What is Financial Statements?
Financial statements are the basic and formal annual reports through which the corporate management communicates financial information to its owners and various other external parties which include investors, tax authorities, government, employees, etc.
These refer to: the balance sheet (position statement) as at the end of accounting period, the statement of profit and loss of a company and the cash flow statement
Table of Contents
- 1 What is Financial Statements?
- 2 Financial Statements Definition
- 3 Nature of Financial Statements
- 4 Objectives of Financial Statements
- 5 Elements of Financial Statements
- 6 Types of Financial Statements
- 7 Uses and Importance of Financial Statements
- 8 Limitations of Financial Statements
- 9 Adjustments in the Preparation of Financial Statements
Financial statements are the end products of the accounting process, which reveal the financial results of a specified period and financial position of a business as on a particular date. These statements include income statement and balance sheet.
The basic objective of these statements is to provide information required for decision making by the management as well as parties who are interested in the affairs of the undertaking. A cash flow statement when used along with other financial statements provides information that enables users to evaluate changes in net assets of a business, its financial structure (including its liquidity and solvency) and its ability to affect the amounts and timings of cash flows in order to adapt to changing circumstances and opportunities.
The users of financial statements are investors, employees, lenders, suppliers, creditors, customers, government and public. In addition, these statements reveal the business’s source of generating cash and cash outflows. Financial institutions check the overall condition of a business by analysing financial statements before approving loans as they are considered to be an indicator of business performance.
Financial Statements Definition
According to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Financial Statements are prepared for the purpose of presenting a periodical review of report on progress by the management and deal with the status of investment in the business and the results achieved during the period under review. They reflect a combination of recorded facts, accounting principles and personal judgments
Financial statements are prepared by sole proprietorships, partnership firms, not-for-profit organisations and companies.
Here, in this post, we will focus on financial statements of sole proprietorships.
Who is Sole Proprietorship?
A sole proprietorship refers to an unincorporated business that is owned, managed and controlled by a single person who pays personal income tax on the profits earned from the business.
Sole proprietorships can be divided into two categories namely non-manufacturing business entities and manufacturing entities. The financial statements (final accounts) prepared in case of manufacturing and non-manufacturing entities are mentioned below:
- Sole Proprietorship
- Non-Manufacturing Entities
- Final Accounts
- Trading Account
- Profit and Loss Account
- Balance Sheet
- Final Accounts
- Manufacturing Entities
- Final Accounts
- Manufacturing Account
- Trading Account
- Profit and Loss Account
- Balance Sheet
- Final Accounts
- Non-Manufacturing Entities
Apart from the statements mentioned above, another financial statement called cash flow statement is also prepared.
Nature of Financial Statements
Financial statements of a business contain chronologically recorded facts in monetary terms for an accounting year. These facts reveal the financial position of a business and help in reviewing business reports and making judgements based on reports.
The following points explain the nature of financial statements:
- Financial statements contain financial information of a business in the books of accounting. Such information includes cash in hand, bills receivables, fixed assets, etc. and is recorded on the basis of historical cost.
- Financial statements are not based on the current or market price so these statements do not present the present financial condition of the business.
- Financial statements are made by keeping in mind accounting conventions such as valuing stock or inventory based on cost or market price and convention of materiality, which says that cost incurred on small items will be treated as expense.
For example, pen and stamp are assets but are considered as expenditure. - Financial statements are made by human so they are based on personal judgement, estimates or opinions; for example, provision of doubtful debt is made based on the personal estimates and judgement.
Objectives of Financial Statements
The main objective of financial statements is to provide information about the financial position and performance of an organisation based on which various economic decisions are made by different users.
Apart from that, the following are some other objectives of financial statements:
- To find out whether a business is in profit or loss
- To compare the current year’s performance of the business with that of the previous year
- To analyse the capacity of the business to repay liabilities
- To judge whether the company is financially strong and is in a position to purchase assets or pay debts
- To do intra-firm comparison and help management in adopting appropriate policies
- To help management in the preparation of budget
- To communicate necessary information to the interested parties
Elements of Financial Statements
Following are the important elements of financial statements:
- Asset
- Drawings
- Liabilities
- Owners Equity
- Cash Flow Statement
- Income Statement
- Revenues
- Retained Earnings
- Expenses
Asset
You have already studied that all those resources that are owned by a business are called assets. There are two types of assets, namely current assets and non-current assets.
Current assets are easily convertible into cash within one year, for example, bills receivables and short-term investments. Non-current assets are used for more than 5-10 years, for example, land, furniture, plant and machinery.
Drawings
Cash or other goods for personal use by business owner are called drawing.
Liabilities
These are the dues or debts that a business owes. The liabilities are mainly of two types, i.e., current and non-current liabilities.
Current liabilities are those debts that a business has to pay within one year, for example, bills payable, creditors, bank overdraft, etc.
Non-current liabilities are those liabilities that a business has to pay in long term; for example, long-term loans, debentures, public deposits, etc.
Owners Equity
It is the ownership claim on total assets such as equity and reserve and surplus.
Cash Flow Statement
This statement gives information about the flow of cash in and out of the business for a particular period.
Income Statement
This statement presents revenues and expenes and finds out the profit or loss of the business.
Revenues
These are inflows of cash or assets from the sale of products or services rendered.
Retained Earnings
This is the undistributed profit of the business.
Expenses
The cost incurred by a business for producing and selling goods and serving customers.
Types of Financial Statements
Financial statements are said to be a mirror as they present the performance of a business in a financial year. Thus, these statements are an important component of the annual report of a business.
There are two basic types of financial statements, which are:
- Income statement: There are two accounts, namely Trading Account and Profit and Loss Account (P&L Account), which are prepared under the income statement. These accounts are prepared to determine the profitability of a business.
Manufacturing entities also prepare a manufacturing account for finding out the cost of producing goods. A cash flow statement is also prepared by businesses to determine the inflow and outflow of cash. - Position statement: Balance sheet is prepared to ascertain the financial position of a business at a particular period of time. Balance sheet shows the position of assets and liabilities.
Uses and Importance of Financial Statements
The users of financial statements include management, investors, shareholders, creditors, government, bankers, employees and public at large. Financial statements provide the necessary information about the performance of the management to these parties interested in the organisation and help in taking appropriate economic decisions.
It may be noted that the financial statements constitute an integral part of the annual report of the company in addition to the directors report, auditors report, corporate governance report, and management discussion and analysis.
- Report on stewardship function
- Basis for fiscal policies
- Basis for granting of credit
- Basis for prospective investors
- Guide to the value of the investment already made
- Aids trade associations in helping their members
- Helps stock exchanges
Report on stewardship function
Financial statements report the performance of the management to the shareholders. The gaps between the management performance and ownership expectations can be understood with the help of financial statements.
Basis for fiscal policies
The fiscal policies, particularly taxation policies of the government, are related with the financial performance of corporate undertakings. The financial statements provide basic input for industrial, taxation and other economic policies of the government.
Basis for granting of credit
Corporate undertakings have to borrow funds from banks and other financial institutions for different purposes. Credit granting institutions take decisions based on the financial performance of the undertakings. Thus, financial statements form the basis for granting of credit.
Basis for prospective investors
The investors include both short-term and long-term investors. Their prime considerations in their investment decisions are security and liquidity of their investment with reasonable profitability. Financial statements help the investors to assess longterm and short-term solvency as well as the profitability of the concern.
Guide to the value of the investment already made
Shareholders of companies are interested in knowing the status, safety and return on their investment. They may also need information to take decision about continuation or discontinuation of their investment in the business. Financial statements provide information to the shareholders in taking such important decisions.
Aids trade associations in helping their members
Trade associations may analyse the financial statements for the purpose of providing service and protection to their members. They may develop standard ratios and design uniform system of accounts.
Helps stock exchanges
Financial statements help the stock exchanges to understand the extent of transparency in reporting on financial performance and enables them to call for required information to protect the interest of investors. The financial statements enable the Stock brokers to judge the financial position of different concerns and take decisions about the prices to be quoted.
