Breaking Down the Order of Financial Statements (2024)

March 11, 2020

Last week we outlined the four primary types of financial statements. These statements include the cash flow statement, the balance sheet, income statement, and the statement of retained earnings. These statements are essential for assessing the current state of your business’s finances, as well as projecting future earnings. However, to accurately receive your financial information, you must process your financial statements in a specific order. Read on to learn what that order is and why it is important.

First: The Income Statement

The first in the order of financial statements is the income statement. This breaks down your company’s revenues and expenses. You need to prepare this first because it gives you the necessary information to generate the other financial statements. Making your income statement first lets you see your business’s net income and analyze your sales vs. debt.

When creating the statement, list the revenues first. Then, subtract your expenses from the revenue. The bottom line of your income statement will let you know whether you have a net income or loss for the period.

Second: Statement of Retained Earnings

Next, in the order of financial statements, is the statement of retained earnings. Use your net profit or loss from the income statement to prepare this next statement. After you gather information about the net profit or loss, you can see your total retained earnings and, if applicable, how much you will pay to investors.

Third: Balance Sheet

Your balance sheet is a complete list of your assets, liabilities, and equity. Your total assets must equal your total liabilities and equity on the balance sheet. You can use the information from your income statement and statement of retained earnings to create your balance sheet. As you create your balance sheet, include any current and long-term assets, current and noncurrent liabilities, and the difference between your assets and liabilities, or equity.

Fourth: Cash Flow Statement

The last item in the order of financial statements is the cash flow statement, processed last because you use all of your financial data from the other three statements to create the cash flow statement. This statement will show you how cash has changed in your revenue, expense, asset, equity, and liability accounts during this accounting period.

After you process all of your financial statements, you can use the information to track your business’s financial health and make smart, informed financial decisions for your company.

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Breaking Down the Order of Financial Statements (2024)

FAQs

What is the correct order of financial statements? ›

Financial statements are compiled in a specific order because information from one statement carries over to the next statement. The trial balance is the first step in the process, followed by the adjusted trial balance, the income statement, the balance sheet and the statement of owner's equity.

What is the breakdown of the financial statements? ›

The three main types of financial statements are the balance sheet, the income statement, and the cash flow statement. These three statements together show the assets and liabilities of a business, its revenues, and costs, as well as its cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities.

How do you Organise the order of the process of financial statements? ›

The 8 Steps of the Accounting Cycle
  1. Step 1: Identify Transactions. ...
  2. Step 2: Record Transactions in a Journal. ...
  3. Step 3: Posting. ...
  4. Step 4: Unadjusted Trial Balance. ...
  5. Step 5: Worksheet. ...
  6. Step 6: Adjusting Journal Entries. ...
  7. Step 7: Financial Statements. ...
  8. Step 8: Closing the Books.

What is the breakdown of the statement of financial position? ›

A company's balance sheet, also known as a "statement of financial position," reveals the firm's assets, liabilities, and owners' equity (net worth) at a specific point in time. The balance sheet, together with the income statement and cash flow statement, make up the cornerstone of any company's financial statements.

Which financial statements go first? ›

The income statement is often prepared before other financial statements because it provides a summary of a company's revenues and expenses over a specific period. This information can then be used to calculate net income, which is an essential metric for understanding a company's profitability.

What is the correct order of accounts listed? ›

Answer: The balance sheet accounts are listed first, followed by the accounts in the income statement. The balance sheet accounts comprise assets, liabilities, and shareholders equity, and the accounts are broken down further into various subcategories.

What is the breakdown of financial structure? ›

The financial structure comprises various sources of capital for your business. It includes short-term liabilities, short-term debt, long-term debt, and equity. A company can use any or all of these instruments in unique proportions to fund its long-term and short-term working capital requirements.

What is the breakdown of consolidated financial statements? ›

Consolidated financial statements are the overall financial statements of any entity with multiple divisions, including the parent company and all subsidiaries that are controlled by the parent company. They include three key financial statements; income, cash flow, and financial position.

What is the breakdown of the statement of accounts? ›

Account statements provide a comprehensive overview of transactions, balances, and activities in a bank, financial, or other account. They include details such as deposits, withdrawals, interest earned, fees charged, and the current balance (if applicable).

What is the correct order of the financial planning process? ›

Financial Planning Process
  • 1) Identify your Financial Situation. ...
  • 2) Determine Financial Goals. ...
  • 3) Identify Alternatives for Investment. ...
  • 4) Evaluate Alternatives. ...
  • 5) Put Together a Financial Plan and Implement. ...
  • 6) Review, Re-evaluate and Monitor The Plan.

How do you organize your financials? ›

  1. Review Your Budget Monthly.
  2. Use a Financial App.
  3. Keep Bills in One Place.
  4. Pay Bills the Day You Get Them.
  5. Use a Checklist for Bills You're Expecting.
  6. Coordinate with Significant Others.
  7. Verify that Your Paycheck is Direct Deposited.
  8. Use Two Bank Accounts.

How do you arrange financial documents? ›

In this article:
  1. Gather your records.
  2. Audit and dispose of outdated paper documents.
  3. Decide where (and how) to store your records.
  4. Create a filing system that works for you.
  5. Make a list of accounts and passwords.
  6. Review and purge your records annually.
  7. Questions to discuss with your Ameriprise financial advisor.

What is the order of the statement of financial position? ›

A statement of financial position is often formatted as a table with three columns. The first column lists the asset accounts, the second column lists liability or equity accounts and the final column contains totals for each section that are used to calculate net worth.

What is the format of a financial statement? ›

The line items in a financial statement will vary from one corporation to the next, but the most common among them are revenues, costs of goods sold, taxes, cash, marketable securities, inventory, short-term debt, long-term debt, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and cash flows from investing, operating, and ...

What is the correct order for the balance sheet equation? ›

The balance sheet is based on the fundamental equation: Assets = Liabilities + Equity.

What is the order of presentation of financial statements? ›

The typical order for presenting financial statements starts with the Income Statement, followed by the Statement of Retained Earnings, the Balance Sheet, and finally, the Statement of Cash Flows.

What is the order of notes to the financial statements? ›

There is a paragraph setting out the order in which notes to the financial statements are normally presented: this begins with a statement of compliance, then a summary of significant accounting policies, supporting information for individual line items following their sequence in the primary statements, and finally ' ...

What is the correct order for the balance sheet? ›

Explanation: The correct order of items on a balance sheet would be: Assets, Liabilities, and Equity. This is a standard format used in financial accounting to provide a snapshot of a company's financial health. Assets are what a company owns, such as cash, inventory, and property.

Why does the order of financial statements matter? ›

Financial statements are chronological because the information from one statement is used as an input for another.

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