A statutory reserve is any reserve that has to be maintained by an Act or law. When it comes to insurance, a statutory reserve is a reserve that an insurance company is legally bound to maintain to ensure that the company is able to meet its policy obligations. In India, as per the Banking RegulatioRead more
A statutory reserve is any reserve that has to be maintained by an Act or law. When it comes to insurance, a statutory reserve is a reserve that an insurance company is legally bound to maintain to ensure that the company is able to meet its policy obligations. In India, as per the Banking Regulations Act, every banking company has to maintain at least 25% of its net profits as statutory reserves.
The companies are required to maintain such reserves to guarantee the availability of cash when it is required by the customer. Common examples of statutory reserves are Cash reserve ratio (CSR), Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR).
Treatment
- Statutory reserves are shown in the Profit and Loss account under the head “appropriations”.
- It is also shown under the head Reserves and Surplus (Schedule 2) in the Balance Sheet.
Method
Rule-Based Approach – The company calculates the amount required by using standard formulas. However, since they are pre-determined formulas, it does not cover all risk determining factors.
Principle-based approach – This method is used to protect customers and ensure that the company stays solvent. They hold a higher amount of reserves than required after predicting all possible risks.
Statutory reserves are different from general reserves as general reserves are maintained voluntarily by the company. A company that does not follow statutory requirements will face financial penalties. These reserves are mostly maintained in the form of cash.
Maintenance of reserves gives confidence to investors that their money is secure. However, funds from these reserves can be used only for specific purposes. They should also maintain such reserves whether or not they earn profits.
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The term "principal book of accounts'' refers to the set of ledgers that an entity prepares to group the similar transactions recorded as journal entries under an account. So to put it simply, the principal book of accounts mean ledgers. Ledgers are prepared by posting the debits and credits of a joRead more
The term “principal book of accounts” refers to the set of ledgers that an entity prepares to group the similar transactions recorded as journal entries under an account.
So to put it simply, the principal book of accounts mean ledgers.
Ledgers are prepared by posting the debits and credits of a journal entry to the respective accounts.
A ledger groups the transactions concerning the same account. For example, Mr B is a debtor of X Ltd. Hence all the transactions entered into with Mr. will be grouped into the ledger Mr B A/c in the books of X Ltd.
Ledgers are of utmost importance because all the information to any account can be known by its ledger.
Preparation of ledger is very important because all the information to any account can be known by its ledger. Ledgers also display the balance of each and every account which may be debit or credit. This helps in the preparation of the trial balance and subsequently the financial statements of an entity.
Hence, it is the most important book of accounts and calling it the ‘books of final entry’ is also justified.
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