[GNC] New user - anyone else using GnuCash for PCC (church) accounts? Advice?

[Chris Green]

On Sat, Aug 29, 2020 at 11:40:03AM +0100, Michael Hendry wrote:
> > On 29 Aug 2020, at 10:39, Chris Green <cl at isbd.net> wrote:
> >> 
> > Well it sounds as if you know the ins and outs then! :-)
> 
> I seem to have got away with it so far, with the help of charity-friendly 
> accountants and especially this forum! 
> 
> > 
> > We seem to keep the 'restricted' funds in a deposit account and
> > 'unrestricted' in a current account but I suspect the differentiation
> > is just 'how it happened' rather than any specific intent.
> 
> That works if you are meticulous in putting the ear-marked donations into 
> a specific bank account, but gets more complex if you have several different 
> destinations for restricted funds. 
> 
I've been reading around this and it now seems to me that what 'we'
(my PCC) have been calling restricted funds are actually just
designated funds.  E.g. they ar such things as fundraising (run by the
PCC) for church repairs.  We don't seem to have any donations which
have been made with specific requirements as to use by the donor.

> > 
> > I'm assuming that my basic book-keeping will be:-
> > 
> >    Create an 'assets' account for the current (unrestricted) account
> >    and another 'assets' account for the deposit (restricted) account.
> > 
> >    Create 'liabilities' accounts for outgoings (vicar's expenses,
> >    electricity bill, repairs, etc.) which will be either restricted
> >    or unrestricted.
> 
> Seductive, but I think invalid for the same reason as the use of a Liability 
> account for bursaries. 
> 
Yes, wrong word, I meant 'expenses', and (it would seem) no need for
any restricted ones.

> > 
> >    Create accounts for income - but what are these called?  Again
> >    they need to be 'restricted' or 'unrestricted'
> 
> I don’t think there’s any great advantage in labelling them in this way, 
> as they don’t survive the year end (the way Liabilities would). 
> But you could have "Income:Donation:Church Roof”, "Income:Donation:Memorial 
> Bench” and “Income:Donation:General” and make sure to keep a separate note 
> of the cumulative income and expenditure for these at the year end. 
> 
Yes, OK, thanks.

> > 
> > Is there a way in GnuCash to group accounts such that it will only
> > allow transactions between the same groups (i.e. either restricted or
> > unrestricted)?
> 
> I don’t believe so.
> 
... and I don't think I need it now anyway.


> My advice would be to go for a very simple chart of accounts and deal with 
> restricted funds and budgeting externally, either on paper or on a spreadsheet. 
> I have discovered from bitter experience that it is possible to overthink 
> these things… 
> 
Yes, I was! :-)

-- 
Chris Green