Reconciling an account

[Derek Atkins]

Hi Dean,

On Mon, June 5, 2017 2:52 pm, Dean Gibson wrote:
> Make sure that the reconciliation "beginning date" is the same as that
> on your statement.  A different date will create a different beginning
> balance.

This is not correct.  You cannot change the beginning date.  That date is
the "closing" date from your last reconcile.  GnuCash tries to figure out
the correct closing date based on the last two reconciles.  The EXACT date
only affects GnuCash's proposed ending balance, and will affect the next
suggested closing date.  It has very little other meaning.

So yes, you should correct the ending date, and verify the starting date. 
But if the starting date is wrong there's nothing you can do about it.

>    In any case, don't change the balance manually, unless you
> have a good reason to.

This is ABSOLUTELY wrong.  You should ABSOLUTELY change the ending balance
to match the correct balance from your statement!  You may have entries in
your books that didn't clear (e.g. a check that hasn't been deposited yet)
that will affect your balance but wont be on the statement.

So sorry, you should absolutely change the ending balance in the reconcile
dialog to be the correct balance from your statement.  Then when you check
off the items you'll ensure your books and the bank books are in sync.

> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins                 617-623-3745
       derek at ihtfp.com             www.ihtfp.com
       Computer and Internet Security Consultant