  |  |
Date Posted | is before | Date selection field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Date Posted | is before or on | Date selection field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Date Posted | is on | Date selection field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Date Posted | is not on | Date selection field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Date Posted | is after | Date selection field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Date Posted | is on or after | Date selection field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Value | has credits or debits | less than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits or debits | less than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits or debits | equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits or debits | not equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits or debits | greater than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits or debits | greater than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits | less than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits | less than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits | equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits | not equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits | greater than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has credits | greater than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has debits | less than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has debits | less than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has debits | equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has debits | not equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has debits | greater than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Value | has debits | greater than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |
Shares | less than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Shares | less than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Shares | equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Shares | not equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Shares | greater than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Shares | greater than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Share Price | less than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Share Price | less than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Share Price | equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Share Price | not equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Share Price | greater than | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Share Price | greater than or equal to | Amount entry field | Remove row |  |  |  |
Reconcile | is | Not Cleared | Cleared | Reconciled | Frozen | Voided | Remove row
Reconcile | is not | Not Cleared | Cleared | Reconciled | Frozen | Voided | Remove row
Balanced | is | set true | Remove row |  |  |  |
Balanced | is not | set true | Remove row |  |  |  |
Account | matches any account | Choose Accounts | Remove row |  |  |  |
Account | matches no account | Choose Accounts | Remove row |  |  |  |
All Accounts | matches all account | Choose Accounts | Remove row |  |  |  |

The Account button performs a search where the accounts selected in the Choose Accounts dialog will both be searched individually for results. This means that a match in any of the selected accounts will either be displayed (matches any account) or discarded (matches no account).

The All Accounts button performs a search where accounts selected in the Choose Accounts dialog will only return results that match in both accounts.

There are four selections in the Type of Search pane. When a new search is started only the New Search button is selectable. The other buttons become selectable only when the Search Results register window is visible.

- New Search: Perform a new transaction search

- Refine current search: Search within the results of the previous search.

- Add results to current search: Search based on the first set of criteria or the new criteria.

- Delete results from current search: Discard any results that match the previous search results.

#### Help Window

The GnuCash Help Window is used to display web page versions of these help documents that are installed with GnuCash. It also has a searchable database of help terms and the ability to load web pages directly from the Internet.

This window is accessed by going to the Help menu and selecting either the Tutorial and Concepts Guide or the Help.

The Help Window has a toolbar for navigation. The toolbar is described below;

- Back: Used to navigate to pages previously viewed.

- Forward: Used to navigate to pages previously viewed.

- Reload: Used to refresh the current page.

- Open: Used to open a web page from a different location to the standard help.

- Stop: Used to halt loading a web page.

- Print: Used to print the currently viewed page.

- Close: Used to close the help window.

The right side of the Help Window displays the currently opened web page. The left side of the Help Window contains the help Topics list tab and the Search tab. Selecting one of the help topics will load that page on the right side. The topics list also contains a link to the GnuCash bug reporting webpage at http://bugzilla.gnome.org.

The Search tab is used to search the help for documents containing terms you specify. Enter the term to search for in the Search Term field then click the Search button to get a list of pages containing that term. Selecting a link in the Search Results pane will load the web page.

### Setting Up And Editing Accounts

This section describes the process of setting up GnuCash Accounts. In GnuCash an Account is used as the basic tool to organize the recording of where money comes from and goes to. GnuCash also extends the concept of real world accounts such as a bank account or loan account to grouping income and expense accounts. This allows to to quickly see where you spent your money and what your major income and expenses are. GnuCash sets Account Types (as described in the next section) to help in organizing and grouping accounts. Account Types can be used to create a Chart of Accounts.

#### Types of GnuCash Accounts

GnuCash supports a number of different account types. It is recommended to choose an appropriate account type based on the list of account types described below.

Table 29: Types of GnuCash Accounts.

#####

Account Type | Description
--- | ---
Accounts Payable | Accounts Payable are used by businesses to record amounts that must be paid. Example: The business has bought something, but the business has not paid the bill until later. [Note: Previous versions of this help defined A/P and A/R the other way round.]
Accounts Receivable | Accounts Receivable records amounts for which money has not yet been received. Example: A business has sold something and issued a bill, but the client has not payed until later. [Note: Previous versions of this help defined A/P and A/R the other way round.]
Asset | Asset accounts are used for tracking things that are of value and can be used or sold to pay debts. (Normally a placeholder account)
Bank | The Bank account type denotes savings or checking accounts held at a bank or other financial institution. Some of these accounts may bear interest. This is also the appropriate account type for check (debit) cards, which directly withdraw payments from a checking account.
Cash | The Cash account type is used to denote the cash that you store in your wallet, shoe box, piggyback, or mattress.
Credit Card | The Credit Card account type is used to denote credit card accounts, both for cards that allow floating lines of credit (e.g. VISA, MasterCard, or Discover) and with cards that do not permit continuing balances (e.g. American Express)
Currency | Currency Accounts are used for trading currencies.
Equity | Equity accounts are used to store the opening balances when you first start using GnuCash or start a new accounting period.
Expense | Any expense such as food, clothing, taxes, etc. This type is called a category in Quicken.
Income | Any income received from sources such as salary, interest, dividends, etc. This type is called a category in Quicken.
Liability | Liability accounts are used for tracking debts or financial obligations. (Normally a placeholder account)
Mutual Fund | A professionally managed portfolio of stocks and bonds or other investments divided up into shares.
Stock | A share of ownership in a corporation, which entitles its owner to all the risks and rewards that go with it.

The New Account Hierarchy Setup druid described in the first section of this help is a convenient way of setting up a set of accounts to use as a framework of account types.

When new accounts are created the available choices of account types are grayed out according to what type the parent account is. The following list contains the possible choices.

- Accounts Payable: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Accounts Receivable: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Asset: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Bank: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Cash: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Credit Card: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Currency: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Equity: Only Equity accounts can be child accounts.

- Expense: Only Expense or Income accounts can be child accounts.

- Income: Only Expense or Income accounts can be child accounts.

- Liability: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Mutual Fund: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

- Stock: All accounts except Equity, Expense and Income can be child accounts.

#### To Create a Chart of Accounts

The Chart of Accounts is like a table of contents for your finances. The best way to conceptualize a chart of accounts is as a tree. The main branches represent entire categories or groups, while the leaves of the tree denote individual bank accounts or expense categories. When a summary report is requested, typically only the main branches are shown in the report, rather than the individual accounts. For example, a chart of accounts might look like the following: &chartacctseg;

Note that accounts not only have names; they have codes, to order the accounts. When a report is generated, the sort order is determined by the numbering. It's customary to have the leaf accounts end in non-zero digits, while parent nodes have increasing numbers of zeros.

