Should the total in Expense Transactions page be $0?

Double entry accounting mean that for every transaction at least two accounts are affected.  ie you write a check for fuel, the balance in the bank goes down, and the balance in fuel expense goes up.

Enter bills is only used when you get a bill and will not pay it immediately, but will pay it later.

If you use the CC to pay for something, just use the expense transactions screen, select the CC as the payment source, select the expense account and enter the amount, save.
Done

Thanks for the answer, but what does the total in Expense Transactions page really mean?  It doesn't mean how much I haven't paid.  And it doesn't mean the total amount of expenses either.  I am confused.

Hello there, GSSH.

The total amount on the Expenses page is the total expense transactions (Bill, Expense, Purchase Order, Credit Card Expense, and Check) minus the bill payments.

If you have other questions, you can always leave a comment on this thread. 

Hi Kristine,

I understand the math, but I don't understand the purpose of knowing this value.  Why is this value more useful than the total expenses, or the amount of unpaid expenses.

Thanks

Gssh

Thanks for pointing that out, GSSH.

I'd love to add to this discussion and provide additional clarification regarding the Total in the Expenses page.

One of the main purposes of the Total column on this page is to simply show you a general overview of your company's accrued expenses. For other totals, like the amount of unpaid expenses, we've got a report for that which you can use anytime.

Let me guide you through the steps on how to pull it up:

1. Click Reports in the left navigation menu.
2. Enter Unpaid Bills in the Search field and select it.
3. Change the Report period if necessary.
4. Click Run report.

I hope this clears up everything. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me again if you have further questions. I'll do my best to provide you with the information you need.

Hi Aldrin,

You said "One of the main purposes of the Total column on this page is to simply show you a general overview of your company's accrued expenses". 

But I thought accrued expenses are the same as the unpaid expenses.  What are the differences? Maybe I misunderstood the definition.

thanks,

Gssh