8.1 Prepare the Worksheet

Key Takeaways

  • HCS412304 PC 1.1 requires the worksheet in the prescribed multi-column format bridging the unadjusted trial balance to financial statement columns
  • A common 10-column worksheet pairs debit/credit for Trial Balance, Adjustments, Adjusted Trial Balance, Income Statement, and Balance Sheet
  • Every adjustment must appear on both a debit and a credit in the Adjustments columns so the pair still balances
  • Income-statement account balances extend to the IS columns; real accounts and drawings extend to the Balance Sheet columns
  • Net income or net loss is entered as the balancing figure that equalizes both the IS and BS column totals
Last updated: July 2026

Why the Worksheet Matters on Assessment Day

Unit HCS412304 Prepare financial reports opens with Element 1, Performance Criterion 1.1: the worksheet is prepared using the prescribed format. In TESDA Bookkeeping NC III practical projects, assessors rarely accept a pile of loose figures that "happen" to become statements. They expect a structured worksheet that proves you can move from ledger balances → adjustments → adjusted balances → statement columns without losing a peso.

The worksheet is not a formal financial statement under PFRS. It is an internal working paper—a bridge tool. Done correctly, it almost writes the Income Statement and Balance Sheet for you. Done incorrectly, every later report inherits the error. Treat PC 1.1 as the gate: if the worksheet fails, PC 1.2–1.4 usually fail with it.

Assessment framing: On a five-hour work-related project, the worksheet is often the first financial-report artifact you complete after the adjusted trial balance. Neat columns, ruled totals, and double-entry adjustments are scored for accuracy—not for fancy formatting software.

Prescribed Column Structure (Typical 10-Column Worksheet)

Philippine bookkeeping textbooks and TESDA-aligned modules commonly use a 10-column worksheet (five debit/credit pairs). Header information always includes the business name, the words "Worksheet," and the period ending date (for example, "For the Year Ended December 31, 2026").

Column pairDebit / CreditPurpose
Trial BalanceDr / CrUnadjusted ledger balances transferred from the preliminary or unadjusted TB
AdjustmentsDr / CrPeriod-end adjusting entries (accruals, deferrals, depreciation, bad debts, supplies, etc.)
Adjusted Trial BalanceDr / CrTB ± adjustments; must still balance
Income StatementDr / CrTemporary accounts: revenues (usually Cr) and expenses / cost of sales (usually Dr)
Balance SheetDr / CrReal accounts plus drawings / dividends; ending capital is often derived after net income

Some centers use an 8-column variant (TB, Adjustments, IS, BS) and compute adjusted balances mentally. The safer assessment habit is the full 10-column layout because it forces you to prove the adjusted TB before extending.

Heading and account list discipline

  1. List accounts in chart-of-accounts order (assets, liabilities, equity, income, expenses)—the same order you used on the trial balance.
  2. Leave blank lines for new accounts created only by adjustments (for example, Depreciation Expense, Accumulated Depreciation, Interest Payable, Supplies Expense).
  3. Use peso amounts with consistent decimals or whole pesos as your center’s working papers require; never mix "₱12,500" and "12500" randomly in adjacent columns.

Step-by-Step Preparation Workflow

Step 1 — Transfer the unadjusted trial balance

Copy each account title and its unadjusted debit or credit balance into the Trial Balance columns. Foot both columns. Debit total must equal credit total before you touch adjustments. If they do not, stop—return to HCS412303 skills (transpositions, slides, single-sided postings).

Step 2 — Enter adjustments in pairs

For every adjusting entry, place the debit amount in the Adjustments Debit column of one account and the credit amount in the Adjustments Credit column of another (or the same pair of accounts). Common Philippine MSME adjustments include:

Adjustment typeTypical debitTypical credit
Accrued salariesSalaries ExpenseSalaries Payable
Accrued interest incomeInterest ReceivableInterest Income
Expired prepaid rent (asset method)Rent ExpensePrepaid Rent
Earned portion of unearned feesUnearned Service RevenueService Revenue
Supplies usedSupplies ExpenseSupplies
DepreciationDepreciation ExpenseAccumulated Depreciation
Bad debts (allowance)Bad Debts ExpenseAllowance for Doubtful Accounts

After all adjustments, foot the Adjustments Debit and Credit columns. They must balance.

Step 3 — Compute the adjusted trial balance

For each line: start with the Trial Balance amount, add same-side adjustments, subtract opposite-side adjustments, and place the result in the Adjusted Trial Balance Debit or Credit column. Foot again. Equality here is your last mechanical checkpoint before statement extension.

Step 4 — Extend to Income Statement and Balance Sheet columns

Extension rules (memorize these):

Account natureExtend to
Revenues / other incomeIncome Statement Credit
Expenses, cost of sales, cost of servicesIncome Statement Debit
Assets (including contra-asset credit balances such as Accumulated Depreciation and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts)Balance Sheet (asset Dr; contra Cr)
LiabilitiesBalance Sheet Credit
Capital / Share Capital / Partner CapitalBalance Sheet Credit
Drawings / Dividends / Owner WithdrawalsBalance Sheet Debit

Do not extend Income Summary on the worksheet if you have not used that account yet; many worksheets skip Income Summary entirely and balance with net income.

