[GNC] About bookkeeping and claiming non-currency expenses.

[Michael or Penny Novack]

> But what lies at the other end of mileage? eg drive 20km for visiting
> client & back, claim $0.50/km, means you write $10 mileage claim for today
> and deduct what account?
>
You can use gnucash for tracking other things just as if they were 
money. In other words, you can have "virtual" sets of books outside of 
your main books.

I will use your example, tracking mileage so it can be distributed into 
"accounts" some of which might be deductible for tax purposes (but not 
necessarily at the same rate for business mileage, medical mileage, 
charitable mileage, etc. )

Imagine a set of books with JUST "income" and "expense" << yes, you can 
create a CoA like that >>. Pick an imaginary currency to stand for 
miles. Use this set of books to keep enter data from your mileage log. 
You might choose "total for trip" to enter in income and then the 
portion of that you assign to each expense account by purpose << 
personal, business, medical, etc. ...... > The only report you would run 
would be the "Income Statement".

Yes of course, easy to do this with a spreadsheet BUT if most of your 
car use split purpose you might appreciate that gnucash will check that 
you haven't failed to enter part of the trip, That your entry was in 
balance. In other words, if you drove 150 miles and feel that was 30 
miles for business, 20 miles for medical (picked up an Rx), and 100 
miles personal (shopping) gnucash will tell you if OOB. I am not sure a 
spreadsheet would.

Michael D Novack