Chapter 12 - Regulatory Framework Flashcards
What is the main piece of legislation relevant to financial reporting?
Companies act 2006
What does companies act 2006 require?
companies to prepare the following documents annually for both shareholders and for companies house
- financial statements comprising a balance sheet and p&l
- additional information in the notes to the account known as disclosures
- required to prepare annual accounts which show a true and fair value view of the state of their affairs for the period
What does UK GAPP stand for and what standards does it consist of?
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
- FRS 100
- FRS 102
- FRS 105
What is the purpose of FRS 100?
Sets out the overall reporting framework
What is the purpose of FRS 102?
- main source of accounting rules for most companies
What is the purpose of FRS 105?
Sets out specific accounting rules for micro entities
What are the size thresholds for a micro entity?
Entity must meet 2/3 of the following requirements:
- turnover < £632,000
- total assets < £316,000
- avg no. Of employees < 10
What is the objective of financial statements?
- to provide information about the financial position and performance of an entity that is useful for economic decision making purposes to a wide range of users
In order to meet objectives the info included in the accounts has to have certain qualities or qualitative characteristics, what are these?
- Understandability
- Relevance
- Materiality
- Reliability
- Substance over Form
- Prudence
- Completeness
- Timeliness
- Balance between benefit and cost
What is meant by relevance?
- should contain information that is relevant for decision making
What is meant by reliability?
- should contain information that is free from material error and bias and is faithfully represented
What is meant by understandability?
- should be presented in a way that someone with reasonable knowledge of accounts can understand the financial position of the entity and how well it has performed
What is meant by completeness?
- should contain no emissions to ensure that information is reliable and relevant
What is meant by balance between benefit and cost
- benefit derived from the information should exceed the cost of providing it
What is meant by comparability?
- from the figures presented, a user should be able to assess trends and compare different entities in relation to one another
- accounts should be prepared in a consistent way year on year