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|---|---|
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| Accountant · Accounting period · Bookkeeping · Cash and accrual basis · Cash flow forecasting · Chart of accounts · Journal · Special journals · Constant item purchasing power accounting · Cost of goods sold · Credit terms · Debits and credits · Double-entry system · Mark-to-market accounting · FIFO and LIFO · GAAP / IFRS · General ledger · Goodwill · Historical cost · Matching principle · Revenue recognition · Trial balance | |
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| Cost · Financial · Forensic · Fund · Management · Tax (U.S.) | |
| Financial statements | |
| Balance sheet · Cash flow statement · Statement of retained earnings · Income statement · Notes · Management discussion and analysis · XBRL | |
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| Auditor's report · Financial audit · GAAS / ISA · Internal audit · Sarbanes–Oxley Act | |
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In financial accounting, a balance sheet or statement of financial position is a summary of the financial balances of a sole proprietorship, a business partnership or a company. Assets, liabilities and ownership equity are listed as of a specific date, such as the end of its financial year. A balance sheet is often described as a "snapshot of a company's financial condition".[1] Of the four basic financial statements, the balance sheet is the only statement which applies to a single point in time of a business' calendar year.
A standard company balance sheet has three parts: assets, liabilities and ownership equity. The main categories of assets are usually listed first, and typically in order of liquidity.[2] Assets are followed by the liabilities. The difference between the assets and the liabilities is known as equity or the net assets or the net worth or capital of the company and according to the accounting equation, net worth must equal assets minus liabilities.[3]
Another way to look at the same equation is that assets equals liabilities plus owner's equity. Looking at the equation in this way shows how assets were financed: either by borrowing money (liability) or by using the owner's money (owner's equity). Balance sheets are usually presented with assets in one section and liabilities and net worth in the other section with the two sections "balancing."
A business operating entirely in cash can measure its profits by withdrawing the entire bank balance at the end of the period, plus any cash in hand. However, many businesses are not paid immediately; they build up inventories of goods and they acquire buildings and equipment. In other words: businesses have assets and so they can not, even if they want to, immediately turn these into cash at the end of each period. Often, these businesses owe money to suppliers and to tax authorities, and the proprietors do not withdraw all their original capital and profits at the end of each period. In other words businesses also have liabilities.
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A balance sheet summarizes an organization or individual's assets, equity and liabilities at a specific point in time. Individuals and small businesses tend to have simple balance sheets.[4] Larger businesses tend to have more complex balance sheets, and these are presented in the organization's annual report.[5] Large businesses also may prepare balance sheets for segments of their businesses.[6] A balance sheet is often presented alongside one for a different point in time (typically the previous year) for comparison.[7][8]
A personal balance sheet lists current assets such as cash in checking accounts and savings accounts, long-term assets such as common stock and real estate, current liabilities such as loan debt and mortgage debt due, or overdue, long-term liabilities such as mortgage and other loan debt. Securities and real estate values are listed at market value rather than at historical cost or cost basis. Personal net worth is the difference between an individual's total assets and total liabilities.[9]
| Assets | Liabilities and Owners' Equity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $6,600 | Liabilities | ||
| Accounts Receivable | $6,200 | Notes Payable | $30,000 | |
| Tools and equipment | $25,000 | Accounts Payable | ||
| Total liabilities | $30,000 | |||
| Owners' equity | ||||
| Capital Stock | $7,000 | |||
| Retained Earnings | $800 | |||
| Total owners' equity | $7,800 | |||
| Total | $37,800 | Total | $37,800 | |
A really small business balance sheet lists current assets such as cash, accounts receivable, and inventory, fixed assets such as land, buildings, and equipment, intangible assets such as patents, and liabilities such as accounts payable, accrued expenses, and long-term debt. Contingent liabilities such as warranties are noted in the footnotes to the balance sheet. The small business's equity is the difference between total assets and total liabilities.[11]
Guidelines for balance sheets of public business entities are given by the International Accounting Standards Committee (now International Accounting Standards Board) and numerous country-specific organizations/companys.
Balance sheet account names and usage depend on the organization's country and the type of organization. Government organizations do not generally follow standards established for individuals or businesses.[12][13][14][15]
If applicable to the business, summary values for the following items should be included in the balance sheet:[16] Assets are all the things the business own, this will include property tools, cars, etc.
Non-current assets (Fixed assets)
The net assets shown by the balance sheet equals the third part of the balance sheet, which is known as the shareholders' equity. It comprises:
Formally, shareholders' equity is part of the company's liabilities: they are funds "owing" to shareholders (after payment of all other liabilities); usually, however, "liabilities" is used in the more restrictive sense of liabilities excluding shareholders' equity. The balance of assets and liabilities (including shareholders' equity) is not a coincidence. Records of the values of each account in the balance sheet are maintained using a system of accounting known as double-entry bookkeeping. In this sense, shareholders' equity by construction must equal assets minus liabilities, and are a residual.
Regarding the items in equity section, the following disclosures are required:
The following balance sheet is a very brief example prepared in accordance with IFRS. It does not show all possible kinds of assets, liabilities and equity, but it shows the most usual ones. Because it shows goodwill, it could be a consolidated balance sheet. Monetary values are not shown, summary (total) rows are missing as well.
Balance Sheet of XYZ, Ltd. As of 31 December 2009 ASSETS Current Assets Cash and Cash Equivalents Accounts Receivable (Debtors) Less : Allowances for Doubtful Accounts Inventories Prepaid Expenses Investment Securities (Held for trading) Other Current Assets Non-Current Assets (Fixed Assets) Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) Less : Accumulated Depreciation Investment Securities (Available for sale/Held-to-maturity) Investments in Associates Intangible Assets (Patent, Copyright, Trademark, etc.) Less : Accumulated Amortization Goodwill Other Non-Current Assets, e.g. Deferred Tax Assets, Lease Receivable LIABILITIES and SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY LIABILITIES Current Liabilities (Creditors: amounts falling due within one year) Accounts Payable Current Income Tax Payable Current portion of Loans Payable Short-term Provisions Other Current Liabilities, e.g. Unearned Revenue, Deposits Non-Current Liabilities (Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year) Loans Payable Issued Debt Securities, e.g. Notes/Bonds Payable Deferred Tax Liabilities Provisions, e.g. Pension Obligations Other Non-Current Liabilities, e.g. Lease Obligations SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Paid-in Capital Share Capital (Ordinary Shares, Preference Shares) Share Premium Less: Treasury Shares Retained Earnings Revaluation Reserve Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Non-Controlling Interest
