Trial balance
Opening balances, period movements and closing balances by account to verify the integrity of the accounting ledger.
The Trial Balance lists all active accounts in the chart with four columns: opening balance, period debits and credits, and closing balance. It is the report that validates whether the ledger is balanced: the sum of period debits must equal the sum of credits. If it does not balance, you will see it at a glance in a yellow alert.
Reading time: ~4 min
When to use this
- You want to verify that all the month's journal entries balance (Σ debits = Σ credits).
- You need a quick map of balances by account before closing the period.
- You are about to generate the balance sheet and first want to confirm that the base has no imbalances.
- The external accountant asks for a comparative "trial balance" against the previous period.
Before you start
- The Accounting module is active and your role includes
accounting:read(this report uses the accounting permission, not the reports one). - To download PDF or CSV you need the
reports:exportpermission. - There are journal entries in Posted (POSTED) status. Drafts are not included.
- The chart of accounts has active accounts - inactive ones are omitted.
Step by step
- Open Accounting → Trial Balance from the side menu.
- Choose the Cutoff date. The report automatically calculates:
- Opening - accumulated balance up to the first day of the calendar month of the cutoff date.
- Debits / Credits - POSTED movements between the start of that month and the cutoff date.
- Closing - opening + debits − credits (adjusted to each account's normal balance).
- (Optional) Open Comparison and select Previous period or Previous year to see additional columns with the same four values in the compared period.
- If the ledger does not balance, an alert appears at the top: "The trial balance does not balance. Review the period's journal entries." That indicates that some POSTED entry has debits ≠ credits.
- Review the Totals row at the bottom. The total Closing column must be zero (Assets = Liabilities + Equity).
- To download, choose the Format (PDF or CSV) and press Download.
Expected result
- One row for each active account with opening, debit, credit and closing balances.
- Grand totals at the bottom and a clear indicator of whether the ledger balances.
- Additional side-by-side columns when comparison is selected.
- PDF with the tenant header or plain CSV for analysis.
Common errors
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| The trial balance does not balance alert appears | A POSTED entry with debits different from credits | Open Journal entries, filter by POSTED and review each one until you find the imbalance |
| The opening balance does not match the previous month's closing | There were retroactive entries posted after the close | Regenerate the previous month's balance and reconcile differences |
| An account does not appear in the list | The account is inactive or had no movement or balance | Reactivate it from the Chart of accounts if you need it |
| The Download button does not appear | The reports:export permission is missing | Ask an administrator to assign you the permission |
| A difference with the balance sheet | You are comparing reports as of different dates, or one includes and the other excludes a closing entry | Confirm that both reports use the same cutoff date |
Frequently asked questions
Why does my trial balance not balance?
The total debits must equal the total credits for the period. If they do not match, there is at least one POSTED entry with an internal imbalance. Open Journal entries, filter by POSTED status and review the period's entries until you find the difference.
When should a trial balance be printed?
Generally at the close of each month, before generating the Balance Sheet and the Income Statement. It serves as a verification step to confirm that the ledger has no errors before issuing final reports or sharing financial statements.
Do accounts with no movement appear in the report?
Only if they have an opening balance different from zero. Accounts with zero opening and no movement in the period are omitted to keep the report clean.
Can I export the trial balance to send it to the accountant?
Yes. You can download in PDF format (with the tenant header) or CSV (for Excel). The Download button requires the reports:export permission.