ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES

There are general rules and concepts that govern the field of accounting. These general rulesreferred
to as basic accounting principles and guidelinesform the groundwork on which more detailed,
complicated, and legalistic accounting rules are based. For example, the Financial Accounting
Standards Board (FASB uses the basic accounting principles and guidelines as a basis for their own
detailed and comprehensive set of accounting rules and standards.
The phrase "generally accepted accounting principles" (or "!!""# consists of three important sets of
rules$ (%# the basic accounting principles and guidelines, (&# the detailed rules and standards issued by
F!'( and its predecessor the !ccounting "rinciples (oard (!"(#, and ()# the generally accepted industry
practices.
*f a company distributes its financial statements to the public, it is re+uired to follow generally accepted
accounting principles in the preparation of those statements. Further, if a company,s stock is publicly
traded, federal law re+uires the company,s financial statements be audited by independent public
accountants. (oth the company,s management and the independent accountants must certify that the
financial statements and the related notes to the financial statements have been prepared in accordance
with !!".
!!" is exceedingly useful because it attempts to standardi-e and regulate accounting definitions,
assumptions, and methods. (ecause of generally accepted accounting principles we are able to assume
that there is consistency from year to year in the methods used to prepare a company,s financial
statements. !nd although variations may exist, we can make reasonably confident conclusions when
comparing one company to another, or comparing one company,s financial statistics to the statistics for its
industry. .ver the years the generally accepted accounting principles have become more complex
because financial transactions have become more complex.
Basic Accounting Principles and Guidelines
'ince !!" is founded on the basic accounting principles and guidelines, we can better understand
!!" if we understand those accounting principles. The table below lists the ten main accounting
principles and guidelines together with a highly condensed explanation of each.
Basic
Accounting
Principle
!"at It #eans in Relations"ip to a Financial State$ent
%& Econo$ic
Entit'
Assu$ption
The accountant keeps all of the business transactions of a sole proprietorship
separate from the business owner,s personal transactions. For legal purposes, a
sole proprietorship and its owner are considered to be one entity, but for
accounting purposes they are considered to be two separate entities.
(& #onetar'
Unit
Assu$ption
/conomic activity is measured in 0.'. dollars, and only transactions that can be
expressed in 0.'. dollars are recorded.
(ecause of this basic accounting principle, it is assumed that the dollar,s
purchasing power has not changed over time. !s a result accountants ignore the
effect of inflation on recorded amounts. For example, dollars from a %123
transaction are combined (or shown with# dollars from a &3%& transaction.
)& Ti$e Period
Assu$ption
This accounting principle assumes that it is possible to report the complex and
ongoing activities of a business in relatively short, distinct time intervals such as
the five months ended 4ay )%, &3%&, or the 5 weeks ended 4ay %, &3%&. The
shorter the time interval, the more likely the need for the accountant to estimate
amounts relevant to that period. For example, the property tax bill is received on
6ecember %5 of each year. .n the income statement for the year ended
6ecember )%, &3%%, the amount is known7 but for the income statement for the
three months ended 4arch )%, &3%&, the amount was not known and an estimate
had to be used.
*t is imperative that the time interval (or period of time# be shown in the heading
of each income statement, statement of stockholders, e+uity, and statement of
cash flows. 8abeling one of these *inancial state$ents with "6ecember )%" is
not good enoughthe reader needs to know if the statement covers the one
week ended 6ecember )%, &3%% the month ended 6ecember )%, &3%% thethree
months ended 6ecember )%, &3%% or the year ended 6ecember )%, &3%%.
+& Cost
Principle
From an accountant,s point of view, the term "cost" refers to the amount spent
(cash or the cash e+uivalent# when an item was originally obtained, whether that
purchase happened last year or thirty years ago. For this reason, the amounts
shown on financial statements are referred to as historical cost amounts.
(ecause of this accounting principle asset amounts are not ad9usted upward for
inflation. *n fact, as a general rule, asset amounts are not ad9usted to
reflectany type of increase in value. :ence, an asset amount does not reflect the
amount of money a company would receive if it were to sell the asset at today,s
market value. (!n exception is certain investments in stocks and bonds that are
actively traded on a stock exchange.# *f you want to know the current value of a
company,s long;term assets, you will not get this information from a company,s
financial statementsyou need to look elsewhere, perhaps to a third;party
appraiser.
