ASC 225: Presentation of the Income Statement
ASC 225 helps clarify the presentation of the income statement. The goal of this chapter is to make it easier for users of financial statements to see how income and expenses are flowing through the company. By understanding gross margin and specific line items such as management overhead, investors and creditors can get a better idea of the profitability of a company.
What is GAAP?
GAAP is a common set of accounting principles, standards, and procedures. Public companies in the United States must follow GAAP when they compile their financial statements. To that end, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) maintains GAAP. Moreover, the board issues new rules as necessary to ensure that GAAP remains up-to-date.
Where Can I Research GAAP?
FASB provides free online access to the Accounting Standards Codification, which is the only authoritative source for US GAAP. FASB and the AICPA also provide access to other authoritative literature that supplements the GAAP Hierarchy.
To access the Accounting Standards Codification, visit asc.fasb.org. Anyone can access the codes using a basic account. For more advanced features you can set up a professional account. To that end, if you work at a company subject to GAAP rules, your company likely has a professional account.
What is ASC 225?
ASC 225 is a set of guidelines that public companies in the United States must follow when compiling their financial statements. The guidelines cover the basics of presenting a company’s income statement.
- 225-10 provides an overview of presenting the income statement
- 225-20 provides additional detail on the treatment of extraordinary items
- 225-30 provides guidance on the treatment of business interruption insurance
What Is An Income Statement?
The income statement is one of the three primary financial statements. It shows a company’s revenue, expenses, and profit over a period of time. You can prepare an income statement using either the cash or accrual basis of accounting.
The cash basis income statement only recognizes revenue when it is received and expenses when they are paid. This method is simple and easy to understand but does not provide a true picture of a company’s financial health.
The accrual basis income statement recognizes revenue when it is earned and expenses when they are incurred. This method provides a more accurate picture of a company’s financial health but can be more difficult to understand.
When Is An Item Extraordinary?
1) The item is unusual in nature: The underlying event or transaction should possess a high degree of abnormality and be of a type clearly unrelated to, or only incidentally related to, the ordinary and typical activities of the entity, taking into account the environment in which the entity operates
2) The item is infrequent in occurrence: The underlying event or transaction should be of a type that would not reasonably be expected to recur in the foreseeable future, taking into account the environment in which the entity operates
Why Does It Matter?
The presentation and disclosure of financial statements can have a major impact on the decisions made by users of those statements. For example, if a company or individual is considering investing in another company, the investor will want to know the total income of that company and how it may impact future returns.
ASC 225 follows the framework set by ASC 205 and requires companies to adequately disclose and present their income statement at a certain level of detail. This section specifically requires the level of detail in your presentation. To that end, the more complex your business, the more disclosures the codes require.
This section ensures that investors have enough information to make informed decisions and that companies cant mask their performance.
Let’s Recap
If you’re not already familiar with ASC 225, then you should know that it’s a set of guidelines that public companies in the United States must follow when compiling their financial statements. The guidelines cover the basics of presenting a company’s income statement.
ASC 225 is important because it ensures that investors have enough information to make informed decisions and that companies can’t mask their performance.
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