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

[Finbar Mahon]

OK, let's go again.

1. I started using GNUCash with effect from 1.1.2018

2. For this particular a/c the figure €3986.22 is the balance in the 
a/c, taken from the bank statement on 28.12.2017, after the last 
transaction on that date.

3. I had a non-zero opening balance, in the sense that I created (named) 
the a/c in Gnucash and then started with the figure above, so that I 
could continue from the previous a/c into 2018. Should I have ignored 
the opening balance, the amount in the bank on 28.12.2017??

4. Having worked our the logic of 'view' (not a whole lot in the help 
about it, afaics.) I am working my way along another a/c tidying up 
things like cheques being entered on the date they were  written as 
opposed to the date they were cleared, etc. I am making good progress, 
learning that I should do reconciliations more often, some people take a 
long time to present the cheques ;-)

5. The numbers on the screen grab are exactly what my problem is. In 
some of my (very simple, not many entries) a/cs the numbers balance out 
nicely, as they should. I appreciate that a 'perfect' reconciliation 
should have no 'loose' centimes, but if the figures are within that sort 
of limit, I don't worry, I am not auditing a multinational.

Maybe I should just work on the appropriate 'view' in this a/c, say, 
month by month, tidying up the issues, and see what happens?

Thanks again for your patience.

Finbar



On 28/01/2019 13:12, David T. wrote:
> There is a lot to unpack here.
>
> You say you started at the beginning of 2018 and entered "the closing 
> balance for 2017.
>
> Was that balance taken from a statement? Or just from the bank website 
> as of that date?
>
> I can't see how any of the various numbers (the numbers on the screen 
> grab or provided in your message) could be combined to balance out. 
> And where does this 3986.22 figure come from?
>
> Next, if this truly is your first reconciliation, how is it that you 
> have a non zero opening balance? Gnucash derives this number by taking 
> all entries that were previously reconciled. So maybe you reconciled 
> something already?
>
> Finally, you will not be able to reconcile your account if it's 
> inaccurate by even "a few centimes." Gnucash insists on a full match 
> in amount before it allows you to complete the process.  So, you will 
> need to address those as well.
>
> Figure out why Gnucash shows a non zero opening balance and clean up 
> the erroneous transactions, and see where that puts you.
>
> David
>
>     On Mon, Jan 28, 2019 at 15:53, Finbar Mahon
>     <mahon.finbar at neuf.fr> wrote:
>
>     OK,
>
>     As I said, I started on 1.1.2018 with 'nothing' I entered the
>     closing balance for 2017 for the a/c and started entering
>     transactions.
>
>     Unfortunately, coming from Quicken, I didn't do any
>     reconciliations until about December. But casually examining the
>     entries from time to time they seemed 'ok' just a few centimes
>     'off' probably due to finger problems, as I had also experienced
>     with Quicken and sorted them at year end.
>
>     The Opening Balance in the latest iteration of reconcile was what
>     I showed in the screen grab a while back -
>
>     While the a/c entries starting entry shows the bank balance figure
>     €3986.22 and the €5.117.09 ending balance tallies with the bank
>     statement......
>
>     Aha, maybe there is another issue. When I do, as you suggested, 
>     View > Filter By > Status > Reconciled I get nothing!! even when I
>     just chose 'reconcile' or 'select all'
>
>     :-( thanks for the help :-)
>     :-)
>
>
>
>     On 27/01/2019 10:46, Colin Law wrote:
>     On Sun, 27 Jan 2019 at 09:36, Finbar Mahon <mahon.finbar at neuf.fr
>     <mailto:mahon.finbar at neuf.fr>> wrote:
>
>         No, as I said in the original post, I started on 1.1.2018 with
>         GNU, so the first entry in this a/c should be the opening
>         balance for the a/c from the bank statement, €3986.22. The
>         ending balance is correct.
>
>
>     Actually you still haven't stated it clearly.  The question is
>     what does the Opening Balance show when you reconcile?  If this is
>     the first time you have reconciled it then it should show zero
>     (unless the opening balance has been already reconciled).  If it
>     is not zero then that means some transactions have already been
>     reconciled (possibly accidentally).  If you go to the account and
>     then View > Filter By > Status > Reconciled then it should show
>     you just the reconciled transactions.  Clear the reconcile state
>     on all these and you should be good to start the reconcile with a
>     starting balance of zero.  Then the Opening Balance in the account
>     should match the Starting Balance on your bank statement so you
>     can reconcile that one.
>
>     Colin
>
>         Finbar
>
>         On 26/01/2019 18:12, Colin Law wrote:
>>         Do the starting and ending balances shown there match the
>>         ones on the bank statement you are reconciling against?
>>
>>         Colin
>>
>>         On Sat, 26 Jan 2019 at 11:51, Finbar Mahon
>>         <mahon.finbar at neuf.fr <mailto:mahon.finbar at neuf.fr>> wrote:
>>
>>             I don't understand where you are seeing the figures you describe.  Can
>>             you post a screenshot showing it?
>>
>>             This what I get at the bottom right hand side.
>>
>>