balance brought forward

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablebusinessfinance

   The amount of money in an account at the start of a new period, carried over from the previous period.

   Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'the balance brought forward' or 'a balance brought forward of £X'.

   Patterns

   • balance brought forward from something
   • a balance brought forward of £X

   The balance brought forward from last month was $500.

   Please check the balance brought forward on your statement.

   The accountant recorded a balance brought forward of £1,200.

2. 2nouncountablebusinessfinance

   The total of a column of figures that is moved to the top of the next page or column in an accounting record.

   Grammar: Used when describing the physical act of carrying a total forward in a ledger.

   Patterns

   • balance brought forward to the next page

   At the bottom of the page, write 'balance brought forward'.

   The balance brought forward to the next page was $3,450.

Word forms

Common combinations

balance brought forward from

The balance brought forward from the previous quarter was positive.

balance brought forward of

There is a balance brought forward of $200.

balance brought forward on the account

The balance brought forward on the account was incorrect.

Synonyms and how they differ

opening balance

This is the more common everyday term for the same idea; 'balance brought forward' is more formal and often used in written accounting records.

carried-forward balance

A less common variant that emphasizes the action of carrying the amount forward.

Opposites

Word family

balance noun

The amount of money in an account.

brought forward phrase

Moved to an earlier point in time or to the top of a new page.

Commonly confused: balance brought forward or balance carried forward?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “balance brought forward”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words