ACCOUNTING STANDARD AASB 107
The Australian Accounting Standards Board made Accounting Standard AASB 107 Cash Flow Statements under section 334 of the Corporations Act 2001 on 15 July 2004.
This compiled version of AASB 107 applies to annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 July 2015. It incorporates relevant amendments contained in other AASB Standards made by the AASB and other decisions of the AASB up to and including 28 January 2015 (see Compilation Details).
aCCOUNTING STANDARD AASB 107
Statement of Cash Flows[1]
Objective
Information about the cash flows of an entity is useful in providing users of financial statements with a basis to assess the ability of the entity to generate cash and cash equivalents and the needs of the entity to utilise those cash flows. The economic decisions that are taken by users require an evaluation of the ability of an entity to generate cash and cash equivalents and the timing and certainty of their generation.
The objective of this Standard is to require the provision of information about the historical changes in cash and cash equivalents of an entity by means of a statement of cash flows which classifies cash flows during the period from operating, investing and financing activities.
Application
Aus1.1 This Standard applies to:
(a) each entity that is required to prepare financial reports in accordance with Part 2M.3 of the Corporations Act;
(b) general purpose financial statements of each reporting entity; and
(c) financial statements that are, or are held out to be, general purpose financial statements.
Aus1.2 This Standard applies to annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2005.
[Note: For application dates of paragraphs changed or added by an amending Standard, see Compilation Details.]
Aus1.3 This Standard shall not be applied to annual reporting periods beginning before 1 January 2005.
Aus1.4 [Deleted by the AASB]
Aus1.5 When applicable, this Standard supersedes:
(a) AASB 1026 Statement of Cash Flows as notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No S 415, 16 October 1997; and
(b) AAS 28 Statement of Cash Flows as issued in October 1997.
Aus1.6 Both AASB 1026 and AAS 28 remain applicable until superseded by this Standard.
Aus1.7 Notice of this Standard was published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No S 294, 22 July 2004.
Reduced Disclosure Requirements
Aus1.8 Paragraphs Aus20.2, 40, 41, 46, 50(d) and 52 of this Standard do not apply to entities preparing general purpose financial statements under Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements. Entities applying Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements may elect to comply with some or all of these excluded requirements.
Aus1.9 The requirements that do not apply to entities preparing general purpose financial statements under Australian Accounting Standards – Reduced Disclosure Requirements are identified in this Standard by shading of the relevant text.
Scope
1 An entity shall prepare a statement of cash flows in accordance with the requirements of this Standard and shall present it as an integral part of its financial statements for each period for which financial statements are presented.
2 [Deleted by the AASB]
3 Users of an entity’s financial statements are interested in how the entity generates and uses cash and cash equivalents. This is the case regardless of the nature of the entity’s activities and irrespective of whether cash can be viewed as the product of the entity, as may be the case with a financial institution. Entities need cash for essentially the same reasons however different their principal revenue-producing activities might be. They need cash to conduct their operations, to pay their obligations, and to provide returns to their investors.
Benefits of Cash Flow Information
4 A statement of cash flows, when used in conjunction with the rest of the financial statements, provides information that enables users to evaluate the changes in net assets of an entity, its financial structure (including its liquidity and solvency) and its ability to affect the amounts and timing of cash flows in order to adapt to changing circumstances and opportunities. Cash flow information is useful in assessing the ability of the entity to generate cash and cash equivalents and enables users to develop models to assess and compare the present value of the future cash flows of different entities. It also enhances the comparability of the reporting of operating performance by different entities because it eliminates the effects of using different accounting treatments for the same transactions and events.
5 Historical cash flow information is often used as an indicator of the amount, timing and certainty of future cash flows. It is also useful in checking the accuracy of past assessments of future cash flows and in examining the relationship between profitability and net cash flow and the impact of changing prices.
Definitions
6 The following terms are used in this Standard with the meanings specified.
Cash comprises cash on hand and demand deposits.
Cash equivalents are short-term, highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and which are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.
Cash flows are inflows and outflows of cash and cash equivalents.
Financing activities are activities that result in changes in the size and composition of the contributed equity and borrowings of the entity.
Investing activities are the acquisition and disposal of long-term assets and other investments not included in cash equivalents.
