The trial balance, single source of truth for the file's balances

The TB is the center of the file: the single source that master worksheets, groupings, financial statements, and GIFI all depend on. Each account is a row, with N and N-1 balances, bank operations and manual adjusting entries kept separate, and an adjusted balance that feeds everything downstream. This article covers reading, editing, reviewing and the tools around the TB.

The page at a glance

The columns that matter

The balance indicators

Top-right of the toolbar, two badges show the TB balance for each year:

• Green “Balanced”: the sum of debits equals the sum of credits, after operations and adjusting entries.
• Red “Out of balance”: there is a gap. Click the badge to see the amount of the gap and a hypothesis on its origin (missing account, account on the wrong side, etc.).

The action bar

• Display: choose the visible columns (Operation, Adj., Change… can be hidden if you want a lighter view). Saved per user.
• Print: three print modes (regular, by grouping, comparative N-1 vs N) and the two Excel exports. Opens in a separate tab, ready to print.
• Import: three routes: Excel/CSV, QuickBooks, paste text. See the dedicated articles.
• Tools: delete all accounts (start fresh before a re-import) and detach the TB into a separate window.
• Add a row: opens the account-creation dialog. Enter the name, then the number while seeing which nearby numbers are already taken in the chart (yours shows green when free, red when occupied), then the grouping by search (word, grouping code or GIFI code, labels in the app language). The account is born classified: grouping, type and GIFI set on the first pass, at zero balance.

What you can do on a row

Each account row offers four actions on the left edge:

• Mark as reviewed (green check): a preparation state, useful at review to indicate “I looked at this account, it's correct”. The Mark all X accounts as reviewed button at the top ticks them all at once after a global pass.
• Attached documents: paperclip icon, click to attach a PDF or an image to the account (contract, statement, invoice). Drag-and-drop also works directly on the row. The number shows how many documents are attached.
• Entries touching this account: “# entries” icon, click to see the list of adjusting entries and operation entries that affect this account, in a separate dialog.
• Note on the account: bubble icon (amber when a note exists). One free-text note per account, plus an optional short reference (“n/m”, “sch. 1 T2”...) shown as a token on the row, Caseware style. Example: “$500 of which $250 is non-deductible interest, to carry to Schedule 1 of the T2”. Notes stay internal: they never print on the financial statements, and they follow the account if it is renumbered.

You can also edit cells directly: Account no., Description, Grouping, and the N/N-1 balances. Sorting by account number (ascending / descending / no sort) is available from the header button.

Column widths: drag the right edge of the Account no., Description or Grouping headers to widen or narrow them; double-click the handle to return to the default width. The setting is remembered on your workstation. The same handle exists on Chart mapping.

Renumbering an account in use: if journal entries, bank transactions or reconciliations refer to the account, changing its number opens a confirmation listing those items. On confirm, everything follows the new number automatically (entries, transactions, reconciliations, bank rules, tax codes, worksheets, attachments), then the page reloads. Nothing is lost and nothing becomes orphaned.

Deleting an account in use: refused. The trash icon first checks whether the account holds engagement data; if so, a dialog lists what is holding it (entries, transactions, reconciliations). Reclassify or remove those items, then try again. A truly empty account deletes as before (with a confirmation if it carries a balance).

Export the TB to Excel

Print button → Export to Excel. The .xlsx mirrors the print PDF exactly: same columns, same groupings, same totals. Handy for sending to an auditor or archiving outside Ledger.

The comparative trial balance (banks and third parties)

Also under the Print button, the comparative trial balance shows both fiscal years side by side: account number, description, grouping, prior year (debit/credit), current year (debit/credit), then the variance in $ and in %. It's the document you hand to a bank or a third party who wants to see the year-over-year evolution.

• Comparative (N-1 vs N): the printable version. From the preview tab you can print or save as PDF, in French or English.
• Export comparative to Excel: the same document as an editable .xlsx.

The current year is shown at the adjusted balance (unadjusted balance + adjusting entries): the final figure, the one on the financial statements. An account with no balance this year but active last year stays visible with its variance, and the % variance stays empty when there is no comparison base (new account).

Three classic opening-balance pitfalls

Opening balances (N-1) often lead to surprises. Three things to keep in mind:

1. Grouping zone: a mis-grouped account isn't just misclassified on the FS, it can drop out of the year-to-year continuity ledger. Fix the grouping, not just the balance.
2. Effective sign: in the “Adjusted balance” column, the sign follows the grouping's convention (liabilities come out negative in some reports). Don't “fix” a sign without understanding where it comes from.
3. Opening = N balance, not N-1 balance: at roll-forward, the new fiscal year's opening is the year-end N balance, not the N-1 comparative. If you see an odd number, check that the roll-forward was done with the right mode.

What the TB feeds

• Worksheets: Capital assets, LTD, Income taxes, sales taxes, etc. read their balances from the TB to build their summaries.
• Groupings and GIFI: the aggregated view by grouping code, ready to export to the T2.
• Financial statements: balance sheet, income statement, retained earnings, cash flows and notes take their numbers from the adjusted balance.
• N-1 comparative: every page that shows a change starts from the TB's N-1 balances.

In short: if you want a number to be right on the FS, fix it at the source, on the TB (or through an adjusting entry), rather than downstream.

Frequently asked questions