[GNC] single split entry turns into 3

[Michael or Penny Novack]

THAT is precisely why I said we need the details of these transactions. 
What you said here is correct/usual BUT we were told about checks going 
out from the provider to the clients after the insurance payment comes 
in. NOT the clients being reimbursed directly from the insurance company.

Michael D Novack

On 2/27/2026 11:36 AM, David T. wrote:
> In my experience as a patient, if I go to a provider who's covered by 
> my insurance, I'm only paying a fraction of the total cost on the 
> service. The copay.
>
> I assume that the remainder gets submitted by the provider to my 
> insurance company, who then pays that to the provider. The insurance 
> pays to the provider on behalf of the patient. So, in my thinking, 
> that insurance check to the provider is, in fact, income to that provider.
>
> I believe OP represents a provider receiving checks from the insurance 
> company on behalf of patients-- thus this would represent income.
>
> This is not the same as when I go to the out of network aura healer, 
> pay them the entire amount, and then submit the paid invoice to the 
> insurance for reimbursement. The check the insurance company sends me 
> reduces my expense account for aura healing services.
>
> David T.
>
>
> On February 27, 2026 7:15:47 PM GMT+05:30, Michael or Penny Novack via 
> gnucash-user <gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
>
>     On 2/26/2026 2:37 PM, Jose Fuenzalida wrote:
>
>         Hi; my wife has a very small private practice and I have been
>         writing entries in our checking account and her Business
>         checking without much detail in them ( the entries )
>         Everything is into one file ,it is much easier to see
>         everything in this way. Recently I tried to help her a bit but
>         I ran into a problem : in order to enter an income check from
>         insurance company X  I tried to enter more detail because she
>         gets a check for lets say 3 clients ,this 3 clients belong to
>         the same insurance company X but since the have different 
>
>     There may be a more basic (accounting) issue. You said she
>     received an INCOME check from an insurance company. There are
>     special circumstances where money coming from an insurance company
>     might be "income" but those would be the exception. For the
>     moment, go back and describe the transactions (money coming in
>     from the insurance company and going out to her clients, money
>     coming in from the insurance company and then going out to
>     clients. Seems to me that the credit side of the money coming in
>     would more properly be a temporary liability (owed to clients)
>     which gets cleared (by debiting) when she sends checks to these
>     clients. The money never "hers" (never "income"). The potential
>     harm in using an income account to record the transactions (still
>     would be temporary) is if a P&L type report runs between the time
>     the money comes i and goes out. I suspect the income was ALREADY
>     recorded when the clients paid her in full for the services
>     rendered but are being reimbursed for some of that by insurance.
>     Michael D Novack
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There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave.