The sole proprietorship is a business that is unincorporated and owned by a single person. The owner of the business invests capital in the business in the form of cash, any asset or stock, or in any other form. In, sole proprietorship owner and business are inseparable. Interest on capital is the aRead more
The sole proprietorship is a business that is unincorporated and owned by a single person. The owner of the business invests capital in the business in the form of cash, any asset or stock, or in any other form. In, sole proprietorship owner and business are inseparable.
Interest on capital is the amount paid by the entity/business to the owners. It is an expense to the business and income for the proprietor, and interest is adjusted in the owner’s capital account. It is calculated on an agreed percentage and for a certain period. It is paid before calculating net profit.
If there is a loss, no interest will be paid on capital.
Journal Entry for Interest on Capital in Sole Proprietorship:
- Interest on capital entry
| Interest on Capital A/c | Debit | Debit the increase in expense. |
| To Owner’s Capital A/c | Credit | Credit the increase in income. |
2. Closing interest on capital account
| Profit and Loss A/c | Debit | Debit the increase in expense. |
| To Interest on Capital A/c | Credit | Credit the increase in income. |
In sole proprietor’s Profit and Loss A/c interest will be recorded as an expense on the debit side and will be added to the owner’s capital in the Balance Sheet is considered as an adjustment to the capital account.
For example, A invested Rs 1,00,000 in a business. He wants to adjust 5% interest on his capital, then the entry will be:
- Interest on capital entry
| Interest on Capital A/c | 5,000 |
| To Owner’s Capital A/c | 5,000 |
2. Closing interest on capital account
| Profit and Loss A/c | 5,000 |
| To Interest on Capital A/c | 5,000 |
In the case of a partnership, the treatment is the same as done in a sole proprietorship. The interest rate is agreed upon by the partners and is mentioned in the partnership deed. No interest is provided on the capitals of the partners if not mentioned in the deed.
If in a particular period, the partnership firm incurs a loss, then no interest will be provided to the partners.
See less



Retained earnings are kept with the company for growth instead of distributing dividends to the shareholders. Therefore the cost of retained earnings refers to its opportunity cost which is the cost of foregoing dividends by the shareholders. Therefore the cost of retained earnings is similar to theRead more
Retained earnings are kept with the company for growth instead of distributing dividends to the shareholders. Therefore the cost of retained earnings refers to its opportunity cost which is the cost of foregoing dividends by the shareholders.
Therefore the cost of retained earnings is similar to the cost of equity without tax and flotation cost. Hence, it can be calculated as
Kr = Ke (1 – t) (1 – f),
Kr = Cost of retained earnings
Ke = Cost of equity
t = tax rate
f = flotation cost
Here, flotation cost means the cost of issuing shares.
EXAMPLE
If cost of equity of a company was 10%, tax rate was 30% and flotation cost was 5%, then
cost of retained earnings = 10% x (1 – 0.30)(1 – 0.05) = 6.65%.
From the above example and formula, it is clear that the cost of retained earnings would always be less than or equal to the cost of equity since retained earnings do not involve flotation costs or tax.
A company usually acquires funds from various sources of finance rather than a single source. Therefore the cost of capital of the company will be the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) of each individual source of finance. The cost of retained earnings is thus an important factor in calculating the overall cost of capital.
Another important factor of WACC is the cost of equity. The cost of equity is sometimes interchanged with the cost of retained earnings. However, they are not the same.
See less