Operating activities are the principal revenue-producing activities of the entity and other activities that are not investing or financing activities.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
7 Cash equivalents are held for the purpose of meeting short-term cash commitments rather than for investment or other purposes. For an investment to qualify as a cash equivalent it must be readily convertible to a known amount of cash and be subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value. Therefore, an investment normally qualifies as a cash equivalent only when it has a short maturity of, say, three months or less from the date of acquisition. Equity investments are excluded from cash equivalents unless they are, in substance, cash equivalents, for example in the case of preferred shares acquired within a short period of their maturity and with a specified redemption date.
8 Bank borrowings are generally considered to be financing activities. However, in some countries, bank overdrafts which are repayable on demand form an integral part of an entity’s cash management. In these circumstances, bank overdrafts are included as a component of cash and cash equivalents. A characteristic of such banking arrangements is that the bank balance often fluctuates from being positive to overdrawn.
9 Cash flows exclude movements between items that constitute cash or cash equivalents because these components are part of the cash management of an entity rather than part of its operating, investing and financing activities. Cash management includes the investment of excess cash in cash equivalents.
Presentation of a Statement of Cash Flows
10 The statement of cash flows shall report cash flows during the period classified by operating, investing and financing activities.
11 An entity presents its cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities in a manner which is most appropriate to its business. Classification by activity provides information that allows users to assess the impact of those activities on the financial position of the entity and the amount of its cash and cash equivalents. This information may also be used to evaluate the relationships among those activities.
12 A single transaction may include cash flows that are classified differently. For example, when the cash repayment of a loan includes both interest and capital, the interest element may be classified as an operating activity and the capital element is classified as a financing activity.
Operating Activities
13 The amount of cash flows arising from operating activities is a key indicator of the extent to which the operations of the entity have generated sufficient cash flows to repay loans, maintain the operating capability of the entity, pay dividends and make new investments without recourse to external sources of financing. Information about the specific components of historical operating cash flows is useful, in conjunction with other information, in forecasting future operating cash flows.
14 Cash flows from operating activities are primarily derived from the principal revenue-producing activities of the entity. Therefore, they generally result from the transactions and other events that enter into the determination of profit or loss. Examples of cash flows from operating activities are:
(a) cash receipts from the sale of goods and the rendering of services;
(b) cash receipts from royalties, fees, commissions and other revenue;
(c) cash payments to suppliers for goods and services;
(d) cash payments to and on behalf of employees;
(e) cash receipts and cash payments of an insurance entity for premiums and claims, annuities and other policy benefits;
(f) cash payments or refunds of income taxes unless they can be specifically identified with financing and investing activities; and
(g) cash receipts and payments from contracts held for dealing or trading purposes.
Some transactions, such as the sale of an item of plant, may give rise to a gain or loss that is included in recognised profit or loss. The cash flows relating to such transactions are cash flows from investing activities. However, cash payments to manufacture or acquire assets held for rental to others and subsequently held for sale as described in paragraph 68A of AASB 116 Property, Plant and Equipment are cash flows from operating activities. The cash receipts from rents and subsequent sales of such assets are also cash flows from operating activities.
15 An entity may hold securities and loans for dealing or trading purposes, in which case they are similar to inventory acquired specifically for resale. Therefore, cash flows arising from the purchase and sale of dealing or trading securities are classified as operating activities. Similarly, cash advances and loans made by financial institutions are usually classified as operating activities since they relate to the main revenue-producing activity of that entity.
Investing Activities
16 The separate disclosure of cash flows arising from investing activities is important because the cash flows represent the extent to which expenditures have been made for resources intended to generate future income and cash flows. Only expenditures that result in a recognised asset in the statement of financial position are eligible for classification as investing activities. Examples of cash flows arising from investing activities are:
(a) cash payments to acquire property, plant and equipment, intangibles and other long-term assets. These payments include those relating to capitalised development costs and self‑constructed property, plant and equipment;
(b) cash receipts from sales of property, plant and equipment, intangibles and other long-term assets;
(c) cash payments to acquire equity or debt instruments of other entities and interests in joint ventures (other than payments for those instruments considered to be cash equivalents or those held for dealing or trading purposes);
(d) cash receipts from sales of equity or debt instruments of other entities and interests in joint ventures (other than receipts for those instruments considered to be cash equivalents and those held for dealing or trading purposes);
(e) cash advances and loans made to other parties (other than advances and loans made by a financial institution);
(f) cash receipts from the repayment of advances and loans made to other parties (other than advances and loans of a financial institution);
(g) cash payments for futures contracts, forward contracts, option contracts and swap contracts except when the contracts are held for dealing or trading purposes, or the payments are classified as financing activities; and
(h) cash receipts from futures contracts, forward contracts, option contracts and swap contracts except when the contracts are held for dealing or trading purposes, or the receipts are classified as financing activities.
