Balance sheet template
Set out what the business owns and owes on one date, split into current and non-current items, with an equity section that should equal net assets.
- By Book Keeping Pros
- Sources checked 15 Oct 2026
A balance sheet shows a business's position on a single date: its assets, its liabilities and the difference between them. business.gov.au calls it a snapshot of the business at a given date, listing what it owns and owes and working out its net assets. This template sets those items out in groups, with an equity section underneath.
Assets and liabilities are each split into current and non-current. business.gov.au's glossary treats an asset as current when it is cash or can be turned into cash within 12 months, and a liability as current when it is due for payment within 12 months. Its own template calls the longer-term groups fixed assets and long-term liabilities. Net assets are total assets less total liabilities, and total equity should come to the same figure.
It is a CSV file, which opens in a spreadsheet program. The last column names the record that supports each balance, so the finished sheet shows where every figure came from.
Download the template
The template as a CSV file, which opens in any spreadsheet program.
Download the CSV fileWhat's in the template
| Section | Item | Amount (AUD) | Checked against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current assets | Cash at bank | 14,260.00 | Bank reconciliation at the balance sheet date |
| Current assets | Accounts receivable | 9,350.00 | List of unpaid customer invoices |
| Current assets | Inventory | 11,900.00 | Stocktake |
| Non-current assets | Equipment and vehicles | 32,000.00 | List of assets the business owns |
| Total | Total assets | 67,510.00 | Sum of the assets above |
| Current liabilities | Accounts payable | 7,240.00 | List of unpaid supplier bills |
| Current liabilities | Business loan, due within 12 months | 6,000.00 | Lender's repayment schedule |
| Non-current liabilities | Business loan, due after 12 months | 16,500.00 | Lender's statement and repayment schedule |
| Total | Total liabilities | 29,740.00 | Sum of the liabilities above |
| Net assets | Net assets | 37,770.00 | Total assets less total liabilities |
| Equity | Equity at the start of the financial year | 25,630.00 | Balance sheet at the end of the previous financial year |
| Equity | Profit from the start of the financial year to the balance sheet date | 18,140.00 | Profit and loss statement for the same dates |
| Equity | Capital put in, less drawings or dividends taken out, over the same dates | (6,000.00) | Capital, drawings and dividend records; brackets mean more was taken out than put in |
| Equity | Total equity | 37,770.00 | Must equal net assets |
Illustrative example only: these rows show the method and are not sourced data.
What goes in each column
- Section: Current assets, non-current assets, current liabilities, non-current liabilities or equity, with the totals between them.
- Item: The asset, liability or equity line, which can group several accounts from your books.
- Amount (AUD): The balance on the balance sheet date.
- Checked against: The record outside the ledger that supports the balance, or how a total is worked out.
How to use it
- Download the CSV file, open it in a spreadsheet program and note the business name and the balance sheet date at the top of the sheet.
- Take the asset, liability and equity balances from your books at that date and replace the example items with your own. When the date falls partway through the financial year, the profit line covers the whole financial year to date, not only the latest month or quarter.
- Sort each liability by when it falls due. The part payable within 12 months is current and the rest is non-current, so a loan repaid over several years usually appears in both groups.
- Check each balance against the record named in the last column, and find the cause of any balance that does not agree before you go on. How equipment and other long-term assets are treated in the accounts is a question for your accountant.
- Fill in the equity section to suit the business structure. Capital and drawings accounts are usually kept for a sole trader or partnership, share capital and retained profits for a company, and money an owner lends to a company is recorded as a liability, not equity. Your accountant can confirm the accounts that fit your business.
- Check that total equity equals net assets. If it does not, look for an account left out, counted twice or taken from a different date.
Related terms
Sources
- Set up a balance sheet
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 18 January 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Key financial terms
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 9 July 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
Related guides
How to prepare a balance sheet
How to build a balance sheet from your books: choose the date, prove each balance against outside records, group the accounts and check that it balances.
How to read a balance sheet
What each part of a balance sheet means, how to work out net assets and working capital, and what the figures say about a small business.
How to calculate working capital
How to work out working capital step by step: update the books, total current assets and current liabilities, subtract, and track the result each month.