Limitations of Financial Statements
Though utmost care is taken in the preparation of the financial statements and provide detailed information to the users, they suffer from limitations.
Following are the disadvantages of financial statements:
- Do not reflect current situation
- Assets may not realise
- Bias
- Aggregate information
- Vital information missing
- No qualitative information
- They are only interim reports
Do not reflect current situation
Financial statements are prepared on the basis of historical cost. Since the purchasing power of money is changing, the values of assets and liabilities shown in financial statement do not reflect current market situation.
Assets may not realise
Accounting is done on the basis of certain conventions. Some of the assets may not realise the stated values, if the liquidation is forced on the company. Assets shown in the balance sheet reflect merely unexpired or unamortised cost.
Bias
Financial statements are the outcome of recorded facts, accounting concepts and conventions used and personal judgements made in different situations by the accountants. Hence, bias may be observed in the results, and the financial position depicted in financial statements may not be realistic.
Aggregate information
Financial statements show aggregate information but not detailed information. Hence, they may not help the users in decision-making much.
Vital information missing
Balance sheet does not disclose information relating to loss of markets, and cessation of agreements, which have vital bearing on the enterprise.
No qualitative information
Financial statements contain only monetary information but not qualitative information like industrial relations, industrial climate, labour relations, quality of work, etc.
They are only interim reports
Statement of Profit and Loss discloses the profit/loss for a specified period. It does not give an idea about the earning capacity over time similarly, the financial position reflected in the balance sheet is true at that point of time, the likely change on a future date is not depicted.
Adjustments in the Preparation of Financial Statements
At the end of an accounting period, some income and expenses may not be recorded, taken up or updated. Thus, there is a need to update the accounts.
For such situations, adjustments are made in the current year so that the profit and loss account presents the accurate net profit or loss and the balance sheet may depict the true financial position of a business. Entries must be passed for adjusting various accounts of income and expenditure.
Some of the important adjustments are as follows:
Expenses Accrued and Accruing
For example, rent, interest, local taxes, wages, etc.
The adjustment entry will be passed as:
Appropriate Expense Account. ………………………………………………………………………….. Dr.
To Expenses Accrued/outstanding Account
Assume that interest paid is ₹40,000 and outstanding interest is ₹3,000; then, entries will be shown in the P&L account and Balance Sheet as follows:
P&L Account
| Particulars | Amount (in ₹) | Particulars | Amount (in ₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| To Interest Paid 40,000 Add: Outstanding 3,000 | 4300 |
Balance Sheet
| Liabilities | Amount (in ₹) | Assets | Amount (in ₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest Paid Outstanding | 3000 |
Income Accrued and Accruing
For example, interest on government loans, discounts on bill, professional fees, rents and premiums on leases, etc. The adjustment entry will be passed as:
Interest/Fees, etc. Accruing Account ………………………………………………………………………….. Dr.
To Appropriate Income Account
Assume that a company receives interest of ₹40,000 and accrued interest is ₹8,000; then, entries will be shown in P&L account and Balance Sheet as follows:
P&L Account
| Particulars | Amount (in ₹) | Particulars | Amount (in ₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| By Interest 40,000 Add: Accrued Interest 3,000 | 43,000 |
Balance Sheet
| Liabilities | Amount (in ₹) | Assets | Amount (in ₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accrued Interest | 3,000 |
Provision for Bad and Doubtful Debts
At times, companies are doubtful whether or not they will be able to collect the amount due from customers. In such a case, it is a good practice to recognise the expected loss by reducing the current year’s profit and crediting the amount to a special account named “Provision for Bad and Doubtful Debts Account”. The adjustment entry will be passed as:
Profit and Loss Account ………………………………………………………………………….. Dr.
To Provision for Bad and doubtful Debts Account
Here, it is important to note that the accounts of customers concerned are not affected until the given amount is written-off. The entry for writing-off of bad debts is as follows:
Bad Debts Account ………………………………………………………………………….. Dr.
To Customer’s A/c
