Basic usage

$ ledger bal
$ ledger reg

$ ledger reg grocery  # show entries for 'grocery'
$ ledger bal assets   # check if i'm broke

  -b 01/01   # --begin
  -e 01/31   # --end
  -S date    # --sort
  -S amount

Examples

# any/all matches
  ledger bal Rent Transportation  # any
  ledger bal Income and Job       # all
  ledger bal Expenses and not (Drinks or Food)

# what did I spend on most? (--sorted)
  ledger reg Expenses -S amount

# how much did I have at this date? (--end)
  ledger bal -e 01/15 ^Assets ^Liabilities

# how much did I spend and earn this month?
  ledger bal ^Expenses ^Income --invert

# how much was spent over the course of 3 days? (totalled)
  ledger reg -b 01/25 -e 01/27 --subtotal
  ledger reg -b 01/25 -e 01/27 --subtotal grocery

Format

Basic format

2013/01/03 * Rent for January
  Expenses:Rent   $600.00
  Assets:Savings

* = cleared, ! = pending

Secondary dates

2008/01/01=2008/01/14 Client invoice

It can mean anything you want, eg, for the estimated date you’ll be paid.

Balance assertions

2008/01/01 * KFC
  Expenses:Food    $20
  Assets:Cash     $-20  = $500

Cash $X = $500 ensures Cash is at $500 after the transaction.

Balance assignment

2008/01/01 * Cash balance
  Assets:Cash              = $500
  Equity:Adjustments

2008/01/01 * KFC
  Expenses:Food            $20
  Assets:Cash              = $500

ACCOUNT = $500 figures out what’s needed to make it $500.

Payables

2008/04/25 * Rent
  (Assets:Checking)  -$200
  Expenses:Rent

Commodities

; cost per item
2010/05/31 * Market
  Assets:Fridge                35 apples @ $0.42
  Assets:Cash

; total cost
2010/05/31 * Market
  Assets:Fridge                35 apples @@ $14.70
  Assets:Cash

; fixed lot prices
2010/05/31 * Gas
  Expenses:Gasoline             11 GAL {=$2.299}
  Assets:Cash

Commodity definitions

commodity $
  note American Dollars
  format $1,000.00
  nomarket
  default

Budgeting

~ Monthly
  Expenses:Rent  $500
  Expenses:Food  $100
  Expenses        $40 ; everything else
  Assets

~ Yearly

ledger bal --budget Expenses
ledger bal --unbudgeted Expenses

Comments

; line comment
# also line comment
% also line comment
| also line comment
* also line comment

Querying

Periods

[interval] [begin] [end]

interval:
  every day|week|month|quarter|year
  every N days|weeks|...
  daily|weekly|...

begin:
  from <spec>
end:
  to <spec>

spec:
  2004
  2004/10/1

$ ledger bal|reg --period "until aug"
$ ledger bal|reg --period "last oct"
$ ledger bal|reg --period "every week"

Register

$ ledger reg

  -D, --daily
  -W, --weekly
  -M, --monthly
      --quarterly
  -Y, --yearly
  -s, --subtotal
  --start-of-week monday

  -S, --sort date
  -S, --sort amount

Filters

-b, --begin DATE
-e, --end DATE

-d payee =~ /pioneer/

-C, --cleared    # (with *)
-U, --uncleared  # (no *)
    --pending    # (with !)

-R, --real       # ignore virtual postings (eg: "(Cash)  $-400")
-L, --actual     # no automated postings (eg: "= /^Income/")

-r, --related   # show the other side
                # "reg -r savings" shows where it comes from)

Queries

^regex$
@payee
%tag
=note
#code
term and term
term or term
not term
\( term \)

Example:

ledger r ^expenses and @Denny's
ledger r food and @Starbucks and not dining

Display

-n, --collapse       # [register] collapse entries
                     # [balance] no grand total
-s, --subtotal       # [balance] show sub-accounts
                     # [other] show subtotals
--flat

Effective dates

2008/01/01=2008/01/14 Client invoice  ;  estimated date you'll be paid
  Assets:Accounts Receivable            $100.00
  Income: Client name

Say you’re in business. If you bill a customer, you can enter something like above. Then, when you receive the payment, you change it to:

2008/01/01=2008/01/15 Client invoice ;  actual date money received
  Assets:Accounts Receivable            $100.00
  Income: Client name

References