Sharing customers between GnuCash files

[Benjamin Soffer (SLF)]

I guess Wm is just way smarter than I am, because I am missing Wm's points.
Having a separate file for each of possibly dozens of clients with trust
accounts wul likely create more work than just having accounts for them all
within the same file where all the law firm's transcations are recorded.  I
have one IOLTA checking accounts (one top level equity account), where all
my clients' money is deposited, under which I have a subaccount for each
client to keep track of that client's transactions.  Since it's not the
firm's equity, I have cooresponding liability accounts.  If there is a more
efficient way to do this, I'd sincerely like to know how.


-----Original Message-----
From: gnucash-user
[mailto:gnucash-user-bounces+bsoffer=soffer-law.com at gnucash.org] On Behalf
Of Wm...
Sent: Saturday, January 30, 2016 11:36 AM
To: gnucash-user at lists.gnucash.org
Subject: Re: Sharing customers between GnuCash files

Sat, 23 Jan 2016 05:54:09
<04bf01d155e5$893727a0$9ba576e0$@soffer-law.com>
"Benjamin Soffer (SLF)" <bsoffer at soffer-law.com> wrote...

>It seems to me that, from a bookkeeping standpoint, one could do what 
>Mr. Ralls (and MSBA) has suggested but within the file where all the 
>law firm's other accounts are kept; there is no need to create a 
>separate file to keep track of the trust account transactions.

This is getting tired.  There is no need for anyone to do anything.

This was a discussion about how to best do something and, if enquired of, be
able to show separation.

If you want to keep someone else's accounts separate from your own *and* you
want to use GnuCash then separate files is how you should do it. The
parallel transactions can be easily batched and shouldn't take up more than
an hour a month unless there is some weirdness going on or you are employing
an aged relative to do the work on a time and cost basis.

>  I would add, however, that rather than "[creating] sub accounts in 
>one or the other" (as MSBA apparently prefers) there should be created 
>subaccounts on the asset side AND corresponding subaccounts on the 
>liability side.

Ufff, if you really want to do that consider the fact that GnuCash (and
double entry accounting) can deal with multiple top level Equity accounts
... which is more than most humans can manage, I mean the whole double entry
thing was invented to distinguish between mine and yours after all :)

-- 
Wm...

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