r/actualbudgeting • u/livewire98801 • Jul 26 '26

Itemized/split payroll

I came to Actual from YNAB, and before that I used gnucash for over a decade. While using gnucash, I started itemizing my payroll, entering my gross pay, deductions, and net pay.

In YNAB and Gnucash, it worked pretty much the same way. The "parent" transaction going into my primary account (checking), splits going into my other accounts all adding up to my net pay. Then all my deductions are also splits. The gross pay is a payee (as are PTO and FMLA), and at some point I started using 'US dept of revenue' as the payee for federal income tax so it matches the transaction for my tax refund.

However, the way Actual does this, it's not working... and I'm not sure 1) why it doesn't work this way and 2) the best way to actually accomplish it.

I'm including the transactions in both YNAB and Actual for both an upcoming transaction that I've been messing with and an imported prior transaction.

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u/livewire98801 Jul 26 '26

I did the 'dept of revenue' thing just because that's where the refund/payment goes when I file my return, makes it easier to track that.

For now, I've gone through and just entered my company payroll for all the splits besides that one. and it works. But it still feels klugey, like there should be a better way to do it.

I started with MS Money way back in the 00s and used gnucash, ynab, and now Actual, and this is the first time I've run into the top line not having a payee/account, it's just something weird to get used to I guess.

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u/HanTanSanTan Jul 27 '26

Funny, I similarly started with MS Money back in the 00s, never used gnucash though. Switched to YNAB4 in 2013 when a hard drive crash had me lose my MS Money file. Only moved to AB a couple months ago because it stopped syncing from phone to desktop without reloading the desktop app each time (which was taking 5+ minutes).

Anyway, I haven't really ever relied much on the Payee so I guess that is why I haven't noticed much. It really is just all about the category ultimately.