Explanation of the Topic...Cash Flow Statement |
![]() Print (PDF) |
|
On April 28 Good Deal orders $150 of supplies on account. The supplies arrive on April 30 along with an invoice showing that the full $150 is due by May 30. None of the supplies were used in April. This was the only transaction during April.
Matt prepared the following financial statements for Good Deal Co. as of April 30:
| |||||||||||||
Since no supplies were used in April, there is no change to the Supplies Expense account. The $150 is reported on the balance sheet in the asset account Supplies.
| |||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As you can see from the balance sheet the company added assets of $150 (Supplies) and added its first liability of $150 (Accounts Payable).
A balance sheet comparing April 30 to March 31 and the resulting differences or changes is shown below:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The cash flow statement for the month of April reports that there was no change in the Cash account from March 31 through April 30. The operating activities section reports the increase in Supplies, but also reports the increase in Accounts Payable.
On the statement of cash flows, think of the positive amounts (the numbers not in parentheses) as good for your cash balance. For example, if you don't pay your bills, that's good for your cash balance (but bad for the liability Accounts Payable which increases).
Think of the negative amounts (the numbers within parentheses) as not good for cash. For example, if you pay a bill, that's not good for your cash balance (but good for the liability Accounts Payable which decreases).
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Let's review the statement of cash flows for the four months ended April 30:
Get access to all of our accounting exams (1,660 questions) when you join AccountingCoach Pro. |
![]() |
Bookkeeping Videos
13 videos (2 hours total) taken from our Bookkeeping Basics Seminar.
These videos are only available in our new AccountingCoach Pro members area.
Bookkeeping
Proficiency Exam
300 questions with answers

This exam is only available in our new AccountingCoach Pro members area.
Join our Newsletter
![]() | Receive our free 19-page accounting cheat sheet. Plus, stay up to date with the latest questions answered. |
AccountingCoach.com is designed to help people without an accounting background easily understand accounting concepts at no cost.
By investing thousands of hours, we have created clear and concise accounting information for both business people and students of all ages.
We understand how difficult accounting can be. That's why each accounting topic includes a clear explanation, reinforcing quizzes, Q&A, puzzles, dictionary of terms, etc.
» Read 1,500 Visitor Testimonials