How to Prepare A Balance Sheet: Sample Balance Sheet

What is a Balance Sheet?

A Balance Sheet is one of the most important documents of any company. It is a summary of all the company's accounts and activities in monetary terms. It is a statement of an Organisation's assets and liabilities. It gives a complete picture of the financial position as on a particular date of the company in question, in a nutshell. 

Importance of Balance Sheet

Balance sheets are important for the many uses they provide to different sections of people. They are mandatory under the Company Law for any business organization.

Here are some of the advantages derived from Balance Sheets:

• Balance Sheets are used by governments and Company Law Boards to determine the performance and activities of companies and business entities for the purpose of Income Tax assessment, Corporate Tax, and other statutory compliance requirements. 
• Investors use information from Balance Sheets as a guide while investing their resources in the company. As the balance sheets are certified by licensed Chartered Accountants, they are deemed reliable sources in projecting a true picture of the company's financial position. 
• Owners and Shareholders use the balance sheets to understand the status of their company and to take authoritative decisions on management issues and running of the company.
• Even staff and workers should know the status and progress of their company to seek increments, promotions, and bonus payments. Even fresh applicants for a job should assess the company's financial status before applying for a job. 
• In the legal field, also. Balance sheets are used to file cases and seek compensation from the company. 

How to Prepare Balance Sheets

Balance Sheets are prepared using the Trial Balance and Profit and Loss Statement of the company.

• A simple Balance Sheet consists of two columns, just like the Trial Balance and Profit and Loss account.
• On your right side, you will show all the assets like Fixed Assets, Current Assets, Cash & Bank Balances, and Investments, etc.
• On the left side of the balance sheet, you will show all your liabilities such as Capital, long-term liabilities, current liabilities, etc.
• The order followed while showing assets, as to which item should appear first and which at the last, is based on their liquidity or non-liquidity nature. Hard assets which are not easily saleable are generally shown first, followed by the next hard item.
• For Liabilities, the order followed is based on the obligation of the liability to be met first while paying out.

But in my example below, I am providing a sample balance sheet in a simple format that I used to prepare for my company in a two-column statement.

Balance Sheet of XYZ Company as on 31^st March 2014

Liabilities	Amount ($)	Assets	Amount ($)
Authorised Capital CP shares 200000 Ordinary    50000 Total         250000 Issued & Paid-Up CP shares 180000 Ordinary     45000		Fixed Assets 200000
		Less: Depreciation                                                         30000	170000
		Inventories	80000
		Sundry Debtors	15000
		Prepaid expenses	5000
		Investments	5000
		Bank Balance	10000
Total Issued & Paid	225000	Cash Balance	2000
Long-term Liabilities	15000
Current Liabilities	30000
Cumulative Profit	17000
TOTAL	287000	TOTAL	287000

The above is only a sample for easy understanding of Balance Sheet preparation. All figures are to be taken from your Profit and Loss Statement and Trial Balance, as already mentioned.

You must attach to this Balance Sheet all the quantitative information and the details of each group of account shown here in the above statement. These sheets are to be enclosed as Annexures to the Balance Sheet.

Please Note:

Different countries follow different styles in presenting balance sheets. Some prefer a single-column statement that starts with assets, then proceeds to liabilities and capital. The asset total is inserted in the middle, and the liabilities total at the end. In any case, the totals for assets and liabilities will match. That is why it is known as a Balance Sheet.

Even in the same country, different companies can present their figures in different ways. For example, cash and bank balances and current assets may come first, followed by fixed assets. Current liabilities may come first, then long-term liabilities, and then share capital.

Manufacturing Account: How it Differs from A Trading Account

A manufacturing account is different from the trading account in the sense that it is uniquely designed for the manufacturing industries.

A manufacturing account is prepared to know the manufacturing cost of goods. This statement is generally prepared and used in manufacturing concerns to know the cost of production.

But a trading account is prepared in all business concerns, whether they are manufacturers or dealers in goods.

The trading account gives you the gross profit or loss of your business in selling your products. So it includes, for its cost, some elements of selling and stock-maintaining charges also in it. So, the trading cost is broader than the manufacturing cost.

In a Manufacturing Account Statement, you will consider only those expenses which are directly related to the manufacturing of your goods and only up to the production point.

So, it will not include the cost of maintaining your stocks in godowns or warehouses, or the cartage incurred in selling your products, and the wages of labour, etc., not directly related to production.

Manufacturing cost is carried on to the trading account to determine the gross profit or loss of your business concern. 

So, you can take the manufacturing cost directly in your trading account and add other expenses to calculate the gross profit instead of taking each item of cost separately in the trading account. 

For this, you will first calculate the manufacturing cost and then carry it to the Trading Account and add other items of trading activities one by one on the expenses side and deduct the total amount from the sales amount to arrive at the gross profit of your business.

A sample of Manufacturing Account and Trading Account are given below so that you can know the differences between those two statements.

