Correction of a reporting period error. Correcting errors in accounting and reporting

1. What postings should be used to correct the error if inventories (cartridges) have been included in fixed assets since 1999? 2. How to correct the error if you incorrectly capitalized sliding grilles as fixed assets in 2004? In fact, they should have been written off as installation expenses in 2004.

Answer

Based on the accounting certificate (f.0504833), make corrective entries:

debit 1.101.3х.310 credit 1.401.10.180 – “red reversal” of the book value,

debit 1.401.20.271 credit 1.104.3х.410 – “red reversal” of accrued depreciation,

debit 1.105.36.340 credit 1.401.10.180 – capitalization of cartridges and grilles as part of inventory,

debit 1.401.20.272 credit 1.105.36.440 – write-off of inventories.

Rationale

How to correct errors in accounting and reporting

Which document to correct

Corrections should be made using the primary accounting document - Accounting certificate (f. 0504833). Basis - documents that were not processed during the reporting period or were processed with errors (for example, an act of provision of services, an additional agreement, etc.). In the Accounting Certificate, reflect:

 the reason why you are making the corrections;

 name of the accounting register being corrected (transaction journal), its number, the period for which the register was compiled;

 the period in which the error was discovered.

This conclusion follows from Part 1 of Article 9 of the Law of December 6, 2011 No. 402-FZ, paragraphs 7, 18 of the Instructions for the Unified Chart of Accounts No. 157n.

When you make corrective entries in the accounting registers, the chief accountant (the head of the structural unit) puts a note about this in the Accounting Certificate in the section “Note on acceptance of the Accounting Certificate for accounting.” This procedure is established in the Methodological Guidelines approved by Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated March 30, 2015 No. 52n.

How to correct an error in accounting that was discovered after submitting financial statements

Errors discovered after the reporting has been accepted by a higher organization should be corrected on the day they were discovered. Make corrections using additional wiring and (or) the “red reversal” method. This is directly stated in paragraph 18 of the Instructions to the Unified Chart of Accounts No. 157n.

At the same time, specialists from regulatory agencies point out that there is no single approach to correcting errors, and recommend making adjustments as follows:

 if the corrective operation is an additional accrual (removal of accrual) of income or expenses, correct the error using expenses and income of the current period. This can be done using the “red reversal” method and (or) an additional accounting entry;

 if you need to restore the balance in accounting (for example, based on inventory results, instructions from inspectors), then there is no need to adjust expenses. To restore the balance, use account 0.401.10.180 “Other income”.

How to reflect in accounting the income and expenses of previous years identified in the reporting period

Income and expenses of previous years identified in the reporting period are reflected as part of the income (expenses) of the reporting period. Separate these operations from the operations of the current year (clause 18 of the Instructions to the Unified Chart of Accounts No. 157n). To do this, you can assign additional analytics to the zero digits of the account number.

The procedure for recording income (expenses) of previous years identified in the reporting period in accounting depends on the type of institution.

In the accounting of government institutions:

If you discover income or expenses from previous years in the accounting period, make the following entries:

№	Contents of operation	Account debit	Account credit
1.	Income (receipts) of previous years have been identified, in particular:
	– income from the sale of goods, performance of work or provision of services;	KDB.1.205.ХХ.560	KDB.1.401.10.100<1>
	– income from receipts of non-financial assets	KRB.1.10Х.ХХ.000
2.	Expenses (disposals) of previous years have been identified, in particular:
	– for settlements with contractors and employees;	KRB.1.401.20.200<2>KRB.1.109.XX.200<2>	KRB.1.302.ХХ.730
	– on taxes and fees;		KRB.1.303.ХХ.730
	– expenses in the form of disposals of non-financial assets		KRB.1.10Х.ХХ.000
X – analytical code of the type of synthetic account of the accounting object.

Correction of errors in accounting and reporting is carried out depending on their nature and moment of detection. Let's consider the procedure for correcting accounting errors

28.10.2016

According to the law, errors in accounting and accounting (financial) reporting (hereinafter - reporting) of an organization (clause 2 of PBU 22/2010, approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated June 28, 2010 No. 63n (hereinafter - PBU 22/2010)) are recognized as incorrect reflection (failure to reflect) facts of economic activity, due, in particular:

• incorrect application of the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting and (or) regulatory legal acts on accounting;
• incorrect application by the organization of its accounting policies;
• inaccuracies in calculations;
• incorrect classification or assessment of facts of economic activity;
• incorrect use of information available on the date of signing the statements;
• unfair actions of officials of the organization.

