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A going concern is an accounting term for a business that is assumed will meet its financial obligations when they become due. It functions without the threat of liquidation for the foreseeable future, which is usually regarded as at least the next 12 months or the specified accounting period (the longer of the two). The presumption of going concern for the business implies the basic declaration of intention to keep operating its activities at least for the next year, which is a basic assumption for preparing financial statements that comprehend the conceptual framework of the IFRS. Hence, a declaration of going concern means that the business has neither the intention nor the need to liquidate or to materially curtail the scale of its operations. Accounting standards try to determine what a company should disclose on its financial statements if there are doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern. In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board determined financial statements should reveal the conditions that support an entity’s substantial doubt that it can continue as a going concern.

1. For a company to be a going concern, it must be able to continue operating long enough to carry out its commitments, obligations, objectives, and so on.
2. Candidates must appreciate that while discussion/inquiry is a valid audit procedure under ISA 500, Audit Evidence, such a procedure is always used in addition to other procedures – in other words, inquiry on its own will not generate sufficient appropriate audit evidence.
3. The directors have no realistic alternative but to liquidate in order to raise funds to pay back the bank and the bank have already confirmed that they will commence legal proceedings to force the entity into selling off assets to raise finance to repay their borrowings.
4. By making this assumption, the accountant is justified in deferring the recognition of certain expenses until a later period, when the entity will presumably still be in business and using its assets in the most effective manner possible.

Among other syllabus requirements, candidates must ensure they are aware of the respective responsibilities of auditors and management regarding going concern. The provisions in ISA 570, Going Concern deal with the auditor’s responsibilities in relation to management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements. Because the US GAAP guidance is more developed in this area, it may provide certain useful reference points for IFRS Standards preparers – e.g. to identify adverse conditions and events or to assess the mitigating effects of management’s plans. However, dual reporters should be mindful of the differing frameworks, terminologies and potentially different outcomes in their going concern conclusions.

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Our IFRS Standards resources will help you to better understand the potential accounting and disclosure implications of COVID-19 for your company, and the actions management can take now. Under IFRS Standards, management assesses all available information about the future, considering the possible outcomes of events and changes in conditions, and the realistically possible responses to such events and conditions. Events or conditions arising after the reporting date but before the financial statements are authorized for issuance should be considered. IAS 1 states that management may need to consider a wide range of factors, including current and forecasted profitability, debt maturities and replacement financing options before satisfying its going concern assessment.

For example, a company may have a profitable track record or prior success at refinancing. However, market conditions have changed as a result of COVID-19 – e.g. financing may be significantly more difficult and more costly to obtain now. Similarly, US GAAP financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis unless liquidation is imminent. Disclosures are required if events and circumstances raise substantial doubt about https://intuit-payroll.org/ the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Although the terminology varies slightly, both GAAPs share the same objective of informing users of the financial statements early about the company’s potential financial difficulties. Under this accounting concept we assume that the business is to remain in existing for as long as possible time period, unless we have some strong footings suggesting otherwise.

Going Concern Value vs. Liquidation Value: What is the Difference?

This credit crunch may trickle down to suppliers who may be unwilling to sell raw materials or inventory goods on credit. If a company is not a going concern, the company may be revalued at the request of investors, shareholders, or the board. This revaluation may be used to price the company for acquisition or to seek out a private investor. There are often certain accounting measures that must be taken to write down the value of the company on the business’s financial reports.

Going concern value is a value that assumes the company will remain in business indefinitely and continue to be profitable. This differs from the value that would be realized if its assets were liquidated—the liquidation value—because an ongoing operation has the ability to continue to earn a profit, which contributes to its value. A company should always be considered a going concern unless there is a good reason to believe that it will be going out of business.

What is the role of a financial auditor?

If a company receives a negative audit and may not be a going concern, there are several implications. Companies that are not a going concern represent a significantly higher level of risk compared to other companies. Going concern is an example of conservatism where entities must take a less aggressive approach to financial reporting. The market place in which the business operates have direct effects on business continuity.

We can say that this concept provides basis for conventional classification of balance sheet’s items such as fixed/current assets, long term/short term liabilities. When management becomes aware of material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, those uncertainties must be disclosed in the financial statements. The terms ‘material uncertainties’ and ‘significant doubt’ are important – this standard phrasing is expected to be used in the basis of preparation note to the financial statements.

