Unadjusted trial balance definition including break down of areas in the definition. Analyzing the definition of key term often provides more insight about concepts. The term unadjusted trial balance can be defined as: List of accounts and balances prepared before accounting adjustments are recorded and posted. The term trial balance is often used as a stand-alone term making it confusing when we hear terms like an unadjusted trial balance, an adjusted trial balance, and a post-closing trail balance, these term really explaining the point in the accounting cycle that the trial balance is generated. As we create the trial balance through the accounting cycle, through the month or year we have an unadjusted trial balance, the adjusting entries being what transforms the unadjusted trial balance to the adjusted trial balance, the adjusted trial balance being used to create the financial statements, the closing journal entries taking place after the financial statements have been created converting the adjusted trial balance to the post closing trial balances, the post-closing trial balance being a trial balance with no temporary accounts or a trial balance that has a zero balance for all temporary accounts.