When a contract is accounted for as a hedge of an identifiable position, the cash flows of the contract are classified in the same manner as the cash flows of the position being hedged.
Financing Activities
17 The separate disclosure of cash flows arising from financing activities is important because it is useful in predicting claims on future cash flows by providers of capital to the entity. Examples of cash flows arising from financing activities are:
(a) cash proceeds from issuing shares or other equity instruments;
(b) cash payments to owners to acquire or redeem the entity’s shares;
(c) cash proceeds from issuing debentures, loans, notes, bonds, mortgages and other short-term or long-term borrowings;
(d) cash repayments of amounts borrowed; and
(e) cash payments by a lessee for the reduction of the outstanding liability relating to a finance lease.
Reporting Cash Flows from Operating Activities
18 An entity shall 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 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.
19 Entities are encouraged to report cash flows from operating activities using the direct method. The direct method provides information which may be useful in estimating future cash flows and which is not available under the indirect method. Under the direct method, information about major classes of gross cash receipts and gross cash payments may be obtained either:
(a) from the accounting records of the entity; or
(b) by adjusting sales, cost of sales (interest and similar income and interest expense and similar charges for a financial institution) and other items in the statement of comprehensive income for:
(i) changes during the period in inventories and operating receivables and payables;
(ii) other non‑cash items; and
(iii) other items for which the cash effects are investing or financing cash flows.
20 Under the indirect method, the net cash flow from operating activities is determined by adjusting profit or loss for the effects of:
(a) changes during the period in inventories and operating receivables and payables;
(b) non‑cash items such as depreciation, provisions, deferred taxes, unrealised foreign currency gains and losses, and undistributed profits of associates; and
(c) all other items for which the cash effects are investing or financing cash flows.
Alternatively, the net cash flow from operating activities may be presented under the indirect method by showing the revenues and expenses disclosed in the statement of comprehensive income and the changes during the period in inventories and operating receivables and payables.
Aus20.1 [Deleted by the AASB]
Aus20.2 Not-for-profit entities that use the direct method and that highlight the net cost of services in their statement of comprehensive income for the reporting period shall disclose in the complete set of financial statements a reconciliation of cash flows arising from operating activities to net cost of services as reported in the statement of comprehensive income.
Reporting Cash Flows from Investing and Financing Activities
21 An entity shall report separately major classes of gross cash receipts and gross cash payments arising from investing and financing activities, except to the extent that cash flows described in paragraphs 22 and 24 are reported on a net basis.
Reporting Cash Flows on a Net Basis
22 Cash flows arising from the following operating, investing or financing activities may be reported on a net basis:
(a) cash receipts and payments on behalf of customers when the cash flows reflect the activities of the customer rather than those of the entity; and
(b) cash receipts and payments for items in which the turnover is quick, the amounts are large, and the maturities are short.
23 Examples of cash receipts and payments referred to in paragraph 22(a) are:
(a) the acceptance and repayment of demand deposits of a bank;
(b) funds held for customers by an investment entity; and
(c) rents collected on behalf of, and paid over to, the owners of properties.
23A Examples of cash receipts and payments referred to in paragraph 22(b) are advances made for, and the repayment of:
(a) principal amounts relating to credit card customers;
(b) the purchase and sale of investments; and
(c) other short-term borrowings, for example, those which have a maturity period of three months or less.
24 Cash flows arising from each of the following activities of a financial institution may be reported on a net basis:
(a) cash receipts and payments for the acceptance and repayment of deposits with a fixed maturity date;
(b) the placement of deposits with and withdrawal of deposits from other financial institutions; and
(c) cash advances and loans made to customers and the repayment of those advances and loans.
Foreign Currency Cash Flows
25 Cash flows arising from transactions in a foreign currency shall be recorded in an entity’s functional currency by applying to the foreign currency amount the exchange rate between the functional currency and the foreign currency at the date of the cash flow.
26 The cash flows of a foreign subsidiary shall be translated at the exchange rates between the functional currency and the foreign currency at the dates of the cash flows.
27 Cash flows denominated in a foreign currency are reported in a manner consistent with AASB 121 The Effects of Changes in Foreign Exchange Rates. This permits the use of an exchange rate that approximates the actual rate. For example, a weighted average exchange rate for a period may be used for recording foreign currency transactions or the translation of the cash flows of a foreign subsidiary. However, AASB 121 does not permit use of the exchange rate at the end of the reporting period when translating the cash flows of a foreign subsidiary.