GnuCash does not prevent duplicate numbering, although we would encourage you to avoid this. Account codes are treated as numbers in base-36, thus, if you run out of numbers, you can use the letters, a through z.

A sample chart of accounts is shown below. Each account is of a given account type. This example is a combination of some typical business and personal accounts. &chartofaccts;

#### To Create a New Account

The New Account properties dialog consists of two tabs, the General Information tab and the Opening Balance tab. This dialog can be accessed by going to File -> New Account... or by clicking the New toolbar icon in the Account Tree Window.

Creating a New Account involves planning in advance several details that are used in the New Account dialog.

- What type of account is needed .

- Where it fits in the structure of the Chart of Accounts.

- If there is an Opening Balance.

- If there is a Commodity needed for the account.

- If online updating of the commodity price is needed.

These details are described below.

##### General Information

The General Information tab is used to access the basic information about the account. It provides a way of connecting the account to stock information if it is one of the currency, mutual fund or stock account types. It can also be flagged as a Tax Related or Placeholder account.

There are five panes in this tab. Below the panes are checkboxes to mark the account as Tax Related and a Placeholder account. The Tax Related checkbox means that this account has been flagged to be included in Tax Exports. This flag should only be set for Income and Expense type accounts. The Placeholder checkbox means this account is not used for transaction data. This checkbox is used to enable a hierarchy or chart of accounts to be setup.

The top pane contains the Account Information.

- Account Information: Enter a name for the account such as First Bank Checking.

- Description: This is an optional description for the account.

- Commodity: For most accounts this should be the default, USD (US Dollar) or your local currency symbol. If this account is for a foreign currency then use the Select... button to choose a different currency in the Select currency/security dialog. Use the Select... button to choose a security if this is a mutual fund or stock account.

- Select currency/security: To select a different currency click the Currency/security: drop down list and choose the currency symbol you need. To create a security for mutual fund and stock accounts select the New... button to bring up the New Currency/Security dialog. After the security is created select the Type:(usually the exchange the security is traded on) and the name in the Currency/security: drop down list.

- New Currency/Security: The options here are described in detail in the Commodity Editor section. Fill in a name, symbol and type.

- Account Code: Enter an optional number code as described in the To Create a Chart of Accounts section.

The next pane contains a list of Account Types. Select a type from the descriptions in the Types of GnuCash Accounts section.

The next pane contains an account tree to choose a Parent Account. To create a new account tree select New top level account. If the parent account is a certain type, then several of the choices in Account Type become out. For example if the Parent Account is Assets then Equity, Expense and Income become This is to help maintain a proper account structure for the Chart of Accounts.

The next pane is the Price Quote Source pane.

- Get Online Quotes: This checkbox is only enabled when currency, mutual fund or stock account types are selected. It is used to enable this account to have quotes downloaded from an online source.

- The source for price quotes: Select a quote source from the pull-down menu. Currently supported quote sources include Yahoo, Yahoo Europe, Fidelity Investments, T. Rowe Price, the Vanguard Group, the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and TIAA-CREF. Note that Yahoo will provide price quotes for many mutual funds including Fidelity, T.Rowe Price and Vanguard, and that the quoted prices at Yahoo should be identical to those that may be found at the source sites. If you choose Yahoo Europe, you should append the market code for the security, such as PA for Paris, BE for Berlin, etc. Example: 12150.PA (a Peugeot security in the Paris market). Tables 30 and 31 below lists codes for various markets.

- Timezone for these quotes: Select the timezone for the source of the online quotes you are receiving. For example, Yahoo normally quotes Eastern timezone, so choose America/New York if you use that quote source.

Note: The set of steps needed to properly enable online quote updating with the Price Editor are;

1. Create the mutual fund or stock with either the Commodity Editor or the New Currency/Security dialog described above.

2. Create the Account for the mutual fund or stock with it listed in the Commodity field.

3. Select Online Quotes, the source for price quotes and Timezone.

4. Run the perl script 'update-finance-quote' as the root user to install the Finance::Quote package.

5. Add a commodity to the Price Editor as described in the Price Editor section of Tool Windows.

6. Select Get Quotes in the Price Editor.

If you wish to update price quotes from the command line, you can do so by the following command;

gnucash --add-price-quotes <gnucash-file-name>

Table 30 Code List for European Markets

######

Code | Market
--- | ---
BC | Barcelona
BE | Berlin
BI | Bilbao
BR | Brême
CO | Copenhagen
D | Dusseldorf
F | Frankfurt
FX | Xetra
H | Hamburg
HA | Hanover
L | London
MA | Madrid
MC | Madrid (M.C.)
MI | Milan
MU | Munich
O | Oslo
PA | Paris
ST | Stockholm
SG | Stuttgart
VA | Valence

Table 31: Pseudo-symbols that can be used for TIAA-CREF quotes

######

Name | Pseudo-symbol
--- | ---
Bond Market | CREFbond
Equity Index | CREFequi
Global Equities | CREFglob
Growth | CREFgrow
Inflation-Linked Bond | CREFinfb
Money Market | CREFmony
Social Choice | CREFsoci
Stock | CREFstok
Teachers PA Select Stock | TIAAsele
Teachers PA Stock Index | TIAAsndx
TIAA Real Estate | TIAAreal

The last pane is the Notes pane. This is used for any additional notes about the account.

##### Opening Balance

The Opening Balance tab is visible only when creating a new account. It is used to record the beginning balance for an account. This allows it to be used for two different scenarios. If using GnuCash for the first time to record transactions, it can be used as a beginning balance. If the accounts in use are closed at the end of a period and new accounts are created, it is used to close and carry balances forward.

There are three panes in this tab. The top pane contains the Balance Information.

- Balance: Enter here the balance to start the account with.

- Date: Choose here the date the opening balance should be recorded.

The next pane is the Transfer Type pane.

- Use Opening Balances Equity account: This transfers the opening balance for the account from a standard Equity account called Opening Balances.

- Select Transfer Account: This enables the pane below so a different account can be used to transfer the opening balance.

The last pane is the Transfer Account pane. Select the account to use for opening balances from the list of accounts in this pane.

#### To Edit an Account

The Edit Account dialog consists of just the General Information tab. This tab has the same information that was described in To Create a New Account. To access the Edit Account dialog go to Edit -> Edit Account (menu shortcut Ctrl-E) or click the Edit toolbar icon in the Account Tree Window.

#### To Edit a Chart of Accounts

Editing the Chart of Accounts is done within the Parent Account pane of the Edit Account dialog. It is possible to move an account to any part of the Chart of Account. It is recommended to keep accounts generally under the related types of accounts as described in the Types of GnuCash Accounts section. This helps to preserve the Chart of Accounts structure.

