Help with GnuCash! Why is there a “Rebate” column in the Expense account on GnuCash?

[Derek Atkins]

Hi,

Robby Burns <robbyburns2010 at gmail.com> writes:

> So...if I make charges on my credit card, and then pay the credit card at
> the end of the month, the money will come out of my bank account...but it
> will all come out as one lump some credit card payment?

Correct, because that is exactly what is happening!

Each charge on the credit card is a transaction from CC -> Expense.
The payment is a single transaction from Bank -> CC.
That's what happens in real life, and that's how you should enter it in
GnuCash.

> or...do I go in each month and go line by line (off the credit card bill)
> and enter the sub-category that I spent the money on...without showing that
> it was an actual credit card payment?

No.  You should enter each transaction as it happens.

> And...with all politeness..I still have not received an answer as to how I
> get rid of the "Rebate" header on the column. How do I change those headers?

You change the header by opening a different account type.  Open your
Bank account and the header should say Deposit and Withdrawal.  Open
your CC and it will say Payment and Charge.  Unless you turn on the
preference for accounting headers, the column headers are specific to
the type of account you have open.

> If I want one to say "Expense"...what should the other ones say.

I don't understand the question.

> Maybe I am just too stupid to be using GnuCash.  Huh?

No, but you might have an easier time if you enter your transactions
from Asset and Liability accounts.  Instead of opening the expense
account, open up the account for your credit card, bank, or
cash-in-wallet.  Then enter your transactions from there and assign your
withdrawals to the appropriate expenses, and your deposits to the
appropriate income account.

> Robby

> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
       warlord at MIT.EDU                        PGP key available