Cash Book

[Wm]

Thu, 18 Dec 2014 09:42:36 
<000901d01a96$357d6010$a0782030$@cybersmart.co.za>  Chris Bester 
<chrisbester at cybersmart.co.za>

>I am retired and have not touched any accounting programme for a long time.
>As from January 2013 I have been called in to help out at a Non-Profit
>Organisation.

Welcome (and I don't mean the place in the Free State)

I actively encourage people doing non-profit work.

>   I had obtained a new computer in the meantime with Windows
>7.  My previous accounting programs could not run on Windows 7. And to
>upgrade would have cost a lot of money, hence, I stumbled on gnucash.

That is a good thing.

>  The
>dominant accounting program in my country is Pastel.

I disagree, my people say Pastel *say* they are the program de jour 
*after* their purchase by Sage.  Perhaps you can correct me but I think 
TurboCash is most common in ZA.

>  I have also, over time
>used Quick  Books and Brilliant etc.

Experience is good, variety better.

>All these programs automatically end
>off books at the end of the prescribed financial year and start the new year
>with new balances which are the ending balances of the previous year.

But there is no reason to do that except convenience.

>  I
>presume this is what David C is referring to.  No miraculous software as you
>mentioned just getting yourself updated on other programs.

Ja, you just do the accounts as expected, the closing and opening isn't 
necessary.

> By continuous I
>simply mean that in gnucash balances continue running for ever starting with
>the original opening balance.

Ek weet, what is the problem?

If the past transactions are a burden then you can close but there isn't 
a reporting necessity to do so.

>  At the moment I have to recreate most of my
>required financial statement on Excel.

Fun interjection: does GnuCash allow you to record your transactions ?

>   The first thing Auditors do, when
>you present your books, is to check your ending balances of the previous
>year, see whether those are your opening balances for the new year and then
>they continue reviewing your books.

Problem is, boet, there is no requirement for this to be done.

It is a convenience, nothing more.

>May be David C is correct in saying I should look for different software/
>programs and spend the money and go back to Patel.

If you want to run from GnuCash because of an accountancy issue and you 
are in ZA I suggest you try TurboCash http://www.turbocash.net/ 
personally I think it deficient but it may suit your org

Ultimately you will have to realise that what you think your auditor / 
government / accountant (yes, possibly even yourself) wants from you 
isn't what you want.

All they want is an honest account.

I find it troubling that someone from ZA can't report accurately using 
gnc.

-- 
Wm...