Best way to fix incorrect beginning balance?

[NewhopeChatt]

I have read through your comments to the others regarding beginning PC+ as of the beginning of the year. We used QuickBooks prior to PC+. I am not able to balance with the bank statement and I don't know what I've done wrong.
To get the beginning balance for 01/01/12 I took the balance as of 12/31/11 from Quickbooks. The last entry's balance. I then broke it down into the accounts in PC+, General Operating and Designated.
So my first question is, was that the correct way to get a beginning balance; from the checkbook not the bank statement?
Second question: When I went to reconcile our January bank statement PC+ asks for the ending balance, when I put that in and then reconcile I'm $243.00 off. Is the number going to be off because I have checks and deposits clearing from December 2011 that I don't have entered into PC+ and if so how do I fix that?

Thank you for your help,
Debbie

[JohnDMeyers]

You would enter the General Operating checking account beginning balance with this entry:
DB 01-1110-000 checking $10,000
CR 01-3110-000 unrestricted net assets $10,000

You would enter the Designated checking account beginning balance with this entry (assuming one designation):
DB 01-1110-000 checking $3,200
CR 01-3210-101 temp restricted net assets for some designation $3,200

Answering your first question, checkbook or bank statement:
Well, if you do your reconciliation like I do mine, you should be in agreement with the Bank Statement, and you should also have a list of outstanding checks and/or deposits.

Answering your second question, please see my answer to the first question, and then do this:
Enter your Bank Statement ending balance 12/31/11 as your beginning balance, and also enter your outstanding checks and deposits as of that date.

As your checks and deposits come in, presumably in January 2012, you will find them in the reconciliation window as uncleared.

Your questions bring to mind one of two possibilities:
1) organize your 12/31/2011 reconciliation so that you agree with the Bank Statement and you have a clean list of outstanding checks and deposits as of 12/31/2011.

2) enter your outstanding checks and deposits as part of the Startup Wizard. If you have already gone past that point, you may want to re-install and start again. The Startup Wizard is the only way (that I am aware of) to get the outstanding checks and deposits into the system.

[NewhopeChatt]

Our bank statements ending dates change all the time. The January statement goes from 12/28/11- 01/25/12. So to get the correct balance for the beginning of the year I took the balance as of close of business on 12/31/11. That having all the checks and deposits entered prior to that date.
I entered the amounts to begin each account as you said and then began entering the checks written since the first of the year along with the contributions and when I went to reconcile with the January statement I was $243.00 off. The bank saying I have more than PC+ says I have.
Does this make sense as to what I'm saying?

[JohnDMeyers]

I understand.

So, were you able to go online on 12/31/11 and see your bank balance, and the checks and deposits that cleared between 12/28/11 and 12/31/11?

If you weren't able to go online, I am willing to guess that a net of $243.00 cleared in those three days.

[NewhopeChatt]

No, I don't have access to the online banking. So I'm about to re-adjust my account by $243.00 since balancing February's is the same amount off.
Thank you for your help.