# How do I export a trial balance from Xero for my year end?

Source: https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/exports/xero-trial-balance/

Last reviewed: 28 October 2026

Open Xero's Trial Balance report among your accounting reports, set the date to the last day of your financial year and run it. Check that the debit and credit totals agree and that your year-end adjustments are in, then export it as a spreadsheet. Run the report again for last year's year end for the comparatives.

## Key facts

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Report | Xero's Trial Balance report; Xero's help centre (Xero Central) has the current steps |
| Date | The last day of the financial year |
| Format | A spreadsheet export (Excel or CSV) is best; PDF as a record |
| Comparatives | The same report at last year's year end |
| After exporting | Avoid further changes to the year, so the figures stay equal to the export |

As at 28 October 2026.

## Export the trial balance

1. Post the year-end adjustments. Enter depreciation, accruals, prepayments, stock and any other journals for the year before you run the report.
2. Open the report. Open the Trial Balance report in Xero's accounting reports.
3. Set the date. Set the report date to the last day of the financial year and update the report.
4. Check it. Confirm that total debits equal total credits and that the balance sheet accounts agree with your bank statements, VAT returns and payroll.
5. Export. Export the report as a spreadsheet, and keep a PDF copy as your record.
6. Repeat for last year. Run the report at last year's year end for the comparatives.

## Check before you upload

| Check | Why |
| --- | --- |
| The report date is the last day of the financial year | The accounts are made up to the accounting reference date, or a date up to 7 days either side of it |
| Year-end journals are posted | Depreciation, accruals, prepayments, stock and the tax charge belong in the trial balance you export |
| Debits equal credits | If the totals differ, something is wrong in the books; the accounts cannot balance |
| Last year's closing balances are the opening balances | The comparatives must agree with last year's accounts |
| The director's loan account is right | An amount a director owes the company is disclosed in the notes and may lead to s455 tax |
| VAT and PAYE accounts agree to the returns | They are creditors for taxation and social security, which the balance sheet formats show separately |
| Suspense and clearing accounts are empty | A balance there is an unexplained item that has to be cleared before the accounts are prepared |

Xero's help centre describes the current options of its Trial Balance report; we could not read it for this page, so the menu names above are general. Use the report date, not a date range, for year-end balances.

Work out any s455 tax on a director's loan with the [s455 calculator](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/tools/s455-calculator/), and the filing date with the [filing deadline calculator](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/tools/filing-deadline-calculator/).

## What the export should look like

- One row per account, with the account code and name.
- The closing balance at the year end, as debit and credit columns or one signed column.
- The profit and loss accounts for the current year, and the balance sheet accounts with their full balances.
- Totals that agree: the debits equal the credits.

The [trial balance spreadsheet template](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/exports/trial-balance-spreadsheet-template/) shows the layout with a worked example.

## Using the export with StatutoryAccounts.io

Status on 28 October 2026: the UK trial balance import, the CT600 module and iXBRL output are in preparation and not yet available. StatutoryAccounts.io prepares accounts and returns for filing: it does not submit them to Companies House or HMRC, and it is not yet HMRC-recognised Corporation Tax software or a Companies House software filer.

StatutoryAccounts.io is built to read a trial balance export as Excel, CSV or PDF, suggest the Companies Act line item for each nominal account with AI and let you confirm the mapping. The file to use is the spreadsheet export. Keep last year's trial balance as well, unless the comparatives come from the accounts filed at Companies House.

## Frequently asked questions

**Which date should I use for the Xero trial balance?**
The last day of the company's financial year, so that every balance is the closing balance at the year end.

**Should I export after the year-end journals?**
Yes. Post depreciation, accruals, prepayments and other year-end journals first, so the trial balance matches the accounts you will approve.

**Do I need last year's trial balance from Xero too?**
Yes, unless it is the company's first year or the comparatives come from last year's filed accounts. Every item in the accounts shows last year's figure.

## Sources

- [Xero Central: Trial Balance report](https://central.xero.com/s/article/Trial-Balance-report-new-version)
- [Xero UK: Trial balance, definition, types and how to prepare](https://www.xero.com/uk/guides/trial-balance/)
- [The Small Companies and Groups (Accounts and Directors' Report) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/409), Schedule 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/409/schedule/1/part/1)
- [Companies Act 2006, section 390](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/390)
- [Companies Act 2006, section 413](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/413)
- [Corporation Tax Act 2010, section 455](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/4/section/455)

## Related pages

- [Trial balance spreadsheet template](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/exports/trial-balance-spreadsheet-template/)
- [Statutory accounts software](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/software/statutory-accounts-software/)
- [Accounting software exports](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/exports/)
- [How do I export a trial balance from QuickBooks Online for my year end?](https://www.statutoryaccounts.io/exports/quickbooks-online-trial-balance/)
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