[GNC] Reconciliation problems NEW OCCURENCE

Wed May 6 22:12:16 EDT 2026

Billie,

KEEP your messages on the list by using REPLY-ALL.

Although you haven't really addressed most of the questions I asked previously, it appears that your primary problem is that transactions you enter at one point are not there the next time you open GnuCash. 

Since you can use the software and open your file, hardware failure can be ruled out. 

In my 20-plus years using GnuCash (and many years using computers), selective data loss as you describe has only occurred because of failures on my part (forgetting to save), or failures in the broader system (power failure leading to loss of unsaved data). On rare occasions, a software glitch has caused a program to crash with the loss of unsaved data. I'll note that all of these problems relate back to the unsaved data part, which is why everyone advises to "save early, save often."

I have neither experienced nor heard any report of GnuCash losing data on its own in all that time, so something else is going on. 

It also seems odd to me that only this one account seems to be affected-- and only for certain types of transaction. 

Please refer to my April 30 message and try to answer the specific questions I asked then regarding your backup procedure. What you're describing only seems possible if you're opening the same (unedited) file over and over again.

In addition, please explain a little more clearly how it is that you entered transactions continually during the month, but only noticed they were missing at reconcile time. Do you see the transactions in your credit card register but not in the reconciliation window? 

You say you've used GnuCash for 12 years successfully. Have you changed anything significant in the system or the software prior to this problem arising? Have you had this credit card for a long time as well? Do you have other credit cards tracked in GnuCash? Are they okay? 

David T. 

On May 6, 2026 11:44:41 PM GMT+05:30, Billie 66 <darrah66 at gmail.com> wrote:
>Dear David,
>
>I will try to explain: 
>In April I went to reconcile a credit card account and found that all the charges for April were missing. I had entered them continually during the month, but no charges were listed, but the payments were listed, resulting in credit balances from March 30 forward. So I RE-entered all the charges and reconciled the account for April. 
>
>I then backed up Gnu wilh a new name in case the then current backup was corrupt. 
>
>Now I have the SAME problem with this account – no charges listed from March 30 forward, but payments are listed. All the charges I had listed to make sure before I reconciled – and during the month were gone!
>
>IN ADDITION- two other accounts were similarly affected- only they don’t show ANY charges for the life of the account! But the payments are showing. Even though One was reconciled on October 26, 2025 and all was ok at that time.  I have done reconciliations this year and they were current up until when April came along.
>
>Another- also-No charges showing for the life of the account, but program shows it reconciled up to December
>
> 
>
>NOW GET THIS- My BANK account had not been affected. I don’t understand why. I can’t imagine what I could’ve done to cause this behaviour of the program. I’m no IT engineer, but I have worked with data entry and accounting for 60 years and know how to use this program- which has been a great accounting program that I have been using for about a dozen years!!! I have installed the lates updates and appreciate the added features, but I am stumped.
>
> 
>
>I could possibly just enter a one time offsetting entry and start from then, but I’m afraid it will just keep happening.
>
> 
>
> 
>
> 
>
> 
>
>From: David T. <sunfish62 at yahoo.com> 
>Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2026 11:20 AM
>To: darrah66 at gmail.com; Billie 66 <darrah66 at gmail.com>; gnucash-user at gnucash.org
>Subject: RE: [GNC] Reconciliation problems NEW OCCURENCE
>
> 
>
>Please keep messages on the list by using Reply-All.
>
>You assert that GnuCash (not "GNU") messed up your credit card account. Can you explain specifically how GnuCash messed up your data? And it appears to have happened again? 
>
>You say you have the SAME PROBLEM, does that mean the opening balance is wrong? That was, after all, your original question. 
>
>You entered all your purchases, and they are now gone? Is it possible that they are in a different account (e.g., IMBALANCE-USD), rather than the credit card account? 
>
>You say you backed up your file. How did you do this? Did you use File->Save As? If so, did you remember to open your original file again, so that the backup remains safe? Did you copy the data file to an external location in your file manager? Which file, precisely, did you back up? 
>
>Is it possible that you're opening different copies of your data file? That's the only way I can imagine data disappearing from a data file. 
>
>It frankly sounds like there are several problems occurring at once, and I have no idea how you should proceed to untangle them. 
>
>David T. 
>
> 
>
>On April 30, 2026 10:48:59 PM GMT+05:30, Billie 66 <darrah66 at gmail.com <mailto:darrah66 at gmail.com> > wrote:
>
>Yes- I know how to look for the difference. But I found one transaction that corrected the new difference to $900. Which suggested to me a 9 Error. So that was solved.
>
>NOW HOWEVER: early in April GNU messed up my credit card account by now showing any of the purchases I had entered and reconciled. So I re-entered everything and reconciled it, and made a new backup on April7. Today- SAME Problem. Now that account has no purchases . only payments going back to August of 2025.Ys are indicating everything reconciled -so where are the purchase entries hiding???? No other accounts are affected. 
>
> 
>
>From: David T. <sunfish62 at yahoo.com <mailto:sunfish62 at yahoo.com> > 
>Sent: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 7:33 PM
>To: gnucash-user at gnucash.org <mailto:gnucash-user at gnucash.org> ; David Carlson <david.carlson.417 at gmail.com <mailto:david.carlson.417 at gmail.com> >; Billie Chandler <darrah66 at gmail.com <mailto:darrah66 at gmail.com> >
>Subject: Re: [GNC] Reconciliation problems
>
> 
>
>A couple of points:
>
>1) Generally, one can disregard the starting balance. The number to focus on is the ending balance. The documentation goes into some detail on this point. 
>
>2) You have a transaction for $1026.72 throwing things off. That is the difference between $709.96 and $1736.68 and also the difference between the cleared balance and the closing balance in your screen shot. Figure that out, and your problem should clear up. Perhaps you've entered something twice, or the ending balance wasn't entered correctly. 
>
>David T. 
>
> 
>
>On April 8, 2026 7:07:00 PM GMT+05:30, David Carlson <david.carlson.417 at gmail.com <mailto:david.carlson.417 at gmail.com> > wrote:
>
>Here is one thing that you may try:
>
>https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/FAQ#Q:_I_cannot_reconcile_an_account_with_the_Reconciliation_Assistant_and_I_don.27t_know_what_to_do_now.
>
>
>On Tue, Apr 7, 2026 at 9:48 PM Billie Chandler <darrah66 at gmail.com <mailto:darrah66 at gmail.com> > wrote:
>
>I’m having trouble with the starting balance . After balancing perfectly
>the previous month, the next reconciliation picked up a wrong starting
>balance. The previous month balanced at $709.96 but as you can see, it
>picked up $1736.68. There is no way to correct that?
>Please help.
>
>
>Billie Chandler
>702-539-3911
>
>
>  _____  
>
>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
>
>
>  _____  
>
>Please remember to CC this list on all your replies.
>You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All.
>
> 
>