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Financial accountancy

Financial accountancy (or financial accounting) is the field

of accountancy concerned with the preparation of financial statements for decision

makers, such as stockholders, suppliers,banks, employees, government agencies,

owners, and other stakeholders. Financial capital maintenance can be measured in

either nominal monetary units or units of constant purchasing power.[1] The fundamental

need for financial accounting is to reduce principal-agent problem by measuring and

monitoring agents' performance and reporting the results to interested users.

Financial accountancy is used to prepare accounting information for people outside the

organization or not involved in the day to day running of the company. Management

accountingprovides accounting information to help managers make decisions to

manage the business.

In short, Financial Accounting is the process of summarizing financial data taken from

an organization's accounting records and publishing in the form of annual (or more

frequent) reports for the benefit of people outside the organization.

Financial accountancy is governed by both local and international accounting standards

Basic accounting concepts

Financial accountants produce financial statements based on Generally Accepted

Accounting Principles of a respective country. In particular cases financial statements

must be prepared according to the International Financial Reporting Standards.

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Financial accounting serves following purposes:

 producing general purpose financial statements

 provision of information used by management of a business entity for decision

making, planning and performance evaluation

 for meeting regulatory requirements

[edit]Graphic definition

The accounting equation (Assets = Liabilities + Owners' Equity) and financial

statements are the main topics of financial accounting.

The trial balance which is usually prepared using the Double-entry accounting

system forms the basis for preparing the financial statements. All the figures in the trial

balance are rearranged to prepare a profit & loss statement and balance sheet. There

are certain accounting standards that determine the format for these accounts (SSAP,

FRS, IFS). The financial statements will display the income and expenditure for the

company and a summary of the assets, liabilities, and shareholders or owners’ equity of

the company on the date the accounts were prepared to...

Assets, Expenses, and Withdrawals have normal debit balances (when you debit these

types of accounts you add to them), remember the word AWED which represents the

first letter of each type of account.

Liabilities, Revenues, and Capital have normal credit balances (when you credit these

you add to them).

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0 = Dr Assets Cr Owners' Equity Cr Liabilities

. _____________________________/\____________________________

. / Cr Retained Earnings (profit) Cr Common Stock \ .

. _________________/\_______________________________ Cr

Revenue . .

\________________________/

\______________________________________________________/

increased by debits increased by credits

Crediting a credit

Thus -------------------------> account increases its absolute value (balance)

Debiting a debit

Debiting a credit

Thus -------------------------> account decreases its absolute value (balance)

Crediting a debit

When you do the same thing to an account as its normal balance it increases; when you

do the opposite, it will decrease. Much like signs in math: two positive numbers are
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added and two negative numbers are also added. It is only when you have one positive

and one negative (opposites) that you will subtract.

Balance sheet

In financial accounting, a balance sheet or statement of financial position is a

summary of the financial balances of a sole proprietorship, a business partnership or

a company. Assets,liabilities and ownership equity are listed as of a specific date, such

as the end of its financial year. A balance sheet is often described as a "snapshot of a

company's financial condition".[1]Of the four basic financial statements, the balance

sheet is the only statement which applies to a single point in time of a business'

calendar year.

A standard company balance sheet has three parts: assets, liabilities and ownership

equity. The main categories of assets are usually listed first, and typically in order

of liquidity.[2] Assets are followed by the liabilities. The difference between the assets

and the liabilities is known as equity or the net assets or the net worth or capital of the

company and according to theaccounting equation, net worth must equal assets minus

liabilities.[3]

Another way to look at the same equation is that assets equals liabilities plus owner's

equity. Looking at the equation in this way shows how assets were financed: either by

borrowing money (liability) or by using the owner's money (owner's equity). Balance

sheets are usually presented with assets in one section and liabilities and net worth in

the other section with the two sections "balancing."

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A business operating entirely in cash can measure its profits by withdrawing the entire

bank balance at the end of the period, plus any cash in hand. However, many

businesses are not paid immediately; they build up inventories of goods and they

acquire buildings and equipment. In other words: businesses have assets and so they

can not, even if they want to, immediately turn these into cash at the end of each period.

Often, these businesses owe money to suppliers and to tax authorities, and the

proprietors do not withdraw all their original capital and profits at the end of each period.

In other words businesses also have liabilities.

