What happens to net realizable value of your accounts receivable when you write

The value for which an asset can be sold adjusted for the costs associated with the sale of the asset

What is Net Realizable Value (NRV)?

Net realizable value (NRV) is the value for which an asset can be sold, minus the estimated costs of selling or discarding the asset. The NRV is commonly used in the estimation of the value of ending inventory or accounts receivable.

The net realizable value is an essential measure in inventory accounting under the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and the International Financing Reporting Standards (IFRS). The calculation of NRV is critical because it prevents the overstatement of the assets’ valuation.

What happens to net realizable value of your accounts receivable when you write

The NRV complies with a more conservatism approach to accounting. The conservatism approach directs accountants to use valuation methods that generate a smaller profit and do not overstate the value of the assets in situations when professional judgment is required for the evaluation of the transactions.

CFI’s Reading Financial Statements course will go over how to read a company’s complete set of financial statements.

NRV and Lower Cost or Market Method

Net realizable value is an important metric that is used in the lower cost or market method of accounting reporting. Under the market method reporting approach, the company’s inventory must be reported on the balance sheet at a lower value than either the historical cost or the market value. If the market value of the inventory is unknown, the net realizable value can be used as an approximation of the market value.

How to Calculate the NRV

The calculation of the NRV can be broken down into the following steps:

  1. Determine the market value or expected selling price of an asset.
  2. Find all costs associated with the completion and the sale of an asset (cost of production, advertising, transportation).
  3. Calculate the difference between the market value (expected selling price of an asset) and the costs associated with the completion and sale of an asset. It is a net realizable value of an asset.

Mathematically, the net realizable value can be found through the following equation:

What happens to net realizable value of your accounts receivable when you write

However, the net realizable value is also applicable to accounts receivables. For the accounts receivable, we use the allowance for doubtful accounts instead of the total production and selling costs.

Example of Calculating the NRV

Company ABC Inc. is selling the part of its inventory to Company XYZ Inc. For reporting purposes, ABC Inc. is willing to determine the net realizable value of the inventory that will be sold.

The expected selling price of the inventory is $5,000. However, ABC Inc. needs to spend $800 to complete the goods and an additional $200 for transportation expenses. Considering the available information, the net realizable value of the inventory should be calculated in the following way:

NRV  =  $5,000 – ($800 + $200)  =  $4,000

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to Net Realizable Value. To keep learning and advancing your career, the following resources will be helpful:

  • Asset Deal
  • Depreciation Methods
  • Market Valuation Approach
  • Valuation Methods
  • See all valuation resources

What is Net Realizable Value?

Net realizable value is the estimated selling price of goods, minus the cost of their sale or disposal. It is used in the determination of the lower of cost or market for on-hand inventory items. The deductions from the estimated selling price are any reasonably predictable costs of completing, transporting, and disposing of inventory.

Understanding Net Realizable Value

There is an ongoing need to examine the value of inventory to see if its recorded cost should be reduced, due to the negative impacts of such factors as damage, spoilage, obsolescence, and reduced demand from customers. Further, writing down inventory prevents a business from carrying forward any losses for recognition in a future period. Thus, the use of net realizable value is a way to enforce the conservative recordation of inventory asset values.

The conservative recordation of inventory values is important, because an overstated inventory could result in a business reporting significantly more assets than is really the case. This can be a concern when calculating the current ratio, which compares current assets to current liabilities. Lenders and creditors rely on the current ratio to evaluate the liquidity of a borrower, and so might incorrectly lend money based on an excessively high current ratio.

How to Calculate Net Realizable Value

Follow these steps to determine the net realizable value of an inventory item:

  1. Determine the market value of the inventory item.

  2. Summarize all costs associated with completing and selling the asset, such as final production, testing, and prep costs.

  3. Subtract the selling costs from the market value to arrive at the net realizable value.

Thus, the formula for net realizable value is as follows:

Inventory market value - Costs to complete and sell goods = Net realizable value

Example of Net Realizable Value

ABC International has a green widget in inventory with a cost of $50. The market value of the widget is $130. The cost to prepare the widget for sale is $20, so the net realizable value is $60 ($130 market value - $50 cost - $20 completion cost). Since the cost of $50 is lower than the net realizable value of $60, the company continues to record the inventory item at its $50 cost.

In the following year, the market value of the green widget declines to $115. The cost is still $50, and the cost to prepare it for sale is $20, so the net realizable value is $45 ($115 market value - $50 cost - $20 completion cost). Since the net realizable value of $45 is lower than the cost of $50, ABC should record a loss of $5 on the inventory item, thereby reducing its recorded cost to $45.

Accounting for Net Realizable Value

If this calculation does result in a loss, charge the loss to the cost of goods sold expense with a debit, and credit the inventory account to reduce the value of the inventory account. If the loss is material, you may want to segregate it in a separate loss account, which more easily draws the attention of a reader of a company's financial statements.

Accounts Receivable Net Realizable Value

Net realizable value can also refer to the aggregate total of the ending balances in the trade accounts receivable account and the offsetting allowance for doubtful accounts. This net amount represents the amount of cash that management expects to realize once it collects all outstanding accounts receivable.

What happens to net realizable value of your accounts receivable when you write

Under the allowance method, a write‐off does not change the net realizable value of accounts receivable. It simply reduces accounts receivable and allowance for bad debts by equivalent amounts.

How is the net realizable value of accounts receivable affected when a company writes off an uncollectible account when using the allowance method?

net accounts receivable will stay the same. Under the allowance method, a written-off account will result in an increase in the allowance for doubtful accounts and a decrease in net accounts receivable. This means that the net accounts receivable will remain the same.

Does cash realizable value change after a write

The write-off of an uncollectible account reduces both accounts receivable and the allowance for doubtful accounts by the same amount. Thus, cash realizable value does not change.

What is write down to net realisable value?

Net realizable value is the expected selling price of something in the ordinary course of business, less the costs of completion, selling, and transportation. Thus, if inventory is stated in the accounting records at an amount higher than its net realizable value, it should be written down to its net realizable value.