[GNC] Reconciliation is not adding up correctly - what to do??

[David T.]

Adrien,

> On Jan 28, 2019, at 6:47 PM, Adrien Monteleone <adrien.monteleone at lusfiber.net> wrote:
> 
> I could be wrong, but I read “opening balance” to mean the balance when the account was created in GnuCash, not the “starting balance” for the reconciliation. Certainly, when you first create an account, you have to tell GnuCash how much is already in the account if it pre-existed.

Here’s the thing: when you create an account, it will have zero reconciled. So, if you haven’t reconciled your account before, the opening balance will always be zero. The screen shot clearly shows a non zero opening balance, meaning that some reconciliation has already taken place. 

> 
> It could be that the user is erroneously entering this as the reconciliation starting balance without it first being reconciled.

AH, but you *can’t* enter an opening balance; it’s automatically calculated from all previously-reconciled splits.

> 
> I’d think the solution is either:
> 
> 1. Reconcile only the opening balance transaction, then proceed with a regular reconciliation, using that amount as the ’starting balance'
> 2. Use a 'starting balance' of zero and know you have to check off that initial transaction as if it appeared on the bank statement. (because technically it does in the ‘beginning balance’ figure on the statement.

Those are the suggestions in the Guide, I believe.

> 
> On the point of being ’slightly off’, I understood the OP to mean that previously they do not regularly reconcile, but rather ‘cursorily view’ their account and do not usually worry about exactness until the end of the year. (presumably when an actual reconciliation is done)

My point still stands; if even one transaction is “slightly off,” then you won’t finish the reconciliation. Moreover, roll any such inconsistencies in to problems with overall balances, and you quickly have a knot that is impossible to untangle. Better to eliminate one source of inconsistencies and see where the remaining problems lie. I suspect there’s more, since I can’t get any of the supplied numbers to balance out.

David

> 
> Regards,
> Adrien
>