To move the selected account to a different parent account just select the account in the Parent Account pane. If New top level account is selected then the account will be move to the top level.

#### To Delete an Account

Deleting an Account means removing all transaction information and information about this account from the file. This cannot be undone. You will be prompted to that you wish to remove the account. If the account still contains transaction information you will be warned that this account contains transactions.

A side effect of removing an account that contains transactions is that you will end up with unbalanced accounts. This will be indicated in the account by a grey checkbox next to the debit and credit amounts. You can repair automatically these unbalanced accounts by using the Actions -> Check & Repair menu. This will automatically assign the unbalanced amounts to a new account named Imbalance.

#### To Jump to another Account

When using the Account Register Window it is frequently useful to be able to view an account and also the transfer account at the same time. GnuCash allows you to do this quickly by using 'Jump'. This is available on the toolbar and in the Actions menu in the Account Register Window.

Select the transaction in the Account Register Window and click jump to open the transfer Account Register Window. If the transaction is split between more than one transfer account then you will need to show all the split transfer accounts first and select the transfer account to jump to.

#### To Reconcile an Account to a Statement

Reconciliation of Accounts in GnuCash with statements from a bank or other institution is a way of double checking the balance of your accounts. It also is useful to track uncleared checks and other outstanding transactions.

The Summary Bar at the top of the Account Register Window indicates the amounts of Cleared and Reconciled transactions. Online account information can be used to mark which transaction the bank has processed by changing the R (reconciliation) column in the register from n (new) to c (cleared). The bank statement is then used with the Reconcile Window to reconcile the account which changes the R field to y (reconciled).

The Reconcile Window is accessed in the Account Tree Window by going to Actions -> Reconcile... (menu shortcut Ctrl-R). In the Account Register Window it is accessed by going to Actions -> Reconcile...

##### Reconcile Information

The Reconcile Information dialog is used to indicate the date the statement ends on and what the starting and ending balance of the statement is. The Include Subaccounts checkbox is used if two or more accounts are used to track a single bank account. The Enter Interest Payment button is used to add a transfer to the accounts for an interest payment. If selected a dialog will be displayed to add the payment to the account.

There are three panes in the Interest Payment dialog. At the bottom is a button called No Auto Interest Payments for this Account which will cancel the dialog. The top pane contains the Payment Information.

- Amount: Enter the amount of the interest payment.

- Date: Select the date for the interest payment.

- Num: Enter a number for the transaction (optional).

- Description: Enter an informational description for the transaction.

- Memo: Enter a note about the transaction (optional).

The next pane contains a list of accounts for the Payment From account. If the payment is for a credit or loan account then usually this would be from an Expense account. If the payment is for a checking or savings account then usually this would be from an Income account. The Show Income/Expense checkbox shows or hides the Income and Expense accounts.

The next pane contains the Reconcile Account. This shows the account that the interest payment will be transferred to or from.

##### Reconcile Window

The parts of the Reconcile Window are described in the Tool Windows section of GnuCash Windows. This window is used to open the account and to add transaction information to the account in order to reconcile the account to the bank statement.

The set of unreconciled transactions in the Funds In and Funds Out panes can be changed by using the menus and toolbar to access the account and transaction information. If you wish to postpone the reconciliation until later use the Reconcile -> Postpone menu item (menu shortcut Ctrl-P).

Select each unreconciled transaction matching a statement transaction so a green tick appears in the R column. The Balance pane changes to reflect each selected transaction until the Ending Balance equals the Reconciled Balance and the Difference is zero. Once this is done select the Finish button or Finish on the Reconcile menu (menu shortcut Ctrl-F) to finish the reconcile process.

#### To Perform a Stock Split

Stock splits commonly occur when a company decides its stock price is to expensive for individual investors to buy the stock. Splits have the effect of lowering the price of a single share while keeping the value of shares owned by investors who have already purchased shares.

##### Stock Split Druid

GnuCash uses the Stock Split druid to record stock splits. This provides a way of entering the details of the stock split and also any change in stock price or cash disbursement as a result of the stock split.

The Stock Split druid is accessed by going to Actions -> Stock Split...

The Stock Split druid opens with a screen that briefly describes what this druid does. The three buttons at the very bottom of the screen will not change while using the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel entering the stock split information. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Forward button will bring up the next screen so you can continue though the druid.

The next screen allows you to select a Stock Account. Select an account from the list to record a stock split or merger.

- Account: Lists the GnuCash account name for the stock.

- Symbol: The stock symbol for the stock associated with this account.

- Shares: The amount of shares that have been purchased in the account.

The next screen lets you set the Stock Split Details. The top part of the screen contains details used in creating the stock split transaction.

- Date: Choose the date of the stock split.

- Share Distribution: Enter the amount of shares gained from the stock split. For a stock merger enter a negative number.

- Description: Enter a description or leave as the default.

The bottom part of the screen contains details used to record a price for the split (optional).

- New Price: Enter the price of the shares on the day of the stock split.

- Currency: Choose the currency of the shares.

The next screen lets you enter a transaction for a cash disbursement (Cash In Lieu) as a result of the stock split (optional).

- Cash Amount: Enter the amount of the Cash disbursement.

- Memo: Enter a memo or leave as the default.

- Income Account: Choose an Income Account for the disbursement.

- Asset Account: Choose an Asset Account for the disbursement.

The last screen gives you a list of three choices to finish the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel creating the Stock Split transactions.. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Finish button creates the transactions for the Stock Split.

You should now have successfully entered the Stock Split or Merger.

### Using The Register To Record Transactions

GnuCash uses accounts as a way of grouping or organizing the recording of transactions. Transactions are entered into the Account Register Window. This section describes the tools GnuCash has to help enter transactions quickly into the register.

A represents the movement of money from one account to another account. Whenever you spend or receive money, or transfer money between accounts, that is a transaction. In GnuCash transactions always involve at least two accounts.

#### Changing the Register View

GnuCash has several options to change the way the register looks so transactions can be seen more clearly. The default style is the Basic Ledger. This presents a single line view of transactions to allow the most concise view with all the relevant details.

The default view or style can be changed by going to View -> Style. When the window closes the style will revert to the Basic Ledger style. To make this change permanent change the style in the Preferences in the Register section.

- Basic Ledger: The default one line per transaction style. Splits are shown as a summary.

- Auto-Split Ledger: This style will automatically expand the splits in any transaction selected.

- Transaction Journal: This style expands all transactions so the complete transaction can be seen.

- Double Line: This checkbox changes any of the above styles so that an additional line for notes about the transaction is added.

The two other options to change the view of the register is to restrict the Date Range and change the Sort Order. These are both accessible from the View menu.

