IAS 7 — Statement of Cash Flows

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Overview
IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows requires an entity to present a statement of
cash flows as an integral part of its primary financial statements. Cash flows
are classified and presented into operating activities (either using the 'direct'
or 'indirect' method), investing activities or financing activities, with the
latter two categories generally presented on a gross basis.
IAS 7 was reissued in December 1992, retitled in September 2007, and is
operative for financial statements covering periods beginning on or after 1
January 1994.

History of IAS 7

June 1976 Exposure Draft E7 Statement of Source and Application of Funds

October 1977 IAS 7 Statement of Changes in Financial Position

July 1991 Exposure Draft E36 Cash Flow Statements

December 1992 IAS 7 (1992) Cash Flow Statements

1 January 1994 Effective date of IAS 7 (1992)

6 September 200 Retitled from Cash Flow Statements to Statement of Cash Flows as a conse-
7 quential amendment resulting from revisions to IAS 1

16 April 2009 IAS 7 amended by Annual Improvements to IFRSs 2009 with respect to ex-
penditures that do not result in a recognised asset.

1 July 2009 Effective date for amendments from IAS 27(2008) relating to changes in
ownership of a subsidiary

1 January 2010 Effective date of the April 2009 revisions to IAS 7

29 January 2016 Amended by Disclosure Initiative (Amendments to IAS 7)

1 January 2017 Effective date of the January 2016 revisions to IAS 7

Related Interpretations
o None

Amendments under consideration by the IASB

o Disclosure initiative – Principles of disclosure

Summary of IAS 7

Objective of IAS 7
The objective of IAS 7 is to require the presentation of information about the
historical changes in cash and cash equivalents of an entity by means of a
statement of cash flows, which classifies cash flows during the period
according to operating, investing, and financing activities.

Fundamental principle in IAS 7

All entities that prepare financial statements in conformity with IFRSs are
required to present a statement of cash flows. [IAS 7.1]
The statement of cash flows analyses changes in cash and cash equivalents
during a period. Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and
demand deposits, together with short-term, highly liquid investments that are
readily convertible to a known amount of cash, and that are subject to an in-
significant risk of changes in value. Guidance notes indicate that an invest-
ment normally meets the definition of a cash equivalent when it has a
maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition. Equity invest-
ments are normally excluded, unless they are in substance a cash equivalent
(e.g. preferred shares acquired within three months of their specified re-
demption date). Bank overdrafts which are repayable on demand and which
form an integral part of an entity's cash management are also included as a
component of cash and cash equivalents. [IAS 7.7-8]

Presentation of the Statement of Cash Flows

Cash flows must be analysed between operating, investing and financing ac-
tivities. [IAS 7.10]
Key principles specified by IAS 7 for the preparation of a statement of cash
flows are as follows:
o operating activities are the main revenue-producing activities of the
entity that are not investing or financing activities, so operating cash
flows include cash received from customers and cash paid to suppliers
and employees [IAS 7.14]
o investing activities are the acquisition and disposal of long-term assets
and other investments that are not considered to be cash equivalents
[IAS 7.6]
o financing activities are activities that alter the equity capital and
borrowing structure of the entity [IAS 7.6]
o interest and dividends received and paid may be classified as operating,
investing, or financing cash flows, provided that they are classified con-
sistently from period to period [IAS 7.31]
o cash flows arising from taxes on income are normally classified as
operating, unless they can be specifically identified with financing or
investing activities [IAS 7.35]
o for operating cash flows, the direct method of presentation is encour-
aged, but the indirect method is acceptable [IAS 7.18]
The direct method shows each major class of gross cash receipts and
gross cash payments. The operating cash flows section of the statement
of cash flows under the direct method would appear something like this:
Cash receipts from customers xx,xxx

Cash paid to suppliers xx,xxx

Cash paid to employees xx,xxx

Cash paid for other operating expenses xx,xxx

Interest paid xx,xxx

Income taxes paid xx,xxx

Net cash from operating activities xx,xxx

o The indirect method adjusts accrual basis net profit or loss for the
effects of non-cash transactions. The operating cash flows section of the
statement of cash flows under the indirect method would appear
something like this:
Profit before interest and income xx,xxx
taxes

Add back depreciation xx,xxx

Add back impairment of assets xx,xxx

Increase in receivables xx,xxx

Decrease in inventories xx,xxx

Increase in trade payables xx,xxx

Interest expense xx,xxx

 Less Interest accrued but not yet paid xx,xxx

Interest paid xx,xxx

Income taxes paid xx,xxx

Net cash from operating activities xx,xxx

o the exchange rate used for translation of transactions denominated in a

foreign currency should be the rate in effect at the date of the cash flows
[IAS 7.25]
o cash flows of foreign subsidiaries should be translated at the exchange
rates prevailing when the cash flows took place [IAS 7.26]
o as regards the cash flows of associates, joint ventures, and subsidiaries,
where the equity or cost method is used, the statement of cash flows
should report only cash flows between the investor and the investee;
where proportionate consolidation is used, the cash flow statement
should include the venturer's share of the cash flows of the investee [IAS
7.37]
o aggregate cash flows relating to acquisitions and disposals of sub-
sidiaries and other business units should be presented separately and
classified as investing activities, with specified additional disclosures.
[IAS 7.39] The aggregate cash paid or received as consideration should
be reported net of cash and cash equivalents acquired or disposed of [IAS
7.42]
o cash flows from investing and financing activities should be reported
gross by major class of cash receipts and major class of cash payments
except for the following cases, which may be reported on a net basis:
[IAS 7.22-24]
o cash receipts and payments on behalf of customers (for example,
receipt and repayment of demand deposits by banks, and receipts
collected on behalf of and paid over to the owner of a property)
o cash receipts and payments for items in which the turnover is quick,
the amounts are large, and the maturities are short, generally less
than three months (for example, charges and collections from credit
card customers, and purchase and sale of investments)
 o cash receipts and payments relating to deposits by financial institu-
tions
o cash advances and loans made to customers and repayments thereof
o investing and financing transactions which do not require the use of cash
should be excluded from the statement of cash flows, but they should be
separately disclosed elsewhere in the financial statements [IAS 7.43]
o entities shall provide disclosures that enable users of financial state-
ments to evaluate changes in liabilities arising from financing activities
[IAS 7.44A-44E]*
o the components of cash and cash equivalents should be disclosed, and a
reconciliation presented to amounts reported in the statement of
financial position [IAS 7.45]
o the amount of cash and cash equivalents held by the entity that is not
available for use by the group should be disclosed, together with a com-
mentary by management [IAS 7.48]
* Added by Disclosure Initiative amendments, effective 1 January 2017.

You will find sample IFRS statements of cash flows in our Model IFRS
financial statements.