# Balance sheet... doesn't balance

**URL:** https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170
**Category:** User
**Created:** [May 9, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170 "2021-05-09T16:35:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![pocock](https://discuss-cdn.tryton.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pocock](https://discuss.tryton.org/u/pocock)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170/1 "2021-05-09T16:35:17Z")

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I set up a new company and entered a single purchase to test acquisition tax.

I looked at the Reports, Balance sheet, it looked like this:

Assets: 770 (the input tax)

Liabilities: 770 + 10000 (the acquisition tax + purchase price)

The Equity balance is 0. Shouldn’t the equity be negative 10000 to offset the expense?

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### Author: ![ced](https://discuss-cdn.tryton.org/user_avatar/discuss.tryton.org/ced/32/1237_2.png) [@ced](https://discuss.tryton.org/u/ced)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2021, 5:17pm UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170/2 "2021-05-09T17:17:10Z")

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It depends on our chart of account.

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### Author: ![pocock](https://discuss-cdn.tryton.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pocock](https://discuss.tryton.org/u/pocock)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2021, 6:30am UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170/3 "2021-05-10T06:30:07Z")

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I looked at the `acount_uk` example, I can’t see any extra fields on the equity accounts. Can you please clarify what I need to add to the XML?

```auto
        <record model="account.account.type.template" id="capital_profit_and_loss">
            <field name="name">Profit and loss account</field>
            <field name="sequence" eval="70"/>
            <field name="parent" ref="capital_reserve"/>
            <field name="statement">balance</field>
        </record>

        <record model="account.account.template" id="account_profit_loss">
            <field name="name">Profit and Loss Account</field>
            <field name="code">3200</field>
            <field name="type" ref="capital_profit_and_loss"/>
            <field name="parent" ref="account_capital_reserve"/>
        </record>

```

and in `account_fr`

```auto
        <record model="account.account.type.template" id="report_a_nouveau">
            <field name="name">Report à nouveau</field>
            <field name="sequence" eval="60"/>
            <field name="parent" ref="capitaux_propres"/>
        </record>
        <record model="account.account.type.template" id="resultat">
            <field name="name">Résultat de l'exercice [bénéfice ou perte]</field>
            <field name="sequence" eval="70"/>
            <field name="parent" ref="capitaux_propres"/>
            <field name="income_statement" eval="False"/>
        </record>
        <record model="account.account.type.template" id="compte_resultat">
            <field name="name">Compte de résultat</field>
            <field name="sequence" eval="10"/>
            <field name="parent" ref="resultat"/>
            <field name="income_statement" eval="True"/>
        </record>

        <record model="account.account.template" id="12">
            <field name="name">Résultat de l'exercice (bénéfice ou perte)</field>
            <field name="code">12</field>
            <field name="kind">view</field>
            <field name="parent" ref="1"/>
        </record>
        <record model="account.account.template" id="120">
            <field name="name">Résultat de l'exercice (bénéfice)</field>
            <field name="code">120</field>
            <field name="type" ref="resultat"/>
            <field name="deferral" eval="True"/>
            <field name="kind">other</field>
            <field name="parent" ref="12"/>
        </record>
        <record model="account.account.template" id="129">
            <field name="name">Résultat de l'exercice (perte)</field>
            <field name="code">129</field>
            <field name="type" ref="resultat"/>
            <field name="deferral" eval="True"/>
            <field name="kind">other</field>
            <field name="parent" ref="12"/>
        </record>

```

How do you tell Tryton to use these accounts? Is it in the XML or somewhere else?

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![pocock](https://discuss-cdn.tryton.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pocock](https://discuss.tryton.org/u/pocock)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2021, 11:11am UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170/4 "2021-05-10T11:11:22Z")

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I had a closer look at this in another application, Postbooks, in particular, View Financial Reports → Basic Balance Sheet

I notice that all the lines on the report have an account code except the Net Income line, it has no account code.

Looking at the report definition, I found that the Net Income line is calculated SUM(Type:Revenue) - SUM(Type:Expense)

This makes the report balance.

When looking at the Balance Sheet tree report in Tryton, is there any way to add a line like this for Net Income close to the other Equity accounts?

Or is it only possible to see this in a reporting tool like Jasper?

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ced](https://discuss-cdn.tryton.org/user_avatar/discuss.tryton.org/ced/32/1237_2.png) [@ced](https://discuss.tryton.org/u/ced)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2021, 11:35am UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170/5 "2021-05-10T11:35:30Z")

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> [@pocock](#):
>
> When looking at the Balance Sheet tree report in Tryton, is there any way to add a line like this for Net Income close to the other Equity accounts?

The reports are based on the tree structure of the account types. So it is up to you to make such tree to display the needed information.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![pocock](https://discuss-cdn.tryton.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pocock](https://discuss.tryton.org/u/pocock)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170/6 "2021-05-10T12:49:10Z")

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Currently the Revenue and Expense accounts are at the top level of the Chart of Accounts. I could create a Net Income account under Equity, then I could put all  
the Revenue and Expense accounts under the Net Income account. Is this the type of solution you are suggesting?

This would nest the entire P&L inside the Balance Sheet

This would display correct numbers but then it is a bit bigger than what some people think of as a balance sheet.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ced](https://discuss-cdn.tryton.org/user_avatar/discuss.tryton.org/ced/32/1237_2.png) [@ced](https://discuss.tryton.org/u/ced)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2021, 1:22pm UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170/7 "2021-05-10T13:22:41Z")

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> [@pocock](#):
>
> Currently the Revenue and Expense accounts are at the top level of the Chart of Accounts. I could create a Net Income account under Equity, then I could put all  
> the Revenue and Expense accounts under the Net Income account. Is this the type of solution you are suggesting?

No I’m not talking about accounts but [account types](https://docs.tryton.org/projects/modules-account/en/latest/design/account.html#account-type).

> [@pocock](#):
>
> This would nest the entire P&L inside the Balance Sheet

This is what we do for at least two chart of accounts. This allow to have a balance sheet always up to date.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![pocock](https://discuss-cdn.tryton.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pocock](https://discuss.tryton.org/u/pocock)
#### Post date: [May 10, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://discuss.tryton.org/t/balance-sheet-doesnt-balance/4170/8 "2021-05-10T17:05:36Z")

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In the [Swiss SME Chart of Accounts](https://gitlab.com/dpocock/tryton-module-account-ch/-/tree/master/doc/account-codes), the codes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 all represent Revenue and Expense accounts.

Code prefixes 7 and 8 both contain a combination of Revenue and Expense.

Based on your feedback, [I made all of these sub-types of the P&L account type template](https://gitlab.com/dpocock/tryton-module-account-ch/-/commit/3a3cfcf12f2b742de0ef58775db036e234f0d006). Now it balances.

As a software engineer, I understand the logic behind this. I feel this report is useful. I worked with many accountants in different countries around the world, most of them would find this useful but some of them would feel awkward about using the name “Balance Sheet” for this tree. Balance Sheet has a specific meaning in each country and in each system of accounting.

Thanks for your very prompt and helpful feedback about this.