Inaccuracies or omissions identified as a result of obtaining new information that was not available at the time of reflection (non-reflection) of facts of economic activity are not considered errors in accounting and reporting (clause 2 of PBU 22/2010). The rules of PBU 22/2010 do not apply in this case, and income (expenses) of previous years identified in the current period, which were not reflected in accounting for objective reasons (not due to an error), are entered in the records of the period of their discovery, and there is no need to adjust accounting records of previous periods.

Factors for correcting errors in accounting and reporting

The procedure for correcting errors in accounting and reporting is influenced by two factors:

• the nature of the error (significant or insignificant);
• the moment the error was detected (before or after the end of the reporting period).

An error is considered significant if it, individually or in combination with other errors for the same reporting period, can affect the economic decisions of users made on the basis of the reporting of this period (clause 3 of PBU 22/2010).

Let us remind you that the reporting period for annual reporting is the calendar year (Part 3 of Article 13, Part 1 of Article 15 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ dated December 6, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as Law No. 402-FZ)), that is, the period from 1 January to December 31st. The exception is cases of creation, reorganization and liquidation of a legal entity (Part 1 of Article 15 of Law No. 402-FZ).

The first reporting year for a newly created commercial non-credit organization is the period from the date of state registration to December 31 of the same calendar year inclusive (Part 2 of Article 15 of Law No. 402-FZ). If state registration was carried out after September 30, then the first reporting year, as a rule, is the period from the date of its state registration to December 31 of the calendar year following the year of registration, inclusive (Part 3 of Article 15 of Law No. 402-FZ).

The organization independently determines the level of materiality of the error based on both the size and nature of the relevant reporting item(s) (clause 3 of PBU 22/2010).

In this case, one should take into account the impact of the error on all indicators presented in the reporting for the period in which it was identified (including indicators of the reporting year and comparative indicators of all previous periods presented in the reporting) (clause 3 of PBU 22/2010; letter Ministry of Finance of Russia dated January 24, 2011 No. 07-02-18/01).

The criterion for assessing an error in order to recognize it as a significant organization must be fixed in the accounting policy. You can set both a general materiality criterion and individual criteria for individual (most significant for the organization) balance sheet items.

One of the options for determining the materiality of an error may be to establish a certain percentage ratio of the value of the distorted balance sheet item to a group of items (total for a section) of the balance sheet or the sum (total) of all components of the balance sheet accounts (balance sheet currency).

The table below shows the procedure for correcting errors in accounting and reporting, depending on the factors discussed above.

The procedure for correcting errors in accounting and reporting

Correction of accounting and reporting errors

Corrections of errors in accounting registers must contain (Part 8 of Article 10 of Law No. 402-FZ):

• date of correction;
• signatures of the persons responsible for maintaining this register and authorizing the introduction of corrections (indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary for identification).

Correction of an error is completed by means of an accounting certificate (Part 1, Article 9 of Law No. 402-FZ), which must reflect all necessary entries (corrective, additional entries, events that caused the error, etc.). The certificate is drawn up on the basis of documents confirming newly identified circumstances or the presence of an error, in any form, indicating the mandatory details provided for in part two of Article 9 of Law No. 402-FZ.

Depending on the situation, corrections can be made:

• by reversal (for example, in cases of unfounded accounting entries, overstatement of transaction amounts, etc.);
• by making additional entries in the event of additional accrual of amounts not previously taken into account.

Information about significant accounting errors of previous reporting periods, corrected in the current one, must be disclosed in the explanations to the annual reports (clause 15 of PBU 22/2010). The explanation provides information:

• about the nature of the error;
• on the amount of adjustment for each reporting item (for each previous reporting period to the extent practicable);
• on the amount of adjustment based on data on basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share (if the organization is required to disclose information on earnings per share);
• on the amount of adjustment to the opening balance of the earliest reporting period presented.

If it is impossible to determine the impact of a significant accounting error on one or more previous reporting periods presented in the financial statements, then the explanations must disclose the reasons for this, as well as provide a description of the method of reflecting the correction of the significant error and indicate the period from which the corrections were made (clause. 16 PBU 22/2010).

Accounting and reporting errors: corrective entries

In accounting, the profit of previous years, identified in the reporting year, is reflected as part of other income under the credit of account 91 sub-account “Other income” on the date of its identification (clauses 8, 16 of PBU 9/99, approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 05/06/1999 No. 32n; Chart of accounts for financial and economic activities of organizations, approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated October 31, 2000 No. 94n).

Losses from previous years identified in the reporting year are reflected as part of other expenses in the debit of account 91 subaccount “Other expenses” as of the date of their discovery (clause 12 of PBU 10/99, approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated May 6, 1999 No. 33n).

According to Regulation No. 34n (clause 80 of the Regulations on accounting and reporting in the Russian Federation, approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 29, 1998 No. 34n), such income and expenses are attributed to financial results organization of the reporting year in which they were identified.

In the form of the income statement, other income is reflected in line 2340 “Other income”. Losses from previous years identified in the reporting period are reflected in line 2350 “Other expenses”.

If the records of the current year correct a significant error of the previous period, identified after the approval of the financial statements, then the amount of the identified income (loss) is not indicated in the financial results statement, but the amount of retained earnings is changed (line 1370 of the balance sheet) (clause 9 of PBU 22/2010 ).

Probably all taxpayers will agree that there is nothing better than doing everything correctly from the very beginning, in accordance with current legislation. But no matter how hard accountants try, it is not always possible to do everything perfectly. Unfortunately, errors occur in the most various reasons, from a simple counting error to a banal lack of necessary documents. Sometimes it is simply necessary to make changes to the tax base of previous periods. But when these errors are identified, the question arises of correcting them both in accounting and tax accounting.

General provisions for correcting accounting errors

Accounting. According to the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 N 129-FZ “On Accounting”, the main task of accounting is the formation of complete and reliable information about the activities of the organization and its property status, necessary for users of financial statements - managers, founders, participants and owners of the organization’s property, and also to investors, creditors and other users of financial statements.

Thus, if an error is detected, it is necessary to make changes to the accounting registers. As a general rule, if an incorrect reflection of business transactions of the current period is detected before the end of the reporting year, corrections are made by entries in the corresponding accounting accounts in the month of the reporting period in which the distortions were identified.

If an error is identified after the end of the reporting year, for which the annual financial statements have not been approved in the prescribed manner, corrections are made by entries in December of the year for which the annual financial statements are prepared for approval and submission to the appropriate addresses.

If an organization discovers in the current reporting period that business transactions were incorrectly reflected in the accounting accounts last year, corrections to the accounting and reporting for the last reporting year (after approval of the annual financial statements in the prescribed manner) are not made (clause 11 of the Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 22 .2003 N 67n "On the forms of financial statements of organizations").

In the Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated January 29, 2007 N 03-03-06/1/42 it is noted: based on the Instructions on the procedure for drawing up and presenting financial statements and in accordance with the Accounting Regulations “Organizational Income” PBU 9/99, the Accounting Regulations accounting "Expenses of the organization" PBU 10/99, if the organization identifies in the current reporting period (after approval of the annual financial statements) an incorrect reflection of business transactions in the accounting accounts last year, the profit (loss) of previous years identified in the reporting year is included in other income (expenses) of the reporting year.

In practice, if an error is identified, an accounting certificate is always drawn up, which describes in detail the problems and how to correct the identified errors. This is the primary document with all the required details, on the basis of which changes will be made. If the balance sheet and other financial statements are approved and submitted, no corrections are made to them; there are no updated balance sheets and profit and loss statements (Form 2).

Tax accounting. Unlike accounting, in which there are no updated balance sheets, in tax accounting, probably every accountant has encountered updated declarations or calculations.

By virtue of Art. 313 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, tax accounting is a system for summarizing information for determining the tax base for a tax based on data from primary documents, grouped in accordance with the procedure provided for by the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

Tax accounting is carried out in order to generate complete and reliable information on the accounting procedure for tax purposes of business transactions carried out by the taxpayer during the reporting (tax) period, as well as to provide information to internal and external users to monitor the correctness of calculation, completeness and timeliness of calculation and payment in tax budget.

According to Art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, taxpayers-organizations calculate the tax base at the end of each tax period on the basis of data from accounting registers and (or) on the basis of other documented data on objects subject to taxation or related to taxation.

If errors (distortions) are detected in the calculation of the tax base relating to previous tax (reporting) periods in the current tax (reporting) period, the tax base and tax amount are recalculated for the period in which these errors (distortions) were made.

If it is impossible to determine the period of errors (distortions), the tax base and tax amount are recalculated for the tax (reporting) period in which the errors (distortions) were identified. These rules also apply to tax agents.