Step 5 — Balance with net income or net loss

Foot the Income Statement columns. If credits (revenues) exceed debits (expenses), the difference is net income. Enter net income as:

  • a debit in the Income Statement columns (to equalize IS Debit = IS Credit), and
  • a credit in the Balance Sheet columns (increasing equity).

If expenses exceed revenues, the difference is net loss: credit the IS columns and debit the BS columns.

Then foot the Balance Sheet columns; they must now equal.

PHP Worked Mini-Set (Trading Sole Prop Excerpt)

Assume Luzon Trading, year ended December 31, 2026. Selected lines after adjustments:

AccountAdj. TB DrAdj. TB Cr
Cash₱85,000
Accounts Receivable60,000
Merchandise Inventory120,000
Store Equipment200,000
Accumulated Depreciation—Store Equipment₱40,000
Accounts Payable55,000
Luzon, Capital300,000
Luzon, Drawings30,000
Sales480,000
Sales Returns and Allowances8,000
Cost of Goods Sold280,000
Salaries Expense72,000
Rent Expense36,000
Depreciation Expense20,000
Totals (illustrative)

Income Statement extension (simplified):

IS DebitIS Credit
Sales Returns and Allowances8,000
Cost of Goods Sold280,000
Salaries Expense72,000
Rent Expense36,000
Depreciation Expense20,000
Sales480,000
Subtotal416,000480,000
Net income (plug)64,000
Totals480,000480,000

Net income of ₱64,000 then appears as a Balance Sheet credit (alongside Capital), while Drawings ₱30,000 remains a Balance Sheet debit. Ending capital that will appear on the Statement of Changes in Equity and Balance Sheet is conceptually ₱300,000 + ₱64,000 − ₱30,000 = ₱334,000—but you still prepare the formal SCE under PC 1.3; the worksheet only supplies the pieces.

Assessment Practical Habits (Philippine Centers)

HabitWhy assessors care
Use a ruler for column totals and double-rule final equalsSignals finished, balanced work
Write adjustment letters (a), (b), (c) beside amounts and key them at the footShows each adjustment is a complete double entry
Never erase; draw a single line and rewrite if paper rules requirePreserves audit trail on working papers
Keep IS and BS extensions mutually exclusive for each accountPrevents double-counting revenue as both income and asset
Re-foot every pair of columns before moving onCatches ₱100 slide errors early

Common worksheet traps

  • Extending Drawings to the Income Statement (wrong—drawings are not an expense under PFRS presentation for owner equity).
  • Extending Accumulated Depreciation as a debit asset without placing it as a credit contra in the BS Credit column.
  • Forgetting to create new expense/payable lines for accruals, then wondering why Adjustments columns will not balance.
  • Computing net income correctly on IS but posting it to the wrong side of the BS pair.
  • Using merchandise inventory’s beginning balance on the IS when the problem already gives Cost of Goods Sold on the adjusted TB (follow the accounts you actually have).

How the Worksheet Feeds PC 1.2–1.4

Once the worksheet is complete:

  1. Income Statement (PC 1.2) — lift revenue and expense figures from the IS columns; arrange them in single-step or multi-step form.
  2. Statement of Changes in Equity (PC 1.3) — lift beginning capital, net income/loss, drawings/dividends, and additional investments.
  3. Balance Sheet (PC 1.4) — lift asset, liability, and equity balances from the BS columns, using ending capital that articulates with the SCE.

If your worksheet IS credit revenues and BS debit assets are incomplete, your formal statements will not articulate. PC 1.1 is therefore not optional busywork—it is the control schedule for Element 1.

Closing Checkpoint

Before you leave the worksheet on assessment day, verify five equals signs: Trial Balance Dr=Cr, Adjustments Dr=Cr, Adjusted TB Dr=Cr, Income Statement Dr=Cr (after net income/loss plug), Balance Sheet Dr=Cr (after the same plug). That five-point proof is the practical meaning of "prescribed format" done competently under HCS412304 PC 1.1.

Test Your Knowledge

Under HCS412304 Performance Criterion 1.1, what is the worksheet’s primary role in the Bookkeeping NC III cycle?

A
B
C
D
Test Your Knowledge

On a standard 10-column worksheet, where should the owner’s Drawings account balance normally be extended?

A
B
C
D
Test Your Knowledge

After footing the Income Statement columns, revenues exceed expenses by ₱64,000. How is that net income entered to balance the worksheet?

A
B
C
D
Test Your Knowledge

Which condition must be true before you extend adjusted balances into the Income Statement and Balance Sheet columns?

A
B
C
D