# General **URL:** https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/c/general/4.md [Latest](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/latest.md) · [Categories](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/categories.md) · [Tags](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/tags.md) --- ## [About the General category](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/about-the-general-category/3)
**Author:** [@system](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/system)\ **Replies:** 0
General plain text accounting discussions, beginner and expert questions, etc. If you’re not sure where to post, pick this one. --- ## [Hledger Query assistance](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-query-assistance/892)
**Author:** [@D-K](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/D-K)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2026, 2:31pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-query-assistance/892 "2026-09-28T14:31:18Z")
Hi All, Appologies if this is a stupid question but, I am wondering what an Hledger query would look like that could specify a regex description within a date range, I can't seem to get it to work. Say I want to check … --- ## [Can hledger reports reflect custom budget months?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/can-hledger-report-reflect-custom-budget-months/871)
**Author:** [@chocolatine](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/chocolatine)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 17, 2026, 6:51am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/can-hledger-report-reflect-custom-budget-months/871 "2026-09-17T06:51:17Z")
Hello everyone, I'm looking for a way to provide a custom date interval to an hledger command. My use case is the following: I have a CLI tool helping me decide for every week which "budget month" it is part of (e.g.,… --- ## [Tracking a shared allowance pool that spans several payment accounts](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/tracking-a-shared-allowance-pool-that-spans-several-payment-accounts/865)
**Author:** [@tlrand](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/tlrand)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 4, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/tracking-a-shared-allowance-pool-that-spans-several-payment-accounts/865 "2026-09-04T23:54:20Z")
New to PTA, and a few weeks into hledger (1.52). I have a setup that mostly works, but one problem I can't solve cleanly. My wife and I each get a fixed monthly allowance to spend however we see fit. Mostly small things… --- ## [Visualizing your Ledger](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/visualizing-your-ledger/863)
**Author:** [@igbanam](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/igbanam)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 3, 2026, 8:27pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/visualizing-your-ledger/863 "2026-09-03T20:27:58Z")
Given the recent advances in analysis machines and visualizers, I wonder what people are up to these days with visualizing their books. I got a lot of mileage from HLedger SQL export -\> Sqlite3 -\> Metabase. The way thi… --- ## [Hledger - counting transactions](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-counting-transactions/870)
**Author:** [@parseaus](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/parseaus)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-counting-transactions/870 "2026-09-02T13:00:25Z")
I want to count the amount of transactions in a few accounts. Similar to part of what hledger stats does, bit with particular accounts and a custom period. How would I go about this in the simplest possible way? --- ## [Chart of accounts - How does yours look?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/chart-of-accounts-how-does-yours-look/51)
**Author:** [@munksgaard](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/munksgaard)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/chart-of-accounts-how-does-yours-look/51 "2026-08-18T17:41:55Z")
After having used ledger for a few years, I recently decided to start again from scratch using hledger. This gave me an opportunity to revisit the accounts I have specified for my private journal and it got me thinking:… --- ## [Tagging pay-period with inclusive date-range](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/tagging-pay-period-with-inclusive-date-range/855)
**Author:** [@ivan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/ivan)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 22, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/tagging-pay-period-with-inclusive-date-range/855 "2026-07-22T17:28:54Z")
I'm entering payslips into my hledger journal, and I'd like to record the pay period that each one covers. My first thought was to use a tag like: pay-period:2025-01-01..2025-01-15 Each payslip explicitly lists its pay… --- ## [How to organize all the tags in Hledger (including sub-tags)?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-to-organize-all-the-tags-in-hledger-including-sub-tags/854)
**Author:** [@joviwu](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/joviwu)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-to-organize-all-the-tags-in-hledger-including-sub-tags/854 "2026-07-21T03:14:17Z")
Hi everyone, Using hledger tags only shows the top-level tags, and doesn't display any sub-tags. For example, if I have tags like vehicle : A, vehicle : B, vendor : AA, vendor : BB, running hledger tags only shows veh… --- ## [Small inventory and book keeping system with hledger](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/small-inventory-and-book-keeping-system-with-hledger/846)
