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Running a Trial Balance

Step-by-step guide for opening the Trial Balance tab, setting the as-of date, and reviewing whether the books are balanced.

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Running a Trial Balance

This page shows you how to run the live Trial Balance view and confirm whether the books net off correctly.

Product: Beam Machine
Module: Reports / Financial Reports
Role: Bookkeeper, Accountant, Controller, Reviewer
Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 3 to 5 minutes
Last Updated: 2026-03-10
Version: Current Beam Machine app build in this repo

Before You Start

  • You need posted journal data, or the page will show no useful balances.
  • You need to know the date you want to report as of.
  • Read ../reports/01-running-financial-reports.md if you need the wider reporting workspace first.

Current build status: The Trial Balance tab is live and data-driven. Print works. Export is visible but disabled in the current shared toolbar.

What is a trial balance?

A trial balance is the account-by-account check that shows debits, credits, and whether the ledger is balanced at a point in time.

When do you use this?

Use this before review, close, tax prep, or any time you need a quick integrity check on the books.

If the trial balance is unbalanced, stop and investigate before you rely on downstream reports.

Where to find it

Primary path: Reports -> Reporting -> Financial Reports
Alternative: Accounting -> Reports -> Trial Balance
Route: /dashboard/reporting/financial

How to run a trial balance

  1. Open Reports -> Reporting.
  2. Click Financial Reports.
  3. Click the Trial Balance tab.
  4. In the report toolbar, set As of date.
  5. Click Print if you need a printer-friendly copy.
  6. Ignore Export for now, because the button is disabled in the current build.

āœ… Checkpoint: The card should show Trial Balance and the selected As of date.

  1. Review the table columns:
    • Code
    • Account
    • Type
    • Debit
    • Credit
  2. Review the totals row at the bottom.
  3. Check the status badge beside the date:
    • Balanced
    • or Unbalanced
  4. Treat Unbalanced as a stop signal, not as something to explain away in the report screen.

What happens next: If the trial balance is balanced, you can move into financial reporting, month-end, or tax review with more confidence.

Common Questions & Issues

"The report says there is no data"

Why this happens: There may be no posted journal entries for the selected date.

Fix: Post the underlying journals first, then rerun the trial balance.

"The trial balance is unbalanced"

Why this happens: The report is telling you the books do not currently net off.

Fix: Go back to the source accounting entries and investigate before using the report for review or filing support.

"I used the wrong date control"

Why this happens: The financial-report workspace has both as-of and range modes on different tabs.

Fix: Stay on Trial Balance and use the single As of date field for this task.

What's Next

Related Pages

SA Compliance Reference

  • A balanced trial balance supports reliable reporting, audit readiness, and tax preparation, but it does not replace review of source journals and reconciliations.

Still Stuck?

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