What are the advantages and disadvantages of the single-step income statement?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Simplicity, understandability by a layperson, focuses primarily on revenues, and expenses are the various advantages. The absence of showing relationships between the cost of goods sold and sales is considered a disadvantage of a single-step income statement.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Single-Step Income statement

The single-step income statement is aformat used to report the revenues and expenses of a company. It includes only two major groups, i.e., revenues and expenses.

02

Advantages and disadvantages of a single-step income statement

The advantages of a single-step income statement are this statement format is very simple to present and can be easily understood even by the layperson. This income statement only focuses on the net income calculated by deducting all the expenses from the revenues. The major disadvantage of the single-step income statement is the absence of showing the important relationship between sales revenue and the cost of goods sold. It also excludes the potential classifications such as income from operations, income after and before taxes, etc.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Presented below are certain account balances of Paczki Products Co.

Rent revenue \(6,500 Sales discounts \)7,800

Interest expense \(12,700 Selling expenses \)99,400

Beginning retained earnings \(114,400 Sales revenue \)390,000

Ending retained earnings \(125,000Income tax expense \)31,000

Dividend revenue \(71,000Cost of goods sold \)184,000

Sales returns and allowances \(12,400Administrative expenses \)82,500

Allocation to non controlling interest $17,000

Instructions

From the foregoing, compute the following: (a) total net revenue, (b) net income, (c) dividends declared, and (d) income attributable to controlling stockholders.

The following financial statement was prepared by employees of Walters Corporation.

WALTERS CORPORATION

INCOME STATEMENT

THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017

Revenues

Gross sales, including sales taxes \(1,044,300

Less: Returns, allowances, and cash discounts 56,200

Net sales 988,100

Dividends, interest, and purchase discounts 30,250

Recoveries of accounts written off in prior years 13,850

Total revenues 1,032,200

Costs and expenses

Cost of goods sold, including sales taxes 465,900

Salaries and related payroll expenses 60,500

Rent 19,100

Delivery expense and freight in 3,400

Bad debt expense 27,800

Total costs and expenses 576,700

Income before other items 455,500

Other items

Loss on discontinued styles (Note 1) 71,500

Loss on sale of marketable securities (Note 2) 39,050

Loss on sale of warehouse (Note 3) 86,350

Total other items 196,900

Net income \)258,600

Net income per share of common stock \(2.30

Note 1: New styles and rapidly changing consumer preferences resulted in a \)71,500 loss on the disposal of discontinued styles and related accessories.

Note 2: The Corporation sold an investment in marketable securities at a loss of \(39,050. The corporation normally sells securities of this nature.

Note 3: The Corporation sold one of its warehouses at an \)86,350 loss.

Instructions

Identify and discuss the weaknesses in classification and disclosure in the single-step income statement above. You should explain why these treatments are weaknesses and what the proper presentation of the items would be in accordance with GAAP.

Why should caution be exercised in the use of the net income figure derived in an income statement? What are the objectives of generally accepted accounting principles in their application to the income statement?

When does tax allocation within a period become necessary? How should this allocation be handled?

What is the basis for distinguishing between operating and non-operating items?

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