| Overview |
BrightTax allows you to print a Detailed Trial Balance report from within any Year End Accounts task. By running this report for both the current year and prior year tasks, you can compare balances across periods to identify variances — useful for review, client queries, and analytical work.
| How to Run the Detailed Trial Balance Report |
- Open the Year End Accounts task you want to report on.
- Click the Print button on the toolbar or from the YEA Summary page.
- Select Detailed Trial Balance from the print options.
- The report will generate as a PDF showing all trial balance lines, their opening balances, movements, and closing balances for that task.
| ✔ Tip: To compare the current year with the prior year, run the Detailed Trial Balance report for both the current year and prior year YEA tasks separately, then review them side by side or paste both into Excel for comparison. |
| What the Detailed Trial Balance Shows |
| Column | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Account Name | Each trial balance line as mapped in the Accounts Production template |
| Opening Balance | The brought forward balance from the prior year |
| Movements | The entries made during the year — the figures entered in the Extended Trial Balance |
| Closing Balance | Opening Balance plus Movements |
| Final Rounded Balance | The closing balance rounded to the nearest pound — the figure that feeds into the financial statements |
| Comparing Balances Across Years |
To produce a year-on-year variance comparison:
- Run the Detailed Trial Balance for the current year YEA task and save or print the PDF.
- Open the prior year YEA task and run the Detailed Trial Balance for that task.
- Compare the Closing Balance columns from each report — differences represent the year-on-year movement on each account line.
- Alternatively, copy and paste both sets of figures into Excel and use a formula to calculate the variance on each line automatically.
| ✔ Tip: Pasting both trial balances into Excel and calculating the variance column is the fastest method for a comprehensive review. Use the account names as the matching key between the two reports. |
| Troubleshooting |
The prior year balances look incorrect
- The prior year opening balance in the current year task is pulled from the prior year YEA task's closing balance. If the prior year task contains incorrect figures, those will carry forward. Review and correct the prior year task if needed.
There is no prior year data available
- If this is the client's first year in BrightTax, the prior year task may not exist. See Working with the Extended Trial Balance for guidance on defining the prior period.
| Frequently Asked Questions |
Q: Can I run the trial balance report without opening a YEA task?
A: No. The Detailed Trial Balance is generated from within a specific Year End Accounts task. You must open the task and use the Print menu to access it.
Q: Can I export the trial balance directly to Excel rather than PDF?
A: Not directly. The report generates as a PDF. To get the data into Excel, copy the figures from the Extended Trial Balance screen within the task and paste into Excel, or use the PDF report as a reference.
Q: Does the trial balance report show journal entries separately?
A: The report shows the net effect of all entries including journals in the Movements column. Individual journal entries are visible from the Journals screen within the YEA task.
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