> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pluvel.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Balance Sheet

> View your company's assets, liabilities, and equity.

A bank asks for your financial statements before approving a loan. An investor wants to see your books before writing a check. Your accountant needs a year-end snapshot for taxes. They're all asking for the same thing: your Balance Sheet.

The Balance Sheet shows your company's financial position at a specific point in time. What do you own? What do you owe? What's left for the owners?

## The fundamental equation

```
Assets = Liabilities + Equity
```

This equation always balances—hence "balance sheet."

## Accessing the Balance Sheet

1. Go to **Reports** in the sidebar
2. Click **Balance Sheet**
3. Select the "as of" date

## Report structure

### Assets

What your company owns:

```
Current Assets
  - Cash and Cash Equivalents
  - Accounts Receivable
  - Inventory
  - Prepaid Expenses

Long-Term Assets
  - Property and Equipment
  - Less: Accumulated Depreciation
  - Intangible Assets

= Total Assets
```

### Liabilities

What your company owes:

```
Current Liabilities
  - Accounts Payable
  - Credit Cards
  - Accrued Expenses
  - Payroll Liabilities
  - Current Portion of Long-Term Debt

Long-Term Liabilities
  - Loans Payable
  - Notes Payable

= Total Liabilities
```

### Equity

What's left for owners:

```
Owner's Equity
  - Owner Contributions
  - Retained Earnings
  - Current Year Earnings
  - Owner Draws

= Total Equity
```

## Key accounts explained

| Account               | Description                          |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Cash                  | Money in bank accounts               |
| Accounts Receivable   | Unpaid customer invoices             |
| Inventory             | Goods held for sale                  |
| Accounts Payable      | Unpaid vendor bills                  |
| Payroll Liabilities   | Taxes and wages owed                 |
| Retained Earnings     | Accumulated profits from prior years |
| Current Year Earnings | This year's profit (links to P\&L)   |

## Date selection

The Balance Sheet shows position as of a specific date:

| Option              | Shows                     |
| ------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Today               | Current position          |
| End of Last Month   | Last month-end position   |
| End of Last Quarter | Last quarter-end position |
| End of Last Year    | Year-end position         |
| Custom Date         | Any specific date         |

## Comparison views

### Period-over-period

Compare balance sheets across time:

1. Select an "as of" date
2. Click **Compare**
3. Choose a previous date
4. See changes in each account

### Common comparisons

| Comparison                    | Shows            |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------- |
| This month vs. last month     | Recent changes   |
| This quarter vs. last quarter | Quarterly trends |
| Year-end vs. prior year-end   | Annual growth    |

## Drill-down

Click any account to see:

* Current balance
* All transactions affecting the account
* Sub-accounts (if applicable)

### Transaction detail

From account detail:

* See every debit and credit
* Jump to source documents (invoices, bills, journal entries)
* Filter by date range

## Understanding equity

### Owner contributions

Money invested by owners:

* Initial capital
* Additional investments
* Does NOT include profits

### Retained earnings

Accumulated profits from prior years:

* Auto-calculated by Pluvel
* Rolls forward each year-end

### Current year earnings

This year's profit or loss:

* Equals your year-to-date P\&L net income
* At year-end, moves to Retained Earnings

### Owner draws/distributions

Money taken out by owners:

* Reduces equity
* Not an expense (doesn't reduce profit)
* Important for personal tax planning

## Export options

| Format | Use Case                    |
| ------ | --------------------------- |
| PDF    | Share with banks, investors |
| Excel  | Detailed analysis           |
| CSV    | Import to other systems     |

## Scheduled reports

Send automatic Balance Sheets:

1. Click **Schedule**
2. Choose frequency (monthly, quarterly)
3. Select format
4. Add recipients
5. Receive on schedule

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why doesn't my cash match my bank statement?">
    Possible reasons:

    * Outstanding checks (issued but not cashed)
    * Deposits in transit
    * Unrecorded transactions
    * Timing differences

    Reconcile your accounts regularly to match.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What are Retained Earnings?">
    Retained Earnings accumulate your company's profits (minus distributions) from all prior years. Each year-end, current year earnings roll into Retained Earnings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why doesn't my Balance Sheet balance?">
    It should always balance. If it doesn't:

    * Check for journal entry errors
    * Look for one-sided transactions
    * Contact support if persistent

    Pluvel enforces double-entry accounting, so imbalances are rare.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I record depreciation?">
    Depreciation is recorded via journal entry:

    * Debit: Depreciation Expense (P\&L)
    * Credit: Accumulated Depreciation (Balance Sheet)

    Go to **Accounting → Journal Entries** to record.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Using the Balance Sheet

### For loan applications

Banks want to see:

* Total assets (collateral)
* Debt-to-equity ratio
* Working capital (current assets - current liabilities)

### For investors

Investors evaluate:

* Book value (total equity)
* Asset efficiency
* Leverage (debt vs. equity)

### For tax planning

Track:

* Owner draws for distribution planning
* Equity for S-Corp reasonable compensation
* Asset values for depreciation

<Card title="Cash Flow Statement" icon="arrow-right" href="/features/reports/cash-flow">
  Track where your cash comes from and goes.
</Card>