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Microlesson · 5-min read

Cash Flow Statement - Direct Method Format (All Three Sections)

# Cash Flow Statement — Direct Method Format

## A. Cash Flow from Operating Activities (Direct Method)

Under the Direct Method, show each major class of gross cash receipt and payment:

ItemEffect
Cash sales+
Collections from trade receivables+
Cash received from services rendered+
Cash purchases
Payments to trade payables
Payments for operating expenses (wages, salaries, rent, electricity, overheads)
Payment of income tax
Sub-total: before extraordinary items
± Extraordinary items (shown separately)±
Net Cash from Operating Activities (A)

## B. Cash Flow from Investing Activities

(Same format regardless of which method is used for Operating.)

ItemEffect
Purchase of PPE
Sale of PPE — use actual sale proceeds, not book value+
Purchase of investments
Sale of investments — use actual sale proceeds+
Interest received+
Dividend received+
Rent income from investment property+
Loan given (outflow) / Loan repayment received (inflow)±
Sub-total: before extraordinary items
± Extraordinary items±
Net Cash from Investing Activities (B)

## C. Cash Flow from Financing Activities

ItemEffect
Issue of equity shares+
Buyback of equity shares
Issue of preference shares+
Redemption of preference shares
Issue of debentures+
Redemption of debentures
Loans taken+
Loans repaid
Interest paid
Dividends paid
Net Cash from Financing Activities (C)

## Closing Reconciliation

```

Opening CCE + Net (A + B + C) = Closing CCE

```

Closing CCE must match Cash and Bank balance in the Balance Sheet.

## Critical Rule — Sale of Assets

Always report actual sale proceeds in Investing Activities:

```

Sold at profit: Proceeds = Book Value + Profit

Sold at loss: Proceeds = Book Value − Loss

```

Never record profit/loss separately in the Investing section. Under the Indirect Method, these are adjusted out of PBT in the Operating section.

Worked example

### Example 1

## Special Items in Investing Activities (Illustration 5 — Conceptual)

This illustration demonstrates the treatment of five non-standard investing items.

### 1. Loan Given to Subsidiary Company

This is a capital deployment transaction (not operating).

→ Cash outflow under Investing Activities.

If the subsidiary repays the loan later, the repayment receipt is an investing inflow.

### 2. Interest Received on Loan to Subsidiary

Return on an investing asset.

→ Cash inflow under Investing Activities (same section as the loan itself).

### 3. Pre-Acquisition Dividend Received

Dividend received from an investee company before the date of investment (i.e., out of pre-existing profits).

→ Treated as a recovery of investment cost in accounting, but for cash flow purposes, the cash received is shown as an inflow under Investing Activities.

### 4. Interest Received on Investments — TDS Treatment

The company earns gross interest but the payer deducts TDS before remitting.

Option A (Gross presentation):

```

Interest received (gross) +xxx

TDS on above interest −xxx ← shown as tax paid

```

Option B (Net presentation — simpler):

```

Interest received (net of TDS) +xxx

```

The net amount is the actual cash that entered the bank account.

### 5. Sale of Plant at a Loss

```

Book Value of Plant xx

Less: Loss on sale (xx)

= Sale Proceeds (actual cash received) xx ← use this figure in Investing

```

The loss is a non-operating expense → reversed (added back) in the Operating section under the Indirect Method. Do not record it again in Investing.

### 6. Extraordinary Item — Insurance Claim Received

If a claim related to loss of a fixed asset is received:

→ Show as an extraordinary item separately within Investing Activities:

```

Cash from Investing before extraordinary items xxx

± Extraordinary item (insurance claim received) ±xxx

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

Net Cash from Investing Activities xxx

```

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Recording sale of asset at book value instead of actual sale proceeds — always use the actual cash received (SP), which already reflects any profit or loss.
  • Showing profit or loss on sale of assets as a separate line in Investing Activities — it does not appear here at all; it is handled in the Operating section (Indirect Method only).
  • Treating TDS on interest received as an operating tax payment instead of netting it against (or showing alongside) the interest received in Investing Activities.
  • Placing pre-acquisition dividend under Operating Activities — it is an investing inflow regardless of its accounting treatment.
  • Forgetting to show extraordinary items as a separate sub-total within each section rather than combining them with ordinary items.
Bare-Act text Para 18, 21, 25 · AS 3 — Cash Flow Statements (ICAI) · click to expand
Para 18 — Methods for Reporting Operating Activities: An enterprise should report cash flows from operating activities using either: (a) the direct method, whereby major classes of gross cash receipts and gross cash payments are disclosed; or (b) the indirect method, whereby net profit or loss is adjusted for the effects of transactions of a non-cash nature, any deferrals or accruals of past or future operating cash receipts or payments, and items of income or expense associated with investing or financing cash flows. Para 21 — Investing Activities examples: Cash flows arising from investing activities include: payments to acquire fixed assets; receipts from disposal of fixed assets; payments to acquire shares or debentures of other enterprises; receipts from repayment of advances and loans made to other parties. Para 25 — Financing Activities examples: Cash flows arising from financing activities include: proceeds from issuing shares or other similar instruments; repayments of amounts borrowed; payment of dividends.
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