General purpose financial statements definition — AccountingTools (2024)

What are General Purpose Financial Statements?

General purpose financial statements are those financial statements released to a broad group of users. They are intended for a wide range of uses, such as credit analysis and stock valuations. These statements include the income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flows, statement of shareholders’ equity, and any accompanying disclosures. If the financial statements have been audited, then they should also include the audit report.

General purpose financial statements are usually issued to the investment community and lenders. These statements are used to discern the financial condition and results of the issuing entity. The frequency of distribution of these statements can vary, depending on the demands of users. For example, a publicly-held company will issue general purpose statements once a quarter, while a lender might demand monthly statements, and a government might accept just annual statements.

More specific financial statements may also be released; these are not considered to be "general purpose." For example, the management team may want to see detailed departmental expense reports, while a condensed version of the income statement may be acceptable for credit reviews by suppliers. Other users may not require a complete set of the financial statements, perhaps requesting just the income statement. These statements are usually subsets of the general purpose statements, or they compress or expand the presentation of information.

Related AccountingTools Courses

The Balance Sheet

The Income Statement

The Statement of Cash Flows

General purpose financial statements definition —  AccountingTools (2024)

FAQs

General purpose financial statements definition — AccountingTools? ›

The general purpose of the financial statements is to provide information about the results of operations, financial position, and cash flows of an organization. This information is used by the readers of financial statements to make decisions regarding the allocation of resources.

What is meant by general purpose financial statements? ›

General purpose financial statements (GPFS) are a set of financial reports that are intended to be used by a wide range of users, including investors, creditors, regulators, and management. The most common general purpose financial statements are: the balance sheet. income statement.

What is a general purpose financial statement quizlet? ›

General purpose financial statements are intended to provide common information to users and cannot accommodate every specific request for information. To a large extent, financial reports are based on estimate and judgment rather than exact depiction.

What is financial statements definition and purpose? ›

"The objective of financial statements is to provide information about the financial position, performance and changes in financial position of an enterprise that is useful to a wide range of users in making economic decisions." Financial statements should be understandable, relevant, reliable and comparable.

What is the general purpose of financial accounting? ›

Financial accounting is the framework that dictates the rules, processes, and standards for financial recordkeeping. Nonprofits, corporations, and small businesses use financial accountants to prepare their books and records and generate their financial reports.

What are general purpose statements? ›

In short, the general purpose statement lays out the broader goal of the speech while the specific purpose statement describes precisely what the speech is intended to do.

What are the three general purposes of financial statements? ›

The financial statements are used by investors, market analysts, and creditors to evaluate a company's financial health and earnings potential. The three major financial statement reports are the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows.

What are general purpose financial statements designed to meet? ›

This Section describes the concepts underlying the development and use of accounting principles in general purpose financial statements (hereafter referred to as financial statements). Such financial statements are designed to meet the common information needs of external users of financial information about an entity.

Which of the following best defines financial statements in general? ›

Answer and Explanation: C) Financial statements are documents that report on a business in monetary terms, providing information to help people make informed business decisions.

Which of the following is true of general purpose financial statements? ›

Final answer:

The true statement about the objective of general purpose financial reporting is that it provides information related to the entity's economic resources and claims.

What is the general objective of financial statements? ›

Financial statements have the objective of providing information about a reporting entity's financial activities and economic condition relevant to a wide variety of users for evaluating the entity's management and making economic decisions.

What best defines financial statements? ›

The answer to this question is in the definition; it is the complete report on the health of the business taking in cash flow, income and the balance sheet. The financial statement determines if a business has to ability to repay loans, if it has the cash flow to meet bills and purchase stock.

What is a statement of financial purpose? ›

The Statement of Financial Purpose can be thought of as a personal mission statement that revolves around the role money plays in your life. It begins with the phrase, “Money's purpose in my life is to…”, and it's up to you to complete the sentence.

What is the statement of purpose for financial accounting? ›

For the undergraduate SOP for accounting and finance, you must include your introduction, academic background, extracurricular activities, career goals, and reason for opting for this program at a specific university in a particular country.

What is the primary objective of financial accounting provide general purpose? ›

Financial accounting's primary purpose is to prepare financial reports that provide information about a firm's performance to external parties, helping them analyze and interpret an organization's activities. It is performed through the rules set on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) guidelines.

What is the general purpose and function of accounting? ›

Accounting is a term that describes the process of consolidating financial information to make it clear and understandable for all stakeholders and shareholders. The main goal of accounting is to record and report a company's financial transactions, financial performance, and cash flows.

What is the difference between special purpose and general purpose financial statements? ›

GPFS must comply with all applicable accounting standards, and they are typically prepared on an annual basis. Special purpose financial statements (SPFS) are prepared for a specific purpose or for a limited group of users.

Who has to prepare general purpose financial statements? ›

GPFS will be required for all for-profit private sector entities that are required by: Legislation to prepare financial statements in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards or 'accounting standards', or.

Who are the primary users of general purpose financial statements? ›

Existing and potential investors, lenders, and other creditors are the primary users to whom general purpose financial reports are directed (OB5). They require useful information in order to be able to assess the future cash flows of the ...

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