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Microlesson · 5-min read

Working Notes – T-Account Technique for Deriving Cash Flows

## Working Notes – T-Account (Ledger) Technique

When a question provides opening/closing balances and P&L figures but not the direct cash figure, reconstruct the relevant T-account. The balancing figure = the cash flow.

### Core Principle

Every account obeys double entry:

Opening Balance + Debits = Credits + Closing Balance

If all figures except one are known, the unknown = the cash flow for the statement.

---

### Template 1 – PPE / Plant Account (Gross Block)

```

Plant Account

Dr Cr

Opening Balance (Gross) X Depreciation X

Cash Purchases [?] Cost of asset disposed X

Closing Balance (Gross) X

```

Cash Purchases = Closing + Depreciation + Cost disposed − Opening

To find Sale Proceeds of disposed asset:

Sale Proceeds = Net Book Value ± Profit / Loss

Net Book Value = Cost − Accumulated Depreciation on that asset

---

### Template 2 – Investment Account

```

Investment Account

Dr Cr

Opening Balance X Sale Proceeds [?]

Cash Purchases [?] Closing Balance X

P&L: Profit on Sale X (P&L: Loss) X

```

Sale Proceeds = Opening + Purchases + Profit − Closing

---

### Template 3 – Provision for Tax Account

```

Provision for Tax Account

Dr Cr

Tax Paid (Cash) [?] Opening Balance X

Closing Balance X P&L: Tax charge X

```

Tax Paid = Opening Provision + P&L Charge − Closing Provision

---

### Template 4 – Share Capital / Debentures

```

Share Capital Account

Dr Cr

Closing Balance X Opening Balance X

Fresh Issue (Cash) [?]

```

Cash from Issue = Closing − Opening (when no redemptions during the year)

---

### Template 5 – Land and Building (with Renovation)

```

Land & Building Account

Dr Cr

Opening Balance X Closing Balance X

Renovation (CWiP) X

```

Amount transferred from Capital Work-in-Progress to the building account = investing cash outflow already paid in the year of construction.

---

### Non-Cash Transactions – Exclude Entirely

If assets are acquired in exchange for shares or debentures (no cash changes hands), these are non-cash transactions and must be excluded from the Cash Flow Statement. They are disclosed separately in a note to the accounts.

Example: Bonds of ₹1,00,000 issued in part-exchange for Plant — neither the plant entry nor the bond entry appears anywhere in the cash flow statement.

---

### Suggested Sequence When Solving a Problem

1. Open T-accounts for all non-current assets (PPE Gross Block, Investments)

2. Open T-accounts for long-term liabilities (Share Capital, Debentures, Provision for Tax)

3. Enter all known figures (opening/closing balances, P&L items, depreciation)

4. Find the plug (balancing figure) = cash flow to insert in the statement

5. Verify: Opening CCE + Net Change (A+B+C) = Closing CCE

Worked example

### Example 1

Working Note 1 – Provision for Tax Account (Illustration 1)

Given:

  • Opening Provision for Tax: ₹98,000
  • P&L Tax charge: ₹1,12,000 (found from P&L appropriation)
  • Closing Provision for Tax: ₹1,40,000
  • Income Tax Paid: Not directly stated — derive by T-account

```

Provision for Tax Account

Dr Cr

Tax Paid 70,000 Opening Bal 98,000

Closing Bal 1,40,000 P&L Charge 1,12,000

———————— ————————

2,10,000 2,10,000

```

Income Tax Paid = ₹70,000

Formula check: 98,000 + 1,12,000 − 1,40,000 = ₹70,000 ✓

This figure is entered as `Less: Income Tax Paid ₹70,000` in Operating Activities.

### Example 2

Working Note 2 – Plant Account (Illustration 1)

Given:

  • Opening Plant (Gross): ₹7,00,000
  • Depreciation for year: ₹1,40,000
  • Machine disposed: Cost ₹28,000; Profit on sale ₹21,000; Proceeds ₹49,000
  • Cash Purchases: ₹4,48,000 (to be confirmed)
  • Closing Plant (Gross): ₹9,80,000

```

Plant Account

Dr Cr

Opening Bal 7,00,000 Depreciation 1,40,000

Purchases 4,48,000 Machine (cost) 28,000

Closing Bal 9,80,000

—————————— ——————————

11,48,000 11,48,000

```

Sale Proceeds check:

Machine cost ₹28,000 + Profit ₹21,000 = ₹49,000

Cash flow entries:

  • Investing outflow: Purchase of Plant ₹4,48,000
  • Investing inflow: Sale proceeds from Plant ₹49,000
  • Operating adjustment: Less Profit on Machine ₹21,000 (deducted from PBT)

### Example 3

Working Note 3 – Investment Account (USR Pg 315)

Given:

  • Opening Investments: ₹1,27,000
  • Profit on sale of investments: ₹12,000 (from P&L)
  • Cash Purchases during year: ₹78,000
  • Closing Investments: ₹1,15,000
  • Sale Proceeds: Not directly given — derive by T-account

```

Investment Account

Dr Cr

Opening Bal 1,27,000 Sale Proceeds 1,02,000

Purchases 78,000 Closing Bal 1,15,000

P&L Profit 12,000

—————————— ——————————

2,17,000 2,17,000

```

Sale Proceeds = ₹1,02,000

Formula: 1,27,000 + 78,000 + 12,000 − 1,15,000 = ₹1,02,000 ✓

Cash flow entries:

  • Investing inflow: Sale of Investments ₹1,02,000
  • Investing outflow: Purchase of Investments ₹78,000
  • Operating adjustment: Less Profit on sale ₹12,000 (deducted from PBT)

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Using Net Block (after depreciation) for the PPE T-account instead of Gross Block — this hides the depreciation effect and produces an incorrect figure for cash purchases
  • Forgetting accumulated depreciation on the specific asset disposed — book value = cost minus accumulated dep on THAT asset, not total accumulated dep
  • Including a non-cash asset acquisition (e.g., plant received in exchange for debentures) as a cash purchase in the T-account — non-cash transactions must be excluded entirely
  • Opening the Investments T-account on one side only and missing either the profit/loss transfer from P&L — always check both the debit and credit sides for P&L transfers
  • Treating amounts still in Capital Work-in-Progress as a cash outflow in the current year when they were paid in a prior year — only actual cash paid this year is an outflow
  • Ignoring the Provision for Tax T-account and instead using advance tax paid during the year as the only tax outflow — actual tax paid = opening provision + charge − closing provision, which may differ
Reference:
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