Missing equity:opening balances account?

[David Carlson]

On 5/3/2015 6:34 AM, Allan wrote:
> I set up an empty new file, imported csv files to create my accounts,
> and I didn't have any opening balance TX. Edit account on the checking
> account didn't show the opening balance tab like New account did. So I
> created an Equity:Opening Balances account eventually by creating a
> new account with an opening balance in the tab.
>
> Is that correct? The right way to create an opening balances account?
>
> Allan
>
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Allan

The right way to use GnuCash is the way that works for you.  Having said
that, it helps if you at least pretend to follow common accounting
practice so you can show your work to an accountant and (s)he will
understand what you are up to.

In your case the answer is to try creating a new test account of the
type you are interested in and switch to the opening balance tab while
doing that.  Actually, the opening balance tab is just a mini-wizard
designed to help you get that opening balance transaction entered
"correctly."  I personally think that it should still be visible if you
go back and try to edit an existing account, but the theory is that
would cause more mistakes than it would fix.

Anyway, once you have seen an opening balance transaction you can
manually add a similar transaction to any account where you "forgot" to
do it in the first place.  I have used this technique often when I
decided that I wanted more history in a particular account than I had
initially entered.  I just use the default "Equity:Opening Balances"
account.  Sometimes I even do that to "Offset for missing transactions"
that I think I will fill in later.

Have fun.

avid C