**Author:** [@JAV](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/JAV)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/small-inventory-and-book-keeping-system-with-hledger/846 "2026-07-17T18:43:13Z")
Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and wanted to share something I've been setting up over the last couple of days. A friend of mine has a small wine trading business and has been using an excel sheet I've set up for kee… --- ## [Auto rules, Bank use-case](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/auto-rules-bank-use-case/834)
**Author:** [@igbanam](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/igbanam)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2026, 3:11am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/auto-rules-bank-use-case/834 "2026-07-11T03:11:04Z")
Hi all, How do I properly setup these rule scenario? When money's leaving the account over a certain sum, there's some commission and VAT the bank charges When money enters the account over a certain sum, the bank is … --- ## [Basic Procedure for Accrual Accounting when making a product and selling it?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/basic-procedure-for-accrual-accounting-when-making-a-product-and-selling-it/821)
**Author:** [@Andrew\_Leer](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/Andrew_Leer)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/basic-procedure-for-accrual-accounting-when-making-a-product-and-selling-it/821 "2026-07-07T18:09:31Z")
I've started running a business, in terms of making something from raw materials, processing it, and then it becomes a product that can be sold to people. Receive Raw Materials Process those raw materials into a produc… --- ## [Financial therapy](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/financial-therapy/826)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/financial-therapy/826 "2026-07-05T13:54:48Z")
And also, Financial Therapy is a thing! Financial therapy is the middle ground between working with a traditional therapist and a financial advisor. The process combines an emotionally supportive, therapeutic approach … --- ## [Financial Illiteracy Education: How We Teach Bad Financial Habits](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/financial-illiteracy-education-how-we-teach-bad-financial-habits/825)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/financial-illiteracy-education-how-we-teach-bad-financial-habits/825 "2026-07-05T13:52:11Z")
https://finmasters.com is a site I bookmarked years ago, intending to read some interesting articles there. It seems to have stopped posting in 2024, and you may need reader mode (or a feed reader) to read it, but there … --- ## [How does one convert assets to comodities?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-does-one-convert-assets-to-comodities/812)
**Author:** [@Andrew\_Leer](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/Andrew_Leer)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2026, 1:57am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-does-one-convert-assets-to-comodities/812 "2026-06-17T01:57:57Z")
So say that I have purchased materials. I put them in an account like Reserve Inventory, and I put in the entry comments how much of that item has been added to the Reserve Inventory for that material. So that covers h… --- ## [Capturing sub-accounts in Auto Postings](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/capturing-sub-accounts-in-auto-postings/810)
**Author:** [@igbanam](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/igbanam)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2026, 8:22am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/capturing-sub-accounts-in-auto-postings/810 "2026-06-11T08:22:04Z")
Could HLedger capture sub-accounts, grep style, for use in an auto posting? My use case is emotional bank accounts. Say someone gives me a gift 2022-02-02 \* Random Gift assets:checking 50 cur income:gift:person U… --- ## [Is Ledger Cash-Based or Accrual Accounting?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-ledger-cash-based-or-accrual-accounting/807)
**Author:** [@Andrew\_Leer](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/Andrew_Leer)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/is-ledger-cash-based-or-accrual-accounting/807 "2026-06-05T13:31:28Z")
Is Ledger Cash-Based or Accrual Accounting? Or does that depend on how your accounts are setup? If so, what is the difference in the account layout? --- ## [Hledger-lit: another hledger plotting thingie](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-lit-another-hledger-plotting-thingie/696)
**Author:** [@adept](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/adept)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2026, 7:37am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/hledger-lit-another-hledger-plotting-thingie/696 "2026-05-27T07:37:15Z")
Building upon hledger-sankey (which was previously discussed here), I’ve made hledge-lit, a Streamlit-based Python app that can plot various graphs based on the output of hledger balance. --- ## [Book recommendation: Emergency Preparedness and Personal Resilience](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/book-recommendation-emergency-preparedness-and-personal-resilience/795)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2026, 1:33am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/book-recommendation-emergency-preparedness-and-personal-resilience/795 "2026-05-16T01:33:31Z")
In this week's hledger fan blog, I recommend a book about emergency preparedness. Not only that, but I even manage to make a connection to plain text accounting. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/book-recommendatio… --- ## [How to setup Owners Equity for things in a Business?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-to-setup-owners-equity-for-things-in-a-business/800)