,& Full
-isclosure
Principle
*f certain information is important to an investor or lender using the financial
statements, that information should be disclosed within the statement or in the
notes to the statement. *t is because of this basic accounting principle that
numerous pages of "footnotes" are often attached to financial statements.
!s an example, let,s say a company is named in a lawsuit that demands a
significant amount of money. <hen the financial statements are prepared it is not
clear whether the company will be able to defend itself or whether it might lose
the lawsuit. !s a result of these conditions and because of the full disclosure
principle the lawsuit will be described in the notes to the financial statements.
! company usually lists its significant accounting policies as the first note to its
financial statements.
.& Going
Concern
Principle
This accounting principle assumes that a company will continue to exist long
enough to carry out its ob9ectives and commitments and will not li+uidate in the
foreseeable future. *f the company,s financial situation is such that the accountant
believes the company will not be able to continue on, the accountant is re+uired
to disclose this assessment.
The going concern principle allows the company to defer some of its prepaid
expenses until future accounting periods.
/& #atc"ing
Principle
This accounting principle re+uires companies to use the accrual 0asis o*
accounting. The matching principle re+uires that expenses be matched with
revenues. For example, sales commissions expense should be reported in the
period when the sales were made (and not reported in the period when the
commissions were paid#. <ages to employees are reported as an expense in the
week when the employees worked and not in the week when the employees are
paid. *f a company agrees to give its employees %= of its &3%& revenues as a
bonus on >anuary %5, &3%), the company should report the bonus as an expense
in &3%& and the amount unpaid at 6ecember )%, &3%& as a liability. (The expense
is occurring as the sales are occurring.#
(ecause we cannot measure the future economic benefit of things such as
advertisements (and thereby we cannot match the ad expense with related future
revenues#, the accountant charges the ad amount to expense in the period that
the ad is run.
(To learn more about ad9usting entries go to E1planation o* Ad2usting
Entriesand -rills *or Ad2usting Entries.#
3& Re4enue
Recognition
Principle
0nder the accrual basis of accounting (as opposed to the cas" 0asis o*
accounting#, re4enues are recogni-ed as soon as a product has been sold or a
service has been performed, regardless of when the money is actually received.
0nder this basic accounting principle, a company could earn and report ?&3,333
of revenue in its first month of operation but receive ?3 in actual cash in that
month.
For example, if !(@ @onsulting completes its service at an agreed price of
?%,333, !(@ should recogni-e ?%,333 of revenue as soon as its work is doneit
does not matter whether the client pays the ?%,333 immediately or in )3 days. 6o
not confuse revenue with a cash receipt.
5& #aterialit'
(ecause of this basic accounting principle or guideline, an accountant might be
allowed to violate another accounting principle if an amount is insignificant.
"rofessional 9udgement is needed to decide whether an amount is insignificant or
immaterial.
!n example of an obviously immaterial item is the purchase of a ?%53 printer by a
highly profitable multi;million dollar company. (ecause the printer will be used for
five years, the matching principle directs the accountant to expense the cost over
the five;year period. The $aterialit' guideline allows this company to violate the
matching principle and to expense the entire cost of ?%53 in the year it is
purchased. The 9ustification is that no one would consider it misleading if ?%53 is
expensed in the first year instead of ?)3 being expensed in each of the five years
that it is used.
(ecause of materiality, financial statements usually show amounts rounded to the
nearest dollar, to the nearest thousand, or to the nearest million dollars
depending on the si-e of the company.
%6&
Conser4atis$
*f a situation arises where there are two acceptable alternatives for reporting an
item, conservatism directs the accountant to choose the alternative that will result
in less net income andAor less asset amount. @onservatism helps the accountant
to "break a tie." *t does not direct accountants to be conservative. !ccountants
are expected to be unbiased and ob9ective.
The basic accounting principle of conservatism leads accountants to anticipate or
disclose losses, but it does not allow a similar action for gains. For
example,potential losses from lawsuits will be reported on the financial
statements or in the notes, but potential gains will not be reported. !lso, an
accountant may write inventory down to an amount that is lower than the original
cost, but will not write inventory up to an amount higher than the original cost.
Ot"er C"aracteristics o* Accounting In*or$ation
Ot"er C"aracteristics o* Accounting In*or$ation
<hen financial reports are generated by professional accountants, we have certain expectations of the
information they present to us$
%. <e expect the accounting information to be relia0le7 4eri*ia0le7 and o02ecti4e.