From January 1, 2010, the amendment made to paragraph 1 of Art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation Federal Law of November 26, 2008 N 224-FZ “On Amendments to Part One and Part Two of the Tax Code Russian Federation and certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation" (hereinafter referred to as Federal Law N 224-FZ): the taxpayer has the right to recalculate the tax base and tax amount for the tax (reporting) period in which errors (distortions) relating to previous tax (reporting) periods were identified , also in cases where errors (distortions) have led to excessive payment of tax.

If the taxpayer discovers in the tax return submitted by him to the tax authority the fact of non-reflection or incomplete reflection of information, as well as errors leading to an underestimation of the amount of tax payable, the taxpayer is obliged to make the necessary changes in tax return and submit an updated tax return to the tax authority in the manner prescribed by Art. 81 Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

If errors are discovered in the tax return that do not lead to an underestimation of the amount of tax payable, the taxpayer has the right to make the necessary changes to the tax return and submit an updated tax return to the tax authority in the same manner (Article 81 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).

Thus, if an identified error led to an underestimation of the tax base and the amount of tax, the taxpayer is obliged to file an updated declaration, and if the error led to an overestimation of the tax base and overpayment of tax, the taxpayer is not obliged to file an updated declaration, this is his right. The opinion of financiers on this issue is presented in Letter dated October 16, 2009 N 03-03-06/1/672: Art. 81 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation establishes not the obligation, but the right of the taxpayer to submit an updated tax return if such taxpayer discovers inaccurate information or errors that do not lead to an underestimation of the amount of tax payable.

After those included in Art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation of amendments, many taxpayers hoped that from 2010, if distortions in the tax base were detected, changes could be made during the current tax period, which would make life much easier for the accountant, and there would be no need to submit updated declarations for previous periods, which is associated with a number of problems. But, according to financiers, everything is completely different.

The position of the Ministry of Finance on the issue of correcting errors in calculating the tax base

From the above provisions of the regulatory documents it follows that if incorrect reflection of business transactions is identified, corrections must be made to the accounting. One of the important issues is the period of making such changes - current or past. If for accounting purposes the issue of determining the period for making corrections is clearly defined (if the balance sheet and other financial statements are approved and submitted, no corrections are made to them), then for tax accounting purposes options are possible in accordance with Art. 54 Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

Let us consider the position of financiers on the problems of making changes to past periods for tax accounting purposes with the changes that came into force on January 1, 2010.

If an error in the last tax period led to an overestimation of the tax base and overpayment of tax... This situation is quite common: for example, primary documents confirming expenses were received later, after the tax reporting. At the same time, the costs are economically justified and comply with the criteria of Art. 252 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation. Thus, in the current period, expenses related to the previous tax period have been identified. In what period to make changes - current or past?

In accordance with paragraph. 3 p. 1 art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, the taxpayer has the right to recalculate the tax base and the amount of tax for the tax (reporting) period in which errors (distortions) related to previous tax (reporting) periods were identified, which led to excessive payment of tax. Since in this case, errors (distortions) in determining the tax base and the amount of corporate income tax, made in the previous period and identified in the current period, led to excessive payment of tax, recalculation of the tax base and the amount of the specified tax can be made for the tax period in which errors (distortions) were identified (Letters of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated May 12, 2010 N 03-03-06/1/322, dated March 29, 2010 N 03-02-07/1-131).

If in the current period expenses are identified that were not taken into account in the previous period, but based on the results of the previous period a loss was incurred... A similar situation is discussed in the Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 04/23/2010 N 03-02-07/1-188.

Clause 1 of Art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation provides that if errors (distortions) are detected in the calculation of the tax base relating to previous tax (reporting) periods, in the current tax (reporting) period, the tax base and tax amount are recalculated for the period in which these errors were made ( distortion). This is a general rule.

According to financiers, recalculation of the tax base and tax amount is carried out for the tax (reporting) period in which errors (distortions) were identified in two cases:

If it is impossible to determine the period of errors (distortions);

When errors (distortions) have led to excessive payment of tax.

Based on this, financiers conclude that if in 2010 expenses were identified that were not taken into account when calculating the tax base for 2009, and the organization incurred a loss in 2009, the tax base and tax amount will be recalculated in connection with the identification of unaccounted expenses should be made for the 2009 tax period.