28 Unrealised gains and losses arising from changes in foreign currency exchange rates are not cash flows. However, the effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents held or due in a foreign currency is reported in the statement of cash flows in order to reconcile cash and cash equivalents at the beginning and the end of the period. This amount is presented separately from cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities and includes the differences, if any, had those cash flows been reported at end of period exchange rates.
29 [Deleted by the IASB]
30 [Deleted by the IASB]
Interest and Dividends
31 Cash flows from interest and dividends received and paid shall each be disclosed separately. Each shall be classified in a consistent manner from period to period as either operating, investing or financing activities.
32 The total amount of interest paid during a period is disclosed in the statement of cash flows whether it has been recognised as an expense in profit or loss or capitalised in accordance with AASB 123 Borrowing Costs.
33 Interest paid and interest and dividends received are usually classified as operating cash flows for a financial institution. However, there is no consensus on the classification of these cash flows for other entities. Interest paid and interest and dividends received may be classified as operating cash flows because they enter into the determination of net profit or loss. Alternatively, interest paid and interest and dividends received may be classified as financing cash flows and investing cash flows respectively, because they are costs of obtaining financial resources or returns on investments.
34 Dividends paid may be classified as a financing cash flow because they are a cost of obtaining financial resources. Alternatively, dividends paid may be classified as a component of cash flows from operating activities in order to assist users to determine the ability of an entity to pay dividends out of operating cash flows.
Taxes on Income
35 Cash flows arising from taxes on income shall be separately disclosed and shall be classified as cash flows from operating activities unless they can be specifically identified with financing and investing activities.
36 Taxes on income arise on transactions that give rise to cash flows that are classified as operating, investing or financing activities in a statement of cash flows. While tax expense may be readily identifiable with investing or financing activities, the related tax cash flows are often impracticable to identify and may arise in a different period from the cash flows of the underlying transaction. Therefore, taxes paid are usually classified as cash flows from operating activities. However, when it is practicable to identify the tax cash flow with an individual transaction that gives rise to cash flows that are classified as investing or financing activities the tax cash flow is classified as an investing or financing activity as appropriate. When tax cash flows are allocated over more than one class of activity, the total amount of taxes paid is disclosed.
Investments in Subsidiaries, Associates and Joint Ventures
37 When accounting for an investment in an associate, a joint venture or a subsidiary accounted for by use of the equity or cost method, an investor restricts its reporting in the statement of cash flows to the cash flows between itself and the investee, for example, to dividends and advances.
38 An entity that reports its interest in an associate or a joint venture using the equity method includes in its statement of cash flows the cash flows in respect of its investments in the associate or joint venture, and distributions and other payments or receipts between it and the associate or joint venture.
Changes in Ownership Interests in Subsidiaries and Other Businesses
39 The aggregate cash flows arising from obtaining or losing control of subsidiaries or other businesses shall be presented separately and classified as investing activities.
40 An entity shall disclose, in aggregate, in respect of both obtaining and losing control of subsidiaries or other businesses during the period each of the following:
(a) the total consideration paid or received;
(b) the portion of the consideration consisting of cash and cash equivalents;
(c) the amount of cash and cash equivalents in the subsidiaries or other businesses over which control is obtained or lost; and
(d) the amount of the assets and liabilities other than cash or cash equivalents in the subsidiaries or other businesses over which control is obtained or lost, summarised by each major category.
40A An investment entity, as defined in AASB 10 Consolidated Financial Statements, need not apply paragraphs 40(c) or 40(d) to an investment in a subsidiary that is required to be measured at fair value through profit or loss.
41 The separate presentation of the cash flow effects of obtaining or losing control of subsidiaries or other businesses as single line items, together with the separate disclosure of the amounts of assets and liabilities acquired or disposed of, helps to distinguish those cash flows from the cash flows arising from the other operating, investing and financing activities. The cash flow effects of losing control are not deducted from those of obtaining control.
42 The aggregate amount of the cash paid or received as consideration for obtaining or losing control of subsidiaries or other businesses is reported in the statement of cash flows net of cash and cash equivalents acquired or disposed of as part of such transactions, events or changes in circumstances.
42A Cash flows arising from changes in ownership interests in a subsidiary that do not result in a loss of control shall be classified as cash flows from financing activities, unless the subsidiary is held by an investment entity, as defined in AASB 10, and is required to be measured at fair value through profit or loss.