Types

A balance sheet summarizes an organization or individual's assets, equity and liabilities

at a specific point in time. Individuals and small businesses tend to have simple balance

sheets.[4] Larger businesses tend to have more complex balance sheets, and these are

presented in the organization's annual report.[5] Large businesses also may prepare

balance sheets for segments of their businesses.[6] A balance sheet is often presented

alongside one for a different point in time (typically the previous year) for comparison. [7][8]

[edit]Personal balance sheet

A personal balance sheet lists current assets such as cash in checking

accounts and savings accounts, long-term assets such as common stock and real

estate, current liabilities such as loan debt and mortgage debt due, or overdue, long-

term liabilities such as mortgage and other loan debt. Securities and real estate values

are listed at market value rather than at historical cost or cost basis. Personal net

worth is the difference between an individual's total assets and total liabilities.
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Public Business Entities balance sheet structure

Guidelines for balance sheets of public business entities are given by the International

Accounting Standards Committee (now International Accounting Standards Board) and

numerous country-specific organizations/companys.

Balance sheet account names and usage depend on the organization's country and the

type of organization. Government organizations do not generally follow standards

established for individuals or businesses. [12][13][14][15]

If applicable to the business, summary values for the following items should be included

in the balance sheet:[16] Assets are all the things the business own, this will include

propriety tools, cars, etc.

[edit]Assets

Current assets

1. Cash and cash equivalents

2. Inventories

3. Accounts receivable

4. Prepaid expenses for future services that will be used within a year

Non-current assets (Fixed assets)

1. Property, plant and equipment

2. Investment property, such as real estate held for investment purposes

3. Intangible assets
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4. Financial assets (excluding investments accounted for using the equity

method, accounts receivables, and cash and cash equivalents)

5. Investments accounted for using the equity method

6. Biological assets, which are living plants or animals. Bearer biological assets are

plants or animals which bear agricultural produce for harvest, such as apple

trees grown to produce apples and sheep raised to produce wool. [17]

[edit]Liabilities

1. Accounts payable

2. Provisions for warranties or court decisions

3. Financial liabilities (excluding provisions and accounts payable), such

as promissory notes and corporate bonds

4. Liabilities and assets for current tax

5. Deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets

6. Unearned revenue for services paid for by customers but not yet provided

[edit]Equity

The net assets shown by the balance sheet equals the third part of the balance sheet,

which is known as the shareholders' equity. It comprises:

1. Issued capital and reserves attributable to equity holders of the parent

company (controlling interest)

2. Non-controlling interest in equity

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Formally, shareholders' equity is part of the company's liabilities: they are funds "owing"

to shareholders (after payment of all other liabilities); usually, however, "liabilities" is

used in the more restrictive sense of liabilities excluding shareholders' equity. The

balance of assets and liabilities (including shareholders' equity) is not a coincidence.

Records of the values of each account in the balance sheet are maintained using a

system of accounting known as double-entry bookkeeping. In this sense, shareholders'

equity by construction must equal assets minus liabilities, and are a residual.

Regarding the items in equity section, the following disclosures are required:

1. Numbers of shares authorized, issued and fully paid, and issued but not fully paid

2. Par value of shares

3. Reconciliation of shares outstanding at the beginning and the end of the period

4. Description of rights, preferences, and restrictions of shares

5. Treasury shares, including shares held by subsidiaries and associates

6. Shares reserved for issuance under options and contracts

7. A description of the nature and purpose of each reserve within owners' equity

Trial balance
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A trial balance is a list of all the nominal ledger (general ledger) accounts contained in the

ledger of a business. This list will contain the name of the nominal ledger account and the value

of that nominal ledger account. The value of the nominal ledger will hold either a debit balance

value or a credit value balance. The debit balance values will be listed in the debit column of the

trial balance and the credit value balance will be listed in the credit column. The profit and loss
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statement and balance sheet and other financial reports can then be produced using the ledger

accounts listed on the trial balance.

The name comes from the purpose of a trial balance which is to prove that the value of all the

debit value balances equal the total of all the credit value balances. Trialing, by listing every

nominal ledger balance, ensures accurate reporting of the nominal ledgers for use in financial

reporting of a business's performance. If the total of the debit column does not equal the total

value of the credit column then this would show that there is an error in the nominal ledger

accounts. This error must be found before a profit and loss statement and balance sheet can be

produced.

The trial balance is usually prepared by a bookkeeper or accountant who has used daybooks to

record financial transactions and then post them to the nominal ledgers and personal ledger

accounts. The trial balance is a part of the double-entry bookkeeping system and uses the

classic 'T' account format for presenting values.

