What is a trial balance?
It is a list of general accounts and balances. They are placed in the appropriate debit and credit columns.
The total of debits should be equal to the total of credits.
Using accounting software can automate this process ensuring all debits and credits are equal.
A trial balance is drawn together and then used to create an adjusted trial balance.
This is where adjusting entries are added, usually on the last day of an accounting period.
Adjusting entries might include prepayments and outstanding debts if using an accrual accounting system.
Depending on what software is used, it is likely a trial balance will be automatically populated.
Bookkeeping Terms A to Z 