Field Notes
Preparing your trial balance before auditors arrive
A practical checklist for Taiwan finance teams — reconciliations, open items, and the schedules auditors request first.
A clean trial balance does not guarantee a smooth audit, but a messy one almost guarantees delay. Before Intelligentbackends begins fieldwork, we ask clients to freeze a dated trial balance and attach reconciliations for cash, receivables, payables, and inventory.
Start with the control accounts
Tie every control account to a listing. Bank accounts need reconciliations that match both the ledger and the bank statement cut-off. Receivables should age cleanly to the control total — not to a spreadsheet that “usually” matches.
Document known adjustments
If you already know about a cut-off error or a late accrual, schedule it before we sample. Surprises discovered mid-fieldwork cost more calendar time than disclosing them in the opening meeting.
Keep supporting folders ready
Sampled invoices, goods-receipt notes, and board minutes should be one request away. Teams that store these by month recover faster than teams that hunt across email threads.
When your schedules are ready, request a scoping call so we can lock fieldwork dates around your inventory count.