Almost every "these numbers do not match" question comes down to two options with different defaults. Two minutes spent learning them saves a lot of arguing later.
Past projects
A completed, cancelled or deleted project is a past project. Its hours were real and still exist, but reports leave them out unless you ask for them, so today's picture is not cluttered by work that ended last year.
The exception is Member Finance, which always counts deleted projects. Work you removed still cost money, and hiding it would understate a member's cost.
Past members
Someone deleted or gone from the organization is a past member. Their tracked time stays attributed to them forever.
Finance reports include past members by default, because omitting someone who worked half the period makes the period's cost wrong. Elsewhere, look for the "show past members" option.
When it matters
- Comparing two periods. Turn past projects on, or the older period loses everything that has since finished.
- Reconciling the two finance reports. Tick Include deleted on Project Finance so both are counting the same work.
- Explaining a client bill. If the project has since been completed, you need past projects on to see the hours you billed.
- Working out last quarter's cost. Keep past members in. They were paid.
What is never dropped
Nothing is deleted from history by any of this. Time logs survive a member leaving and a project closing. These switches control what a report shows, never what exists.
A habit worth having
Before quoting a number to anyone, glance at the filters: date range, past projects, past members, deleted. Ninety per cent of surprising totals are explained by one of them.