Beancount Basics

Beancount is a plain-text accounting system with a precise syntax and tooling for validation and reporting.

Files and directives

• A Beancount file holds transactions, balances, and metadata.
• Directives include open, close, balance, pad, and price.
• Transactions are dated and list postings that balance.

Workflow

• Write or import transactions into a .beancount file.
• Run the Beancount checker to validate the ledger.
• Use reporting tools to inspect balances and activity.