The trial balance is a list of all the ledger account balances, used to check the arithmetic of the double entry.
Debit balances (assets, expenses, drawings) are listed in one column and credit balances (liabilities, capital, income) in another. If double entry is correct, the two totals agree. However, some errors do not affect the agreement.
Remember
- Trial balance: total debits should equal total credits.
- Assets, expenses, drawings = debit balances; liabilities, capital, income = credit balances.