The Prudence Concept

If Joe sells his products in period 1, but agrees to deliver half in period 1, and
the rest in period 2, then:

PROFIT & LOSS ACCOUNT Period 1 Period 2
Sales £3,000.00 £0.00
Purchases £2,000.00 £0.00
————– ————–
Profit £1,000.00 £0.00
======== ========

Is it reasonable to say that the Business made a profit of £1,000 in the first period?

The Matching Principal has been applied so isn’t this OK?

No, the Prudence Concept says that we have not delivered the product or service and therefore cannot take the benefit into our accounts – if the Business fails before the final delivery is made, Joe will have to give “credit” for the products not delivered, so taking all the benefit in period 1 is overstating the profit to date.

Prudence obliges us to take a conservative view of our Businesses, anticipating costs, but never anticipating profits!

So the correct treatment would be:

PROFIT & LOSS ACCOUNT Period 1 Period 2
Sales £1,500.00 £1,500.00
Purchases £1,000.00 £1,000.00
————– ————–
Profit £500.00 £500.00
======== ========

What is the Stock figure in the Balance Sheet at the end of Period 1?

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