Accounting Policies Everyone Must Know

What are accounting policies, how do they differ from accounting principles, and why are they vital to know? We answer all that and more in this article—read on to find out everything.

Accounting Policies: An Overview

The exact methods that a company's management team uses to create its financial statements are known as accounting policies. These consist of all measuring systems, accounting techniques, and disclosure presentation protocols.

Accounting principles are the rules of accounting, but accounting policies are how a corporation complies with those standards. This is how accounting policies differ from accounting principles.

Main Takeaways

A company's financial statements are prepared according to accounting policies. Accounting policies are norms for adhering to accounting principles, which are rules. Earnings can be lawfully manipulated using accounting principles. The accounting policies a firm chooses will show if management reports earnings in an aggressive or prudent manner. The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) must be followed by accounting policies.

The Application Of Accounting Policies

A company's financial statement preparation is governed by a set of guidelines called accounting policies. These procedures are utilized to explicitly address complex accounting procedures such as depreciation techniques, goodwill recognition, preparation of R&D expenses, inventory value, and financial account consolidation.

All accounting policies in Saudi, for instance, must adhere to international financial reporting standards (IFRS), albeit they may vary from one firm to another.

Accounting principles may be viewed as a foundation for how a business should function. However, the framework is fairly adaptable, allowing a company's management team to select certain accounting principles that are beneficial to the company's financial reporting.

Because accounting standards might be weak at times, a company's unique rules are crucial. Investigating a company's accounting practices might reveal if management reports earnings in a prudent or aggressive manner. Investors should consider this while analyzing earnings reports to determine the caliber of earnings. A company's policies should be reviewed by external auditors who are employed to check the financial statements to make sure they comply with GAAP.

Read more about Overview of Accounting in the Modern World

Accounting Policy Examples

It is permissible to lawfully modify earnings using accounting principles. Companies are permitted to value inventory, for instance, using the

• Average cost
• First in, first out (FIFO)
• Last in, first out (LIFO) accounting procedures.

The weighted average cost of all inventory created or acquired during the accounting period is used to calculate the cost of goods sold (COGS) under the average cost method whenever a business sells a product.

When a corporation sells a product, the cost of the inventory generated or purchased first is taken into account according to the FIFO inventory cost technique.

When a product is sold using the LIFO approach, the cost of the inventory created most recently is taken into account. What Sets Accounting Principles Apart From Accounting Policies?

An accounting policy is a technique or guideline followed by management to comply with the regulation and produce financial statements, as opposed to an accounting principle, which is the standard norm established by a governing body.

What Kinds Of Accounting Policies Are There?

When accounting principles permit flexibility in how the rules are applied to a scenario, accounting policies become evident in a firm. The following instances need managerial discretion:

• Assessment of stock
• Assessment of investments
• Fixed asset valuation
• Deflation techniques
• Prices for research and development (R&D)
• The conversion of foreign currency

What Sets Conservative Accounting Apart From Aggressive Accounting?

Conservative accounting practices tend to overestimate costs while understating revenue. Aggressive accounting, on the other side, employs practices that frequently exaggerate income and understate expenditures.

The Conclusion

To sum it up accounting principles, which are the standards that all accounting policies must comply with, are distinct from accounting policies.

The management team of a corporation might decide on certain accounting practices that are beneficial to the company's financial reporting.

The team may employ cautious or aggressive accounting procedures, impacting how a company's financial performance is presented in a certain year.