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Both financial accounting and cost accounting fall under the accounting realm but serve different purposes and cater to distinct information requirements. The key differences between cost accounting and financial accounting is that Cost Accounting focuses on internal aspects of a company, like analyzing and allocating costs for production and operations, aiding in cost control and decision-making and Financial Accounting, on the other hand, focuses on external reporting, preparing financial statements for stakeholders, reflecting the overall financial health and performance of the organization.
Basically, the focus of cost accounting is on analysis, calculation and cost control in the organisation. In contrast, financial accounting focuses on summarising, recording and reporting all the financial performance and transactions to the external stakeholders establishing compliance and transparency with the standards of accounting. This article will focus on unravelling the difference between cost accounting and financial accounting and whether there exists any kind of similarity between them at all.
Table of Content:
There are many differences between cost accounting vs. financial accounting. Let’s glance at these distinctions in detail with the help of this table.
Aspect | Cost Accounting | Financial Accounting |
---|---|---|
Meaning | Analysis calculation and control of cost | Recording and reporting all the financial transactions inside the organisation. |
Primary Objective | Determination of cost and control | Transparency concerning finance and external reporting |
Forecasting | Involves forecasting for analysing costs | Involves forecasting for performance concerning finance. |
Reporting Time- Cost Accounting and Financial Accounting | Frequent and focused internally | Periodically and focus externally |
Fix Selling Price | Pricing decisions are based on cost | Pricing decisions are based on the market |
Relative Efficiency | The primary focus is on cost control and operational efficiency. | The primary focus is on financial performance and overall profitability. |
Focus and Emphasis | Management of cost and cost-related data | Financial statements and data in entirety |
Inventory Valuation | Various methods, including FIFO, LIFO, etc. | Various standard methods like weighted average) | Examples – Cost Accounting and Financial Accounting | process costing, ABCBalance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement |
Users | Cost analysts and internal management | External stakeholders (investors, creditors, regulators) |
Types of Information Recorded | Detailed information concerning cost and cost variances | Expenses, financial transactions, revenues, assets, liabilities |
Career Paths and Roles | Cost accountant, cost analyst, controller | Financial accountant, auditor, financial analyst |
Purpose – Cost Accounting and Financial Accounting | Cost of costs and internal decision making | Transparency and compliance with external reporting |
Profit Analysis | Offer insights into profitability and cost analysis | Analyses financial performance and profitability |
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