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Microlesson · 5-min read

Cash Flow Statement - Comprehensive Worked Example with T-Accounts

# Comprehensive Worked Example — Q2: Full CFS (Indirect Method)

## T-Account Technique for Deriving Cash Flows

When the problem gives opening/closing Balance Sheet balances but does not state the actual cash paid or received, construct a T-account:

1. Enter opening and closing balances on the correct sides

2. Enter all known non-cash entries (depreciation, profit on sale, etc.)

3. The balancing figure = the cash flow (label it CIB — Cash In/out of Bank)

For Sale of Assets — special posting rule:

Post the full sale proceeds on the credit side. Post the profit on the debit side (or loss on the credit side). This makes the T-account balance and directly reveals the cash received.

Example journal entry for sale of Cars at ₹3,400 with profit ₹1,400:

```

Bank A/c Dr 3,400

Cars A/c (NBV sold) Cr 2,000

P&L A/c (Profit) Cr 1,400

```

In the Cars T-account, this shows:

  • Credit: Sale proceeds ₹3,400 (the CIB figure)
  • Debit: Profit ₹1,400 (balancing entry to reconcile NBV)

## Problem Data (Year Ended 31.3.18)

P&L Item
Profit Before Tax8,000
Depreciation — Building1,000
Depreciation — Furniture2,000
Depreciation — Cars5,000
Profit on sale of Cars1,400
Profit on sale of Investments8,000
Balance Sheet ItemOpeningClosing
Cars (Net Book Value)16,00025,000
Furniture (NBV)22,00034,000
Investments28,00032,000
Equity Share Capital1,00,0001,20,000
Income Tax Payable2,0003,000
Dividend Payable2,0004,000
Cash & Cash Equivalents17,00012,000

Worked example

### Example 1

## Full Cash Flow Statement — Q2 Solution

### Step 1: Derive Cash Flows via T-Accounts

Cars A/c (Net Book Value):

```

Dr | Cr

Opening NBV 16,000 | Depreciation 5,000

Purchase (CIB) 16,000 | Sale proceeds (CIB) 3,400

Profit on sale 1,400 | Closing NBV 25,000

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

33,400 | 33,400

```

→ Cars purchased: ₹16,000 (outflow) | Cars sold: ₹3,400 (inflow)

Investments A/c:

```

Dr | Cr

Opening 28,000 | Sale proceeds (CIB) 10,000

Purchase (CIB) 6,000 | Closing 32,000

Profit on sale 8,000 |

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

42,000 | 42,000

```

→ Investments purchased: ₹6,000 (outflow) | Investments sold: ₹10,000 (inflow)

Furniture A/c:

```

Dr | Cr

Opening 22,000 | Depreciation 2,000

Purchase (CIB) 14,000 | Closing 34,000

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

36,000 | 36,000

```

→ Furniture purchased: ₹14,000 (outflow)

Income Tax Payable A/c:

```

Dr | Cr

Cash paid (CIB) 2,000 | Opening balance 2,000

Closing balance 3,000 | P&L (accrued) 3,000

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

5,000 | 5,000

```

→ Tax paid: ₹2,000

Equity Share Capital A/c:

```

Closing 1,20,000 = Opening 1,00,000 + Issue 20,000

```

→ Shares issued: ₹20,000 (financing inflow)

Dividend Payable A/c:

```

Opening 2,000 + Declared 4,000 − Cash paid (CIB) = Closing 4,000

→ Cash paid = 2,000

```

→ Dividend paid: ₹2,000 (financing outflow)

---

### Step 2: Cash Flow Statement of [Company] for Year Ended 31.3.18

A. Cash Flow from Operating Activities

Item
Profit Before Tax8,000
Add: Depreciation — Building1,000
Add: Depreciation — Furniture2,000
Add: Depreciation — Cars5,000
Less: Profit on sale of Cars(1,400)
Less: Profit on sale of Investments(8,000)6,600
Changes in Working Capital:
Add: Increase in Trade Payables3,000
Less: Increase in Inventory(6,000)
Less: Increase in Trade Receivables(2,000)
Less: Income Tax Paid(2,000)
Net Cash from Operating Activities (A)(400)

B. Cash Flow from Investing Activities

Item
Sale of Cars3,400
Purchase of Cars(16,000)
Sale of Investments10,000
Purchase of Investments(6,000)
Purchase of Furniture(14,000)
Net Cash from Investing Activities (B)(22,600)

C. Cash Flow from Financing Activities

Item
Issue of Shares20,000
Dividend Paid(2,000)
Net Cash from Financing Activities (C)18,000

Reconciliation:

Opening Cash & Cash Equivalents17,000
Net cash flows: −400 − 22,600 + 18,000(5,000)
Closing Cash & Cash Equivalents12,000 ✓

### Example 2

## Why Profit on Sale Goes on the Debit Side of the Asset T-Account

This confuses many students. The logic:

When an asset is sold at a profit, the accounting entry is:

```

Bank A/c Dr (full proceeds) ← cash received

Asset A/c Cr (book value) ← asset removed at cost/NBV

P&L A/c (Profit) Cr (profit portion) ← gain recognised

```

In the Asset T-account alone (without the Bank/P&L entries):

  • Credit side shows: full proceeds (the CIB entry)
  • To balance the account, the profit must appear on the Debit side

This is not a real debit to the asset — it is a bookkeeping device to reveal the full sale proceeds on the credit side so you can directly read off the cash figure.

Verification for Investments:

  • Opening: ₹28,000 + Purchases: ₹6,000 = ₹34,000 (Dr total before profit entry)
  • Sale proceeds: ₹10,000 + Closing: ₹32,000 = ₹42,000 (Cr total)
  • Difference = ₹8,000 → posted as Profit (Dr) → Dr total = ₹42,000 ✓
  • Book value of investments sold = ₹10,000 − ₹8,000 = ₹2,000 (makes sense)

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Showing profit on sale of assets in both the Operating section (reversal) AND the Investing section — the profit appears only as a reversal in Operating; Investing shows the full sale proceeds only.
  • Using accrued dividend declared during the year as 'dividend paid' — always construct the Dividend Payable T-account to find actual cash paid, which equals opening payable + declared − closing payable.
  • Forgetting to include share capital movement in Financing Activities — a jump in share capital from opening to closing represents shares issued for cash unless stated otherwise.
  • Not cross-checking: the net change in CCE per the statement (A + B + C) must equal Closing CCE − Opening CCE from the Balance Sheet. If it does not, a transaction has been double-counted or missed.
Reference:
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