Adjustments to Financial Statements (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Accounting)

Revision Note

Donna Simpson

Written by: Donna Simpson

Reviewed by: Dan Finlay

Adjustments to Financial Statements

What are adjustments to financial statements?

  • A trial balance is prepared at the end of the financial period

  • The trial balance is used to prepare the financial statements

  • However, there may be additional notes after the trial balance has been prepared

  • Common items contained in additional notes are:

    • Valuation of the closing inventory

    • Goods taken for own use

    • Depreciation information for the year

    • Accruals and prepayments of expenses

    • Accruals and prepayments of income

    • Irrecoverable debts

      • Written off or recovered

    • Information about the provision for doubtful debts

How do I make adjustments with the additional notes?

  • Each additional note is used twice in the financial statements

    • It can adjust a figure stated in the trial balance

    • Or it can represent a new account that is not in the trial balance

Income Statement

Statement of Financial Position

Closing inventory

Subtract this value from the purchases

Include under current assets

Goods taken for own use

Subtract this value from the purchases

Add to the drawings balance

Depreciation for the year

Include the depreciation for the year as an expense

Add the year’s depreciation to the provision for depreciation which appears under non-current assets

Accrued expense

Add the amount to the relevant expense

Include under current liabilities labelled as other payables

Prepaid expense

Subtract the amount from the relevant expense

Include under current assets labelled as other receivables

Accrued income

Add the amount to the relevant income

Include under current assets labelled as other receivables

Prepaid income

Subtract the amount from the relevant income

Include under current liabilities labelled as other payables

Irrecoverable debts written off

Include as an expense labelled as irrecoverable debts

Subtract from the trade receivables amount

Recovery of debts written off

Include as other income labelled as debts recovered

Add to the bank or cash amount

Increase in the provision for doubtful debts

Include the increase as an expense labelled as provision for doubtful debts

Subtract the total provision for doubtful debts from the trade receivables amount

Decrease in the provision for doubtful debts

Include the decrease as other income labelled as provision for doubtful debts

Subtract the total provision for doubtful debts from the trade receivables amount

Examiner Tips and Tricks

If you are given a trial balance then it can be helpful to annotate the trial balance with the adjustments before preparing the financial statements.

Worked Example

Junaid provides a trial balance of his accounts at 31 December 2023. 

Junaid

Trial Balance at 31 December 2023

Debit

$

Credit

$

Revenue

116 400

Purchases

74 000

Equipment at cost

30 000

Provision for depreciation of equipment

10 800

Insurance

2 500

Rent received

5 800

Trade receivables

25 000

Provision for doubtful debts

1 500

Trade payables

14 000

Bank

12 000

Inventory at 1 January 2023

18 000

Drawings

8 000

Capital at 1 January 2023

21 000

169 500

169 500

Additional information

  1. Inventory at 31 December 2023 was $14 000.

  2. Depreciation is to be charged on equipment at 20% per annum using the reducing balance method.

  3. Prepaid insurance at 31 December 2023 was $400.

  4. $300 rent was still owed to Junaid at 31 December 2023.

  5. Junaid had taken $500 goods for personal use. No entries were made in the ledger accounts.

  6. Junaid was unable to contact a credit customer, so their $1 000 was to be written off as irrecoverable debt.

  7. The provision for doubtful debts is to be maintained at 5% of trade receivables.

(a) Prepare the income statement for Junaid for the year ended 31 December 2023.

(b) Prepare the statement of financial position for Junaid at 31 December 2023.

Answer

Deal with each additional item.