[edit]Trial balance limitations

A trial balance only checks the sum of debits against the sum of credits. That is why it does not

guarantee that there are no errors. The following are the main classes of error that are not

detected by the trial balance:

 An error of original entry is when both sides of a transaction include the wrong

amount.[1] For example, if a purchase invoice for £21 is entered as £12, this will result in an

incorrect debit entry (to purchases), and an incorrect credit entry (to the relevant creditor

account), both for £9 less, so the total of both columns will be £9 less, and will thus balance.
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 An error of omission is when a transaction is completely omitted from the accounting

records.[1] As the debits and credits for the transaction would balance, omitting it would still

leave the totals balanced. A variation of this error is omitting one of the ledger account totals

from the trial balance.[2]

 An error of reversal is when entries are made to the correct amount, but with debits

instead of credits, and vice versa.[1] For example, if a cash sale for £100 is debited to the

Sales account, and credited to the Cash account. Such an error will not affect the totals.

 An error of commission is when the entries are made at the correct amount, and the

appropriate side (debit or credit), but one or more entries are made to the wrong account of

the correct type.[1] For example, if fuel costs are incorrectly debited to the postage account

(both expense accounts). This will not affect the totals.

 An error of principle is when the entries are made to the correct amount, and the

appropriate side (debit or credit), as with an error of commission, but the wrong type of

account is used.[1] For example, if fuel costs (an expense account), are debited to stock (an

asset account). This will not affect the totals.

 Compensating errors are multiple unrelated errors that would individually lead to an

imbalance, but together cancel each other out.[1]

 A Transposition Error is a Computing error caused by switching the position of two

adjacent digits. Since the resulting error is always divisible by 9, accountants use this fact to

locate the misentered number. For example, a total is off by 72, dividing it by 9 gives 8

which indicates that one of the switched digit is either more, or less, by 8 than the other digit.

Hence the error was caused by switching the digits 8 and 0 or 1 and 9. This will also not

affect the totals.

Balance sheet
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In financial accounting, a balance sheet or statement of financial position is a summary of

the financial balances of a sole proprietorship, a business partnership or

a company. Assets,liabilities and ownership equity are listed as of a specific date, such as the

end of its financial year. A balance sheet is often described as a "snapshot of a company's

financial condition".[1]Of the four basic financial statements, the balance sheet is the only

statement which applies to a single point in time of a business' calendar year.

A standard company balance sheet has three parts: assets, liabilities and ownership equity. The

main categories of assets are usually listed first, and typically in order of liquidity.[2] Assets are

followed by the liabilities. The difference between the assets and the liabilities is known as

equity or the net assets or the net worth or capital of the company and according to

theaccounting equation, net worth must equal assets minus liabilities.[3]

Another way to look at the same equation is that assets equals liabilities plus owner's equity.

Looking at the equation in this way shows how assets were financed: either by borrowing

money (liability) or by using the owner's money (owner's equity). Balance sheets are usually

presented with assets in one section and liabilities and net worth in the other section with the

two sections "balancing."

A business operating entirely in cash can measure its profits by withdrawing the entire bank

balance at the end of the period, plus any cash in hand. However, many businesses are not

paid immediately; they build up inventories of goods and they acquire buildings and equipment.

In other words: businesses have assets and so they can not, even if they want to, immediately

turn these into cash at the end of each period. Often, these businesses owe money to suppliers

and to tax authorities, and the proprietors do not withdraw all their original capital and profits at

the end of each period. In other words businesses also have liabilities

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Types

A balance sheet summarizes an organization or individual's assets, equity and liabilities

at a specific point in time. Individuals and small businesses tend to have simple balance

sheets.[4] Larger businesses tend to have more complex balance sheets, and these are

presented in the organization's annual report.[5] Large businesses also may prepare

balance sheets for segments of their businesses.[6] A balance sheet is often presented

alongside one for a different point in time (typically the previous year) for comparison.

