Set the Start Point (Baseline)

The start point, called the baseline, is the day you start reconciling a bank or card account in Arcus. You tell Arcus the real bank balance on that day. Everything on the account up to that day is treated as already settled, so Arcus stops asking you about it. You set it once per account, before the first month you close. Why this matters, and how it fits with the daily review and the month-end close: Reconciling, Start to Finish.

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Before You Start

• You need the bank statement (or the bank’s balance) for the day you pick. Most companies pick the last day of a month, such as June 30, because a statement ends that day.
• Record what the bank paid or received up to that day that your books do not have yet: a bank fee, a deposit nobody recorded. The wizard shows you if something is missing.
• You need permission to post accounting.
• No reconciliation session can be open on the account. If one is, the card says so: finish or cancel it first.

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Steps

1. Open Finance > Close & Reconcile > Bank Reconciliation.
2. On the account’s card, click Set baseline. The Set reconciliation baseline window opens.
3. Baseline (anchor) date: pick the day.
4. Real bank balance at that date: type the closing balance from the statement for that day. It is the bank’s number, not the one in your ledger. On a credit card or line of credit the field reads Balance owed at that date: type the amount owed, entered as a positive number.
   • When the account has a bank feed, Arcus shows Suggested balance from your bank feed (on a card, Suggested balance owed from your bank feed) with Use this. It is a cross-check worked out from what the bank reports today, less the lines dated after your day. If it differs from the statement, type the statement figure. When a pending item could go either way, Arcus shows both figures; use the one your statement prints.
5. Add a note if you like, such as “June statement”, then click Continue to preview.
6. Read the preview:
   • GL lines to mark reconciled: the ledger lines on this account dated on or before your day.
   • Feed lines to close: the bank lines dated on or before your day. They are closed as already settled, not excluded.
7. If a check or deposit was in your books by that day but the bank had not cleared it yet, open Keep GL lines open and tick it. Those lines stay open and you match them later. They are the only choice that changes the variance.
8. If a bank line dated on or before your day still needs a decision, open Keep bank feed lines for review and tick it. It stays in For Review instead of closing. This does not change the variance.
9. Click Apply baseline.

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If Arcus Shows a Variance

Before it writes anything, Arcus checks that your books and the bank agree on that day. If they do not, a yellow box headed Anchor variance is not $0.00 shows the arithmetic: To clear it, do one of these, then apply again:

• Keep open a check or deposit the bank had not cleared yet (step 7).
• Close the window, record the missing item (a bank fee, an unrecorded deposit) in your books, and start again.
• Check the balance you typed against the statement.

Apply baseline stays unavailable while there is a variance, until you tick the box Accept this variance and apply anyway (recorded on the baseline session). Applying then sets the start point with the difference and records it on the baseline session. Use it only when you know why the difference exists and your accountant agrees.

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When It Is Done

The window shows what was applied: how many ledger lines were marked reconciled, how many bank lines were closed, and any lines adopted because they were already matched. Click Done. The account card then shows a Baseline badge with the date, and Reconciled through shows that day. Your first month to close starts the day after.

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What It Does Not Do

• It posts no journal entry. It only marks lines as settled and records the day on the account.
• It deletes nothing. Lines closed under the start point stay on the account’s history.
• A start point is set once per account in this window. Changing it later is not done here.

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