accounting-adjusted-balance

--- name: accounting-adjusted-balance description: Prepare the adjusted trial balance by applying adjusting entries to the unadjusted balances and verifying debits still equal credits. Use when the user has recorded the period-end adjustments and wants updated balances to prepare financial statements from. Not for the pre-adjustment check; see /accounting-trial-balance. metadata: argument-hint: "[project] [--skip-checks]" workflow: accounting phase: 6 artifact: 06-adjusted-balance.md --- # Adjusted Trial Balance Prepare an adjusted trial balance for "$ARGUMENTS". Incorporate adjusting entries and verify that debits still equal credits. **Arguments.** `$ARGUMENTS` may contain the project name and optional flags. Take the first token as `<project>` and treat `--skip-checks` as a flag; never include flags in file paths. All paths below use `<project>`. If `--skip-checks` is present, skip the prerequisite check and, **before writing any artifact**, append one line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl`: `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"accounting-adjusted-balance","workflow":"accounting","phase":6,"project":"<project>","event":"skipped","artifact":"06-adjusted-balance.md","note":"<reason or \"none given\">"}`. **Compute with code.** Perform every calculation (totals, balances, ratios, variances, projections) with a script — Bash, Python or a spreadsheet formula written to a file — and include the computation alongside the result. Never do arithmetic mentally. ## Prerequisites **Part of a workflow.** This skill is phase 6 (Adjusted Balance) of the Accounting Cycle workflow (`accounting`); cross-domain workflows run it too. First check `.singularskills/log.jsonl` for an open run for this project: a `run-started` line with `"project":"<project>"` and no later `run-finished` line for the same `workflow` and `project`. If one exists, the conductor is running you: continue here. Otherwise, if the user asked to start, run, continue or resume a process or workflow rather than this one step, do not continue here: invoke the `workflow` skill with the workflow the user asked for, or `accounting` when they named none, followed by `<project>`; it runs this phase in order, asks before it writes and records the run. Otherwise continue here: a later phase runs on its own, behind its gate. Run this skill's gate before writing: `sh <this skill's folder>/scripts/gate.sh <project> <project root>`, where `<project root>` is the folder that contains `.singularskills/` (use `.` when you are already there). If it exits non-zero, stop and tell the user what it printed, unless `--skip-checks` was given (see Arguments). On a refusal, before you stop, append this line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl` (create the folder and file if missing): `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"accounting-adjusted-balance","workflow":"accounting","phase":6,"project":"<project>","event":"refused","artifact":"06-adjusted-balance.md","note":"<what the gate printed>"}`. Once the gate has passed, or under `--skip-checks` once you have appended the `skipped` line, append this line before you start work: `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"accounting-adjusted-balance","workflow":"accounting","phase":6,"project":"<project>","event":"started","artifact":"06-adjusted-balance.md","note":""}`. Read `.singularskills/accounting/<project>/04-trial-balance.md` for the unadjusted balances and `.singularskills/accounting/<project>/05-adjust.md` for the adjusting entries. ## Process 1. **Apply adjusting entries:** - Start with the unadjusted trial balance - Post each adjusting entry to the affected accounts - Calculate new account balances incorporating all adjustments 2. **Prepare the adjusted trial balance:** - List every account with its adjusted balance - Place debit balances in the debit column and credit balances in the credit column - Order accounts by category: assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, expenses 3. **Verify balance:** - Sum all adjusted debit balances - Sum all adjusted credit balances - Confirm totals are equal - If not, trace the discrepancy back to the adjusting entries 4. **Write the artifact** to `.singularskills/accounting/<project>/06-adjusted-balance.md` with sections: - **Adjusted Trial Balance** — all accounts with unadjusted balance, adjustments, and adjusted balance columns - **Balance Verification** — total debits, total credits, and difference (should be zero) - **Adjustment Impact** — summary showing how each account changed from unadjusted to adjusted ## Output The adjusted trial balance written to `.singularskills/accounting/<project>/06-adjusted-balance.md`. Present a summary highlighting: - Total adjusted debits and credits - Whether the adjusted trial balance is in balance - Accounts most affected by adjustments **Record the run.** After you have written the artifact, append this line to `.singularskills/log.jsonl` (the `started` line of Prerequisites, with `"event":"finished"`): `{"ts":"<ISO timestamp>","skill":"accounting-adjusted-balance","workflow":"accounting","phase":6,"project":"<project>","event":"finished","artifact":"06-adjusted-balance.md","note":""}`. Open the artifact with this frontmatter (`agent` is the agent you run in, or `unknown`; `gate` is `passed` when the gate ran clean and `skipped` under `--skip-checks`): ```yaml --- skill: accounting-adjusted-balance workflow: accounting phase: 6 project: <project> started: <ISO timestamp> finished: <ISO timestamp> agent: <the agent you run in, or "unknown"> gate: <passed|skipped> --- ``` End the artifact with `## Decisions` and `## Open questions`, in this shape: ```markdown ## Decisions - <what was chosen> — <why> — <what was rejected> ## Open questions - <what the next phase or a reviewer must settle> ``` End the artifact with this paragraph, verbatim: > **Not financial or tax advice.** This artifact is generated analysis for review by a qualified accountant or financial professional before any filing, reporting or decision relies on it.