Personal balance sheet

A personal balance sheet lists current assets such as cash in checking

accounts and savings accounts, long-term assets such as common stock and real

estate, current liabilities such as loan debt and mortgage debt due, or overdue, long-

term liabilities such as mortgage and other loan debt. Securities and real estate values

are listed at market value rather than at historical cost or cost basis. Personal net

worth is the difference between an individual's total assets and total liabilities

US small business balance sheet

Sample Small Business Balance Sheet

Assets Liabilities and Owners' Equity

Cash $6,600 Liabilities

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Accounts $30,00
$6,200 Notes Payable
Receivable 0

Accounts Payable

Total liabilities $30,000

Tools and
$25,000 Owners' equity
equipment

Capital Stock $7,000

Retained
$800
Earnings

Total owners' equity $7,800

Total $37,800 Total $37,800

A really small business balance sheet lists current assets such as cash, accounts

receivable, and inventory, fixed assets such as land, buildings, and

equipment, intangible assets such as patents, and liabilities such as accounts payable,

accrued expenses, and long-term debt. Contingent liabilities such as warranties are

noted in the footnotes to the balance sheet. The small business's equity is the difference

between total assets and total liabilities

Public Business Entities balance sheet structure

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Guidelines for balance sheets of public business entities are given by the International

Accounting Standards Committee (now International Accounting Standards Board) and

numerous country-specific organizations/companys.

Balance sheet account names and usage depend on the organization's country and the

type of organization. Government organizations do not generally follow standards

established for individuals or businesses.

If applicable to the business, summary values for the following items should be

included in the balance sheet: Assets are all the things the business own, this will

include propriety tools, cars, etc.

Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions. Transactions include sales,

purchases, income, and payments by an individual or organization. Bookkeeping is

usually performed by a bookkeeper. Bookkeeping should not be confused

with accounting. The accounting process is usually performed by an accountant. The

accountant creates reports from the recorded financial transactions recorded by the

bookkeeper and files forms with government agencies. There are some common

methods of bookkeeping such as the Single-entry bookkeeping system and the Double-

entry bookkeeping system. But while these systems may be seen as "real"

bookkeeping, any process that involves the recording of financial transactions is a

bookkeeping process.

A bookkeeper (or book-keeper), also known as an accounting clerk or accounting

technician, is a person who records the day-to-day financial transactions of an

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organization. A bookkeeper is usually responsible for writing the "daybooks." The

daybooks consist of purchase, sales, receipts, and payments. The bookkeeper is

responsible for ensuring all transactions are recorded in the correct daybook, suppliers

ledger, customer ledger and general ledger. The bookkeeper brings the books to

the trial balance stage. An accountant may prepare the income statement and balance

sheet using the trial balance and ledgers prepared by the bookkeeper

Bookkeeping systems

Two common bookkeeping systems used by businesses and other organizations are

the single-entry bookkeeping system and the double-entry bookkeeping system. Single-

entry bookkeeping uses only income and expense accounts, recorded primarily in a

revenue and expense journal. Single-entry bookkeeping is adequate for many small

businesses. Double-entry bookkeeping requires posting (recording) each transaction

twice, using debits and credits.

Single-entry system

The primary bookkeeping record in single-entry bookkeeping is the cash book, which is

similar to a checking (cheque) account register but allocates the income and expenses

to various income and expense accounts. Separate account records are maintained for

petty cash, accounts payable and receivable, and other relevant transactions such

as inventory and travel expenses. These days, single entry bookkeeping can be done

with DIY bookkeeping software to speed up manual calculations.

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Double-entry system

Daybooks

A daybook is a descriptive and chronological (diary-like) record of day-to-day financial

transactions also called a book of original entry. The daybook's details must be entered

formally into journals to enable posting to ledgers. Daybooks include:

 Sales daybook, for recording all the sales invoices.

 Sales credits daybook, for recording all the sales credit notes.

 Purchases daybook, for recording all the purchase invoices.

 Purchases credits daybook, for recording all the purchase credit notes.

 Cash daybook, usually known as the cash book, for recording all money received

as well as money paid out. It may be split into two daybooks: receipts daybook for

money received in, and payments daybook for money paid out.

Petty cash book

Petty cash is funded based on a company's estimated cash expenses for a given period

(a week, month, quarter, etc) and is managed by an employee known as the petty cash

custodian. The custodian approves petty cash payments, usually for small items such

as postage, coffee, etc. The custodian records the details of these expenses in the petty

cash receipt book, which acts as the source document for the journal entry to record the

expense.
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Journals

A journal is a formal and chronological record of financial transactions before their

values are accounted for in the general ledger as debits and credits. A company can

maintain one journal for all transactions, or keep several journals based on similar

activity (i.e sales, cash receipts, revenue, etc) making transactions easier to summarize

and reference later. For every debit journal entry recorded there must be an

equivalentcredit journal entry to maintain a balanced accounting equation [2].

