[GNC] credit card split transactions

[Adrien Monteleone]

First, please always copy the list on all replies - others may benefit from the discussion or lend better advice.

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As for using a Check vs. a Credit Card for payment, there’s no difference between them.

Say you make a purchase at a store for bottled water and batteries with cash, this would be your sample transaction:

Dr. Expenses:Household		$5
Dr. Expenses:Food		$5
    Cr. Assets:Cash			$10

If you paid with a check or debit card tied to your checking account then:

Dr. Expenses:Household		$5
Dr. Expenses:Food		$5
    Cr. Assets:Checking			$10

If you paid with a credit card, then:

Dr. Expenses:Household		$5
Dr. Expenses:Food		$5
    Cr. Liabilities:CreditCard		$10

They are all the same transaction in form, with the difference being the source of funds.

If you aren’t using formal accounting labels (Preferences > Accounts > Labels) then you will see “Total Payments” and “Total Charges” as your column headings, but that is really just “Total Debit” and “Total Credit” respectively. The same amounts go in the same columns regardless of if the labels are formal or not. (I don’t particularly care for the informal labels because they don’t really apply to both sides of credit transactions and find them much more confusing than ‘debit’ and ‘credit’.)

If this isn’t what you’re trying to accomplish, provide an example like one of those above and we’ll try to help further.

Regards,
Adrien

> On Mar 18, 2020 w12d78, at 5:18 PM, Jim Spalding <spaldingcountryhome at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I am referring to credit card transactions with multiple splits. I was able to understand the checking account multiple split directions, but not the credit card transaction with more than two splits. 
> 
> On Tue, Mar 17, 2020 at 3:52 PM Adrien Monteleone <adrien.monteleone at lusfiber.net> wrote:
> Note, *all* transactions are ’split’ between at least two accounts. That is the nature of double-entry. You may have more than two splits however depending on the transaction.
> 
> The Help and Tutorial and Concepts Guides are a good place to start. I wouldn’t attempt any further use of GnuCash without one or both of those documents open and handy for reference as you learn the app.
> 
> What specifically are you finding difficult? Is this a charge to the card, an interest or other account fee, or a payment that you are trying to enter?
> 
> Regards,
> Adrien
> 
> > On Mar 17, 2020 w12d77, at 2:14 PM, Jim Spalding <spaldingcountryhome at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > Thanks in advance for your help. I have attempted - for a couple of hours -
> > to understand how to enter a split credit card transaction. Am I
> > overlooking a tutorial someplace? If so, I would really appreciate a link
> > to the tutorial.
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > Jim Spalding