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What is the difference between the general ledger and a trial balance?

Transactions (sales, expenses, etc.) are recorded in the general ledger to specific accounts. In bookkeeping systems, the accountant can then run a trial balance report, and it will summarize all of the activity (debits and credits) to each trial balance account. It’s important that the trial balance sums to zero! The trial balance can then be used to prepare the financial statements.


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