The trial balance shows every account in your chart of accounts with its debit or credit balance as of a specific date. It is the accountant's primary working document for verifying that the books are in balance and preparing period-end adjustments.
Accessing the trial balance
Navigate to Reports > Trial Balance. The report defaults to today's date and your organization's default currency.
How to read the report
The trial balance is organized into sections by account type:
Assets
Accounts that normally carry a debit balance — bank accounts, receivables, equipment, and other assets.
Liabilities
Accounts that normally carry a credit balance — payables, loans, VAT payable, and other obligations.
Equity
Owner's equity, retained earnings, and share capital accounts.
Income
Revenue accounts that normally carry a credit balance.
Expenses
Cost accounts that normally carry a debit balance.
Each section shows individual accounts with their balance split into the debit or credit column, followed by a section subtotal.
Belgian layout (balance des comptes)
For organizations using the Belgian chart of accounts (PCMN), the trial balance is grouped by PCMN class (1–7, then class 0 for off-balance-sheet) rather than by account type, with the code shown for every account and amounts in whole euros — matching the Bilan and Compte de résultats. Each class has a Débit/Crédit subtotal, and the report still verifies Total débit = Total crédit.
The balancing rule
The grand totals at the bottom of the report must satisfy: Total Debits = Total Credits. If they do not match, a warning is shown — there is a data integrity issue (an unbalanced entry or a miscoded account) that needs investigation.
Selecting a date
Use the date picker to generate the trial balance as of any date; the quick-select menu offers your recent fiscal year-ends, and the report defaults to the end of the last closed fiscal year. Common use cases:
- Month-end close — Run the trial balance at month-end to review all balances before closing.
- Year-end audit — Generate the trial balance at your fiscal year end for auditor review.
- Mid-period check — Spot-check balances at any point during the period.
Using the trial balance
For accountants
- Period-end adjustments — Review every account balance in one view. Identify accounts that need adjusting entries (accruals, prepayments, depreciation).
- Reconciliation — Compare balances against bank statements, sub-ledgers, and external records.
- Audit preparation — The trial balance is typically the first document an auditor requests.
For founders
- Financial health check — Get a complete view of every account balance in your business at a glance.
- Account cleanup — Spot accounts with unexpected balances that may need attention.
Printing
Click the Print button to open the print view and generate a printable version of the trial balance (with your company identification header and a Financica footer) for your records or to share with your accountant.