A Global Inventory Accounting ledger is defined by its combination of a currency, a calendar, a convention, and an association with a legal entity. These measures are classified by using cost elements and subledger accounts. Each time an inventory-related transaction is processed for a relevant legal entity, the system can account for that transaction in any number of Global Inventory Accounting ledgers, as required.Ī ledger is a register of debit and credit measures.

However, the IFRS ledger would include a debit to the asset account and a credit to income.Ī company using the multi-ledger approach may choose to use the same financial statement format for GAAP and IFRS statements and would merely need to designate which ledger to use for the report.Global Inventory Accounting has its own set of ledgers. Recording transactions in both places will be correct most of the time, but when differences between GAAP and IFRS crop up, a transaction might only post to one ledger or appear differently across the two sets of accounts.įor the asset revaluation example, the GAAP ledger would not require any entry, as GAAP does not recognize increases in the market value of fixed assets. If neither ledger is designated, transactions are recorded in both places. In this case, a company runs two or more parallel versions of its general ledger, and users can designate each transaction as belonging to a particular ledger. The company can produce reports that conform to both standards by designing two different versions of the financial statements, with one including the IFRS accounts and another excluding them.Īnother SAP option is a multi-ledger approach. If an asset has appreciated in value, a debit to an IFRS-specific asset account and a credit to a corresponding IFRS-specific income account would occur. GAAP as its primary standard might create two additional accounts to handle IFRS adjustments for the revaluation of assets. The first approach to solving this problem using SAP ERP products is simply to create additional general ledger accounts that only appear on one version of the financials. These demands require parallel accounting systems. GAAP report that encompasses the entire organization. For example, the organization must first render the financial statements for each of the four companies in U.S.

The group company's statements must roll up numbers from each subsidiary based on the accounting standards for the consolidated report. Meanwhile, the U.S.-based parent company must also present consolidated statements that conform to U.S. Each country's authorities require companies within their jurisdiction to report based on the local standard, which may include China GAAP, German Handelsgesetzbuch (HGB) and Australian Accounting Standards. may own subsidiaries in China, Germany and Australia. Why companies must report in multiple standardsĬompanies with offices or partners in more than one country likely often encounter situations that require parallel accounting.įor example, a parent company that's based in the U.S. Companies may need to maintain one set of books for GAAP and another for IFRS. IFRS allows for assets to be revalued on a periodic basis to reflect their fair value. For example, GAAP requires recording fixed assets at their historical cost, then regularly depreciating the fixed assets. GAAP is more conservative, while IFRS encourages reporting financial results that align with current realities. Some key differences exist between GAAP and IFRS. Today, IFRS has been adopted by much of the world, with additional countries planning to make the transition. Efforts to globally standardize accounting practices eventually led to the creation of the IFRS. International Accounting Standards emerged as the world economy grew more and more interdependent. Other countries followed their own specific variants, leading to a lack of global accounting practices standardization. What are GAAP and IFRS?įor decades, GAAP was the U.S.

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as well as how SAP products can potentially help users comply with international financial reporting rules. Here's a look at generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) vs. SAP users can pursue different strategies, including taking a multi-ledger approach, to comply with financial reporting standards.

Multiledger accounting