In the final Accounts of Non-profit Organisation, which account is not prepared by Non-Profit Organisations?

Cash flow statement

The correct answer is Option (4) - Cash flow statement.

CASH FLOW STATEMENT IS PREPARED BY THE COMPANY TO KNOW THE CASH POSITION OF THE COMPANY.

The Not-for-Profit Organisations are also required to prepare financial statements at the end of the each accounting period. Although these organisations are non-profit making entities and they are not required to make Trading and Profit & Loss Account but it is necessary to know whether the income during the year was sufficient to meet the expenses or not. Not only that they have to provide the necessary financial information to members, donors, and contributors and also to the Registrar of Societies. For this purpose, they have to prepare their final accounts at the end of the accounting period and the general principles of accounting are fully applicable in their preparation as stated earlier, the final accounts of a ‘not-for-profit organisation’ consist of the following: (i) Receipt and Payment Account (ii) Income and Expenditure Account, and (iii) Balance Sheet.

* The Receipt and Payment Account is the summary of cash and bank transactions which helps in the preparation of Income and Expenditure Account and the Balance Sheet. It is prepared at the end of the accounting year on the basis of cash receipts and cash payments recorded in the cash book. It is a summary of cash and bank transactions under various heads.

* The Income and Expenditure Account serves the same purpose as the profit and loss account of a business organisation does. All the revenue items relating to the current period are shown in this account, the expenses and losses on the expenditure side and incomes and gains on the income side of the account. It shows the net operating result in the form of surplus (i.e. excess of income over expenditure) or deficit (i.e. excess of expenditure over income), which is transferred to the capital fund shown in the balance sheet. The Income and Expenditure Account is prepared on accrual basis with the help of Receipts and Payments Account along with additional information regarding outstanding and prepaid expenses and depreciation etc. Hence, many items appearing in the Receipts and Payments need to be adjusted.

* ‘Not-for-Profit’ Organisations prepare Balance Sheet for ascertaining the financial position of the organisation. The preparation of their Balance Sheet is on the same pattern as that of the business entities. It shows assets and liabilities as at the end of the year. Assets are shown on the right hand side and the liabilities on the left hand side. However, there will be a Capital Fund or General Fund in place of the Capital and the surplus or deficit as per Income and Expenditure Account which is either added to/deducted from the capital fund, as the case may be. It is also a common practice to add some of the capitalised items like legacies, entrance fees and life membership fees directly in the capital fund.Some times it becomes necessary to prepare Balance Sheet as at the beginning of the year in order to find out the opening balance of the capital/general fund.