Can I change the behavior of automatically creating an Imbalance-USD account?

[Mike or Penny Novack]

On 1/4/2015 9:34 AM, Patrick Doyle wrote:
> I would much rather have gnc pop up an error message saying "You can't
> enter this transaction" than to have it silently create an account for
> me.
>
> Obviously, I've checked the preferences menus and don't see an option
> for that.  I wonder if there is a way to configure this
> under-the-hood.
>
> An alternative, and less preferred solution, would be for me to
> designate to which account imbalance transactions should be recorded.
I really think you need to read and reread the basics of double entry 
bookkeeping. Yes what you suggest first (don't allow) is ONE option for 
not being in balance (not specifying an account for some portion of the 
transaction). But most of us would strongly dislike that way of handling 
the problem. What problem? In the middle of entering a transaction we 
realize that we will have to make some change to the chart of accounts 
to finish this transaction correctly. NOW which do you prefer? Aborting 
the transaction so you can go off the make the change, or temporarily 
putting that part into "Imbalance" (letting you get the transaction 
entered), making the change to the account tree, and then transferring 
the item from Imbalance to the correct account**.

You want a to designate a different NAME for the account. You don't like 
the name "Imbalance" for "the account where portions of transactions go 
for which we can't yet (or didn't yet) specify the correct account?

One of your tasks, when using gnucash, is to make sure you don't end up 
leaving stuff in Imbalance or Orphan.

BTW, in a real business setting, there would be an account called 
"Suspense". Say an envelope arrives with a check in it, wrong amount, or 
no explanation what it was for (wrong or missing paperwork). The office 
practice wouldn't be to sit on the check until the problem was resolved, 
could take many days and the loose check got lost. Instead it would be 
deposited (debit) with the "suspense" account credited. Then it would be 
somebody's job to one by one solve all the mysterious suspense items.

Michael D Novack

** Remember, in a business setting especially, authorizations to do 
these tasks might be on different people. Not up to the clerk entering 
the transactions to decide how to modify the chart of accounts!(just to 
be smart enough to realize "no proper place to put this") While I'm the 
sole person entering for the organizations for which I m treasurer I 
still might want to consult the rest of the directors, the executive 
committee, or the accountant before actually making the change. But most 
often I have to consult the person who actually did the transaction (the 
receipt you sent me for reimbursement indicated the vendor, but what was 
the item so I know what category of expense). I don't want to stop in 
the middle of entering transactions when I realize my email question 
hadn't been entered yet.