How it works
Accountants run a trial balance to check that the books balance before preparing statements, and as the starting point for adjustments during the close. Each line is an account and its balance; summing assets, liabilities, equity, income and expenses gives the balance sheet and P&L. For consolidation, each entity's trial balance is mapped to a group chart of accounts.
Example
At month end a trial balance shows 140 accounts with total debits and credits of $4,812,330. The controller reviews unusual balances, posts two accruals and reruns it.
In integrations
Trial balances are the input for consolidation and many close and audit tools. The Unify Accounting and ERP APIs are designed to return trial balances by period and entity where the platform exposes them, alongside the accounts behind each line. A trial balance is the most compact complete picture of a company's books. Reading it by period lets you rebuild statements, check data quality and compare entities on one structure.