diff --git a/app/Helpers/Report/AccountReportHelper.php b/app/Helpers/Report/AccountReportHelper.php
index 6913553b8e..728d5e11d9 100644
--- a/app/Helpers/Report/AccountReportHelper.php
+++ b/app/Helpers/Report/AccountReportHelper.php
@@ -56,6 +56,19 @@ class AccountReportHelper implements AccountReportHelperInterface
                            ->groupBy('accounts.id')
                            ->get(['accounts.id', DB::raw('SUM(`transactions`.`amount`) as `balance`')]);
 
+        // a special consideration for accounts that did exist on this exact day.
+        // we also grab the balance from today just in case, to see if that changes things.
+        // it's a fall back for users who (rightly so) start keeping score at the first of
+        // the month and find the first report lacking / broken.
+        $backupSet = Account::leftJoin('transactions', 'transactions.account_id', '=', 'accounts.id')
+                            ->leftJoin('transaction_journals', 'transaction_journals.id', '=', 'transactions.transaction_journal_id')
+                            ->whereIn('accounts.id', $ids)
+                            ->whereNull('transaction_journals.deleted_at')
+                            ->whereNull('transactions.deleted_at')
+                            ->where('transaction_journals.date', '<=', $start->format('Y-m-d'))
+                            ->groupBy('accounts.id')
+                            ->get(['accounts.id', DB::raw('SUM(`transactions`.`amount`) as `balance`')]);
+
         // and end:
         $endSet = Account::leftJoin('transactions', 'transactions.account_id', '=', 'accounts.id')
                          ->leftJoin('transaction_journals', 'transaction_journals.id', '=', 'transactions.transaction_journal_id')
@@ -68,7 +81,7 @@ class AccountReportHelper implements AccountReportHelperInterface
 
 
         $accounts->each(
-            function (Account $account) use ($startSet, $endSet) {
+            function (Account $account) use ($startSet, $endSet, $backupSet) {
                 /**
                  * The balance for today always incorporates transactions
                  * made on today. So to get todays "start" balance, we sub one
@@ -82,8 +95,20 @@ class AccountReportHelper implements AccountReportHelperInterface
                         return $account->id == $entry->id;
                     }
                 );
+                // grab entry from current backup as well:
+                $currentBackup = $backupSet->filter(
+                    function (Account $entry) use ($account) {
+                        return $account->id == $entry->id;
+                    }
+                );
+
+
                 if ($currentStart->first()) {
                     $account->startBalance = $currentStart->first()->balance;
+                } else {
+                    if (is_null($currentStart->first()) && !is_null($currentBackup->first())) {
+                        $account->startBalance = $currentBackup->first()->balance;
+                    }
                 }
 
                 $currentEnd = $endSet->filter(