Manufacturing Account for Cement Industry

Particulars	Amount in $
Limestone cost	100000
Gypsum	5000
Other ash, additives	15000
Crushing charges	10000
Direct labour	20000
Power	20000
Fuel	20000
Total manufacturing cost	190000

   

Trading Profit/Loss Account

Particulars	Amount ($)	Particulars	Amount ($)
Opening Stock	10000	Sales	280000
Manufacturing cost	190000	Closing Stock	20000
Wages & Salaries	20000
Rent and Electricity	10000
Cartage	10000
Depreciation	20000
Total Cost	260000
Trading Profit	40000
TOTAL	300000	TOTAL	300000

Trading Profit is the same as Gross Profit (before administration expenses and other costs)   

Summary:

From the above illustration, you can see that a Manufacturing Account is directly related to the calculation of the cost of goods produced up to the manufacturing stage only, whereas the trading account takes into account other costs also related to the trading or selling of goods, including the depreciation involved on plant and vehicles and storage building. 

Trading Account: A Comparison With Profit & Loss Account

A "Trading Account" in accounts is just like a profit and loss account with some deviations.

In a profit and loss account, we calculate the net profit or loss of a company, whereas in the trading account, we calculate the Trading Profit or Loss.

Due to this fact, the trading account is also known as the "trading profit and loss account".

Trading accounts are very useful for manufacturing units and trading units.

Significant Differences of Trading Account vs P&L Account 

• A trading account is prepared before the preparation of a Profit and Loss account.
• A trading account provides you with the actual profit or loss incurred in the product-related activities of your business (say, manufacturing and selling activities that are directly related to your product). It provides the gross profit or loss of your product.
• Expenses not directly related to the product are not considered in preparing this account. But a profit and loss statement considers all types of expenses for deducing the profit/loss.
• By preparing a trading account, you can assess whether your core business activities are fruitful or not. In other words, it tells you whether you are selling your product at a profit or a loss, before considering other administrative costs.
• You are able to know whether you are realizing the manufacturing cost/ trading cost of the product. 
• By studying the trading account, you can suitably control your expenses by locating where you are spending more money (whether it is raw materials, sales activities, tools and equipment, and other product-related costs).

How to Prepare Trading Account

 To prepare the trading account, you must first identify whatever expenses are directly related to your production or trading activity.

1. For Manufacturing Units:

Suppose you are producing cement. You will need limestone, gypsum, and some other additives for making it strong. Then you need coal for furnaces and power for running the machines to produce cement. 

So all the above-mentioned ingredients constitute the cost of producing your cement. 

Thereafter, include the direct wages paid to the labour involved in production operations as cost. 

You may include any other direct costs like rent or depreciation of the machinery which are directly related to production.

2. For Trading Businesses:

If you are dealing in buying and selling of products, your product cost will include the purchase price of goods, transportation charges incurred, and delivery charges (if you make home deliveries). 

Also include the Godown rent or shop rent, wages to labour, etc.

If you have to pack the goods while delivering, include the packaging charges also as a cost item.

So you are able to see that expenses directly related to your operations only are to be taken in this trading account to find out whether you are recovering the full cost of expenses or not from your sales.

Generally, your sale price will always be more than your actual product cost in this approach.
This is due to the fact that you will be including all your other overhead costs and your own profit element also while deciding your sale price. 

So, while comparing the trading account with the Profit and Loss Account, you should compare it with the Gross Profit. 

All overhead costs are taken in the final profit and loss statement to arrive at the net profit of your business as a whole.

Evidently, if your trading account is not showing a profit, it means that you are not recovering even the product cost.

Profit and Loss Account: Importance and Guidelines for Preparing A P&L Account

The Profit and Loss Account is a statement of income and expenditure for a given period, and the net amount of these two elements is known as the profit or loss for that company. It is prepared to assess whether the company has generated profit or loss through its activities. 

Normally, Profit and Loss Statements are prepared at the end of each accounting year. The accounting year, as defined by our accounting standards, starts on the 1st of April each year and ends on the 31st of March of the next year.

Importance of Profit and Loss Account

• Profit & Loss statements must be prepared under the Companies Act rules and regulations.
• It is a part of the Balance Sheet.
• The financial health and achievements of your business are assessed with this statement. You will know whether your business is earning profit or incurring losses through this statement. 
• It is the preliminary stage for preparing your Balance Sheet. 
• One should first arrive at the Profit or Loss figure before preparing the Balance Sheet of any company, as that figure is to be shown in assets or liabilities as the case may be.
• The Profit and Loss Statement is to be submitted along with the Balance Sheet for filing your tax returns and for Income-Tax assessments.
• Banks require this statement along with the Balance Sheet while sanctioning loans to business.

How to Prepare Profit and Loss Account

It is very simple to prepare a profit and loss statement. It is a summarised statement of expenses and incomes to derive the net result.