Ledgers

A ledger is a record of accounts, these accounts are recorded separately showing their

beginning/ending balance. Unlike the journal, which lists financial transactions in

chronological order without showing their balance but showing how much is going to be

charged in each account. The ledger takes each financial transactions from the journal

and records them into the right account for every transaction listed. The ledger also

sums up the total of every account which is transferred into the balance

sheet and income statement. There are 3 different kinds of ledgers that deal with book-

keeping. Ledgers include:

 Sales ledger, which deals mostly with the Accounts Receivable account. This

ledger consists of the financial transactions made by customers to the business.

 Purchase ledger is a ledger that goes hand and hand with the Accounts Payable

account. This is the purchasing transaction a company does.

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 General ledger representing the original 5 main

accounts: assets, liabilities, equity, income, and expenses.

Chart of accounts

A chart of accounts is a list of the accounts codes that can be identified with numeric,

alphabetical, or alphanumeric codes allowing the account to be located in the general

ledger.

Computerized bookkeeping

Computerized bookkeeping removes many of the paper "books" that are used to record

transactions and usually enforces double entry bookkeeping.

Online bookkeeping

Online bookkeeping, or remote bookkeeping, allows source documents and data to

reside in web-based applications which allow remote access for bookkeepers and

accountants. All entries made into the online software are recorded and stored in a

remote location. The online software can be accessed from any location in the world

and permit the bookkeeper or data entry person to work from any location with a

suitable data communications link.

While automation is becoming more prevalent in financial accounting software

packages, there is generally still a need for some manual manipulation and input with

most products on the market. Accounts receivable is one of the easier modules to

automate in the various financial accounting software packages. Typically this is done
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by the creation of customers in the software database for which various charges are

created (depending on the product or service). These charges are generally set up with

specific codes (sometimes referred to as "bill codes"). When an adjustment is

necessary to the automated code application, the cash receipts processor can use what

is called an Accounts Receivable Request Form (ARRF) as a supporting document to

post an adjustment to a customer's account. This form typically would be approved at a

different level prior to entry into the system. Industry best practices suggest that due to

the complex nature of this task, the person entering the “ARRF” in the accounting

system should not be required to perform additional duties (i.e., lease abstracts,

tracking certificates of insurance, etc.)

Accounting Cycle – Introduction

The Accounting Cycle is a series of steps which are repeated every reporting period.

The process starts with making accounting entries for each transaction and goes

through closing the books.

Accounting Cycle – Steps During the Accounting Period

These accounting cycle steps occur during the accounting period, as each transaction

occurs:

1. Identify the transaction through an original source document (such as an

invoice, receipt , cancelled check, time card, deposit slip, purchase order) which

provides:

o date

o amount
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o description (account or business purpose)

o name and address of other party (if practical)

2. Analyze the transaction – determine which accounts are affected, how

(increase or decrease), and how much

3. Make Journal entries – record the transaction in the journal as both a debit and

a credit

o journals are kept in chronological order

o journals may include sales journal, purchases journal, cash receipts

journal, cash payments journal, and the general journal

4. Post to ledger – transfer the journal entries to ledger accounts

o ledger is kept by account

o ledger accounts may be T-account form or include balances

o (Learn more about the Chart of Accounts.)

Accounting Cycle: Steps at the end of the accounting period

These accounting cycle steps occur at the end of the accounting period:

1. Trial Balance – this is a calculation to verify the sum of the debits equals the

sum of the credits. If they don’t balance, you have to fix the unbalanced trial

balance before you go on to the rest of the accounting cycle. (If they do balance

you could still have a problem, but at least it balances!)

2. Adjusting entries – prepare and post accrued and deferred items to journals

and ledger T-accounts

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3. Adjusted trial balance – make sure the debits still equal the credits after making

the period end adjustments

4. Financial Statements – prepare income statement, balance sheet, statement of

retained earnings, and statement of cash flows (this can occur at other points in

time with appropriate adjustments)

5. Closing entries – prepare and post closing entries to transfer the balances from

temporary accounts (such as the revenue and expenses from the income

statement to owner’s equity on the balance sheet).

6. After-Closing trial balance – final trial balance after the closing entries to make

sure debits still equal credits.

