[GNC] Newbie question

Steve Welch steve.welch.1 at icloud.com
Mon Sep 27 20:15:30 EDT 2021


Everyone - just wanted to say thanks to each of you who took time to give me a welcome and suggestions.  I hope to have time to experiment further this week…and I’ll touch base offline if needed.
Since I was getting the digest version, I saw most of your responses at one shot.  Have since switched to non-digest.  Still getting used to the mail listserve.  It’s been a minute since I was on one of these :) 

Steve

> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2021 21:59:34 -0400
> From: Steve Welch <steve.welch.1 at icloud.com>
> To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> Subject: [GNC] Newbie question
> Message-ID: <39C16714-B7E2-47F1-A74F-E772A275F8D7 at icloud.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=utf-8
> 
> Hi!
> 
> I?m just getting started with GnuCash and have imported my QIF file from Moneydance.  Excited to take it for a spin!
> My question is regarding beginning (opening) account balances.  Moneydance has an opening balance field in the account setup window, but evidently that field isn?t accessible in GnuCash unless setting up a new account.
> The problem I seem to be having is that the beginning balances that had been in Moneydance did not import into Gnu, so my accounts are off.
> I am figuring I can manually enter an opening balance transaction for each account but wanted to make sure I wasn?t missing a more elegant (or obvious) solution.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Steve
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2021 17:16:09 -0500
> From: "Fross, Michael" <michael at fross.org>
> To: Steve Welch <steve.welch.1 at icloud.com>
> Cc: Gnucash-User <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Newbie question
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAMD2Dfsc6tNAn_1G5idZmbkMBZZcmSmvn6sRf=uTrVFWscJXaQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> 
> Hello Steve.  Welcome to GnuCash!
> 
> While I'm not an expert, in my experience, an opening balance is just a
> normal transaction.  There are typically two splits.  (1) is a deposit into
> the account, and (2) is a withdrawal from the Equity:Opening Balances
> account.  Remember GnuCash used double entry accounting so the insert has
> to match with a decrease elsewhere.
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> Michael
> 
> On Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 4:40 PM Steve Welch via gnucash-user <
> gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
> 
>> Hi!
>> 
>> I?m just getting started with GnuCash and have imported my QIF file from
>> Moneydance.  Excited to take it for a spin!
>> My question is regarding beginning (opening) account balances.  Moneydance
>> has an opening balance field in the account setup window, but evidently
>> that field isn?t accessible in GnuCash unless setting up a new account.
>> The problem I seem to be having is that the beginning balances that had
>> been in Moneydance did not import into Gnu, so my accounts are off.
>> I am figuring I can manually enter an opening balance transaction for each
>> account but wanted to make sure I wasn?t missing a more elegant (or
>> obvious) solution.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> Steve
>> _______________________________________________
>> gnucash-user mailing list
>> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
>> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
>> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
>> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see
>> https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
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>> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
>> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
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> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 7
> Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2021 18:43:21 -0400
> From: Jack Frillman <jcf_m_lists at me.com>
> To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Newbie question
> Message-ID: <00750681-ad41-122b-8c42-8e7488e30709 at me.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
> 
> Steve,
> 
> I switched from Moneydance as you did about six months ago. The 
> conversion went fine for me except the account balances were off. To 
> correct for that I just went to each account that was off and entered an 
> opening balance, at the very beginning of the ledger, for the amount 
> that was it off by and then everything was fine and has been fine since 
> then.
> 
> Hope that helps.
> 
> If you have any question regarding switchin form Moneydace to GNUCash 
> you ask me directly if you wish since I have doe the same conversion.
> 
> Jack
> 
> On 9/25/21 9:59 PM, Steve Welch via gnucash-user wrote:
>> Hi!
>> 
>> I?m just getting started with GnuCash and have imported my QIF file from Moneydance.  Excited to take it for a spin!
>> My question is regarding beginning (opening) account balances.  Moneydance has an opening balance field in the account setup window, but evidently that field isn?t accessible in GnuCash unless setting up a new account.
>> The problem I seem to be having is that the beginning balances that had been in Moneydance did not import into Gnu, so my accounts are off.
>> I am figuring I can manually enter an opening balance transaction for each account but wanted to make sure I wasn?t missing a more elegant (or obvious) solution.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> Steve
>> _______________________________________________
>> gnucash-user mailing list
>> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
>> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
>> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
>> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
>> -----
>> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
>> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> 
> -- 
> Old Unix programmers never die, they just mv to /dev/null
> - Anonymous
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 8
> Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2021 18:24:59 -0500
> From: William Prescott <will at theprescotts.com>
> To: GnuCash Users <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Newbie question
> Message-ID: <638B04A6-7379-49FD-8062-FC8AF6227273 at theprescotts.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=utf-8
> 
> One quirk I noticed about opening balances is that that account seemed to be locked. When setting up a new account you could set the opening balances, but you couldn't change them later. I had to go into the account editor and unlock the opening balances account.
> 
> Will
> 
> On 2021 Sep 26, at 09-26 17:43:21, Jack Frillman via gnucash-user <gnucash-user at gnucash.org> wrote:
> 
> Steve,
> 
> I switched from Moneydance as you did about six months ago. The conversion went fine for me except the account balances were off. To correct for that I just went to each account that was off and entered an opening balance, at the very beginning of the ledger, for the amount that was it off by and then everything was fine and has been fine since then.
> 
> Hope that helps.
> 
> If you have any question regarding switchin form Moneydace to GNUCash you ask me directly if you wish since I have doe the same conversion.
> 
> Jack
> 
> On 9/25/21 9:59 PM, Steve Welch via gnucash-user wrote:
>> Hi!
>> 
>> I?m just getting started with GnuCash and have imported my QIF file from Moneydance.  Excited to take it for a spin!
>> My question is regarding beginning (opening) account balances.  Moneydance has an opening balance field in the account setup window, but evidently that field isn?t accessible in GnuCash unless setting up a new account.
>> The problem I seem to be having is that the beginning balances that had been in Moneydance did not import into Gnu, so my accounts are off.
>> I am figuring I can manually enter an opening balance transaction for each account but wanted to make sure I wasn?t missing a more elegant (or obvious) solution.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> Steve
>> _______________________________________________
>> gnucash-user mailing list
>> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
>> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
>> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
>> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
>> -----
>> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
>> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> 
> -- 
> Old Unix programmers never die, they just mv to /dev/null
> - Anonymous
> 
> _______________________________________________
> gnucash-user mailing list
> gnucash-user at gnucash.org
> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user
> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists for more information.
> -----
> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 9
> Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2021 19:56:17 -0400
> From: Steve Welch <steve.welch.1 at icloud.com>
> To: "Fross, Michael" <michael at fross.org>
> Cc: Gnucash-User <gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
> Subject: Re: [GNC] Newbie question
> Message-ID: <1F0C2AE5-2D9A-4FEA-B1BC-733B5920314F at icloud.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=utf-8
> 
> Thanks Michael!  Yep, makes total sense (I do accounting work as part of my day job, so I understand double entry).  I played around with making an opening balance entry, but things are still way off.  Sigh.  Now I?m gonna have to get creative and figure out what didn?t import correctly via QIF?
> Such fun!
> 
> Steve
> 
>> On Sep 26, 2021, at 6:16 PM, Fross, Michael <michael at fross.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hello Steve.  Welcome to GnuCash!  
>> 
>> While I'm not an expert, in my experience, an opening balance is just a normal transaction.  There are typically two splits.  (1) is a deposit into the account, and (2) is a withdrawal from the Equity:Opening Balances account.  Remember GnuCash used double entry accounting so the insert has to match with a decrease elsewhere.
>> 
>> Good luck.
>> 
>> Michael
>> 
>> On Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 4:40 PM Steve Welch via gnucash-user <gnucash-user at gnucash.org <mailto:gnucash-user at gnucash.org>> wrote:
>> Hi!
>> 
>> I?m just getting started with GnuCash and have imported my QIF file from Moneydance.  Excited to take it for a spin!
>> My question is regarding beginning (opening) account balances.  Moneydance has an opening balance field in the account setup window, but evidently that field isn?t accessible in GnuCash unless setting up a new account.
>> The problem I seem to be having is that the beginning balances that had been in Moneydance did not import into Gnu, so my accounts are off.
>> I am figuring I can manually enter an opening balance transaction for each account but wanted to make sure I wasn?t missing a more elegant (or obvious) solution.
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> Steve
>> _______________________________________________
>> gnucash-user mailing list
>> gnucash-user at gnucash.org <mailto:gnucash-user at gnucash.org>
>> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe:
>> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user <https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user>
>> If you are using Nabble or Gmane, please see https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists <https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/Mailing_Lists> for more information.
>> -----
>> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
>> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
> 
> 
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