diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/ledger.texi | 32 |
1 files changed, 5 insertions, 27 deletions
diff --git a/doc/ledger.texi b/doc/ledger.texi index 0a0224dc..19588b68 100644 --- a/doc/ledger.texi +++ b/doc/ledger.texi @@ -122,27 +122,13 @@ general ledger you need to record a payment to Pacific Bell for your monthly phone bill. The cost is $23.00, let's say, and you want to pay it from your checking account. In the general ledger you need to say where the money came from, in addition to where it's going to. -The transaction might look like this: +Such a transaction might look like this: @smallexample -9/29 BAL Pacific Bell $-200.00 $-200.00 - Equity:Opening Balances $200.00 -9/29 BAL Checking $100.00 $100.00 - Equity:Opening Balances $-100.00 -9/29 100 Pacific Bell $23.00 $223.00 - Checking $-23.00 $77.00 +9/29 Pacific Bell $23.00 $23.00 + Checking $-23.00 0 @end smallexample -The first line shows a payment to Pacific Bell for $23.00. Because -there is no ``balance'' in a general ledger---it's always zero---we -write in the total balance of all payments to ``Pacific Bell'', which -now is $223.00 (previously the balance was $200.00). This is done by -looking at the last transaction for ``Pacific Bell'' in the ledger, adding -$23.00 to that amount, and writing the total in the balance column. -And the money came from ``Checking''---a withdrawal of $23.00---which -leaves the ending balance in ``Checking'' at $77.00. This is a very -manual procedure; but that's where computers come in... - The posting must balance to $0: $23 went to Pacific Bell, $23 came from Checking. There is nothing left over to be accounted for, since the money has simply moved from one account to another. This is the @@ -174,16 +160,8 @@ formatting as the ledger program wishes to see them: @smallexample 2004/09/29 Pacific Bell - Payable:Pacific Bell $-200.00 - Equity:Opening Balances - -2004/09/29 Checking - Accounts:Checking $100.00 - Equity:Opening Balances - -2004/09/29 Pacific Bell - Payable:Pacific Bell $23.00 - Accounts:Checking + Expenses:Pacific Bell $23.00 + Assets:Checking @end smallexample The account balances and registers in this file, if saved as |