#### To Enter a Transaction

When the Account Register Window for an account is opened the list of transactions for that account is shown. This window has the name of the account on its title bar. The menus contain several functions that alter the display of transactions. The toolbar also contains several functions that are used often when entering transactions. These are described in the Account Register Window section of this help.

GnuCash has two methods available for entering transactions. Entering directly into the register window is the most common way of entering transactions. The Transfer Funds Window is the second method.

##### Enter Directly in the Register Window

The register window will look slightly different depending on the style options you have chosen. The following describes entering transactions in the basic ledger style. The cursor is placed in the date field by default when the register window is opened.

1. Selecting the triangle icon on the right of the date field drops down a date selection dialog. Use the arrows to select the correct month and year for the transaction then select the date. Selecting the triangle icon once more will close the date selection dialog. It is also possible to type in the date or part of the date and let GnuCash fill the rest.

2. Press tab to move or select the Num field. Here you can enter a check or transaction number. Pressing '+' (plus) will automatically advance the number by one from the last transaction to have a number.

3. Press tab to move or select the Description field. This field is used to enter either a payee or other description for the transaction. It will automatically attempt to fill the payee name as you type.

4. At this stage two things will happen if tab is pressed. If GnuCash matches an existing transaction the cursor will jump to one of the amount fields, automatically filling in the transfer account. If there is no existing transaction GnuCash will move the cursor to the Transfer field. Selecting the Transfer field with the mouse instead of tabbing will not automatically fill the Transfer field.

5. When typing in the Transfer field GnuCash will also attempt to automatically match the account. It does this alphabetically, so typing 'Ex' will match the Expenses section of the account list. When the section is matched, it is possible to move to a child account by pressing ':' (colon). If after typing 'Ex' you press ':' then the cursor will move to the first child account in the list. Typing combinations of letters and ':' will allow movement down the tree of accounts quickly. The triangle icon on the right of the Transfer box can be used as an alternate way of selecting accounts.

6. The next field is used for reconciliation. This is described in the To Reconcile an Account to a Statement section above.

7. Press tab to move to the first of the amount fields. The name of the next two columns is different according to what type of account is opened. For example, Bank accounts show Deposit and Withdrawal here, Credit Card accounts show Payment and Charge, and Stock accounts show Shares, Price, Buy and Sell.

8. Enter an amount for the transaction in the correct field. Pressing the Enter key, selecting the Enter icon or going to Actions -> Enter will finish the transaction. Selecting the Cancel icon or going to Actions -> Cancel will erase the transaction.

9. Transactions with just one transfer account will show the name of that account in the Transfer field in completed transactions.

10. To move to the blank transaction at the bottom of the register, press the Blank toolbar icon or go to Actions -> Blank

##### Enter in the Transfer Funds Window

The method described here uses the Transfer Funds Window to enter a single transaction. This is mainly used as a quick way to enter a single transaction without opening the account registers. To enter multiple transactions it is recommended to use the register directly.

1. Enter in the Transfer Information pane the Amount, Date and Description. The Num and Memo fields are optional.

2. Choose the Transfer From account. If this account is an income or expense account select the checkbox at the bottom of the Transfer From pane.

3. Choose the Transfer To account. If this account is an income or expense account select the checkbox at the bottom of the Transfer From pane.

4. If one of the accounts above is a different currency from the other account the Currency Transfer pane will be enabled to add either an Exchange Rate or a To Amount.

5. Select OK to commit the transaction or Cancel to dismiss the dialog without entering the transaction.

#### To Enter Multiple Split Transactions

The register window will look slightly different depending on the style options you have chosen. The following describes entering transactions with multiple splits in the basic ledger style. GnuCash describes the accounts that money is transferred to or from in the currently opened transaction a Split. The cursor is placed in the date field by default when the register window is opened.

1. Selecting the triangle icon on the right of the date field drops down a date selection dialog. Use the arrows to select the correct month and year for the transaction then select the date. Selecting the triangle icon once more will close the date selection dialog. It is also possible to type in the date or part of the date and let GnuCash fill the rest.

2. Press tab to move or select the Num field. Here you can enter a check or transaction number. Pressing '+' (plus) will automatically advance the number by one from the last transaction to have a number.

3. Press tab to move or select the Description field. This field is used to enter either a payee or other description for the transaction. It will automatically attempt to fill the payee name as you type.

4. At this stage two things will happen if tab is pressed. If GnuCash matches an existing transaction the cursor will jump to one of the amount fields, automatically filling in the transfer account. If there is no existing transaction GnuCash will move the cursor to the Transfer field. Selecting the Transfer field with the mouse instead of tabbing will not automatically fill the Transfer field.

5. When typing in the Transfer field GnuCash will also attempt to automatically match the account. It does this alphabetically, so typing 'Ex' will match the Expenses section of the account list. When the section is matched, it is possible to move to a child account by pressing ':' (colon). If after typing 'Ex' you press ':' then the cursor will move to the first child account in the list. Typing combinations of letters and ':' will allow movement down the tree of accounts quickly. The triangle icon on the right of the Transfer box can be used as an alternate way of selecting accounts.

6. The next field is used for reconciliation. This is described in the To Reconcile an Account to a Statement section above.

7. Press tab to move to the first of the amount fields. The name of the next two columns is different according to what type of account is opened. For example, Bank accounts show Deposit and Withdrawal here, Credit Card accounts show Payment and Charge, and Stock accounts show Shares, Price, Buy and Sell.

8. Enter the total amount for the transaction in the correct field.

9. To enter the additional splits, press the Split button on the toolbar or select Actions -> Split Transaction. Transactions with more than one split show '--Split Transaction--' and the Split button will need to be used to show the details.

10. The display will expand, the titles of the amount columns will be renamed and the Transfer column name will be blank. The first line contains the description and the amount of the transaction. The second line contains the currently opened account name in the Account field and the amount of the transaction. The third line contains the transfer account name in the Account field. If the amount is not balanced GnuCash will indicate this by placing grey checkboxes in the amount columns with the unbalanced amount in a blank fourth row.

11. When one of the short lines is selected, the column titles will change. The very first and last (Date and Balance) columns will have blank titles. Num will change to Action, Description to Memo, the now blank Transfer column will change to Account. The last two amount columns will show the name described in step seven.

12. The Action and Memo columns are optional to fill out at this stage. Action is used to describe what kind of account transfer is involved. Memo is an additional description of the transfer.

13. Move to the missing amount field on the third line and fill in the amount. Pressing the Enter key, selecting the Enter icon or going to Actions -> Enter will now move the cursor to the next line.

14. The Account column contains the list of transfer accounts. This column is the one that is used to add splits. The method described in step five can be used to select another account on a blank line. Add as many additional splits as needed.

15. When the transaction is balanced the grey checkboxes will disappear and the last blank line will not have an amount.

16. Pressing enter as described above past the blank line will jump to the next transaction. Selecting the next transaction will close the split or it can be manually closed by pressing the Split icon or selecting Actions -> Split Transaction.

#### To Enter Multiple Currency Transactions

Currently transfers between different currencies are only supported by using the Transfer Funds Window described above. It is necessary to use this dialog to add an exchange rate.

To setup an account as a different currency edit the account properties and change the Commodity field to the foreign currency. This account will now enable the Currency Transfer pane in the Transfer Funds Window.

#### To Edit a Transaction

Editing a transaction involves just selecting the part of the transaction that needs to be changed. Once the changes are made pressing the Enter key, selecting the Enter icon or going to Actions -> Enter will now move the cursor to the next line or transaction.

To see a more detailed view of a transaction for editing, press the Split button on the toolbar or select Actions -> Split Transaction.

#### To Delete a Transaction

If a transaction needs to be removed from the register, select the transaction and press either the Delete icon on the toolbar or go to Actions -> Delete. Parts of a transaction can also be removed by pressing the Split button on the toolbar or selecting Actions -> Split Transaction. The part of the transaction that needs to be deleted can be then selected for deletion.

#### To Remove Transaction Splits

Removing Transaction Splits involves erasing all splits except the one for the account that is opened. This is a useful way of reusing a previous transaction that has multiple splits that need to be changed. (Note this can be done without opening the split, but doing so makes the effect more visible)

1. Press the Split button on the toolbar or select Actions -> Split Transaction to open the transaction.

2. Select Actions -> Remove Transaction Splits.

3. All Accounts and their related details will be removed except for the currently opened account.

4. The amount is not balanced and GnuCash will indicate this by placing grey checkboxes in the amount columns with the unbalanced amount in the blank last row.

5. Edit the transaction to fill in the new details.

#### To Copy a Transaction

Copying Transactions is available from both the Edit menu and the Actions menu. The Edit menu has Cut Transaction, Copy Transaction and Paste Transaction which allows a whole transaction to be cut or copied and pasted to a new transaction line. This way of copying a transaction will use the date showing in the new transaction blank line.

The Actions menu also contains Duplicate Transaction... which unlike the previous method allows for choosing a different date.

- Select the transaction to duplicate.

- Go to Actions -> Duplicate Transaction...

- A dialog called Duplicate Transaction will prompt for a new Date and Num for the transaction.

- Press OK to add the transaction to the register.

#### To Schedule Transactions

Scheduled Transactions provide the ability to have transactions automatically entered into the register at a specified time. The Scheduled Transaction Editor is used to create and edit transactions that are to be added to the register in an automated way. This is combined with the Since Last Run druid to review and enter the transactions. The Mortgage & Loan Repayment druid is used to setup a scheduled transaction to repay a compounding interest loan.

The easiest way to setup a scheduled transaction is to use an existing transaction in an account register as a template. Select the account you wish to use as a template and then either select the Schedule icon on the toolbar of go to Actions -> Schedule... This will bring up the Make Scheduled Transaction dialog.

- Name: Enter here a name to use for the scheduled transaction. This will be used in the Description file of the transaction.

- Frequency: Choose the time period you want between scheduled entries. The dates that the transactions will be entered will show in the mini calendar pane to the right.

- Start Date: Choose a date for the scheduled transaction to start.

- Never End: This scheduled transaction has no finish date.

- End Date: Choose a date for the scheduled transaction to end.

- Number of Occurrences: Enter the number of times you wish the scheduled transaction to be added to the register.

The Advanced... button brings up the Scheduled Transaction Editor's dialog to Edit the Scheduled Transaction. This is described in the next section.

##### Scheduled Transaction Editor

The Scheduled Transaction Editor is used to access the list of scheduled transactions and edit or remove them. It also provides a calendar which lists upcoming scheduled transactions. Clicking on the calendar view and hovering over any date will pop up a small dialog that shows the transactions scheduled for that day. The yellow highlight in the calendar indicates which days have scheduled transactions. To dismiss the hover dialog click once more.

The Scheduled Transaction Editor is accessed by going to Actions -> Scheduled Transactions -> Scheduled Transaction Editor. Selecting a transaction from the list and pressing Edit or pressing New will bring up the Edit Scheduled Transaction dialog.

The Edit Scheduled Transaction dialog is described in the Tool Windows section of this help. This section will describe how to add a new transaction manually.

1. Enter a name for the scheduled transaction.

2. Choose a Frequency in the Recurrence Frequency pane.

3. Select the details in the bottom part of the Recurrence Frequency pane. The changes are highlighted in the calendar view below.

4. Select from the Options pane if the transaction is to be created automatically and/or the number of days in advance. Options for reminding in advance and when automatically created can also be selected. Creating automatically cannot use variables in splits.

5. Select the End options. This can either be No End, a specific End Date or a certain Number of

6. Enter the transaction in the Template Transaction. This should be similar to entering a transaction in the register.

##### Since Last Run Druid

The Since Last Run druid is run automatically when GnuCash is started. It is used to enter into the register any transactions that are due to be automatically entered. The run on GnuCash start can be altered in the preferences. To run the Since Last Run druid manually go to Actions -> Scheduled Transactions -> Since Last Run...

The Since Last Run druid will automatically skip any screens that have no transactions. The following describes every possible screen the druid will show. The three buttons at the very bottom of the screen will not change while using the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel entering the transactions. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Forward button will bring up the next screen so you can continue though the druid.

The first screen shows Transaction Reminders page. This lists scheduled transactions that have been set to give a reminder a number of days in advance. The screen contains three columns. The first column contains the name of the scheduled transaction and the date it is due. The second column contains the Frequency of the scheduled transaction. The third column has the number of Days Away the transaction is due to be entered. To create any transactions in the list instead of just being reminded, select the date line. This will add it to the list of transactions on the To-Create Transaction Preparation page.

The next screen shows the Auto-Created Transactions Notification page. This lists scheduled transactions that have been set to be automatically created and notify when they are created. Each transaction is presented in a register view that shows the details of the splits in the transaction.

The next screen shows the To-Create Transaction Preparation page. This lists scheduled transactions that are due to be entered in the register. This screen is divided into three panes. The top left pane contains the list of transactions due to be automatically entered. The top right pane allows you to change the Disposition and has a read only view of the Variables used to create the transaction. The bottom pane contains a read only view of the transactions due to be entered.

The next screen shows the Created Transaction Review page. This screen displays the list of transactions about to be created and allows for final changes to be made. The list is presented in a register view that shows the details of the splits in the transaction. This is editable in the same way transactions are able to be edited in the register.

