The closing balance is wrong: check the opening amount before inventing a purchase
By Erik Nilsen · Kroni2 min read
A money record can contain every later event correctly and still end with the wrong balance. The mistake may be the opening amount. Check it against the original count before adding an expense to make the figures agree.
Follow identical events from two opening amounts
In a hypothetical example, your child's cash was counted as 45 units. An adult mistakenly copied 54 onto the sheet. Your child then received 10 and spent 12. The arbitrary amounts are invented, with no other events in the exercise.
The sheet shows 54 + 10 − 12 = 52 units. A new count instead shows 45 + 10 − 12 = 43. The difference between record and cash is 9, exactly the difference between the wrong and correct opening amounts: 54 − 45 = 9.
A purchase of 9 is not necessarily missing. Inventing that expense would hide the copying error and create a history that never happened.
Correct the source and retain the explanation
A practical snag is assuming your child spent money without telling anyone. First compare the dated opening count with the copied figure. Once 45 is confirmed as the opening amount, recalculate with the same receipt and purchase.
Write a brief note: “Opening amount corrected from 54 to 45; 10 received and 12 spent remain unchanged.” Your child can then follow why the final balance is 43. The correction is neither a new payment nor a loss.
If the opening count cannot be confirmed, this example's solution is not established. Count actual cash together and investigate the events without guessing who did something wrong.
Ask your family: “Is an event missing, or did we start with the wrong figure?”
Clarify what the virtual balance represents
Kroni keeps track using a virtual balance and does not transfer money. Cash your child has received and amounts an adult still owes are different things. This exercise concerns money actually received. Agree how it fits your record so the same amount is not counted both as received and still unpaid. Read about allowance in Kroni.
