The Uses of Trial Balance To check that the books balance, i.e.

. that every debit entry has been accompanied by a credit entry To ascertain the net amount of the error(s), should an error(s) have been made As a basis from which the trading account, profit and loss account and balance sheet are prepared Advantages of maintain a control account Control Accounts help to narrow down the search for errors Control Accounts can help in preventing fraud as it would be difficult to disguise fraudulent entries from the responsible official who scrutinizes the control accounts.