IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows requires an entity to present a statement of cash flows as an integral part of its primary financial statements. Cash flows are classified and presented into operating activities (either using the 'direct' or 'indirect' method), investing activities or financing activities, with the latter two categories generally presented on a gross basis. IAS 7 was reissued in December 1992, retitled in September 2007, and is operative for financial statements covering periods beginning on or after 1 January 1994.
The objective of IAS 7 is to require the presentation of information about the historical changes in cash and cash equivalents of an entity by means of a statement of cash flows, which classifies cash flows during the period according to operating, investing, and financing activities. All entities that prepare financial statements in conformity with IFRSs are required to present a statement of cash flows. [IAS 7.1] The statement of cash flows analyses changes in cash and cash equivalents during a period. Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and demand deposits, together with short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash, and that are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value. Guidance notes indicate that an investment normally meets the definition of a cash equivalent when it has a maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition. Equity investments are normally excluded, unless they are in substance a cash equivalent (e.g. preferred shares acquired within three months of their specified redemption date). Bank overdrafts which are repayable on demand and which form an integral part of an entity's cash management are also included as a component of cash and cash equivalents. [IAS 7.7-8] Cash flows must be analysed between operating, investing and financing activities. [IAS 7.10] Key principles specified by IAS 7 for the preparation of a statement of cash flows are as follows:
* Added by Disclosure Initiative amendments, effective 1 January 2017. You will find sample IFRS statements of cash flows in our Model IFRS financial statements.
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The direct method of presenting the statement of cash flows presents the specific cash flows associated with items that affect cash flow. Items that typically do so include:
The advantage of the direct method over the indirect method is that it reveals operating cash receipts and payments. The standard-setting bodies encourage the use of the direct method, but it is rarely used, for the excellent reason that the information in it is difficult to assemble; companies simply do not collect and store information in the manner required for this format. Using the direct method may require that the chart of accounts be restructured in order to collect different types of information. Instead, they use the indirect method, which can be more easily derived from existing accounting reports.
Lowry Locomotion constructs the following statement of cash flows using the direct method: Lowry LocomotionStatement of Cash Flows for the year ended 12/31/x1
Reconciliation of net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
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