The last screen shows the Obsolete Scheduled Transactions page. This screen displays a list of scheduled transactions that are able to be deleted as the schedule is completed. Select the ones to be removed.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel creating the scheduled transactions. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Finish button creates the accounts you have selected.

The Since Last Run druid has now added the scheduled transactions to the register.

##### Mortgage & Loan Repayment Druid

This druid creates a loan repayment scheduled transaction. When used to setup a scheduled transaction, the druid creates a variable formula so that the compounding interest is correctly calculated. To start this druid manually go to Actions -> Scheduled Transactions -> Mortgage and Loan Repayment...

The Mortgage and Loan Repayment druid opens with a screen that briefly describes what this druid does. The three buttons at the very bottom of the screen will not change while using the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel creating the scheduled transaction. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Forward button will bring up the next screen so you can continue though the druid.

The next screen allows you to enter the basic loan information. This is usually the information provided by the bank when loan and disclosure documents are given to the borrower. Here you can also setup an account that the scheduled transaction will use to enter the payment transaction.

- Loan Account: Choose an account for the loan payment transactions or use New... to setup a new account for the transactions.

- Loan Amount: Enter the amount of the loan.

- Interest Rate: Enter the loan interest rate.

- Type: Choose the type of loan. If an adjustable rate is used the frequency screen is enabled.

- Interest Rate Change Frequency: Choose the frequency for the rate change and the start date of the rate change.

- Start Date: Choose the date the loan is starting on.

- Length: Enter the length of the loan.

- Months Remaining: This should be automatically calculated. Choose how many months are remaining on the loan.

The next screen is used to set escrow, insurance and tax options for the loan. It is mainly used for mortgage payments. When each of the options here is set, this enables additional pages in the druid to setup those portions of the payments. All of the pages will be described here, even though some may not show if that option is not chosen.

- ... utilize an escrow account for payments?: This selection enables the use of an account setup for tracking escrow payments. If the mortgage or loan uses an escrow account to pay taxes, insurance, etc then setup an account here.

- ... pay "Taxes"?: adds an additional page to setup a scheduled transaction to pay taxes.

- ... pay "Insurance"?: adds an additional page to setup a scheduled transaction to pay insurance payments.

- ... pay "PMI"?: adds an additional page to setup a scheduled transaction to pay PMI payments.

- ... pay "Other Expense"?: adds an additional page to setup a scheduled transaction to pay other expenses.

The next screen is used to setup the details of the scheduled transaction for the Loan Repayment.

- Transaction Memo: The name entered here will be used as the name for the scheduled transaction, the description of the scheduled transaction and the memo.

- Payment Amount: Shows the variable used to calculate the payment amount.

- Payment From: Choose an account to pay the loan amount from.

- Principal To: Choose an account to transfer the principal part of the loan to.

- Interest To: Choose an account to transfer the interest part of the loan to.

- Remainder to: Choose an account to transfer the rest of the payment amount to.

- Repayment Frequency: Select the Frequency and start date for loan repayments.

The next screen is used to setup the details of the scheduled transaction for the Tax payment.

- Transaction Memo: The name entered here will be used as the name for the scheduled transaction, the description of the scheduled transaction and the memo.

- Amount: Enter the payment amount.

- Payment From: Choose an account to pay the tax amount from.

- Payment To: Choose an account to transfer the tax payment to.

- Repayment Frequency: Select the Frequency and start date for tax payments.

The next screen is used to setup the details of the scheduled transaction for the Insurance payment.

- Transaction Memo: The name entered here will be used as the name for the scheduled transaction, the description of the scheduled transaction and the memo.

- Amount: Enter the payment amount.

- Payment From: Choose an account to pay the insurance amount from.

- Payment To: Choose an account to transfer the insurance payment to.

- Repayment Frequency: Select the Frequency and start date for insurance payments.

The next screen is used to setup the details of the scheduled transaction for the PMI payment.

- Transaction Memo: The name entered here will be used as the name for the scheduled transaction, the description of the scheduled transaction and the memo.

- Amount: Enter the payment amount.

- Payment From: Choose an account to pay the PMI amount from.

- Payment To: Choose an account to transfer the PMI payment to.

- Repayment Frequency: Select the Frequency and start date for PMI payments.

The next screen is used to setup the details of the scheduled transaction for the Other Expense payment.

- Transaction Memo: The name entered here will be used as the name for the scheduled transaction, the description of the scheduled transaction and the memo.

- Amount: Enter the payment amount.

- Payment From: Choose an account to pay the other expense amount from.

- Payment To: Choose an account to transfer the other expense payment to.

- Repayment Frequency: Select the Frequency and start date for other expense payments.

The last screen gives you a list of three choices to finish the druid.

- The Cancel button is used to exit the druid and cancel creating a new loan scheduled transaction. Any selections you have made in this druid up to this point will be lost.

- The Back button will bring up the previous screen so you can change a selection made on that screen.

- The Finish button creates the scheduled transaction.

You should now have the Mortgage or Loan Repayment scheduled transaction setup.

#### To Print Checks

Checks are printed in GnuCash from the account register. GnuCash provides the ability to print to standard Quicken Checks (US Letter) or to make a custom check format. Check position and Date formats are also customizable.

To access the check printing feature in GnuCash, select the transaction to print a check for and go to File -> Print Check. This will open the Print Check properties dialog.

The Print Check dialog has two tabs. The first tab, Options, is used to setup the most common options to print a check. The second tab, Custom format, is used to setup the position of various fields on the check. It is useful to print a test check to a plain piece of paper first and use that to make any adjustments needed.

The default selection in Options is for Quicken/Quickbooks (tm) US-Letter checks.

- Check format: Test with Quicken first then use custom if the position is incorrect.

- Check position: This sets if the Top, Middle or Bottom check is printed. Custom is used if the position of the checks on the page is incorrect.

- Date format: The default here is set in the Preferences International section. Choose a date format. This can also be adjusted by the Use of the Months: and Years: lines. Custom allows the date format to be set in the Format: box (%m means month, %d means day, %Y means year) A Sample of the format chosen is displayed below.

The Custom check format contains two columns to enter in the X and Y co-ordinates of the field position on the check. Positions in the Custom Check Format entry area are specified with x = 0 at the left edge of the check with x increasing to the right, and y = 0 at the bottom edge of the check with y increasing as you travel up.

- Payee:

- Date:

- Amount (words):

- Amount (numbers):

- Memo:

- Check position:

- Date format:

- Units: Set the unit to use for the above positions.

Once OK is pressed on the Print Check dialog the Print GnuCash Document dialog is presented. Press OK to print the check.

### Using Reports And Charts

Reports and Charts give GnuCash the ability to present an overview of financial data in various ways. This can range from a simple summary of account totals to an advanced portfolio view. This section will present an explanation of the main GnuCash reports and how to adjust them.