&. <e expect consistenc' in the accounting information.
). <e expect co$para0ilit' in the accounting information.
%& Relia0le7 8eri*ia0le7 and O02ecti4e
*n addition to the basic accounting principles and guidelines listed in "art %, accounting information should
be reliable, verifiable, and ob9ective. For example, showing land at its original cost of ?%3,333 (when it
was purchased 53 years ago# is considered to be more relia0le7 4eri*ia0le7 and o02ecti4e than showing
it at its current market value of ?&53,333. /ight different accountants will wholly agree that the original
cost of the land was ?%3,333they can read the offer and acceptance for ?%3,333, see a transfer tax
based on ?%3,333, and review documents that confirm the cost was ?%3,333. *f you ask the same eight
accountants to give you the land,s current value, you will likely receive eight different estimates. (ecause
the current value amount is less reliable, less verifiable, and less ob9ective than the original cost, the
original cost is used.
The accounting profession has been willing to move away from the cost principle if there are reliable,
verifiable, and ob9ective amounts involved. For example, if a company has an investment in stock that is
actively traded on a stock exchange, the company may be re+uired to show the current value of the stock
instead of its original cost.
(& Consistenc'
!ccountants are expected to be consistent when applying accounting principles, procedures, and
practices. For example, if a company has a history of using the FIFO cost *lo9 assu$ption, readers of
the company,s most current financial statements have every reason to expect that the company is
continuing to use the F*F. cost flow assumption. *f the company changes this practice and begins using
the LIFO cost *lo9 assu$ption, that change must be clearly disclosed.
)& Co$para0ilit'
*nvestors, lenders, and other users of financial statements expect that financial statements of one
company can be compared to the financial statements of another company in the same
industry. Generall' accepted accounting principles may provide for co$para0ilit' between the
financial statements of different companies. For example, the FASB re+uires that expenses related to
research and development (BC6# be expensed when incurred. "rior to its rule, some companies
expensed BC6 when incurred while other companies deferred BC6 to the balance sheet and expensed
them at a later date.
:o9 Principles and Guidelines A**ect Financial State$ents
The basic accounting principles and guidelines directly affect the way financial statements are prepared
and interpreted. 8et,s look below at how accounting principles and guidelines influence the (%# balance
sheet, (&# income statement, and ()# the notes to the financial statements.
%& Balance S"eet
8et,s see how the basic accounting principles and guidelines affect the balance sheet of 4ary,s 6esign
'ervice, a sole proprietorship owned by 4ary 'mith. (To learn more about the balance sheet go
toE1planation o* Balance S"eet and -rills *or Balance S"eet.#
! 0alance s"eet is a snapshot of a company,s assets, liabilities, and owner,s e+uity at one point in time.
(*n this case, that point in time is after all of the transactions through 'eptember )3, &3%% have been
recorded.# (ecause of the econo$ic entit' assu$ption, only the assets, liabilities, and owner,s e+uity
specifically identified with 4ary,s 6esign 'ervice are shownthe personal assets of the owner, 4ary
'mith, are not included on the company,s balance sheet.
#ar';s -esign Ser4ice
Balance S"eet
Septe$0er )67 (6%%
Assets Lia0ilities
Cas" ? )33 Notes Pa'a0le ? %,333
Accounts Recei4a0le %,333 Accounts Pa'a0le )&5
Supplies %23 !ages Pa'a0le D5
Prepaid Insurance 13 Unearned Re4enues %33
Land %3,333 Total 8iabilities %,533
O9ner;s E<uit'
#&S$it"7 Capital %3,353
Total Assets ?%%,553 Total Lia0ilities = O9ner;s E<uit' ?%%,553
The assets listed on the balance sheet have a cost that can be measured and each amount shown is the
original cost of each asset. For example, let,s assume that a tract of land was purchased in %152 for
?%3,333. 4ary,s 6esign 'ervice still owns the land, and the land is now appraised at ?&53,333. The cost
principle re+uires that the land be shown in the asset account 8and at its original cost of ?%3,333 rather
than at the recently appraised amount of ?&53,333.
*f 4ary,s 6esign 'ervice were to purchase a second piece of land, the $onetar' unit
assu$ption dictates that the purchase price of the land bought today would simply be added to the
purchase price of the land bought in %152, and the sum of the two purchase prices would be reported as
the total cost of land.
