How to get the statement of changes in equity

What is it for?

The statement of changes in equity shows, column by column (capital, reserves, retained earnings, net result…), what changed equity during the period: the year's result, capital contributions, distributions. It always covers two periods, the previous one (N-1) and the current one (N), and is part of the SNC financial statements.

When to use it?

• At the end of the fiscal year, to prepare the financial statements.
• To confirm that the previous year's result was moved to retained earnings.
• Do not use it to analyse the year's expenses and income: for that there is the income statement.

Where to find it?

Accounting › Review › Financial statements › Changes in equity.

Before you start

• Your profile is Accountant. With it you can do every step of this article (tested with the Accountant profile).
• The journal entries of the fiscal year and of the previous one are posted.
• The example is Empresa Demonstração, Lda, in fiscal year 2026 (N) and 2025 (N-1), on 03/11/2026.

How to use it

1. Open Accounting › Review › Financial statements › Changes in equity. The Statement of Changes in Equity (SNC) opens for 01/01/2026 – 31/12/2026. The columns go from Subscribed capital to Total, through Reserves, Retained earnings and Net result of the period.
2. Read the first block, the previous period's, from POSITION AT THE START OF PERIOD N-1 to POSITION AT THE END OF PERIOD N-1. In the example, 2025 starts at €0.00, has a NET RESULT OF THE PERIOD of €31,104.16 and Capital realizations of €100,000.00, and ends with €131,104.16.
3. Read the second block, the current period's, from POSITION AT THE START OF PERIOD N: it opens with the €131,104.16 the previous one ended with (€100,000.00 of capital and €31,104.16 of net result). In NET RESULT OF THE PERIOD for period N, the Retained earnings column rises by €31,104.16 (the appropriation of the 2025 result), the Net result of the period column shows -€90,436.00 (it removes that €31,104.16 and adds the 2026 loss of €59,331.84) and the Total is -€59,331.84.
4. Check the end: POSITION AT THE END OF PERIOD N has Subscribed capital €100,000.00, Retained earnings €31,104.16, Net result of the period -€59,331.84 and Total €71,772.32. The total must equal the Total equity of the balance sheet for the same fiscal year: in the example, €71,772.32 in both.
5. To hand the statement over for signature, click Export and choose Export PDF ready to sign (how to do it). To change the period or save options, see How to filter, compare periods and export a report.

Expected result

• The position at the end of N-1 equals the position at the start of N (€131,104.16).
• The position at the end of N equals the equity in the balance sheet, even before the closing of the result.
• Each line has the amount in each column and the line's Total.
• No journal entry is created: the statement only reads.

Important notes

• The year's result is included before the closing. The 2026 loss is already in the statement, with the fiscal year not yet closed, and it matches the income statement (-€59,331.84).
• Do not read the header as the result. Above the table, the screen shows Profit €0.00, with a loss of €59,331.84 in the fiscal year. The right amounts are those in the table.
• Pending validation by a certified accountant: how the current period's result is presented before the closing and before the accounts are approved.

Common problems

“The lines of this statement have not been generated yet, so it shows zero…”

• Cause: the screen shows this warning on this statement even when the amounts are there. In the example it appears with all the amounts in this article, and the total matches the balance sheet.
• What to do: if the amounts appear and step 4 matches, you can read them. Do not run what the warning asks: in Accounting › Configure › Plan and legal rules › Generate statement lines (that is the menu name), the product refuses this statement (“Report "Demonstração das Alterações no Capital Próprio (SNC) (PT)" has no line linked to a Portaria 220/2015 line…”). The amounts do not change and the warning stays. If everything is zero, see the next case.

All lines are zero

• Cause: the chosen period has no movements or balances in the equity accounts. In a company without journal entries, the statement comes out all at €0.00, with the same warning, and the balance sheet may refuse to open: “The accounting framework of "…" is not set, so this statement cannot be shown…”
• What to do: check the period in the top bar and, in the general ledger, the balance of the equity accounts.