What Is an Opening Balance?
Your opening balance is simply the balance of your bank account right before Puzzle started tracking it. It's the starting point Puzzle uses to make sure your numbers are accurate going forward.
What to Expect When You First Reconcile
The first time you reconcile a bank or credit card account in Puzzle, you'll be asked to confirm the opening balance for that account. This is normal — it only happens once per account.
My Opening Balance Shows $0 — Is That OK?
Yes, that's actually a good sign! It means Puzzle was able to pull in your full transaction history, so there's nothing missing. You don't need to change anything.
💡 This is common for accounts that have been open less than 12 months, since most banks allow Puzzle to access the full history including the initial deposit.
Why Might I Have a Non-Zero Opening Balance?
Some banks only share a limited amount of transaction history with Puzzle. When that happens, Puzzle can't see all the way back to when you first opened the account — so it estimates your opening balance based on:
Your account balance at the time you connected to Puzzle
All the transactions it was able to import
In other words: current balance + what Puzzle knows about your past transactions = estimated opening balance.
How Do I Know If My Opening Balance Is Correct?
Cross-check it against your actual bank statement. Find the date of your earliest transaction in Puzzle and check what your bank balance was on that date. That's what your opening balance in Puzzle should match.
If it doesn't match, you'll want to update it (see below).
How to Edit Your Opening Balance
Go to Accounting — you'll land on the bank reconciliation screen
Find the account you want to update
Click the three dots (⋯) on the far right
Select the option to update your opening balance and enter the correct amount
⚠️ Note: If you've already completed a bank reconciliation, you may need to undo it before you can edit the opening balance. Once updated, refresh the page to see the new balance reflected.