  • Item 1 - closing inventory

    • Subtract the closing inventory from the purchases on the income statement

    • List the closing inventory as a current asset on the statement of financial position

  • Item 2 - depreciation

    • Calculate the net book value before charging this year’s depreciation

      • $30 000 - $10 800 = $19 200

    • Calculate this year’s depreciation

      • 20% × $19 200 = $3 840

    • List the year’s depreciation as an expense on the income statement

    • Add the depreciation to the provision for depreciation

  • Item 3 - prepaid expense

    • Subtract the prepayment from the insurance and list as an expense on the income statement

    • List the prepayment of an expense (other receivables) as a current asset on the statement of financial position

  • Item 4 - accrued income

    • Add the accrual to the rent received and list as other income on the income statement

    • List the accrual of income (other receivables) as a current asset on the statement of financial position

  • Item 5 - goods for own use

    • Subtract these goods from the purchases on the income statement

    • Add this amount to the drawing

  • Item 6 - Irrecoverable debts

    • Subtract the balance from the trade receivables

    • List the irrecoverable debts as an expense on the income statement

  • Item 7 - provision for doubtful debts

    • Calculate the provision for doubtful debts at 31 December 2023

      • Trade receivables is $25 000 - $1 000 = $24 000

      • 5% × $24 000 = $1 200

    • Calculate the change from the previous year

      • $1 500 - $1 200 = $300 decrease

    • List the decrease an other income on the income statement

    • Subtract the new provision from the trade receivables on the statement of financial position

You can annotate the figures in the trial balance:

Debit

$

Credit

$

Revenue

116 400

Purchases

74 000

Closing inventory

-14 000

Goods for own use

-500

Equipment at cost

30 000

Provision for depreciation of equipment

10 800 + 3 840 = 14 640

Insurance

2 500 - 400 = 2 100

Rent received

5 800 + 300 = 6 100

Trade receivables

25 000 - 1 000 = 24 000

Provision for doubtful debts

1 500 - 300 = 1 200

Trade payables

14 000

Bank

12 000

Inventory at 1 January 2023

18 000

Drawings

8 000 + 500 = 8 500 

Capital at 1 January 2023

21 000

Closing inventory

14 000

Depreciation

3 840

Other receivables

400 + 300 = 700

Irrecoverable debts

1 000

Decrease in provision for doubtful debts

300

(a) Prepare the income statement using the usual format.

Junaid

Income Statement for the year ended 31 December 2023

$

$

$

Revenue

116 400

Less: Cost of sales

   Opening inventory

18 000

   Purchases

74 000

   Less: Goods for own use

500

73 500

91 500

   Less: Closing inventory

14 000

77 500

Gross profit

38 900

Add: Other income

Rent received

6 100

Provision for doubtful debts

300

45 300

Less: Expenses

   Insurance

2 100

   Irrecoverable debts

1 000

   Depreciation of equipment

3 840

6 940

   Profit for the year

38 360

(b) Prepare the statement of financial position using the usual format.

Junaid

Statement of Financial Position at 31 December 2023

$

$

$

Non-current assets

Cost

Provision for depreciation

Net book value

Equipment

30 000

14 640

15 360

Current assets

Inventory

14 000

Trade receivables

24 000

Less: Provision for doubtful debts

1 200

22 800

Other receivables

700

Bank

12 000

49 500

Total assets

64 860

Capital and liabilities

Capital

Opening capital

21 000

Add: Profit for the year

38 360

59 360

Less: Drawings

8 500

50 860

Current liabilities

Trade payables

14 000

Total capital and liabilities

64 860

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Donna Simpson

Author: Donna Simpson

Expertise: Accounting Content Creator

Donna is a classroom practitioner with over 25 years experience in teaching accounting and business studies at GCSE A-Levels and undergraduate levels, both in the UK and abroad. She currently works for a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) as a teacher, instructional coach and mentor to other teachers. Donna is also an AQA A Level Accounting examiner as well as the content creator of resources used by all accounting teachers across the Trust. She enjoys designing and creating resources that provides students with deeper understanding of the subject content. Donna has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with major in Accounting and Finance (BSc Hons) and ACCA certified to Level 2.

Dan Finlay

Author: Dan Finlay

Expertise: Maths Lead

Dan graduated from the University of Oxford with a First class degree in mathematics. As well as teaching maths for over 8 years, Dan has marked a range of exams for Edexcel, tutored students and taught A Level Accounting. Dan has a keen interest in statistics and probability and their real-life applications.