[GNC] Imbalance Records with zero amounts

[Jim DeLaHunt]

On 2024-06-26 08:20, Joseph Hesse wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I have several consecutive records in my imbalance account where the 
> amounts in the deposit and withdrawal columns are both zero (blank). … 
> This seems like a bug or an error in my bookkeeping.  I am using the 
> latest version of gnucash.

I suspect that this might be the result of clumsy data entry combined 
with clumsy but well-meaning attempts by GnuCash to be helpful.

As you know, double-entry bookkeeping requires every transaction to be 
balanced, that is, to have its credits equal its debits. GnuCash 
enforces this requirement, but only when it saves a transaction, not 
while you are actively entering or editing the transaction. But, it is 
possible to tell GnuCash to save a transaction when you don't mean to, 
while you think you are still doing data entry.

If you enter some splits of a transaction, but you have not yet entered 
all the splits or balanced them, and you inadvertently tell GnuCash to 
save the transaction, GnuCash will see that the transaction is not 
balanced. It will create a split to a special "Imbalance" account with 
an amount that exactly balances the transaction. Then it finishes saving 
the transaction. If you then continue your data entry, GnuCash 
interprets that as editing an existing transaction, and lets you 
continue. When you finish entering and balancing all the splits, the 
transaction is now imbalanced again, due precisely to that split which 
GnuCash added, to the "Imbalance" account. GnuCash changes the debit and 
credit amounts of that split to balance the transaction.  The result is 
that the debit and credit amounts of that split become zero.  You might 
think that GnuCash should remove that split, but it does not do so.

I make it a policy to not allow any entries in the Imbalance account(s) 
in my book. When I find one with non-zero debit or credit amounts, that 
indicates an error in my transaction. I go to the transaction and fix 
the error. When I find an entry in the Imalance account with zero debit 
and credit amounts, I go to that transaction and delete the split with 
the "Imbalance" account.

Does that explain what you are seeing?  Best regards,
       —Jim DeLaHunt