What is opening balance entry?

The opening balance entry is an important accounting term that refers to the initial entry made at the beginning of a new accounting period. It represents the starting point for a company's financial records and includes the balances of various accounts such as assets, liabilities, and equity. By recording the opening balance entry, businesses can accurately track their financial transactions and ensure the integrity of their accounting records.

What are the types of opening balance entry?

There are two main types of opening balance entry: positive balance and negative balance. A positive balance entry occurs when the amount of assets and equity exceeds the amount of liabilities, indicating a healthy financial position. On the other hand, a negative balance entry indicates that the company has more liabilities than assets and equity, suggesting a potential issue with the financial stability. Both types of opening balance entry require careful monitoring and adjustments to ensure accurate financial reporting.

Positive balance
Negative balance

How to complete opening balance entry

Completing the opening balance entry involves several steps to ensure accuracy and consistency in financial records. Here's a simple guide to completing the opening balance entry:

01
Review your previous financial statements to determine the closing balances of various accounts.
02
Classify each account balance as assets, liabilities, or equity.
03
Record the opening balance entry by entering the balances of each account in the corresponding categories.
04
Verify the total debits and credits to ensure they match and balance each other.
05
Double-check the accuracy of the opening balance entry by reviewing the calculations and cross-referencing with supporting documents.

By following these steps, you can successfully complete the opening balance entry and start the new accounting period with accurate financial records.

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Video Tutorial How to Fill Out opening balance entry

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Questions & answers

Click Beginning Balances on the General tab of the Maintain Chart of Accounts window to enter beginning balances for general ledger accounts. You use this to enter the beginning balance for the account or to adjust the balance for an account in a previous period.
The debit or credit balance of a ledger account brought forward from the old accounting period to the new accounting period is called opening balance. This will be the first entry in a ledger account at the beginning of an accounting period.
One sample journal entry can be represented as : Assets A/c Dr. If the assets exceed all the liabilities, the excess value will be regarded as a value of capital and will be shown as a credit in the opening entry, while if the liabilities exceed the value of the assets, it will be debited in the opening entry.
To enter your opening balances, you need a list of your outstanding customer and vendor invoices and credit notes, your closing trial balance from your previous accounting period, and your bank statements. You also need a list of the unrepresented bank items from your previous accounting system.
0:00 0:45 How to enter an opening balance for a Chart of Account | AUS - YouTube YouTube Start of suggested clip End of suggested clip Now click chart of accounts. Next scroll to the account you wish to set an opening balance for andMoreNow click chart of accounts. Next scroll to the account you wish to set an opening balance for and in the action column click the drop-down arrow and select edit.
✔ Through the Chart of Accounts: Click on Chart of Accounts from the Company menu. Right click anywhere on the window appeared and select New, in the Chart of Accounts window. Choose the right Account Type. In the Add New Account screen: Fill all required details. Click Enter Opening Balance button. Click Save and Close.