Owner's Equity Statements: Definition, Analysis and How to Create One
By Autumn Banks, TD In-Store Small Business Lead
Monté Foster, SVP, Retail and Small Business Banking
In simple terms, you can calculate owner's equity for your business by subtracting all your business liabilities from the value of all your business assets. When your business makes a profit, owner's equity is positive. When your business takes a loss, owner's equity is negative.
What is an owner's equity statement and what business types use one?
A statement of owner's equity is a one-page report showing the difference between total assets and total liabilities, resulting in the overall value of owner's equity.
Tracked over a specific timeframe or accounting period, the snapshot shows the movement of cashflow through a business. The owner's equity statement is one of four key financial statements and is usually the second statement to be generated after a company's income statement.
Sole proprietorships, partnerships, privately held companies and LLCs typically use the owner's equity statement – also known as statement in changes in owner's equity or statement of retained earnings. Corporations use a shareholder's or stockholder's equity statement, which are more complex and involve dividends and stock components.
What is the purpose of an owner's equity statement?
This important business tool determines overall financial health and stability of your business. The equity statement indicates if a small business owner needs to invest more capital to cover shortfalls, or if they can draw more profits.
Small business owners utilize this data when making business decisions, such as expansion and diversification. Positive equity is an indicator of financial soundness and the ability to cover liabilities. Negative equity could indicate potential bankruptcy or inability to cover costs and expenses. For example, if a business is unable to show its ability to financially support itself without capital contributions from the owner, creditors could reconsider lending the business money.
How is an owner's equity statement created?
First, create the statement heading
The heading of the statement consists of three lines:
- Name of the company
- Title of the statement
Sole proprietors would title the report as an Owner's Equity Statement, partnerships as Partner's Equity Statement and a corporation as Shareholder's Equity Statement - Period being reported
Business ABC
Owner's Equity Statement
Period ending December 31, 2020
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your financial details.
The statement of owner’s equity is one of the four basic financial statements of a business. The other three are income statement, balance sheet and statement of cash flows. The term “owner’s equity” is used with sole proprietors and partnerships. An equivalent term, “shareholder’s equity,” is used with corporations. “Book value” is another term used interchangeably with shareholder’s equity in a corporation’s balance sheet.
Components of Owner’s Equity
A second element in owner’s equity is its liabilities. This includes money taken out of the business to pay wages and salaries as well as paying down debts. Sometimes owner’s equity is called a residual claim on company assets since liabilities have a higher claim than the owner’s claims.
Owner’s equity also includes retained earnings. These are profits that are reinvested in the company rather than being distributed to the owner or owners as dividends or used to pay down debt. Retained earnings can grow to become a large part of owner’s equity over time.
Owner’s Equity Formula
The simplest way to calculate owner’s equity is to subtract liabilities from assets. The result is the owner’s equity in the business. The formula is:
Assets – Liabilities = Owner’s Equity
Assets will include the inventory, equipment, property, equipment and capital goods owned by the business, as well as retained earnings, which may be in the form of cash in a bank account. Accounts receivable owed to the business by customers will also be included as assets. On a typical balance sheet, assets will be listed on the left side.
Liabilities will include bank loans and other debts, wages and salaries owed to employees, unpaid rent and utilities. Balance sheets generally list liabilities in a column on the right side.
Owner’s equity also shows on the right-hand sign of the balance sheet. While owner’s equity is an asset to the owner, to the business it represents a potential claim, so is listed on the same side as liabilities.
As an example, consider an auto repair shop with assets that include a building worth $500,000, equipment worth $250,000, inventory worth $50,000, retained earnings of $25,000 in a bank account and accounts receivable valued at $30,000. Adding all these up produces assets of $855,000.
Assets = $500,000 + $250,000 + $50,000 + $25,000 + $30,000 = $855,000
On the liability side, the building has a mortgage of $350,000, owes $100,000 to equipment vendors and suppliers, and $100,000 in unpaid wages and salaries. This comes to $550,000.
Liabilities = $350,000 + 100,000 + $100,000 = $550,000.
Using the formula to subtract liabilities form assets shows that the owner’s equity in this auto repair business is $305,000.
Owner’s equity = $855,000 – $550,000 = $305,000
Factors Affecting Owner’s Equity
Owner’s equity can increase if revenues and profits increase and profits are retained, that is, reinvested in the business.
If the company loses money, on the other hand, owner’s equity will be reduced. Owner’s equity can also be decreased by the amount of the “draw” the owner takes as compensation. However, if the owner or owners inject more money into the business, known as paid-in capital, it can offset or minimize a reduction in owner’s equity from a loss or draw.
Knowing the owner’s equity or shareholder’s equity is essential for calculating a firm’s debt-to-equity ratio. Knowing how leveraged or indebted a business is can be an indication of how how solid a company’s financial condition is. Keep in mind, though, depending on the industry and where the company is in its life cycle, a high level of debt may not necessarily be a bad thing.
The Bottom Line
Tips for Investing
- Consider working with an experienced financial advisor if you are evaluating the owner’s equity in a business you’re considering investing in. Finding the right financial advisor who fits your needs doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with financial advisors in your area in five minutes. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors who will help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
- A useful tool in making investment decisions is an easy-to-use investment calculator. You simply enter your initial investment, additional contributions, an expected rate of return and number of years to hold the investment.
Photo credit: ©iStock.com/sturti, ©iStock.com/GCShutter, ©iStock.com/Totojang
Mark Henricks Mark Henricks has reported on personal finance, investing, retirement, entrepreneurship and other topics for more than 30 years. His freelance byline has appeared on CNBC.com and in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and other leading publications. Mark has written books including, “Not Just A Living: The Complete Guide to Creating a Business That Gives You A Life.” His favorite reporting is the kind that helps ordinary people increase their personal wealth and life satisfaction. A graduate of the University of Texas journalism program, he lives in Austin, Texas. In his spare time he enjoys reading, volunteering, performing in an acoustic music duo, whitewater kayaking, wilderness backpacking and competing in triathlons.
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