If the accountant believes that an entity may no longer be a going concern, then this brings up the issue of whether its assets are impaired, which may call for the write-down of their carrying amount to their liquidation value. More specifically, companies are obligated to disclose the risks and potential events that could impede their ability to operate and cause them to undergo liquidation (i.e. be forced out of business). For instance, the value of fixed assets (PP&E) is recorded at their original historical cost and depreciated over their useful life, i.e. the expected number of years in which the fixed asset will continue to contribute positive economic value. The Going Concern Assumption is a fundamental principle in accrual accounting, stating that a company will remain operating into the foreseeable future rather than undergo a liquidation. One of larger repercussions of not being a going concern are potential credit challenges. New lenders will likely be reluctant to issue new credit, or any new credit issued will be prohibitively expensive.

This assumption is in return verified by the auditor while auditing the financial accounts of the organization. In general, an auditor examines a company’s financial statements to see if it can continue as a going concern for one year following the time of an audit. Conditions that lead to substantial doubt about a going concern include negative trends in operating results, continuous losses from one period to the next, loan defaults, lawsuits against a company, and denial of credit by suppliers. Accountants use going concern principles to decide what types of reporting should appear on financial statements. Companies that are a going concern may defer reporting long-term assets at current value or liquidating value, but rather at cost. A company remains a going concern when the sale of assets does not impair its ability to continue operation, such as the closure of a small branch office that reassigns the employees to other departments within the company.

IFRS Standards do not prescribe how management should evaluate its plans to mitigate the effects of these events or conditions in the going concern assessment. The going concern concept is not clearly defined anywhere in generally accepted accounting principles, and so is subject to a considerable amount of interpretation regarding when an entity should report it. However, generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) do instruct an auditor regarding the consideration of an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Continuation of an entity as a going concern is presumed as the basis for financial reporting unless and until the entity’s liquidation becomes imminent.

Candidates must appreciate that while discussion/inquiry is a valid audit procedure under ISA 500, Audit Evidence, such a procedure is always used in addition to other procedures – in other words, inquiry on its own will not generate sufficient appropriate audit evidence. Similarly ISA 580, Written Representations recognises that while written representations do provide necessary audit evidence, they do not provide sufficient appropriate audit evidence on their own about any of the matters with which they deal. The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity.

It’s given when an auditor has no concerns about the financial statements of a business or its ability to operate in the future. Going concern is an accounting term used to identify whether a company is likely to survive the next year. Companies that are not a going concern may not have enough money to survive, and this fact must be publicly disclosed when an auditor audits their financial statements. A company may not be a going concern for a number of reasons, and management must disclose the reason why. Going concern is an accounting term for a company that has the resources needed to continue operating indefinitely until it provides evidence to the contrary. This term also refers to a company’s ability to make enough money to stay afloat or to avoid bankruptcy.

However, current economic and market conditions are likely very different from those of the past. Given the significant effects of COVID-19, management may need to reassess the company’s access to financing sources; they may not be easily replaced and the costs may be higher in the current circumstances. Further, other actions such as deferring capital expenditures or adjusting the workforce may be needed to generate enough cash flow to meet the company’s financial obligations. Under IFRS Standards, financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis, unless management intends or has no realistic alternative other than to liquidate the company or stop trading.

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Preparation of financial statements under this presumption is commonly referred to as the going concern basis of accounting. If and when an entity’s liquidation becomes imminent, financial statements are prepared under the liquidation basis of accounting (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2014[1]). If a company is not a going concern, that means there is risk the company may not survive the next 12 months. Management is required to disclose this fact and must provide the reasons why they may not be a going concern. Management must also identify the basis in which the financial statements are prepared and often disclose these financial reports with an audit report with a going concern opinion. Candidates attempting AA will need to have a sound understanding of the concept of going concern.

Companies with low liquidity ratios, high employee turnover, or decreasing market share are more likely to not be a going concern. In order to be a going concern, the business unit must have a sound capital structure to deal with long as well short-term problems/difficulties. A sound capital structure refers to the best composition of business’ sources of funds particularly long term. Back in 2000s General Motors was facing great financial crisis that shut down its operations throughout the world.