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I've been using GnuCash for over a year now and I still don't know the answer to the following: is it possible to transactions tag transactions with custom tags

I've been using GnuCash for over a year now and I still don't know the answer to the following: is it possible to transactions tag transactions with custom tags, and then breakdown reports on those? I mean actual tags, not accounts. Someone on the Beancount thread explained his workflow using tags link transactions to IRS form entries. I would like to try the same on GnuCash, but haven't yet figured out whether tags even exist (haven't had the time to check since)

teytra 3y ago
I have the same need, and now I'm trying out a system where I put a "label" or "tag" in the Memo or Notes field (e.g. #SummerHoliday2023) that I then can create a filter for and generate a report for. Got the idea from https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/91029/gnucash-tags-multi-category https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/91029/gnucash-tags...
- sdfghswe 3y ago
  Ok, and then you can do reports by that?
racked 3y ago
I quickly researched this a couple of months ago and came to the conclusion that using separate accounts was the only easy-to-understand way to do it. So now I have accounts like: Hosting Expenses [SomeTag] Hosting Expenses It's nice because its compatible with all the built-in reports, including graphs, though it takes a little while to configure presets for them all filtered by the right accounts. Also curious to hear if anyone knows a better way.
- kdwikzncba 3y ago
  > using separate accounts was the only easy-to-understand way to do it This can't possibly be right... If I'm going on holidays, I don't want to have to open a new "holidays" account; holiday expenses are still expenses. If I accepted this, and I wanted to separate holidays in 2021 from holidays in 2022 by using different accounts, you can imagine how many one-off accounts id have laying around. No, this is confusing the concepts of an account as an accounting concept, with the concept of a generic aggregation segment.
  - racked 3y ago
    I agree. It's the only easy-to-understand way to do it _in GnuCash_, _that I could find_, anyway
ska 3y ago
You can probably do this with notes field, but more often I think people use an account hierarchy, have you tried that?
GorsyGentle 3y ago
> Someone on the Beancount thread explained his workflow using tags link transactions to IRS form entries. I would like to try the same on GnuCash, but haven't yet figured out whether tags even exist (haven't had the time to check since) I don't use tags, but GnuCash does have some built-in reporting features for tax forms. 1. You have to have assigned an account to a tax field (Edit -> Tax Report Options). It's what controls the "tax-related" checkbox when you edit an account. 2. Then you can go to Reports -> Tax Schedule Report & TXF Export to generate a report for the last tax year. Hopefully this helps!
- kdwikzncba 3y ago
  Ok thanks for that, but that has two problems. First, it's still "account based". I can't label a single transaction. Second, it's not versatile enough, it's US specific.

teytra 3y ago

I have the same need, and now I'm trying out a system where I put a "label" or "tag" in the Memo or Notes field (e.g. #SummerHoliday2023) that I then can create a filter for and generate a report for. Got the idea from https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/91029/gnucash-tags-multi-category https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/91029/gnucash-tags...

sdfghswe 3y ago
Ok, and then you can do reports by that?

racked 3y ago

I quickly researched this a couple of months ago and came to the conclusion that using separate accounts was the only easy-to-understand way to do it. So now I have accounts like: Hosting Expenses [SomeTag] Hosting Expenses It's nice because its compatible with all the built-in reports, including graphs, though it takes a little while to configure presets for them all filtered by the right accounts. Also curious to hear if anyone knows a better way.

kdwikzncba 3y ago
> using separate accounts was the only easy-to-understand way to do it This can't possibly be right... If I'm going on holidays, I don't want to have to open a new "holidays" account; holiday expenses are still expenses. If I accepted this, and I wanted to separate holidays in 2021 from holidays in 2022 by using different accounts, you can imagine how many one-off accounts id have laying around. No, this is confusing the concepts of an account as an accounting concept, with the concept of a generic aggregation segment.
- racked 3y ago
  I agree. It's the only easy-to-understand way to do it _in GnuCash_, _that I could find_, anyway

ska 3y ago

You can probably do this with notes field, but more often I think people use an account hierarchy, have you tried that?

GorsyGentle 3y ago

> Someone on the Beancount thread explained his workflow using tags link transactions to IRS form entries. I would like to try the same on GnuCash, but haven't yet figured out whether tags even exist (haven't had the time to check since) I don't use tags, but GnuCash does have some built-in reporting features for tax forms. 1. You have to have assigned an account to a tax field (Edit -> Tax Report Options). It's what controls the "tax-related" checkbox when you edit an account. 2. Then you can go to Reports -> Tax Schedule Report & TXF Export to generate a report for the last tax year. Hopefully this helps!

kdwikzncba 3y ago
Ok thanks for that, but that has two problems. First, it's still "account based". I can't label a single transaction. Second, it's not versatile enough, it's US specific.