---
title: "Trial balance"
description: "What is a trial balance? A list of every ledger balance that checks total debits equal total credits. Learn what it proves, what it can't and how it's used."
url: https://1flux.ai/glossary/trial-balance
last_updated: 2026-10-10
---

[Accounting](https://1flux.ai/glossary#accounting)

# Trial balance

What is a trial balance, and what does a balanced one prove, or not prove?

Glossary Updated 10 October 2026

Definition

A trial balance is a list of every general ledger account with its debit or credit balance at a date, used to check that total debits equal total credits.

## What is a trial balance used for?

It’s the accountant’s first check before preparing financial statements. If the totals differ, something was posted one-sided. Balanced totals don’t prove the books are right, though: an entry posted to the wrong account still balances. Accountants also use an opening trial balance to bring [opening balances](https://1flux.ai/glossary/opening-balances) from an old system into a new one.

Example: at 30 June, debits and credits both total EUR 2,486,300 across 64 accounts.

A trial balance isn’t a profit and loss statement or a balance sheet; those are formatted reports built from it.

In 1flux

The general ledger works as a trial-balance-style report with a debits-equal-credits check, and an opening trial balance can be imported and posted on your cutover date. Profit and loss and balance sheet for each legal entity come straight from the same ledger. [See the general ledger and journals](https://1flux.ai/products/accounting/general-ledger)

Related

## Keep exploring

### [General ledger](https://1flux.ai/glossary/general-ledger)

The complete record of every account and its balance.

### [Opening balances](https://1flux.ai/glossary/opening-balances)

The balances you bring into a new system or financial year.

### [Double-entry bookkeeping](https://1flux.ai/glossary/double-entry-bookkeeping)

Recording every transaction with equal debits and credits.

### [General ledger and journals](https://1flux.ai/products/accounting/general-ledger)

A chart of accounts in minutes, journals that can't be rewritten and periods that stay closed.

Last updated 10 October 2026