The quick answer
The standard Balance Sheet has one Amount column, as of one period. To see several month-ends side by side, click Customize on it, open the Edit Columns tab of the Financial Report Builder, and give each Amount column its own period: set Alternate Period Range Type to Relative to today's date, pick (Custom) under Alternate Period Range, and choose the month in Periods. Keep Cumulative Value checked so each column is the balance at that month's end. Add one Amount column per month from Add Fields > Financial, then click Preview.
A balance sheet is a snapshot. Every number on it is everything posted to that account up to the end of the period, so if you want to see how cash or payables moved over a quarter, you need several snapshots next to each other. Running the report three times and copying numbers into a spreadsheet works, but it's slow and easy to get wrong. The example builds Jul, Aug, and Sep 2026 columns for a single subsidiary, then clears Cumulative Value on one of them to show what a non-cumulative column reports. The screenshots use sample data and fictional person and operating-company names.
Before you start
Your role needs access to financial reports and permission to customize them. The months you want must exist as accounting periods. They don't have to be closed, but an open period can still change if someone posts to it later.
In a OneWorld account, pick the subsidiary context before you start and keep it the same for every column. The example uses a single subsidiary, Larkspur US. If Multi-Book is on, check the accounting book too. With a consolidated context, consolidation rates, translation, and eliminations can make an alternate-period column disagree with a standard report you run separately for the same month, so don't expect those to tie to the penny.
01. Run the standard Balance Sheet
Go to Reports > Financial > Balance Sheet. The bottom bar shows End Of This Period, As of Sep 2026, Subsidiary Context Larkspur US, and Column Total. There's one Amount column: 1010 - Operating Checking is $57,300.00 and Total ASSETS is $371,950.00, both as of the end of September.
The Column field won't help here. It splits the amount by segment, such as class, department, location, or subsidiary, not by month. Month columns come from customizing the report.
02. Open Edit Columns
Click Customize at the bottom of the report. The Financial Report Builder opens on Edit Layout, with the report named Custom Balance Sheet. Nothing is saved until you click Save, so you can experiment.
Click the Edit Columns tab. The Report Preview uses placeholder rows (Financial Row 1 to 5) and shows the one Amount column, already selected. Its settings are under Financial: Amount. Alternate Period Range Type is None, which means the column follows the As of period in the report footer.
03. Point the Amount column at Jul 2026
Open Alternate Period Range Type and choose Relative to today's date. Two new fields appear. Cumulative Value was already checked in the example; make sure it's checked in yours, because checked means the column shows the balance at the end of its period.
Open Alternate Period Range. It lists Quick Filters and Available Selectors; choose (Custom). A Periods list of fiscal years, quarters, and months appears. Scroll to Jul 2026 and click the month itself, not FY 2026 or Q3 2026, which cover more than one month. A column with its own custom period no longer follows the footer's As of period, but it still uses the report's subsidiary context, book, and filters.
04. Add Aug and Sep 2026
Under Add Fields, expand Financial and click Amount. A second Amount column shows up in the Report Preview, selected. Set it the same way: Relative to today's date, Cumulative Value checked, (Custom), Aug 2026.
Click Amount again for a third column and give it Sep 2026. The preview still labels all three "Amount", because it shows each column's label rather than its period. If you want shorter headers, type your own Column Label. This example keeps the default.
05. Preview the report
Click Preview. The Custom Balance Sheet runs without being saved, with columns Amount (As of Jul 2026), Amount (As of Aug 2026), and Amount (As of Sep 2026). "As of" in the header tells you the column is cumulative.
1010 - Operating Checking reads $48,200.00, $61,750.00, and $57,300.00. 1500 - Warehouse Equipment reads $72,000.00 in every column: nothing posted to it in these months, and the balance carries forward. Total ASSETS reads $353,100.00, $363,500.00, and $371,950.00.
Check the Sep 2026 column against step 1. Operating Checking is $57,300.00 and Total ASSETS is $371,950.00, same as the standard report. If yours don't match, compare subsidiary context, accounting book, and filters first, and remember the consolidated caveat above.
06. Balances vs. activity
Click Return To Customization. The builder reopens on Edit Columns with all three columns. Click the third column in the Report Preview, clear Cumulative Value, and click Preview again.
The third header now reads Amount (Sep 2026), without "As of". Operating Checking shows ($4,450.00): the September balance of $57,300.00 minus the August balance of $61,750.00. Warehouse Equipment shows $0.00. With Cumulative Value cleared, a column reports the period's net activity instead of an ending balance. It's a useful check, but it isn't a balance sheet. For a month-over-month balance sheet, keep it checked.
That subtraction works for an ordinary account like this checking account, across consecutive months, with the same context, book, and currency. Don't lean on it for Retained Earnings or Net Income around fiscal year-end, or for consolidated reports where currency translation and eliminations come into play.
When the columns look right, give the report a Name and click Save so you can run it again later. Where saved reports show up depends on your role and account setup.
Common questions
Why doesn't the Balance Sheet Column field offer months?
The standard Balance Sheet shows one Amount column as of the period in the footer. The Column field splits that amount by segment, such as class, department, location, or subsidiary. To put months side by side, customize the report and give each month its own Amount column.
What's the difference between cumulative and non-cumulative columns?
A cumulative column is the account balance at the end of the chosen period, and its header reads "As of". A non-cumulative column is the net activity in that period. In the example, Operating Checking is $57,300.00 as of Sep 2026 and ($4,450.00) for September alone, because it was $61,750.00 at the end of August.
Why does an account show the same balance every month?
Nothing posted to it. A balance sheet account keeps its ending balance until a transaction changes it, so Warehouse Equipment reads $72,000.00 in July, August, and September. The same account shows $0.00 in a non-cumulative column for any month with no activity.
Should I pick Relative to report date or Relative to today's date?
When you choose (Custom) and a specific month, the column stays on that month either way. The difference shows up with moving selectors such as last fiscal quarter: Relative to today's date moves with the calendar, and Relative to report date moves with the As of period in the footer. For a rolling view, pick the one that matches how you run the report and save it under a clear name.
Why doesn't my consolidated custom column match the standard report?
In a consolidated subsidiary context, alternate-period columns can pick up different consolidation rates, translation, and eliminations than a standard report you run separately for the same month. Compare them in a single-subsidiary context first. If those match, consolidation explains the gap.