1. First of all, you need to balance each account in the Main Ledger or General Ledger of your business and copy them to the Trial Balance Sheet.
2. Then tally your Trial Balance.
3. On the basis of that trial balance, you can easily prepare a profit and loss statement. Enter all expenses in the expenditure column and all income in the income column. The net result will give you the profit and loss.
4. There are two types of preparation. One is horizontal P&L a/c, and the other is vertical P&L a/c.

Horizontal Profit and Loss Account Sample

              Income                                                   Expenditure

Sales                       5,000,000                        
                                                              Goods purchased            37,50,000

                                                              Freight/transportation         2,50,000

                                                              Labour charges                    50,000

                                                              Godown rent                       30,000

                                    _______                                                 _________      

                                    50,00,000                                                  40,80,000                                                                                                      
                                                             Gross/Trading Profit           9,20,000

                                         1) Staff salary                        1,80,000

                                                             2) Electricity         50,000

                                                              3) Stationery        30,000

                                                              4) Package charges  30,000

                                        5)  Sales promotion                    30,000

                                                            6) Other expenses      20,000

                                                                  Total (1 to 6)                   3,40,000

                                                                                   
                                                         Profit before interest/depreciation 5,80,000  

                                                             Interest on loans                      100000    

                                                             Depreciation of assets              180000

                                                                                                            2,80,000
                                                             NET PROFIT                         3,00,000    

The above is a sample format of profit and loss account prepared in horizontal format.

In a vertical format, you will start with sales income, and below it, all the expenses are mentioned in the same manner as in the above format. The three elements of Gross profit, Profit before Depreciation and Net profit will be calculated in the same manner and in the same column under income.

All expenses directly related to the production of goods are taken for calculating the Trading profit of the company. Then salaries and administrative expenses and sales promotion are taken to arrive at the net profit before interest and depreciation. Then, you can separately calculate profit after depreciation and profit after interest, if you want them separate, to get separate statistics for each element of cost.

It is customary to provide the figures of the previous year also in the profit and loss statements, to enable comparison with previous achievements.

Bank Reconciliation Statement- How to Tally Your Cash Book with Passbooks

Bank Reconciliation Statement

Bank reconciliation means reconciling your account book entries with the bank's records. Reconciliation is the process of tallying and aligning the records.

Every business keeps a bank account to make transactions easy. You can make transactions online, including receiving payments, making payments, and transferring funds, with the click of your mouse or a tap on the phone. Now, you are expected to record all these transactions in your books of account. Banks will automatically update your accounts with each transaction. But your entries are based on the vouchers prepared at your end. So, there can be slips in your entries.

Due to the enormous workflow, some omissions or commissions may occur at both ends in recording these transactions. Because even banks can make mistakes. 

So, you need to tally the entries from your books with your bank. This tallying of accounts is known as Bank reconciliation.

Importance of Bank Reconciliation Statements 

The need for a Bank Reconciliation statement arises due to the fact that at any particular point of time, the balances in your books may not tally with the Bank statement, as there can be time gaps.

 

Under such circumstances, you should prepare to explain the reasons for the differences at both ends. This is for your own balance confirmation and for explaining to the Board of Directors and auditors who check your accounts each year. 

So, it is important to prepare bank reconciliation statements regularly.

Reasons for Differences in Bank Books

There can be various reasons for differences in your Bank balance and the balance as per Bank Books. The most common reasons are:

1. You may have issued a cheque to one of your parties but not yet presented to the bank by the receiver of the cheque.
2. You deposited some drafts or cheques received from others into your account, but the bank did not collect those amounts and so not credited to your account.
3. Banks might have charged some bank charges, and the entries were not done in your books.

Above are common features which affect your bank balances. 

When you account for all these things, then only your balances tally with the bank passbook.

A Sample Format of Bank Reconciliation Statement

Generally, a typical bank reconciliation statement will project only cheques issued but not presented and deposits made but not collected as the only differences. 

All other discrepancies get sorted out and corresponding entries made in your books before closing your books.

• If the Bank debits any charges to you, you will account for them in your expenses and credit the Bank A/C. 
• If any interest is credited to your account, you will credit your income and debit the bank in your books.

But, there will be no corresponding entries for cheques issued but not presented or deposits made but not credited to your account. 

You can not reduce your expenses by reversing the cheques or reduce your receipts by reversing the deposits made into the bank. So these two items will stand in the Bank Reconciliation Statement as reasons for the differences between your Books and the Bank Books.

So a typical Bank Reconciliation Statement will be like this:

Balance as per our Books                  (say)         10,000 Dr.

Add:

Cheques issued but not presented     (say)           5,000

                                                 Total                  15,000 Dr.

Less:

Drafts deposited but not collected    (say)           3,000    

Balance as per Bank statement or PassBook     12,000 Dr.

In the reconciliation statement above, we are adding back the amounts of those checks issued by us (but not presented to the bank) because we already reduced our balance when we issued the checks. Similarly, we already increased our bank balance when the drafts were deposited into the bank. Therefore, we have to decrease the amount in the bank reconciliation statement (if the draft is not collected by the bank) to match the bank balance.

This is the general procedure for preparing a Bank Reconciliation Statement.