42B Changes in ownership interests in a subsidiary that do not result in a loss of control, such as the subsequent purchase or sale by a parent of a subsidiary’s equity instruments, are accounted for as equity transactions (see AASB 10), unless the subsidiary is held by an investment entity and is required to be measured at fair value through profit or loss. Accordingly, the resulting cash flows are classified in the same way as other transactions with owners described in paragraph 17.
Non-cash Transactions
43 Investing and financing transactions that do not require the use of cash or cash equivalents shall be excluded from a statement of cash flows. Such transactions shall be disclosed elsewhere in the financial statements in a way that provides all the relevant information about these investing and financing activities.
44 Many investing and financing activities do not have a direct impact on current cash flows although they do affect the capital and asset structure of an entity. The exclusion of non-cash transactions from the statement of cash flows is consistent with the objective of a statement of cash flows as these items do not involve cash flows in the current period. Examples of non-cash transactions are:
(a) the acquisition of assets either by assuming directly related liabilities or by means of a finance lease;
(b) the acquisition of an entity by means of an equity issue; and
(c) the conversion of debt to equity.
Components of Cash and Cash Equivalents
45 An entity shall disclose the components of cash and cash equivalents and shall present a reconciliation of the amounts in its statement of cash flows with the equivalent items reported in the statement of financial position.
46 In view of the variety of cash management practices and banking arrangements around the world and in order to comply with AASB 101 Presentation of Financial Statements, an entity discloses the policy which it adopts in determining the composition of cash and cash equivalents.
47 The effect of any change in the policy for determining components of cash and cash equivalents, for example, a change in the classification of financial instruments previously considered to be part of an entity’s investment portfolio, is reported in accordance with AASB 108 Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors.
Other Disclosures
48 An entity shall disclose, together with a commentary by management, the amount of significant cash and cash equivalent balances held by the entity that are not available for use by the group.
49 There are various circumstances in which cash and cash equivalent balances held by an entity are not available for use by the group. Examples include cash and cash equivalent balances held by a subsidiary that operates in a country where exchange controls or other legal restrictions apply when the balances are not available for general use by the parent or other subsidiaries.
50 Additional information may be relevant to users in understanding the financial position and liquidity of an entity. Disclosure of this information, together with a commentary by management, is encouraged and may include:
(a) the amount of undrawn borrowing facilities that may be available for future operating activities and to settle capital commitments, indicating any restrictions on the use of these facilities;
(b) [deleted by the IASB]
(c) the aggregate amount of cash flows that represent increases in operating capacity separately from those cash flows that are required to maintain operating capacity; and
(d) the amount of the cash flows arising from the operating, investing and financing activities of each reportable segment (see AASB 8 Operating Segments).
51 The separate disclosure of cash flows that represent increases in operating capacity and cash flows that are required to maintain operating capacity is useful in enabling the user to determine whether the entity is investing adequately in the maintenance of its operating capacity. An entity that does not invest adequately in the maintenance of its operating capacity may be prejudicing future profitability for the sake of current liquidity and distributions to owners.
52 The disclosure of segmental cash flows enables users to obtain a better understanding of the relationship between the cash flows of the business as a whole and those of its component parts and the availability and variability of segmental cash flows.
Effective Date
53 [Deleted by the AASB]
54 [Deleted by the AASB]
Aus54.1 AASB 2008-3 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 3 and AASB 127 amended the requirements described in paragraphs 39-42 and added paragraphs 42A and 42B. The amendments and additions to this Standard shall be applied retrospectively.
55 Paragraph 14 was amended by AASB 2008-5 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from the Annual Improvements Project issued in July 2008. An entity shall apply that amendment for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009. Earlier application is permitted. If an entity applies the amendment for an earlier period it shall disclose that fact and apply paragraph 68A of AASB 116.
56 Paragraph 16 was amended by AASB 2009-5 Further Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from the Annual Improvements Project issued in May 2009. An entity shall apply that amendment for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2010. Earlier application is permitted. If an entity applies the amendment for an earlier period it shall disclose that fact.
57 AASB 2011-7 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from the Consolidation and Joint Arrangements Standards, issued in August 2011, amended paragraphs 37, 38 and 42B and deleted paragraph 50(b). An entity shall apply those amendments when it applies AASB 10 and AASB 11 Joint Arrangements.
58 AASB 2013-5 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Investment Entities, issued in August 2013, amended paragraphs 42A and 42B and added paragraph 40A. An entity shall apply those amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2014. Earlier application of AASB 2013-5 is permitted. If an entity applies those amendments earlier it shall also apply all amendments included in AASB 2013-5 at the same time.