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January 8, 2021
Question

Could you please tell me why trial balance & balance sheet represent differet balances in some accounts?

  • January 8, 2021
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1 reply

AlcaeusF
January 8, 2021

Thanks for dropping by the Community, @i-p-lemus.

 

The trial balance summarises the debit and credit balances of each account on your chart of accounts during a period of time. While the balance sheet carries a beginning balance and is a cumulative report.

 

If the reports don't match, even after making sure that all the filters are the same. There a few reasons why this occurs such as:

 

  • In other reports, the date range you set only applies to net income and the specific account you select within the report. (Example: If you have $50 of sales tax in March and $60 in April, the Balance Sheet will show $110 for the sales tax liability account.)
  • If the date range for the report is April, it will still show the cumulative total of $110. However, if you select $110, its transaction detail report shows a beginning balance of $50 and then a $60 transaction for April.
  • Lastly, the Sales by Item report will be limited to the date range you set. If you set the report date for April, then it will truly reflect only April and show the $60 only.

 

You can consider customising these reports. Then, export them to Excel for a better comparison of the date.

 

I'm also adding this article that tackles troubleshooting balance sheet in QBO: FAQ: Basic troubleshooting for balance sheets.

 

Please click the Reply button below if you have any additional questions or concerns. I'll be more than willing to help. Have a good one!