The three exports your CPA actually wants, how to generate each, and a copy-pasteable email template.
Send to my CPA
CPAs work in a small set of standard reports. Send them the three below and you'll save both of you a round trip.
The three exports
| Report | Why your CPA wants it |
|---|---|
| Trial Balance | The definitive snapshot — every account, every balance, as of a date. Their first sanity check. |
| General Ledger detail | Every transaction with debit/credit. The receipts for the Trial Balance. |
| P&L + Balance Sheet | The two statements they'll hand to anyone else (lenders, IRS, investors). |
To generate:
- Trial Balance → Reports → Trial Balance → date → Export PDF.
- General Ledger detail → Reports → General Ledger → period → Export CSV or PDF.
- P&L + Balance Sheet → Reports → Financial Statements → period → Export PDF.
Email template
Copy this, edit the bracketed bits, send:
Subject: Q1 2026 books for review
Hi CPA name,
Attached are the three reports for Q1 2026:
- Trial Balance as of 3/31/2026
- General Ledger detail for Q1
- P&L + Balance Sheet for Q1
I'd like your eyes on tax filing / cash flow / year-end planning / specific question. Let me know if you want anything else.
Thanks, Your name
Before you send: the trial-balance check
Open the Trial Balance. The Debits column total and the Credits column total must match to the cent. If they don't, you have a data problem your CPA can't fix from the export — fix it on your end first, then re-send.
What your CPA may also want to know
If your CPA asks about the audit trail (what's preserved, what's signable, what an external auditor would accept), point them at the audit-trail page.