Basis for Comparison |
| Cash Accounting |
| Accrual Accounting |
Meaning |
| In cash accounting, incomes and expenses are only recognized through cash. |
| In accrual accounting, incomes and expenses are recognized when they are done (on the mercantile basis). |
Includes |
| Only cash expenses, cash incomes. |
| All expenses and all incomes; |
Nature |
| Simple and easy to understand. |
| Complex and difficult to understand. |
Recognized by |
| Not recognized by Companies Act. |
| Recognized by Companies Act. |
How is accounting done? |
| When cash is received or paid; |
| When revenue is earned, or loss is incurred. |
Focus |
| Liquidity. |
| Revenue/Expense/Profit/Loss. |
Why useful? |
| We can quickly get how much cash the business generated (i.e., net cash flow). |
| We can understand how much profit or loss a business has made during a particular period. |
Holistic in approach |
| No, because it only talks about cash. |
| Yes, because it includes all of the transactions. |
Which one is more accurate? |
| Accuracy of cash accounting is doubtful since it doesn’t take every transaction into accounting. |
| It is a more accurate method of accounting. |