A similar position is presented in Letters of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 05/07/2010 N 03-02-07/1-225, dated 03/15/2010 N 03-02-07/1-105: if the period for committing identified errors by the organization is determined and these errors did not lead to to excessive payment of tax for the tax period in which they were made; therefore, such errors are taken into account in relation to the tax period in which they were made.

Financiers insist on their opinion, even when it comes to monthly advance payments based on the actual profit received. For example, for January 2010 a tax loss was received. In February, it was discovered that as a result of an error, expenses for January were overstated. Correcting the amounts of expenses in the reporting for January will not lead to the creation of a positive tax base for income tax. It would be logical to make corrections to the reporting for two months of 2010 on an accrual basis. But financiers believe that since the identified error did not lead to excessive payment of tax, there are no grounds for applying paragraph. 3 p. 1 art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation (Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated April 27, 2010 N 03-02-07/1-193).

If in the current period errors were identified for the previous period that led to excessive payment of tax, in what order are unaccounted expenses of previous periods taken into account for the purpose of calculating income tax in the current period: according to paragraphs. 1 item 2 art. 265 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation or under other articles depending on the type of expense? According to paragraphs. 1 item 2 art. 265 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, non-operating expenses are equivalent to losses received by a taxpayer in the reporting (tax) period in the form of losses of previous tax periods identified in the current reporting (tax) period. According to financiers, the taxpayer reflects, as part of non-operating expenses of the reporting (tax) period, in which, for example, there was a unilateral refusal of the buyer to fulfill contractual obligations, the amount of payment returned to the buyer for the delivered low-quality goods as losses of previous tax periods identified in the current reporting (tax) period. ) period, based on paragraphs. 1 item 2 art. 265 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation (Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 05.02.2010 N 03-03-06/1/51).

As for the correction of past errors, when carrying out such a recalculation, the taxpayer, since he has the right to recalculate the tax base and the amount of tax for the tax period in which errors relating to previous tax periods were identified, in cases where they led to excessive payment tax (Clause 1, Article 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation), reflects, as part of the corresponding group (type) of expenses (labor expenses, depreciation, non-operating expenses, etc.) of the reporting (tax) period in which an error was identified, the amount of , an expense not accounted for in a timely manner (Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated March 18, 2010 N 03-03-06/1/148).

Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated April 13, 2010 N 03-03-06/1/261 is also devoted to this problem: the additional payment accrued to an employee of the organization for the previous reporting (tax) period must be recognized as labor costs in the current reporting (tax) period on the basis of clause 4 of Art. 272 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, or in this case, changes are made to the tax base of the previous reporting (tax) period in accordance with clause 1 of Art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation? By virtue of paragraph 1 of Art. 272 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, expenses accepted for tax purposes taking into account the provisions of Chapter. 25 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation are recognized as such in the reporting (tax) period to which they relate, regardless of the time of actual payment of funds and (or) other form of payment and are determined taking into account the provisions of Art. Art. 318 - 320 Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

Clause 4 of Art. 272 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation determines that labor costs are recognized as an expense on a monthly basis based on the amount accrued in accordance with Art. 255 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation of labor costs.

In the event that the taxpayer did not include the employee’s wages due to him for the previous reporting (tax) period as part of labor costs, this should be considered an error.

Considering that in the case under consideration, the mistake made led to the excessive payment of corporate income tax in the tax (reporting) period in which the corresponding expense was not taken into account, the taxpayer has the right, applying paragraph 1 of Art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, recalculate the tax base for this tax in the tax (reporting) period in which the error was discovered.

When making such a recalculation, the taxpayer reflects, as part of the labor costs of the reporting (tax) period in which the error was identified, the amount of the identified expense that was not taken into account in a timely manner in the form of an additional payment to the tariff rate.

If the taxpayer, on the basis of paragraph. 3 p. 1 art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, in the event of errors (distortions) associated with the non-recognition of expenses in previous tax periods, takes into account such expenses when calculating income tax in the current tax period, how, when accounting for such expenses, the requirement of paragraph 1 of Art. 252 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation on the need for documentary evidence of expenses incurred? Financiers, answering this question in Letter dated January 12, 2010 N 03-02-07/1-9, said that based on the general rules provided for in Art. 252 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, documented expenses mean expenses confirmed by relevant documents. This requirement also applies to expenses that the organization, guided by the provisions of Art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation will be taken into account in the tax base.

