More than one Unrestricted Net Assests Acct?

[JMena23]

We are using one fund for everything.

We have one checking account that has general fund money (unrestricted) and donor restricted money.
We have the general net assets accout 3110 that had the cash in the checking account, and fixed assets such as land, etc. that all close to 3110. Of course all the restricted accounts have thier own equity accounts.

I would like to have three Unrestricted Net Assets Accounts:
1) 3110 that will reflect the unrestricted cash in the checking account
2) 3120 that will reflect the unrestricted fixed net assests
3) 3130 that will reflect the unrestricted savings net assests

Is this ok? or very wrong? LOL!

The problem is, on the balance sheet, there is not a clear place to see what the current total "unrestrticted" cash is in the checking account. Make sense?

Any suggestions would be great!!!!
Thank you sooo much.

[JohnDMeyers]

Let me start with - I'm not a CPA. I'm the guy at our church who does the accounting.

Let me ask three probing questions:

1) Are you thinking of doing this because your CPA is recommending it?

2) Are you thinking of doing this because you have seen it done this way somewhere else, and you like what you see?

3) Are you thinking of doing this without really knowing why you are doing this?

It will be very tricky to pull this off. If you are doing it for reason 1 or 2, fine. If reason #3, then, my suggestion is "don't do it".

[JMena23]

Thanks for your response.

No, I have not seen it done, nor has our CPA suggested it. I was just trying to find a way to show the current, "non-restricted" balance in our single checking account. As it is, the checking account shows the total with general and restricted money. When you look down on the balance sheet, it does list what is being held as restricted...but in essence you have to take the first combined total, and manually subtract all the "restrictred" amounts to find what you really have in your checking account that is NOT restricted.

I hope that makes sense...LOL!

It was just and idea that I tought might show a way to have that amount on the balance sheet easily. But of course, I am by no means a CPA!

THanks for your input.

Jennifer

[JohnDMeyers]

I think a much easier way is to create sub-accounts on your assets:

01-1110-000 GENERAL CHECKING (GROUP, level 4)
01-1110-101 unrestricted checking (detail, level 6)
01-1110-201 restricted checking (detail, level 6)

01-1120-000 GENERAL SAVINGS (GROUP, level 4)
01-1120-101 unrestricted savings (detail, level 6)
01-1120-201 restricted savings (detail, level 6)

01-1180-000 GENERAL FIXED ASSETS (GROUP, level 4)
01-1180-101 unrestricted asset #1 (detail, level 6)
01-1180-102 unrestricted asset #2 (detail, level 6)
01-1180-201 restricted asset #1 (detail, level 6)
01-1180-201 restricted asset #2 (detail, level 6)

This will show you "per account" what is happening. It will not total the unrestricted checking and the unrestricted savings.

If that is what you are after, I suppose it could be done with the equity accounts, but it would take quite of lot figuring.

[debbie]

Have you tried using the "Cash Management Report" ? You can even exlude some accounts by unchecking the box "Include in Cash Management Report" under the Maintain Chart of Accounts. We have a security deposit being held by the power company which is considered an asset, but isn't actually in the checking acct yet - so I uncheck the box so it doesn't show up in this report and therefore correctly shows what is in the checking acct.

[Jeff]

Here is a post I made recently about the idea behind the cash management report:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4148&p=14296#p14296