The 'upplies account shows the cost of supplies (if material in amount# that were obtained by 4ary,s
6esign 'ervice but have not yet been used. !s the supplies are consumed, their cost will be moved to the
'upplies /xpense account on the income statement. This complies with the $atc"ing principle which
re+uires expenses to be matched either with revenues or with the time period when they are used. The
cost of the unused supplies remains on the balance sheet in the asset account 'upplies.
The "repaid *nsurance account represents the cost of insurance that has not yet expired. !s the
insurance expires, the expired cost is moved to Insurance E1pense on the income statement as re+uired
by the matching principle. The cost of the insurance that has not yet expired remains on 4ary,s 6esign
'ervice,s balance sheet (is "deferred" to the balance sheet# in the asset account "repaid *nsurance.
6eferring insurance expense to the balance sheet is possible because of another basic accounting
principle, thegoing concern assu$ption.
The cost principle and monetary unit assumption prevent some very valuable assets from ever appearing
on a company,s balance sheet. For example, companies that sell consumer products with high profile
brand names, trade names, trademarks, and logos are not reported on their balance sheets because they
were not purchased. For example, @oca;@ola,s logo and Eike,s logo are probably the most valuable
assets of such companies, yet they are not listed as assets on the company balance sheet. 'imilarly, a
company might have an excellent reputation and a very skilled management team, but because these
were not purchased for a specific cost and we cannot ob9ectively measure them in dollars, they are not
reported as assets on the balance sheet. *f a company actually purchases the trademark of another
company for a significant cost, the amount paid for the trademark will be reported as an asset on the
balance sheet of the company that bought the trademark.
(& Inco$e State$ent
8et,s see how the basic accounting principles and guidelines might affect the income statement of 4ary,s
6esign 'ervice. (To learn more about the income statement go to E1planation o* Inco$e
State$ent and-rills *or Inco$e State$ent.#
!n inco$e state$ent covers a period of time (or time interval#, such as a year, +uarter, month, or four
weeks. *t is imperative to indicate the period of time in the heading of the income statement such as "For
the Eine 4onths /nded 'eptember )3, &3%%". (This means for the period of >anuary % through
'eptember )3, &3%%.# *f prepared under the accrual 0asis o* accounting, an income statement will show
how profitable a company was during the stated time interval.
#ar';s -esign Ser4ice
Inco$e State$ent
For t"e Nine #ont"s Ending Septe$0er )67 (6%%
Re4enues and Gains
Re4enues ?%3,333
Gain on Sale o* Land 5,333
Total Bevenues and ains %5,333
E1penses and Losses
/xpenses F,333
Loss on Sale o* Co$puter )53
Total /xpenses and 8osses F,)53
Net Inco$e ? 2,253
Re4enues are the fees that were earned during the period of time shown in the heading. Becogni-ing
revenues when they are earned instead of when the cash is actually received follows the re4enue
recognition principle and the $atc"ing principle. (The matching principle is what steers accountants
toward using the accrual basis of accounting rather than the cash basis. 'mall business owners should
discuss these two methods with their tax advisors.#
Gains are a net amount related to transactions that are not considered part of the company,s main
operations. For example, 4ary,s 6esign 'ervice is in the business of designing, not in the land
development business. *f the company should sell some land for ?)3,333 (land that is shown in the
company,s accounting records at ?&5,333# 4ary,s 6esign 'ervice will report a Gain on Sale o* Land of
?5,333. The ?)3,333 selling price will not be reported as part of the company,s revenues.
E1penses are costs used up by the company in performing its main operations. The matching principle
re+uires that expenses be reported on the income statement when the related sales are made or when
the costs are used up (rather than in the period when they are paid#.
Losses are a net amount related to transactions that are not considered part of the company,s main
operating activities. For example, let,s say a retail clothing company owns an old computer that is carried
on its accounting records at ?253. *f the company sells that computer for ?)33, the company receives an
asset (cash of ?)33# but it must also remove ?253 of asset amounts from its accounting records. The
result is aLoss on Sale o* Co$puter of ?)53. The ?)33 selling price will not be included in the
company,s sales or revenues.
)& T"e Notes To Financial State$ents
!nother basic accounting principle, the *ull disclosure principle, re+uires that a company,s financial
statements include disclosure notes. These notes include information that helps readers of the financial
statements make investment and credit decisions. The notes to the financial statements are considered to
be an integral part of the financial statements.