Cybooks

Run a trial balance

This guide covers how to run a trial balance report to view net debit and credit balances for all your accounts.

A trial balance lists every account in your chart of accounts along with its net debit or net credit balance as of a specific date. If your books are correct, total debits will equal total credits. Use this report to verify your bookkeeping before preparing financial statements.

View the trial balance

  1. In the sidebar, go to Reports > Trial Balance.

  2. Select a date range using the date picker at the top left. The report shows all account balances as of the end date you choose. You can pick a preset period such as This year, This quarter, or This month, or set a custom date range.

  3. Review the report. Accounts are grouped into the following categories:

    • Assets
    • Liabilities
    • Equity
    • Income
    • Expenses

    Each account row shows:

    • Account -- the account name. Click an account name to view its Account Transactions report.
    • Account (code column) -- the account code from your chart of accounts.
    • NET Debit -- the net debit balance for the account (shown only if debits exceed credits).
    • NET Credit -- the net credit balance for the account (shown only if credits exceed debits).

  4. Check the Total row at the bottom. If your books are balanced, the NET Debit total and NET Credit total should be equal.

Filter accounts

You can filter which accounts appear in the trial balance.

  1. Click Filter report in the top toolbar.

  2. In the Filter Accounts dialog, choose one of the following options:

    • Accounts without zero balance -- shows only accounts that have a non-zero balance.
    • All Accounts -- shows all accounts, including those with a zero balance.
    • Accounts with transactions -- shows only accounts that had transactions during the selected period.

  3. Click Filter now to apply.

Your filter preference is saved and will be remembered the next time you open the report.

Export the report

  1. Click the Export As dropdown in the top right.

  2. Select your preferred format:

    • PDF
    • XLSX
    • XLS (Microsoft Excel 1997-2004 Compatible)
    • CSV

The file is downloaded automatically. You can click the cancel button if the export is taking too long.

Print the report

  1. Click the Print button (printer icon) in the top toolbar.

  2. Your browser's print dialog opens with the report content ready to print.

Schedule the report

You can set up the trial balance to be generated and emailed on a recurring basis.

  1. Click Schedule Report in the top toolbar.

  2. Configure the schedule:

    • Frequency -- choose Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Quarterly.
    • Start Date & Time -- set when the first report should be generated.
    • Email Recipients -- enter the email addresses of people who should receive the report.
    • Attach Report as -- choose the file format: PDF, CSV, XLSX (Microsoft Excel), or XLS (Microsoft Excel 1997-2004 Compatible).
    • Status -- toggle on to activate the schedule.

  3. Click Save.

Frequently asked questions

What does "NET Debit" and "NET Credit" mean? For each account, Cybooks calculates the difference between total debits and total credits. If debits exceed credits, the difference appears in the NET Debit column. If credits exceed debits, the difference appears in the NET Credit column. This ensures each account shows only one balance.

Why don't my totals balance? If the total debits do not equal total credits, there may be an error in your journal entries. Check for unbalanced transactions or contact your accountant for help.

What date does the trial balance use? The trial balance shows cumulative balances for all journal entries up to and including the end date of the selected period.

Can I click on an account to see its transactions? Yes. Click any account name in the report to open the Account Transactions report for that account, filtered to the same period.

What currency is the report in? All amounts are displayed in your base currency. A note at the bottom of the report confirms which currency is used.

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