During 2020, A company became involved in a tax dispute with the IRS. Attorneys have indicated that they believe it is probable that their client will lose this dispute. They also believe that the company will have to pay the IRS between $900,000 and $1,400,000. After the 2020 financial statements were issued, the case was settled with the IRS for $1,200,000. What amount, if any, should be reported as a liability for this contingency as of December 31, 2020?
Reporting Cash Flows
Reporting of cash flows means a statement of cash flow which is a financial statement. A cash flow statement is prepared by gathering all the data regarding inflows and outflows of a company. The cash flow statement includes cash inflows and outflows from various activities such as operating, financing, and investment. Reporting this statement is important because it is the main financial statement of the company.
Balance Sheet
A balance sheet is an integral part of the set of financial statements of an organization that reports the assets, liabilities, equity (shareholding) capital, other short and long-term debts, along with other related items. A balance sheet is one of the most critical measures of the financial performance and position of the company, and as the name suggests, the statement must balance the assets against the liabilities and equity. The assets are what the company owns, and the liabilities represent what the company owes. Equity represents the amount invested in the business, either by the promoters of the company or by external shareholders. The total assets must match total liabilities plus equity.
Financial Statements
Financial statements are written records of an organization which provide a true and real picture of business activities. It shows the financial position and the operating performance of the company. It is prepared at the end of every financial cycle. It includes three main components that are balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.
Owner's Capital
Before we begin to understand what Owner’s capital is and what Equity financing is to an organization, it is important to understand some basic accounting terminologies. A double-entry bookkeeping system Normal account balances are those which are expected to have either a debit balance or a credit balance, depending on the nature of the account. An asset account will have a debit balance as normal balance because an asset is a debit account. Similarly, a liability account will have the normal balance as a credit balance because it is amount owed, representing a credit account. Equity is also said to have a credit balance as its normal balance. However, sometimes the normal balances may be reversed, often due to incorrect journal or posting entries or other accounting/ clerical errors.
Problem Set 2
Presented below are three independent situations. Answer the question at the end of each situation.
A scenario: During 2020, A company became involved in a tax dispute with the IRS. Attorneys have indicated that they believe it is probable that their client will lose this dispute. They also believe that the company will have to pay the IRS between $900,000 and $1,400,000. After the 2020 financial statements were issued, the case was settled with the IRS for $1,200,000. What amount, if any, should be reported as a liability for this contingency as of December 31, 2020?
B scenario: On October 1, 2020, a pharmaceutical company was identified as a potentially responsible party by the Environmental Protection Agency. Management along with its counsel have concluded that it is probable that they will be responsible for damages, and a reasonable estimate of these damages is $5,000,000. An insurance policy of $9,000,000 has a deductible clause of $500,000. How should the pharmaceutical company report this information in its financial statements on December 31, 2020?
C scenario: a manufacturing plant in Sudan, which was destroyed in the civil war. It is not certain who will compensate the company for this destruction, but it has been assured by governmental officials that it will receive a definite amount for this plant. The amount of the compensation will be less than the fair value of the plant, but more than its book value. How should the contingency be reported in the financial statements?
Step by step
Solved in 2 steps
