Running a fund

A fund is a hisaab where everyone pays the same amount each month into one fund, and the fund pays for things — office chai, a mess, society maintenance. Nobody owes anybody: the fund owes, or is owed. Chukta keeps the record; it never holds, moves or pays out the money.

Starting one

Choose A fund when you make a hisaab. Set what everyone pays per month, the month dues start (this month or earlier), and anything already in the fund. The hisaab's currency is the fund's, and it stays that way.

Marking who has paid

Any member records contributions with Mark paid on the fund screen: pick the month, tap the members who paid, record. One tap covers older months still pending; a different amount goes through the keypad. A member can mark their own payment — the fund ledger shows it as "marked own payment" so whoever holds the fund can check. See Recording a payment for the split side of the same idea.

Notices and pay links

On the 1st of each month, anyone whose dues for the new month are still pending gets one notice on the phone saying what is pending. Remind on a pending month sends your own message with a pay link: it shows the months it covers, and the member can mark it paid without an account — the fund ledger shows that as "marked paid from a pay link", with the name of whoever sent it.

Comments on an entry

Open any entry in the fund's ledger — a payment, a repayment, money paid back to a member, or a waiver — to read its comments and add one. Everyone in the fund is notified, as for expenses. Members who can only view can read them. To report someone else's comment to Chukta, press and hold it in the app, or select Report beside it on the web.

The same person twice

If someone was added without the app and later joined by link, they show up twice. An admin of the hisaab can merge the two: in the hisaab's settings, under Members, choose Same person as… on the row without the app and pick who to keep. Everything recorded for that row moves to one row, and this cannot be undone. Anyone who can edit can instead use Waive all pending on the older row and stop its dues; then the older row's payments stay under its name.

What the screen shows

IN THE FUND is the cash on hand: the opening amount, plus every contribution, minus what the fund paid and paid back. Under it, the month line — "September · 7 of 8 paid · Rs 800 pending" — and your own line: paid till which month, or what is pending from which month. Pending lists who owes which month, with Remind and Waive; the month chips show everyone's status for that month.

Paying from the fund, or from your pocket

Add an expense as usual and pick where the money came from: The fund, or My pocket · repay me. An expense paid from a pocket shows "fund owes Ahmed Rs 6,000" until someone records Repay on it. A refund of a fund expense goes back into the fund.

Months that differ

Under Plan (Settings › Fund plan): make one month cost more or less, skip a month for everyone, change the standing due, or note who holds the fund. Per member, under Members: Counts from, Pays (a personal amount, or "Doesn't pay") and Dues stop — the last month they owe, stamped when someone leaves from the phone, or set by hand on another member's row.

Leaving, closing, exporting

Leaving a fund is on the phone. Any older month still pending has to be paid first; this month can be waived or recorded; then the fund repays anything it owes them for what they paid from their own pocket, and can pay back anything else it owes them. A repayment skipped there stays owed. Closing a fund stops dues at the month it closes. Export gives the fund ledger with Opening / In / Out / Closing for any range, a Collection sheet of who paid which month, and a FUND block on the printable statement.