Def of Assets and Liabilities
Def of Assets and Liabilities
Financial Statements
Definition General purpose reports that provide financial information about the reporting entity’s [business] economic
resources [assets], claims against the entity [liabilities and owner’s equity], and changes in those
economic resources and claims [revenues, expenses, owner’s capital, owner’s drawings] that is useful to
primary users in making decisions relating to providing resources to the entity
Objective To provide financial information about the reporting entity’s assets, liabilities, equity, revenues, and
expenses that is useful to users of financial statements in assessing the prospects for future net cash inflows
to the reporting entity and in assessing management’s stewardship of the entity’s economic resources
(includes protecting the company’s assets against price changes and technological changes as well as
compliance with laws, regulations, and contracts)
Scope Financial information about the reporting entity
Reporting Specified period of time
period Information about transactions and other events that have occurred after the end of the reporting period is
provided if that information is necessary to meet the objective of financial statements
Perspective From the perspective of the reporting entity
Assumption Going-concern
An economic resource is a right that has the potential to produce economic benefits
Claim Liability A present obligation of the entity to transfer an economic resource
as a result of past events
Equity The residual interest in the assets of the entity after deducting all its liabilities
Changes in Income Increases in assets, or decreases in liabilities, that result in increases in
economic resources [Revenues] equity, other than those relating to contributions from holders of equity
and claims, reflecting claims
financial performance Expenses Decreases in assets, or increases in liabilities, that result in decreases in
equity, other than those relating to distributions to holders of equity claims
Other changes in - Contributions from holder/s of equity claims, and distributions to them
economic resources - Exchanges of assets or liabilities that do not result in increases or decreases
and claims in equity
Forms
Report form Account form
Assets Assets Liabilities
Liabilities Owner's equity
Owner's equity
1 | FDNACCT / AY2023-2024_Term 1 Trinidad, Editha O.
Elements
ASSETS
A present economic resource controlled by the entity as a result of past events
• Economic resource – the right that has the potential to produce economic benefits
• Control – the present ability to direct the use of the economic resource and obtain the economic benefits that may flow
from it
o no other party controls that asset
o the right to deploy that asset in its activities
o ability to enforce legal rights on that asset
Current assets are listed according to its liquidity, its nearness to cash.
1. Cash and cash equivalents
• Cash – cash on hand and in banks that is available for use in the operations of the business
• Cash equivalents – highly liquid investments that can be quickly converted into cash, not subject to significant risk of
changes in value, and must be held for the purpose of ‘meeting short-term cash commitments’
Examples include money market funds, such as:
o Investment in treasury bills (short-term debt instruments of government)
o Investment in commercial papers (short-term debt instruments of corporations)
o Investment in certificate of deposits (short-term debt instruments of banks)
4. Prepaid expense [Deferred expense] – expense paid in advance, thus creating benefits, but not yet used
o includes office supplies
Note: There are other non-current assets, but for FDNACCT, only Property, Plant, and Equipment items are discussed.
LIABILITIES
A present obligation of the entity to transfer an economic resource as a result of past events
• Obligation – a duty or responsibility that an entity has no practical ability to avoid and
owed to another party/parties
o person o a group of people / o society at large
o another entity a group of entities
• Transfer an economic resource
o pay cash
o deliver goods or provide services
o exchange economic resources with another party on unfavourable terms (E.g., Forwards; Options)
o transfer an economic resource if a specified uncertain future event occurs
o Issue a financial instrument if that financial instrument will oblige the entity to transfer an economic recourse
• Result of past events
o the entity has already obtained economic benefits or taken an action
o the entity will or may have to transfer an economic resource that it would not otherwise
have had to transfer
2. Loans payable - current portion – a portion of long-term Loans Payable that is payable within the next year
3. Unearned revenue [Deferred revenue] – revenue received in advance, but not yet earned
Non-Current liabilities – residual by definition, an entity shall classify all other liabilities that are not current as non-
current
1. Loans payable - noncurrent portion – long-term Loans Payable that is not yet due within the next year
2. Long-term notes payable – long-term promissory notes that is not yet due within the next year
3. Mortgage payable – long-term promissory note secured by an asset whose title is pledged to the lender
3 | FDNACCT / AY2023-2024_Term 1 Trinidad, Editha O.
Deferrals and Accruals
Prepaid expense expense paid in advance not yet used ASSET
[Deferred expense]
Unearned revenue revenue received in advance not yet earned LIABILITY
[Deferred revenue] paid by providing service
Accrued revenue revenue already earned not yet received ASSET
Accrued expense expense already used not yet paid LIABILITY
OWNER’S EQUITY
The residual interest in the assets of the entity after deducting all its liabilities
Owner’s financial interest in a business
Net worth
Forms
Nature of expense method
• Classifies expenses within profit or loss according to their nature
Function of expense method
• Classifies expenses by their function within the entity
o Cost of sales – cost of providing service / cost of goods sold
o Distribution costs – expenses related to selling and distributing the goods to the customers
o Administrative costs – expenses related to the general administration of the business
o Finance costs – interest expense
Elements
INCOME [REVENUES]
• Earnings of an entity
• Inflow of resources resulting from services provided or goods sold to customers
• Increases in assets, or decreases in liabilities, that result in increases in equity, other than those relating to
contributions from holders of equity claims
o Service revenue / Professional fees – revenue from services provided to clients
o Sales revenue – revenue from sale of goods to customers
o Other income – revenue from sources other than the main line of business
§ Interest income
§ Rent income
§ Commissions income
§ Income from investments
§ Gain on sale of plant, property, equipment item
Owner’s Equity
Assets = Liabilities +
Changes
Drawings Capital
Expenses Revenues
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REFERENCES
• IFRS Foundation (2003, December). IAS 10 - Events after the Reporting Period
• IFRS Foundation (2018, March). Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting.
• IFRS Foundation (2020, July). IAS 1 - Presentation of Financial Statements.
• Price, J., Haddock, M., & Farina, M., (2021). College Accounting, 16th edition. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Spiceland, Sepe, Thomas, Tan, Low, Low (2019), Intermediate Accounting Global Edition (2nd Edition), McGraw- Hill Education (Asia).