If an error led to an understatement of the tax base... If the identified error led to an understatement of the tax base and, accordingly, the amount of tax payable, then the provisions of paragraph. 3 p. 1 art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation cannot be applied in the case under consideration and it is necessary to submit an updated tax return in the manner prescribed by Art. 81 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation (Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated April 2, 2010 N 03-02-07/1-146).

Accordingly, if an error led to an overestimation of the tax base and is corrected in the period in which it was discovered, no updated declarations need to be submitted.

If at the same time it is identified that it is necessary to correct several errors for the same past period, leading individually to both overpayment and underpayment of tax... If several errors (distortions) are detected, resulting in both an understatement and an overestimation of the tax base and amount taxes relating to previous tax (reporting) periods, the tax base and tax amount are clarified in the context of each detected error (distortion). Based on this, in accordance with paragraph. 2 and 3 clauses 1 art. 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, the tax base and tax amount are recalculated. In this case, errors (distortions) that resulted in an underestimation of the tax base and tax amount are reflected in the period in which they were made, if this period is known (Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 05.05.2010 N 03-02-07/1-216, N 03 -07-06/86, N 03-07-06/85, N 03-07-06/84).

If the identified error relates, for example, to the tax period of 2005, the procedure for correcting errors in tax accounting is prescribed in Art. 54 Tax Code of the Russian Federation. Tax legislation does not limit the period for recalculating the tax base in the event of detection of errors (distortions) that led to an increase in the tax base and tax amount.

Financiers remind that in accordance with paragraph 7 of Art. 78 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, an application for offset or refund of the amount of overpaid tax, including as a result of recalculation of the tax base, which resulted in excessive payment of tax, can be submitted within three years from the date of payment of the specified amount (Letter of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 04/08/2010 N 03- 02-07/1-152).

If an application for a credit or refund of overpaid tax amounts can only be submitted within three years from the date of payment of this amount, the advisability of making changes if an error is discovered in tax accounting for more than three years is questionable.

From the above explanations of the Ministry of Finance, the following conclusions can be drawn:

Identified unaccounted amounts in accordance with current legislation must be documented, including they must comply with Art. 252 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

Recalculation of the tax base and tax amount when an error is identified for the previous period is carried out for the tax (reporting) period in which errors were identified in two cases: if it is impossible to determine the period of errors (distortions); when mistakes (distortions) have led to excessive payment of tax.

If the period for committing identified errors by the organization is determined and these errors did not lead to excessive payment of tax for the tax period in which they were committed, such errors are taken into account in relation to the tax period in which they were committed. If an error led to an underestimation of the tax base and tax amount, you must submit an updated tax return for the previous period.

If the error led to an overestimation of the tax base, when making corrections, the taxpayer reflects the amount of the identified, not timely accounted for expense as part of the corresponding group (type) of expenses (labor expenses, depreciation, non-operating expenses, etc.) of the reporting (tax) period, in which an error was detected.

If several errors are identified at once, leading to both an understatement and an overestimation of the tax base and tax amount relating to previous tax (reporting) periods, the tax base and tax amount are clarified in the context of each detected error (distortion).

The period for recalculating the tax base is not limited by the current tax legislation. But an application for a credit or refund of the amount of overpaid tax, including due to a recalculation of the tax base that resulted in an excessive payment of tax, can be submitted within three years from the date of payment of the specified amount.

When preparing data for the annual report, accounting employees quite often find accounting errors. And this, for the most part, leads to their presence in the previously presented reports. In this case, errors may relate to both interim periods of the reporting year and previous reporting periods.

According to paragraph 2 of the Accounting Regulations “Correcting Errors in Accounting and Reporting” (PBU 22/2010) (approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated June 28, 2010 No. 63n), an error is the incorrect reflection (non-reflection) of the facts of economic activity in accounting and ( or) financial statements.

For accounting purposes, a fact of economic life is a transaction, event, operation that has or is capable of influencing the financial position of an economic entity, the financial result of its activities and (or) cash flow (Clause 8 of Article 3 of the Federal Law of 06.12. 11 No. 402-FZ “On Accounting”).

Errors in recording business transactions in accounting almost always lead to incorrect calculation of taxes.

In accounting, all errors, depending on the nature of their occurrence and consequences, can be divided into three groups.

