One of the most common — and stressful — moments during XBRL filing is discovering that the numbers don’t tie. Totals don’t match subtotals, balances don’t roll forward, or figures conflict across statements. When this happens close to the ACRA deadline, panic often follows.
The key is to resist quick fixes and deal with the issue systematically.
When numbers don’t tie, the worst response is to force them to match.
Before making any adjustments:
Understanding the failure point prevents unnecessary changes.
Most “numbers don’t tie” problems originate in the trial balance.
Review:
If the trial balance is inconsistent, downstream fixes won’t hold.
XBRL ties statements together logically.
Common checks include:
A mismatch here often reveals the root cause quickly.
Late changes are frequent culprits.
Look for:
Confirm that each adjustment is applied consistently across all reports.
Inserting balancing figures may make totals match visually, but it usually creates deeper issues.
Plug figures:
They almost always cost more time later.
Once the issue is identified:
This ensures consistency throughout.
Repeated tie-out problems usually indicate weak upstream processes.
Modern systems reduce these issues by:
Platforms like ccMonet support accountants by generating structured Unaudited Financial Statements (UFS) from validated bookkeeping data, reducing tie-out issues during XBRL filing.
When figures align logically, XBRL stops being mysterious. Validation errors become rare, filing timelines stabilize, and stress drops significantly.
For Singapore SMEs, learning how to respond calmly and systematically when numbers don’t tie is one of the most valuable XBRL skills.
👉 Learn how structured, AI-assisted financial workflows help prevent tie-out issues before filing at https://www.ccmonet.ai/
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