Balance Sheet

Assets, liabilities and equity at one date, with a check row that proves the statement balances

✓ No account, no email · ✓ Excel 2016+ and Google Sheets · ✓ Free for commercial use

A balance sheet that does not balance is not a rounding problem, it is a missing figure — and without a check row you will find it by reading every line twice. This template computes total assets minus total liabilities and equity and shows it in one cell that must read zero. It also puts the prior period beside the current one, because a balance sheet read on its own says very little; what matters is what moved.

What the worksheet looks like

The actual columns, with sample rows

Balance Sheet: the check row at the bottom is the only cell you need to watch.
A	B	C	D
1	Line	This period	Prior period
2	Cash and equivalents	48,200	31,500
3	Accounts receivable	62,900	71,400
4	Total current assets	111,100	102,900
5	Check — must be zero	0	0

The formulas that do the work

Why each one is written the way it is

=SUM(B7:B10) Each subtotal sums only its own block, so inserting a line inside a block is picked up automatically.
=B12+B18 Total assets: current plus non-current. Written as two references rather than one long SUM, so a mistyped block cannot be double-counted.
=B36-B44 The check: total assets minus total liabilities and equity. Anything other than zero means a figure is missing or sitting on the wrong side.

Finding the 8,500 that moved the check by 17,000

A worked example with real numbers

A company closes the month and the check row reads 17,000 rather than zero. Total assets are 17,000 higher than liabilities plus equity. Reading the blocks, accumulated depreciation of 8,500 had been entered as a positive instead of a negative, so instead of reducing non-current assets by 8,500 it added 8,500 — a swing of twice the figure, which is why the discrepancy rarely matches the number you are looking for. One sign change, and the check goes to zero.

What is in the workbook

Every tab, and what it holds

Every tab in the workbook and what it is for.
Tab	Contents
README	What to fill in and what is calculated, with the colour key.
Balance Sheet	The statement: current and non-current assets, current and non-current liabilities, equity, and the check row.

Features and related templates

What is included, and what to look at next

What it does

Check row proving assets equal liabilities plus equity
Prior period beside the current one
Subtotals per block, recalculated on insert
Accumulated depreciation handled as a negative
Excel 2016+ and Google Sheets

Related templates

Need it adapted?

Built around your own data and column names
Connected to your source system
Delivered within 24 hours

Get your Excel job done

Questions about this template

The ones that come up most

What do I do when the check row is not zero?

Read it as a direction, not just an error. A positive figure means assets exceed liabilities plus equity, so either an asset is overstated or a liability is missing. Accumulated depreciation entered as a positive number is the most frequent cause.

Can I add my own line items?

Yes. Insert a row inside the block it belongs to — the block subtotal sums a range, so it picks the new line up. Inserting a row between two blocks is the one thing to avoid, because it falls outside both.

Does it link to a profit and loss statement?

Not automatically. The current year result is an input here. If you want the two linked, point that cell at the net result on your profit and loss sheet, or ask us to wire it up.