Cash flow statement

In financial accounting, a cash flow statement, also known as statement of cash

flows orfunds flow statement,[1] is a financial statement that shows how changes in balance

sheetaccounts and income affect cash and cash equivalents, and breaks the analysis down to

operating, investing, and financing activities. Essentially, the cash flow statement is concerned

with the flow of cash in and cash out of the business. The statement captures both the current

operating results and the accompanying changes in the balance sheet.[1] As an analytical tool,

the statement of cash flows is useful in determining the short-term viability of a company,

particularly its ability to pay bills. International Accounting Standard 7 (IAS 7), is theInternational

Accounting Standard that deals with cash flow statements.

People and groups interested in cash flow statements include:

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 Accounting personnel, who need to know whether the organization will be able to cover

payroll and other immediate expenses

 Potential lenders or creditors, who want a clear picture of a company's ability to repay

 Potential investors, who need to judge whether the company is financially sound

 Potential employees or contractors, who need to know whether the company will be able

to afford compensation

 Shareholders of the business.

Purpose

The cash flow statement was previously known as the flow of Cash statement.[2] The

cash flow statement reflects a firm's liquidity.

The balance sheet is a snapshot of a firm's financial resources and obligations at a

single point in time, and the income statement summarizes a firm's financial

transactions over an interval of time. These two financial statements reflect the accrual

basis accounting used by firms to match revenues with the expenses associated with

generating those revenues. The cash flow statement includes only inflows and outflows

of cash and cash equivalents; it excludes transactions that do not directly affect cash

receipts and payments. These noncash transactions include depreciation or write-offs

on bad debts or credit losses to name a few.[3] The cash flow statement is a cash

basis report on three types of financial activities: operating activities, investing activities,

and financing activities. Noncash activities are usually reported in footnotes.

The cash flow statement is intended to[4]

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1. provide information on a firm's liquidity and solvency and its ability to

change cash flows in future circumstances

2. provide additional information for evaluating changes in assets, liabilities and

equity

3. improve the comparability of different firms' operating performance by eliminating

the effects of different accounting methods

4. indicate the amount, timing and probability of future cash flows

The cash flow statement has been adopted as a standard financial statement because it

eliminates allocations, which might be derived from different accounting methods, such

as various timeframes for depreciating fixed assets.

Differential Cost and Differential Revenue:

Definition and Explanation of Differential Cost and
Differential Revenue:
Decisions involve choosing between alternatives. In business, each alternative will have

certain costs and benefits that must be compared to the costs and benefits of the other

available alternatives. A difference in cost between any two alternatives is known as

differential cost. A difference in revenue between any two alternatives is known as

differential revenues. Differential cost includes both cost increase (incremental cost) and

cost decrease (decremental cost). In general the difference (cost and revenue) between

alternatives are relevant in decision making. Those items that are the same under all

alternatives can be ignored.

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The accountant's differential cost concept can be compared to the

economist'smarginal cost concept. In speaking of changes in cost and revenue, the

economists employ the term marginal cost and marginal revenue. The revenue that

can be obtained from selling one more unit of product is called marginal revenue, and

the cost involved in producing one more unit of a product is called marginal cost. The

economists marginal cost is basically the same as the accountant's differential concept

applied to a single unit of out put.

Differential cost is a business term that refers to the difference in costs for a business

when choosing between two alternatives. It is an important tool in the decision-making

process for businesses looking to make possible changes to a business model. Closely

associated with marginal cost, a term favored by economists,differential cost can refer

to either fixed or variable costs. The relevance of these costs is obvious when judged

alongside ofdifferential revenue to give businesses a perspective on the positives or

negatives of a decision

In any decision-making process, a choice is made between alternatives. When it comes

to the business world, those choices include costs and benefits that must be weighed in

order to assess what decision to ultimately make. Differential cost is the difference in

costs, either negative or positive, between two or more alternatives. This cost must be

taken in tandem with the difference in revenue generated by these alternatives in order

to come to a significant conclusion

For example, a company has decided to make a change in its advertising approach,

doing away with its radio advertising in favor of advertising on television. Due to the
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increased production costs and the higher rate charged by television stations, the

weekly advertising budget rises by $100 US Dollars (USD), which would be

the differential cost. If the company gets a significant boost in weekly sales of the

product higher than the $100 USD cost difference, then the change was worth it,

because the net operating revenue will have increased.

Businesses can encounter differential costs that are either fixed, meaning that they don't

change, or variable, which means that they can vary depending on certain

circumstances. Marginal cost is a closely associated term used by economists for a

similar calculation. The difference with marginal cost is that it refers to

the cost associated with making just one more unit of product, as opposed

to differential cost, which is more useful for business accounting purposes.