What Is the Difference Between a Statutory and a Management Account?

Statutory accounts and management accounts aren’t just meaningless phrases designed to perplex you. They have a purpose in the realm of financial management. Our accountants describe what they are and why there is a difference between them, in layman’s terms, in this blog.

Statutory accounting is a set of financial statements that provides vital information about the firm’s performance. Statutory accounts and management accounts are used to evaluate financial progress and provide reporting on the present, past, and prospects.

This may all sound like a slew of technical accounting jargon to those new to business management or with little financial expertise.

Statutory accounts, management accounts, and the distinction between them may appear complex and frightening. They are, after all, simply accounting procedures that have been simplified.

We at Russell Smith Chartered Legacy Accountants Abingdon like to make things simple for you. Our guiding principle has always been to make financial and business management simpler for you, and we hope we can do so again today.

Let’s start at the beginning by looking at both statutory and management accounting documents to see what their purpose is:

What Are Statutory Accounts?

A statutory account is a yearly report produced by small businesses with one simple aim in mind: to break down and present financial activities completed by the company during that year.

A statutory account does not contain all of the information relevant to a full accounting, such as exceptional costs or invoices. It is intended to provide a summary of the company’s overall spending.

A profit and loss statement and a balance sheet are usually included. The profit and loss report simply shows turnover and earnings, whereas the balance sheet also includes details about total assets, capital gains, and business credit.

Internal and external audiences will find this information useful, although the main aim of producing statutory accounts is to provide annual financial data with investors and HMRC.

Key Features of Statutory Accounts:

The statutory accounts are written in a very similar manner, with the goal of making them simple to understand for investors and HMRC.

HMRC is demanding all limited firms submit these papers. They must be completed for all limited companies, and HMRC will request them. If your company has shareholders, you may include the filings as part of the contract.

Statutory accounts are prepared for a certain period and then closed once a year.

Statutory reports provide an excellent overview of a company’s financial status. This sort of accounting is ideal for showing the company owner how much money the business makes on a daily basis and how it changes during the year. Deductions, taxes, compensation, and so on are all factors that can have an impact on profit.

What Are Management Accounts?

The name itself, management accounts, is the key to this riddle.

Up-to-date financial information is crucial for the successful management of a company. These reports are designed to allow senior executives in a firm to make judgments based on the company’s financial health. They offer precise data that may be particularly useful for current decision-making. For example, they might reveal dips in sales or increases in specific expenses.

Management reports are only used for internal decision making and are rarely shared with shareholders unless specifically requested or the firm is having financial difficulties in certain areas. Many businesses prefer to generate management account reports on a quarterly, monthly, or even weekly basis as a method of strict financial control

Key Features of Management Accounts:

• A management account does not have a specific structure or data requirements. You may design and use a management account report however you choose.

• A good time-keeping practice is to make a daily log of all activities you conduct during the workday, including any breaks or unscheduled events. Although it’s fine if things go wrong as long as they’re noted in your log, this behaviour may cause problems later on down the road. When records are kept consistently over time, accounting staff

• It is not necessary to submit this paperwork. In fact, you may never do so.

• Management accounts are an excellent tool for planning for the future, allowing you to change direction based on specific triumphs and disasters. They’re a tremendous help when it comes to strategy and course-correcting.

Do you want to learn more about complicated and intimidating accounting procedures? We have a lot of blogs that can teach you how to dominate your business’s financial situation. Why not read one of these sites for accounts insights from our accountants?

What Are The Differences Between Statutory Accounts and Management Accounts?

We’ve now learned what both sorts of accounts are, and we can compare them to see what the primary distinctions between statutory accounts and management account are.

Understanding the distinctions between both reporting methods aids business owners in evaluating how to best utilize them for financial management and long-term success:

• Your company’s accounting records are determined by its accounting records. The majority of businesses that have a statutory filing requirement do so to comply with the requirements of the IRS and other agencies or organizations. Statutory accounts must follow specific formats, whereas you may layout and format your company’s accounting documents however you choose.

• However, management accounts are not required by law. You determine whether you want to generate management accounts and how often you’d like to do so. Statutory accounts must be submitted on an annual basis, whereas this is not the case with management accounts.
• Statutory account reports give an overview of the overall situation, while management accounts go into further detail. Statutory, from a technical accounting standpoint, allows the business owner to see exactly what their efforts have produced as all data is adjusted for tax purposes,

• Statutory accounts and management accounts can assist you in evaluating your present financial position, but management accounts are far superior at projecting future earnings and expenditures. These reports may be customized to a variety of timeframes and types of income/expense to assist you to plan for future revenues and expenses. You don’t want to operate your company from the statutory accounts, either. It’s never a good idea to look at your financials less than once a year.

• A management account report isn’t made to look good for investors or HMRC; it’s just raw data, giving a true picture of current financial status. Statutory accounts, on the other hand, are neat and well designed. This isn’t to imply they’re incorrect; rather, they’re more precise.

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