Setting opening balances retrospectively.

[Derek Atkins]

Adam Funk <a24061 at yahoo.com> writes:

> I noticed that when you create an account you have the option of
> setting an opening balance, but you can't do this retrospectively with
> "Edit account" from the accounts tree.  So I've been setting up asset
> & liability accounts with very rough guesses of opening balances and
> 01 Oct as the relevant date, since I know that I can correct those values
> in the register later.  But do I need to do this at all?

No.

> Is there any difference between an opening balance entered in the
> "Create account" dialogue and a manual register entry with the typed
> description "Opening Balance" offset against "Equity:Opening
> Balances"?

Nope, no different at all.

> And when, if ever, does an "Opening Balance" get locked --- when I
> reconcile the account?

Well, as much as anything in gnucash is "locked"..  But yeah, once
you reconcile the account (and reconcile the Opening Balance) then
it'll warn you if you try to modify it again.

> Thanks,
> Adam

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
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