#### Types of Reports and Graphs

GnuCash has classified the main types of reports into four major classes. These are all available under the Reports menu. Note that barcharts can be moved by clicking on them and dragging the mouse, and piecharts can be "exploded" into individual segments.

##### General Reports

The General Reports includes the Tax Report and TXF Export, the Account Summary and the Transaction Reports and also the reports in the Sample & Custom menu.

- Account Summary:

- Tax Report and TXF Export: The tax report is used to export all tax related Income and Expenses to a TXF (Tax eXchange Format) file. This is in addition to the html format that all reports allow. The TXF file can be imported into tax filing programs such as TaxCut or TurboTax. (See Note 1)

- Transaction Report:

- Welcome Sample Report:

- Custom Multicolumn Report: This report is used to place multiple reports into a single report window to examine a set of financial information at a glance.

- Custom Web Report:

- Sample Report with Examples:

Note 1: For this to work, the user has to segregate taxable and non taxable income to different accounts, as well as deductible and non deductible expenses. The Tax Information dialog is used for this. To access the Tax Information dialog go to Edit -> Tax Options. The user also must set the TXF category of each tax related account. The Tax Information dialog is described in the Setting Tax Options section.

##### Assets & Liabilities

The Assets & Liabilities reports includes the Balance Sheet report, Investment reports and the Net Worth report.

- Advanced Portfolio:

- Asset Barchart:

- Asset Piechart:

- Average Balance:

- Balance Sheet: This report summarizes assets, liabilities, and equity. When properly maintained, assets should equal the sum of liabilities and equity. If that is not the case, there is some kind of internal imbalance in the accounts.

- Investment Portfolio: This report summarizes the value of the stocks in the current portfolio.

- Liability Barchart:

- Liability Piechart:

- Net Worth Barchart: Net worth is the difference between the value of assets or liabilities.

- Price Scatterplot:

##### Income & Expense

The Income & Expense reports includes the Cash Flow and Profit & Loss reports.

- Cash Flow:

- Expense Barchart:

- Expense Piechart:

- Income & Expense Chart:

- Income Barchart:

- Income Piechart:

- Profit & Loss: This report summarizes sources of income and expenditure.

##### Business Reports

The Business Reports includes Customer and Vendor Reports and Printable Invoices as well as Aging reports.

- Customer Report:

- Payable Aging:

- Printable Invoice:

- Receivable Aging:

- Vendor Report:

#### To Create Reports and Graphs

It is possible to write reports if the current ones are not suitable. To do this you will need to know Scheme (a LISP-like programming language), and it is an excellent idea to have a copy of the GnuCash source code available.

The reporting interface is documented in the source code file src/report/report-system/doc/report-html.txt. The file src/scm/report/hello-world.scm in the GnuCash source distribution provides a good example of how reports are developed.

It is also necessary to access data from the engine to get information for your report. This is performed by a set of Scheme wrapper functions that are documented in the file src/g-wrap/gnc.html. Examine some of the other reports in src/scm/report for an indication of how they are used.

At present, reports are produced by calling a HTML-generation API, which outputs a dialect of HTML and rendering this with a HTML widget. This has limitations, particularly when trying to align objects precisely, as might be necessary for printing onto pre-printed invoices for example.

#### To Customize Reports and Graphs

GnuCash reports have many options for customization. To access report options choose the Options button on the toolbar.

Many reports share similar sorts of options. Some common ones include:

- Report Name: Set the title of the report. This is also used to print the report for later viewing.

- Date Options: Reports typically specify either a single date, or a date range, for the report. Dates can be specified in two ways, either directly (using the date selector), or by selecting a relative date from the menu. Relative dates allow you to specify dates like "Beginning of this year" or "Today".

- Step Size: This option is used on bar charts to determine the interval which each bar represents. Typical values are daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.

- Accounts: Select the appropriate accounts for the report. Note that in some reports only certain types of accounts can be selected. For example, an expense piechart only allows expense accounts to be selected.

- Show Long Account Names: This option allows displaying either short account names (for example, Power) or long account names (for example, Utilities:Power).

- Include Subaccounts?: Summary reports typically have an include all subaccounts option, which if selected ensures that all subaccounts are included if the parent account is.

- Depth: This option allows the selection of how many levels the report displays subaccounts. If the subaccounts go deeper than selected, an overall value for all the subaccounts is calculated and included in a total. To make sure every account selected is individually displayed, select All.

- Style Sheet: Select a Style Sheet. Style sheets control how reports are displayed. At the moment, there are two style sheets, "default" and "technicolor". You can customize each of these from the Edit -> Style Sheets... menu item. This is described in the Changing Style Sheets section.

- Plot Dimensions: There are width and height options for most graphs, which specify the displayed dimensions (in pixels).

- Report Currency: Select the report currency. Generally, values will be converted to this currency for display.

- Price Source: Select how stock and currency prices are calculated in this report. Choose between a weighted average of prices over all transactions, prices at current values, or prices at the time of the report date.

- Totals: Charts display totals in the chart legend if this option is selected.

- Maximum Slices: Controls the maximum number of slices displayed in a piechart - other accounts will be placed in a slice marked Other.

- Maximum Bars: Controls the maximum number of bars displayed in a barchart.

- Display Columns: Choose columns to show from the register.

#### To Print or Export Reports and Graphs

GnuCash is able to print reports and to export the reports to web pages. The Print GnuCash Document dialog is accessed from the Print button on the toolbar or go to File -> Print in the menu. To Export a report to a web page (HTML) select the Export button on the toolbar and type in a file name.

The Print GnuCash Document dialog is used to select which Printer to send the print job to or to print to a File. It also contains a Preview button to view the document before printing. Press Print to send the job to the selected printer or Cancel to dismiss the Print dialog.

Printing from an open register prints the Account Report, which is also called the Register Report. This lists transactions in the account with a total. Other reports print as viewed in the Report screen.

## Customizing GnuCash

### Account Options

The Account Options is used to set the view of the Account Tree Window. This dialog sets the view on each open window of the account tree. This means that when the New Account Tree is used several different views of the account tree can be created.

- Name of the account view: Used to name the account in the Windows menu and the note tabs.

- Double click expands parent accounts: Use double click instead of single click to expand accounts

- Account types to display: Select which types of accounts to display in the account tree.

- Account fields to display: Select what fields to display in the account tree.

### Setting Your Preferences

The GnuCash Preferences dialog contains the following sections.

#### Accounts:

This section contains the following preferences;

- Account : This option is used to pick a different separator in the register for parent and child accounts.

- Reversed-balance account types: This option is used to choose what type of account have their balances reversed. If the balance is normally negative, as in a loan or a credit card then this will make the balance positive.

