Possible bug with Cash Flow Report

Anthony Nelson tonyn at openlearning.com
Thu Nov 5 19:05:44 EST 2009


Thank you for your input and you may be correct it may be a user perception
error.  But besides confusing me it is also confusing my CPA (one smart
dude).  So I am not convinced it is perception.

Ok here are the details:

GnuCash 2.2.9
April 3, 2009: I wrote a personal check to my business.  I recorded this as
a transfer (Deposit) into Liabilities:Loan from Shareholder

September 22, 2009: I paid for a personal car repair expense with my company
credit card.  I recorded this in my Credit Card account in the Charge column
as a charge to Liabilities:Loan From Shareholder in the amount of $4,292.54

September 29, 2009: I cut a company check to myself in the amount of
$707.46.  I recorded this in my check account account as a $707.46
withdrawal from Liabilities:Loan From Shareholder.

Now, with one exception, everything seems to be as it should be.  Meaning:
1) My liability account Loan from Shareholder shows a total of $0.00
2) A balance sheet report (on September 30, the end of my fiscal year) shows
a balance of $0

but . . .

My Cash Flow report (10/1/2008 to 9/30/2009) shows:
Money into selected accounts
Loan from Shareholder  -- $5000  (CORRECT)
but
Money out of selected accounts
Loan from Shareholder -- $707.46  (WRONG!)

It is as if GnuCash is not recognizing the September 22 credit card charge
even though it appears to be categorized properly.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be most appreciated.  My guess is that had
I paid for the car repair item with a check rather than my credit card
everything would sync up.  But it seems to me that this should work anyway
and the credit card item should deduct from the specified Liability account.

Thanks in advance,
Tony




On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 3:09 AM, Maf. King <maf at chilwell.net> wrote:

> On Tuesday 03 November 2009 04:00:15 Anthony Nelson wrote:
> > Hi All,
> >
> > Ok, I know that 98% of reported bugs on any software is really user
> error,
> > or a user misconception on what a piece of software should do.  The
> > following may fall into the second category, but it looks like a bug to
> me.
> >
> >
> > Platform: Gnucash 2.2.9 on Ubuntu 9.10
> >
> > Executive Summary:
> > Cash flow report (10/01/2008 - 9/30/2009) shows $707.46 in the
> > "Liabilities:Loan From Shareholder"
> > Balance Sheet (9/30/2009) Liabilities: Loan From Shareholder shows $0.00
> >
> > I can go into gory detail if it would help, but perhaps there is an
> obvious
> > reason these two numbers do not sync up.
> >
>
> Hi Tony,
>
> IANAA, nor am I particularly familiar with the cash flow report, but I
> think
> this may well be user (perception) error.
>
> the cash flow report, IIRC, takes a set of accounts and "puts a ring around
> them" reporting on the movement of money "through the ring" over a given
> time
> period.  Transfers within the ring don't get shown.
>
> The balance sheet gives the account balances at a specific point in time.
>
> I would suppose that the balance sheet report is correct in that there is a
> final balance of $0.00 in your specific account.
>
> I think that you maybe need to look at which accounts are included in the
> cash
> flow, as it may well be that $707.46 moved across the "boundary" in that
> time
> period - eg is the account's opening balance included in the cash flow time
> period? Are there transfers to accounts not in the cash-flow options?
>
> HTH,
> Maf.
>
>
>
>


-- 
-- Tony


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