The first of these is technical errors. Such errors do not distort the economic essence of business transactions. These include, in particular, arithmetic errors, typos, and omissions. Their presence usually leads to inequality in the final reporting indicators or the appearance of values ​​that do not correspond to what is actually possible. Inaccuracies in calculations are also mentioned in the list of errors leading to incorrect reflection of the facts of economic activity in the accounting and (or) financial statements of the organization, which is given in paragraph 2 of PBU 22/2010.

The second group consists of content errors. They lead to incorrect reflection of economic information about transactions performed. The occurrence of such errors may be due, in particular, to incorrect ones (clause 2 of PBU 22/2010):

• application of the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting and (or) regulatory legal acts on accounting;
• application of the organization's accounting policies;
• classification or assessment of facts of economic activity;
• using information available on the date of signing the financial statements -

as well as dishonest actions of officials of the organization.

Content errors include:

• errors in documenting operations - reflection of an operation in the absence of primary documents or, conversely, the presence of falsified documents for operations that were not actually carried out;
• errors in the reflection period, when a business transaction carried out in one reporting period is reflected in accounting and reporting in the next period;
• errors in the correspondence of accounts, expressed in the preparation of incorrect entries that distort the economic essence of the transactions performed;
• errors in valuation associated with violation of established rules for determining the initial and actual cost of accounting objects, calculating depreciation, forming reserves, etc.;
• errors in the presentation of information in the reporting, which lead to incorrect reflection of the information generated on the accounting accounts along the lines of the financial statements, for example, an unreasonable offset between items of assets and liabilities in accounts 60, 62, 68, 69, 71, 76, etc.

Errors in documenting transactions are associated with violation of the rules for drawing up primary accounting documents, as well as with violation of the document flow schedule. Such errors often lead to errors in periodization, since there are often cases when documents arrive at the organization some time after the actual operation. In this case, this period of time may fall between two reporting periods. Thus, the business transaction will be reflected in the financial statements of the next period. In addition, errors associated with documenting operations can lead to a distortion in the assessment of accounting objects.

Accounting is carried out on the basis of primary documents, which serve as confirmation of the fact of a particular business transaction. Accordingly, in the absence of primary documents (even if the operation was actually carried out), no accounting entries are made. Moreover, the situation when a business transaction was carried out, but the primary document was not drawn up either at the time of its completion or after its completion, is a direct violation of the accounting legislation by virtue of paragraph 3 of Article 9 of Law No. 402-FZ.

Meanwhile, untimely (with a time delay) receipt by an organization of primary documents may be due to:

• as the slowness of the organization’s counterparties, who provide, for example, various types of services (utilities or communication services) in submitting primary documents,
• and by the actions of officials of the organization itself, responsible for the preparation of primary documentation.

In the case when a business transaction has been carried out, but there are no documents on it due to the fact that the organization’s employees did not draw them up in a timely manner, it is appropriate to talk about dishonest actions of the organization’s officials. After all, such actions, as mentioned above, are named in paragraph 2 of PBU 22/2010 as the cause of the error. Consequently, the use of information reflected in such “late” documents should be regarded as an error (and not the receipt of new information that was previously unavailable to the organization), which should be corrected according to the rules of PBU 22/2010.

The creation of primary accounting documents, the procedure and timing of their transfer for reflection in accounting in accordance with paragraph 15 of the Regulations on accounting and financial reporting in the Russian Federation (approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 29, 1998 No. 34n) are regulated by the document flow schedule included in composition of the organization’s accounting policies for accounting purposes.

Therefore, with proper organization of document flow, the requirement for timely execution of primary accounting documents must be met, especially since, by virtue of the aforementioned paragraph 3 of Article 9 of Law No. 402-FZ and paragraph 15 of the regulations on accounting and financial reporting, ensure timely and high-quality execution of primary documents , their transfer in a timely manner for reflection in accounting, as well as the reliability of the information reflected in them, must be carried out by persons with appropriate authority.

To regard the information contained in documents received late from counterparties as an error in the sense of PBU 22/2010, in our opinion, is, to put it mildly, incorrect.

Unlawful recognition of certain types of expenses as part of the expenses of the reporting period or, conversely, non-recognition of expenses in the reporting period to which they actually relate, in addition to violation of the document flow schedule, can also arise due to the incorrect use of certain concepts, in particular “deferred expenses”, “deferred income”, etc.

There are often cases when the “linking” of accounting and tax accounting is carried out according to the assessment methodology established for profit tax purposes, and this, in turn, does not comply with the requirements of accounting regulations. An example is the use of tax rules when creating a reserve for doubtful debts in accounting.

