Need for preparing trial balance

Need for preparing trial balance

Trial balance helps to check the arithmetical accuracy  of entries made in the accounting records. Trial balance serves as a lubricant for the smooth movement and completion of the accounting cycle, because, it is with the help of the trial balance that discrepancies in the boo keeping work are detected. If these discrepancies are not detected and set right, the cycle cannot be completed properly. The trial balance helps in discovering errors which may have been committed in the accounting records. However, in computerised accounting system, once the transactions are recorded in the journals, all the other records are made simultaneously, i.e., ledger postings, trial balance and final accounts. Hence, arithmetic errors and errors in posting the entries from journal to ledger and further will not occur in computerised accounting.