Which financial report is primarily used to check the accuracy of accounting records?

The trial balance is the financial report specifically designed to verify the accuracy of the accounting records. It summarizes all the ledger accounts and their respective balances at a particular point in time, presenting both debits and credits. The main purpose of the trial balance is to ensure that the total debits equal the total credits, which is a fundamental principle in double-entry accounting. If the two sides do not match, it indicates that there might be errors in the accounting records that need to be investigated and corrected.

In contrast, the balance sheet provides a snapshot of a company's financial position by detailing its assets, liabilities, and equity at a specific date, but it does not directly assess the accuracy of the underlying ledger accounts. The income statement reports a company’s revenues and expenses over a period of time, allowing an assessment of profitability rather than verifying account accuracy. The cash flow statement outlines the cash inflows and outflows over a period, focusing on liquidity rather than the precision of recorded transactions. Thus, while all these statements are important for understanding a company's financial health, the trial balance is uniquely suited for checking the correctness of accounting data.