Course Outline
Join PRO

What is cumulative preferred stock?

Author:
Harold Averkamp, CPA, MBA

Definition of Cumulative Preferred Stock

Cumulative preferred stock is a type of preferred stock for which any omitted dividends must be paid before the corporation is allowed to pay a dividend on its shares of common stock.

Typically, the corporation’s board of directors will not declare a dividend they will be omitting. Therefore, the amount of these past omitted dividends that remain unpaid must be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. The past omitted dividends on the cumulative preferred stock are referred to as dividends in arrears.

Examples of Cumulative Preferred Stock

Assume that a corporation has issued and outstanding 10,000 shares of 6% cumulative preferred stock with a par value of $100. This means that the corporation must declare and pay $60,000 ($6 per share X 10,000 shares) in dividends to its cumulative preferred stockholders before the corporation can pay any dividend to its common stockholders.

If the corporation declares and pays only $25,000 in dividends to the cumulative preferred stockholders, the corporation will have $35,000 ($60,000 minus $25,000) of dividends in arrears that must be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

Join PRO to Track Progress
Must-Watch Video

Learn How to Advance Your Accounting and Bookkeeping Career

  • Perform better at your current job
  • Refresh your skills to re-enter the workforce
  • Pass your accounting class
  • Understand your small business finances
Watch the Video

Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials

Read all 2,645 reviews

Features

PRO

PRO Plus

Features
Lifetime Access (One-Time Fee)
Explanations
Quizzes
Q&A
Word Scrambles
Crosswords
Bookkeeping Video Training
Financial Statements Video Training
Flashcards
Visual Tutorials
Quick Tests
Quick Tests with Coaching
Cheat Sheets
Business Forms
All PDF Files
Progress Tracking
Earn Badges and Points
Certificate - Debits and Credits
Certificate - Adjusting Entries
Certificate - Financial Statements
Certificate - Balance Sheet
Certificate - Income Statement
Certificate - Cash Flow Statement
Certificate - Working Capital
Certificate - Financial Ratios
Certificate - Bank Reconciliation
Certificate - Payroll Accounting

About the Author

Harold Averkamp

For the past 52 years, Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has worked as an accounting supervisor, manager, consultant, university instructor, and innovator in teaching accounting online. He is the sole author of all the materials on AccountingCoach.com.

Learn More About Harold

Certificates of
Achievement

Certificates of Achievement

We now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping:

  • Debits and Credits
  • Adjusting Entries
  • Financial Statements
  • Balance Sheet
  • Income Statement
  • Cash Flow Statement
  • Working Capital and Liquidity
  • Financial Ratios
  • Bank Reconciliation
  • Payroll Accounting
Badges and Points
  • Work towards and earn 30 badges
  • Earn points as you work towards completing our course
View PRO Plus Features
Course Outline
Take the Tour Join Pro Upgrade to Pro Plus