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In accounting, the revenue recognition principle states that revenues are earned and recognized when they are realized or realizable, no matter when cash is received. It is a cornerstone of accrual accounting together with the matching principle. Together, they determine the accounting period in which revenues and expenses are recognized. [1]
In financial accounting (CON 8.4 [1]), a gain is when the market value of an asset exceeds the purchase price of that asset. The gain is unrealized until the asset is sold for cash, at which point it becomes a realized gain. This is an important distinction for tax purposes, as only realized gains are subject to tax.
In order to avoid the cumbersome, abrasive, and unpredictable administrative task of valuing assets annually to determine whether their value has appreciated or depreciated, § 1001(a) of the Code defers the tax consequences of a gain or loss in property until it is realized through the "sale or disposition of [the] property."
Once the asset is sold, the appreciation since the date of initially buying the asset becomes a "realized" gain. When the term is used about valuation of companies publicly listed, capital appreciation is the goal of an investor seeking long-term growth. It is growth in the principal amount invested, but not necessarily an increase in the ...
Available for sale (AFS) is an accounting term used to classify financial assets. AFS is one of the three general classifications, along with held for trading and held to maturity, under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP), specifically FAS 115. The IFRS also includes a fourth classification: loans and receivables.
First, nonrecognition is conferred because it is said that the sale or exchange at issue usually involves a mere change in the form of an investment and not a change in the substance of that investment. Second, the realized gain or loss usually never disappears: the unrecognized gain or loss typically carries into the new asset.
Recognition is mostly a matter of timing; the issue is not whether income or loss is taken into account, but when. The time of recognition may matter for a number of reasons, including the time value of money and the section 1211(b) limitation on capital losses in a single year. [3]
In accrual accounting, the matching principle dictates that an expense should be reported in the same period as the corresponding revenue is earned. The revenue recognition principle states that revenues should be recorded in the period in which they are earned, regardless of when the cash is transferred.