A comparative balance sheet usually has two columns of amounts that appear to the right of the account titles or other descriptions such as Cash and Cash Equivalents, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, etc. The first column of amounts contains the amounts as of a recent moment or point in time, say December 31, 2012. To the right will be a column containing corresponding amounts from an earlier date, such as December 31, 2011. The older amounts appear further from the account titles or descriptions as the older amounts are less important.

Providing the amounts from an earlier date gives the reader of the balance sheet a point of reference—something to which the recent amounts can be compared.
