Calculating and reading the SYSCOHADA balance sheet
The SYSCOHADA balance sheet is a snapshot of your company’s net worth at a given date T. It answers two fundamental questions: what your company owns (Assets) and how those resources are financed (Liabilities). SynkriaOps automatically calculates the balance sheet from your posted accounting entries — no manual input is required.
SYSCOHADA balance sheet structure
Section titled “SYSCOHADA balance sheet structure”Assets — what the company owns
Section titled “Assets — what the company owns”| Section | SYSCOHADA accounts | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed assets | Class 2 | Computer equipment, vehicles, land |
| Inventories | Class 3 | Merchandise, raw materials |
| Receivables | Class 4 debit balances | Customers (411xxx), Tax credits (44xxx debit) |
| Cash and equivalents | Class 5 | Bank (521xxx), petty cash (571xxx) |
Liabilities — how the company is financed
Section titled “Liabilities — how the company is financed”| Section | SYSCOHADA accounts | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Equity | Class 1 | Share capital (101), Reserves (11xxx), Net result (12) |
| Long-term financial debt | Class 16 | Long-term bank loans |
| Short-term liabilities | Class 4 credit balances | Suppliers (401xxx), VAT payable (44310) |
| Overdrafts | Class 5 credit balances | Bank overdrafts |
Accessing the balance sheet
Section titled “Accessing the balance sheet”From the navigation bar: Financial Statements → Balance Sheet.
Select the fiscal year for which you wish to generate the balance sheet. SynkriaOps automatically displays columns N (selected year) and N-1 (previous year) for comparison.
Prerequisites for a reliable balance sheet
Section titled “Prerequisites for a reliable balance sheet”Before generating the balance sheet, verify the following:
- Balanced trial balance — Open the trial balance and confirm that ΣDebit balances = ΣCredit balances. 2. All documents posted — Documents in DRAFT status are not included in the balance sheet. Post them before generating. 3. Up-to-date matching — Matched (cleared) receivables and payables do not distort outstanding balances. 4. Correct opening balances — If this is the first year after a data migration, verify that the opening balances of classes 1–5 are accurate. 5. Depreciation posted — Depreciation charges must be recorded before the balance sheet date (otherwise fixed assets will be overstated).
Example balance sheet — Cameroonian SME
Section titled “Example balance sheet — Cameroonian SME”Simplified balance sheet for a distribution SME at 31/12/2025, total balance sheet: 45,000,000 XAF.
ASSETS
Section titled “ASSETS”| Line item | N (31/12/2025) | N-1 (31/12/2024) |
|---|---|---|
| FIXED ASSETS | ||
| Equipment and tools (net) | 8,500,000 | 10,200,000 |
| Transport equipment (net) | 4,200,000 | 5,600,000 |
| Sub-total fixed assets | 12,700,000 | 15,800,000 |
| CURRENT ASSETS | ||
| Merchandise inventories | 6,800,000 | 5,100,000 |
| Trade receivables | 11,400,000 | 8,700,000 |
| VAT recoverable | 950,000 | 600,000 |
| Sub-total current assets | 19,150,000 | 14,400,000 |
| CASH | ||
| BICEC bank account (521001) | 11,200,000 | 9,500,000 |
| Petty cash (571000) | 1,950,000 | 1,200,000 |
| Sub-total cash | 13,150,000 | 10,700,000 |
| TOTAL ASSETS | 45,000,000 | 40,900,000 |
LIABILITIES
Section titled “LIABILITIES”| Line item | N (31/12/2025) | N-1 (31/12/2024) |
|---|---|---|
| EQUITY | ||
| Share capital (101000) | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 |
| Legal reserves (1111) | 1,200,000 | 850,000 |
| Retained earnings (12x) | 2,350,000 | 1,500,000 |
| Net result for the year (12) | 7,500,000 | 5,200,000 |
| Sub-total equity | 21,050,000 | 17,550,000 |
| LONG-TERM FINANCIAL DEBT | ||
| Bank loans (162xxx) | 8,200,000 | 11,400,000 |
| SHORT-TERM LIABILITIES | ||
| Trade payables (401xxx) | 12,350,000 | 9,800,000 |
| VAT payable (44310) | 1,475,000 | 1,150,000 |
| Social security payable (422xxx) | 1,925,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Sub-total short-term liabilities | 15,750,000 | 11,950,000 |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | 45,000,000 | 40,900,000 |
Key financial ratios
Section titled “Key financial ratios”Working capital (WC)
Section titled “Working capital (WC)”Working capital measures long-term financial stability:
WC = Permanent capital − Fixed assets
Permanent capital = Equity + Long-term debt = 21,050,000 + 8,200,000 = 29,250,000 XAF
WC = 29,250,000 − 12,700,000 = 16,550,000 XAF ✓ (positive = fixed assets are financed by stable resources)
Working capital requirement (WCR)
Section titled “Working capital requirement (WCR)”WCR represents the financing needs tied to operations:
WCR = Inventories + Trade receivables − Trade payables
WCR = 6,800,000 + 11,400,000 − 12,350,000 = 5,850,000 XAF
A positive WCR means operations consume cash. It must be financed (by WC or overdraft facilities).
Net cash position
Section titled “Net cash position”Net cash = Cash assets − Cash liabilities
Net cash = 13,150,000 − 0 = 13,150,000 XAF ✓
Verification: Net cash = WC − WCR = 16,550,000 − 5,850,000 = 10,700,000 XAF (slight difference due to the simplified example — in a complete balance sheet, all three ratios always reconcile).
Common errors
Section titled “Common errors”| Error | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Total Assets ≠ Total Liabilities | Unbalanced trial balance | Correct the discrepancy in the trial balance |
| Balance sheet result ≠ income statement result | Draft document or incorrect opening balances | Post all documents, verify opening balances |
| Fixed assets overstated | Depreciation not posted | Record depreciation charges before generating the balance sheet |
| N-1 column empty | No previous fiscal year in SynkriaOps | Normal for the first year — enter opening balances via data migration |
What’s next?
Section titled “What’s next?”- Viewing the trial balance — An essential prerequisite before generating any balance sheet.
- Calculating the income statement — Detail of the net result that appears in account 12 of the balance sheet after year-end closing.
- Closing a fiscal year — Closing automatically calculates the result and records it in account 12.