- Use accounting labels: This option is used to turn on accounting labels (debit and credit) instead of using terms such as withdrawal and deposit.

#### Business:

This section contains the following preferences;

- Number of Rows: This option is used to set the default number of register rows to display in invoices.

- Invoice Tax Included?: This option is used to set if tax is included by default in entries on invoices.

- Bill Tax Included?: This option is used to set if tax is included by default in entries on bills.

#### General:

This section contains the following preferences;

- Show Advanced Settings:

- Toolbar Buttons:

- Display "Tip of the Day":

- Display negative amounts in red:

- Automatic Decimal Point:

- Auto Decimal Places:

- No account list setup on new file:

- Days to retain log files:

#### International:

This section contains the following preferences;

- Date Format:

- Default Currency:

- Use 24-hour time format:

- Enable EURO support:

#### Online Banking & Importing:

This section contains the following preferences;

- QIF Verbose documentation:

- Enable REPLACE match action:

- Enable SKIP transaction action:

- Auto-CLEAR threshold:

- Match display threshold:

- Auto-ADD threshold:

#### Reconcile:

This section contains the following preferences;

- Automatic interest transfer:

- Automatic credit card payments:

- Check off cleared transactions:

#### Register:

This section contains the following preferences;

- Default Register Style:

- Double Line Mode:

- 'Enter' moves to blank transaction:

- Confirm before changing reconciled:

- Register font:

- Register hint font:

#### Register Colors:

This section contains the following preferences;

- Header color:

- Primary color:

- Secondary color:

- Primary active color:

- Secondary active color:

- Split color:

- Split active color:

- Double mode colors alternate with transactions:

#### Scheduled Transactions:

This section contains the following preferences;

- Run on GnuCash start:

- Auto-Create new Scheduled Transactions by default:

- Notify on new, auto-created Scheduled Transactions:

- Default number of days in advance to create:

- Default number of days in advance to remind:

- Template Register Lines:

#### User Info:

This section contains the following preferences;

- User Name:

- User Address:

#### Advanced:

This section contains the following preferences (this screen is hidden by default);

- Save Window Geometry:

- Application MDI mode:

- Show Vertical Borders:

- Show Horizontal Borders:

- Auto-Raise Lists:

- Show All Transactions:

- Number of Rows:

### Changing Style Sheets

GnuCash has two default stylesheets for webpage reports. These stylesheets can be altered by using the HTML Style Sheets editor. To access the editor go to Edit -> Style Sheets...

To add a new Style Sheet select the New... button in the Style Sheet pane. The New Style Sheet dialog will appear. Fill in the Name: of the new Style Sheet and choose a template. To remove a Style Sheet select the Style Sheet from the list and click Delete.

#### Default

The Default Style Sheet has two tabs to alter the appearance of reports, General and Tables.

##### General

- Background Color: Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

- Background Pixmap: Use the Browse button to select a picture to use as the background in reports.

- Enable Links: Select this to enable blue hyperlinks in reports.

##### Tables

- Table cell spacing: Sets the space between table cells

- Table cell padding: Sets the padding between table cells

- Table border width: Sets the width of the borders on tables.

#### Technicolor

The Technicolor Style Sheet has four tabs to alter the appearance of reports, Colors, General, Images and Tables.

##### Colors

- Background Color: Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

- Text Color: Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

- Table Cell Color: Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

- Link Color: Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

- Alternate Table Cell Color: Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

- Subheading/Subtotal Cell Color: Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

- Sub-subheading/total Cell Color:Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

- Grand Total Cell Color:Opens the color picker to choose a new color.

##### General

- Preparer: Name of the person preparing the report.

- Prepared for: Name of Organization or Company the report is prepared for.

- Show preparer info: Show the Preparer information in the report.

- Enable Links: Select this to enable blue hyperlinks in reports.

##### Images

- Background Tile: Use the Browse button to select a picture to use as the background in reports.

- Heading Banner: Use the Browse button to select a picture to use as the heading in reports.

- Logo: Use the Browse button to select a picture to use as the logo in reports.

##### Tables

- Table cell spacing: Sets the space between table cells

- Table cell padding: Sets the padding between table cells

- Table border width: Sets the width of the borders on tables.

### Setting Tax Options

The Tax Information dialog is used to set Tax Options. The settings on accounts in this dialog are used by the TXF Export function in reports to select the accounts for export. To access this dialog go to Edit -> Tax Options.

IMPORTANT: Most TXF codes should only appear on a single account! The exceptions are codes for which the "Payer Name Source" is not grayed, each of which can appear many times. Of course, each duplicate should have a unique payer name. These are typically interest accounts or stocks or mutual funds that pay dividends.

- Accounts: This pane contains the list of accounts. Select an account to set a TXF category. If no account is selected nothing is changed. If multiple accounts are selected, all of the accounts will be set to the selected item.

- Tax Related: Select this checkbox to add tax information to an account then select the TXF Category below.

- TXF Categories: Select the desired one. A detailed description appears just below.

- Payer Name Source: A text description that is exported along with the value of the account. This is usually the name of a bank, stock, or mutual fund that pays dividends or interest. Occasionally, it is a description of a deduction.

#### TXF Export - Known Anomalies and Limitations

TaxCut 1999

- Code: N488 "^ Sched B \ Div. income, cap gain distrib."

- Code: N286 "^ Sched B \ Dividend income"

These two codes, from the same payer, are not correlated. The user will have to adjust for this after import.

TaxCut 1999, 2000

- Code: N521 " F1040 \ Federal estimated tax, quarterly"

Does not accept the date field and does not import the individual payment amounts, only the total. The date and individual payment amounts, only matter if you have to compute the penalty. (this may be a TurboTax enhancement)

- Code: N460 " W-2 \ Salary or wages, self"

- Code: N506 " W-2 \ Salary or wages, spouse"

- and other related codes.

Information from only one job may be imported.

TurboTax 1999, 2000

- Code: N521 " F1040 \ Federal estimated tax, quarterly"

Does not accept the dates outside of the tax year. This is a problem for the last payment that is due Jan 15. GnuCash changes the the date of the last payment to Dec 31. The user will have to adjust for this after import. The date only matters if you have to compute the penalty.

TXF Tax eXport Format

- Duplicate Codes

Most codes are not supposed to appear more than once. GnuCash issues an error message if it detects this, but will still export the data. These are not handled the same by TaxCut and TurboTax.

- TurboTax

Sums the duplicate codes. i.e., job one and job two are added together.

- TaxCut

Keeps only the LAST of the duplicate codes. i.e., job one is ignored and job two is kept.

#### Detailed TXF Category Descriptions

Table 32. Detailed TXF Category Descriptions

&txf-categories;

&GFDL;