Accruals accounting

Financial reporting - accruals concept.

Accruals accounting means accounting by applying the accruals concept of including revenues, profits - and the associated costs incurred while earning them - in the same accounting period's profit or loss account or income statement.

For example, the total cost of an asset with a long useful life is spread for accounting purposes over the whole of its useful life.

Contrasted with the cash basis of accounting, which takes account only of receipts and payments in the accounting period.

See also

• Accounting
• Accounting concepts
• Accrual
• Accruals concept
• Accrued income
• Amortisation
• Assets
• Cash accounting
• Consistency
• Deferred income
• Depreciation
• Disaggregation
• Financial reporting
• Going concern
• Income statement
• Matching
• Profit and Loss account
• Prudence