**Author:** [@Andrew\_Leer](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/Andrew_Leer)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2026, 1:45pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-to-setup-owners-equity-for-things-in-a-business/800 "2026-05-13T13:45:22Z")
All, I have just started a new (and I use the term loosely, as it's not like I've sold anything) "business" making soap. I have not done this in the past, and really it's just an exercise to learn more about business/ac… --- ## [Missing thousands separator in HTML Report (hledger)](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/missing-thousands-separator-in-html-report-hledger/797)
**Author:** [@joviwu](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/joviwu)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/missing-thousands-separator-in-html-report-hledger/797 "2026-05-11T21:24:05Z")
Hi everyone, I'm encountering a formatting issue. When I run command A to generate A.html, the output is missing thousands separators. However, when I use command B to generate B.html, the thousands separators are disp… --- ## [How do you keep your journal structure scalable over time?](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-do-you-keep-your-journal-structure-scalable-over-time/784)
**Author:** [@chickpeafilae](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/chickpeafilae)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/how-do-you-keep-your-journal-structure-scalable-over-time/784 "2026-04-30T03:22:03Z")
I’ve been experimenting with plain text accounting tools like hledger and Beancount, and one challenge I keep running into is maintaining a clean and scalable journal structure as the number of transactions grows. At the… --- ## [Plain text has been around for decades and it’s here to stay (Hacker News)](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/plain-text-has-been-around-for-decades-and-it-s-here-to-stay-hacker-news/790)
**Author:** [@simonmic](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/simonmic)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2026, 5:28am UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/plain-text-has-been-around-for-decades-and-it-s-here-to-stay-hacker-news/790 "2026-04-26T05:28:54Z")
--- ## [Automating csv entry into hledger](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/automating-csv-entry-into-hledger/786)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/automating-csv-entry-into-hledger/786 "2026-04-24T14:10:05Z")
Yes, hledger has a tool to import csv data. However, I do things the hard way and write some ELisp code to import mutual fund transactions. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/automating-csv-entry-for-a-mutual-fund/. … --- ## [Using hledger together with Excel](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/using-hledger-together-with-excel/697)
**Author:** [@phobo3s](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/phobo3s)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2026, 2:30pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/using-hledger-together-with-excel/697 "2026-04-20T14:30:19Z")
Hi, I use hledger, but only for general ledger operations such as balance checks, reporting, and validation. The entire ledger also lives in Excel worksheets. Excel is where I review, edit, and reclassify everything. T… --- ## [Finding out how much we gave last year](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/finding-out-how-much-we-gave-last-year/777)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/finding-out-how-much-we-gave-last-year/777 "2026-04-17T14:59:27Z")
In this week's post, I describe searching for and finding the amount of a donation we made last year. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/what-did-we-do-last-year/. --- ## [Some new calculations re a membership program](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/some-new-calculations-re-a-membership-program/775)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/some-new-calculations-re-a-membership-program/775 "2026-04-10T15:27:35Z")
In this week’s post, I have some new insights into calculating the value of a membership program. Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/the-membership-programs-luster-is-wearing-off/ . --- ## [Accounting for a Mutual Fund, part 6 - pros and cons](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/accounting-for-a-mutual-fund-part-6-pros-and-cons/773)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/accounting-for-a-mutual-fund-part-6-pros-and-cons/773 "2026-04-03T15:55:59Z")
I look at some pros and cons of my system for tracking mutual funds. Also, am I being swayed by the IKEA effect? Read about it at https://hledgerfan.com/mutual-funds-part-6-advantages-and-disadvantages/ . --- ## [Accounting for a mutual fund, part 5 -- split shares](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/accounting-for-a-mutual-fund-part-5-split-shares/771)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2026, 1:39pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/accounting-for-a-mutual-fund-part-5-split-shares/771 "2026-03-27T13:39:30Z")
When I started tracking mutual funds in hledger, I hadn’t even considered the possibility that a fund might have a share split. Well, it turns out that accounting for split shares in a mutual fund is almost as easy as de… --- ## [Accounting for a mutual fund, part 4 -- T-bills](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/accounting-for-a-mutual-fund-part-4-t-bills/770)
**Author:** [@hledgerfan](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/u/hledgerfan)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 20, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/t/accounting-for-a-mutual-fund-part-4-t-bills/770 "2026-03-20T14:32:43Z")
T-bills are a type of zero coupon bond, which makes them different from a bond or stock mutual fund or a regular interest bearing account. So, what did I come up with for tracking them in hledger? Read about it at https:… [Next page](https://forum.plaintextaccounting.org/c/general/4.md?page=1)