Errors in invoice correspondence are most often associated with:

• with incorrect interpretation of certain business transactions;
• non-application or incorrect application of the requirements of accounting regulations;
• the use of accounting accounts not intended for accounting for property and liabilities due to non-compliance with the recommendations of the Instructions for the application of the Chart of Accounts for accounting the financial and economic activities of an organization (approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated October 31, 2000 No. 94n).

Errors in documentation, in our opinion, are a consequence of the inattention of the accounting service. Errors in the correspondence of accounts for the most part indicate a lack of competence of this service.

Errors in the presentation of information in the reporting occur if the accounting entries were made correctly and the account balances were calculated correctly, but during the preparation of the reporting there was an accidental error in entering data or one or another accounting object was incorrectly classified. For example, the balance of settlement accounts 60, 62, 76 was “collapsed” or the balance of account 58 was reflected as part of current assets, while the organization’s financial investments included not only short-term, but also long-term investments.

Errors in documentation are most easily identified by conducting an inventory of the organization’s property or mutual reconciliation of debts with debtors and creditors.

Analytical procedures are used to detect errors in estimation or periodization. Thus, the dynamics of revenue and cost of sales (turnover in subaccounts 90-1 and 90-2) should be unidirectional. Therefore, if the turnover in subaccount 90-1 increased, and the turnover in subaccount 90-2 for the same month decreased, most likely an error was made in the periodization of revenue recognition or write-off of shipped products (goods, works, services).

A change in the amount of accrued depreciation for a month when using the linear method of its calculation can occur only if in the previous month a fixed asset was introduced or written off, or if depreciation for any of the objects stopped accruing.

Testing of accounting records allows you to detect errors associated with incorrect correspondence of accounts. Drawing up a chess turnover sheet can provide significant assistance in this regard. This statement allows you to track all transactions that affected the debit of this account with the credits of other accounts and vice versa. Therefore, based on it, it will be possible to detect “non-standard” or generally unacceptable postings, into which an error may creep in.

Arithmetic-logical control and checking the linking of indicators allow you to avoid errors in reporting. There are certain “control points” in reporting, the values ​​of which must coincide in properly compiled financial statements. Checking them allows you to independently identify errors.

Fixes

In accounting, there are various technical approaches to correcting errors, depending on their type. The method for correcting erroneously made entries in primary documents and accounting registers depends on the moment of detection and the nature of the error.

By virtue of paragraph 7 of Article 9 of Law No. 402-FZ, corrections are allowed in the primary accounting document, unless otherwise established by federal laws or regulations of state accounting regulatory bodies. Such a correction must contain the date of the correction, as well as the signatures of the persons who compiled the document in which the correction was made, indicating their last names and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

Clause 8 of Article 10 of Law No. 402-FZ allows for corrections in the accounting register. It must contain the date of correction, as well as the signatures of the persons responsible for maintaining this register, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons. At the same time, corrections not authorized by the persons responsible for maintaining this register are not allowed. Such corrections are also made by proofreading.

The same corrective method is used in cases where an accounting entry was made on the proper accounting accounts, but in the wrong amount: the erroneous entry is crossed out and the correct amount is written, and, if necessary, the text. Correction of an error is confirmed by the signature of the person making the correction. This method is mainly used if an error is made in one register and is discovered before the totals are calculated. For the most part, it is used when accounting is done manually, without the use of automation tools.

The additional entry method is used if a business transaction was not recorded in a timely manner (as of the date it was completed) or the transaction was recorded in an amount that was less than it should be. In this case, an additional accounting entry is made for the entire transaction amount or for the difference between the correct transaction amount and the transaction amount reflected in the register. In this case, an accounting certificate is drawn up, on the basis of which the error in the register(s) is corrected. It is desirable to record the fact of incorrect reflection of business transactions in accounting accounts and justify the need for corrective entries made in accounting registers.

An accounting statement can be drawn up in any form, with any details that allow the accountant to quickly find out by whom, when and on what basis this corrective entry was made. If you attach photocopies of the primary documents of the business transaction in which errors were made and the corresponding clarifying calculations to the certificate, this will allow you not to waste time in the future confirming the validity of corrective entries. At the same time, it is advisable to provide all the mandatory attributes of the primary accounting document given in paragraph 2 of Article 9 of Law No. 402-FZ.

The additional entry method is used when an error is detected after calculating the totals in the register (registers) or the general ledger. It can be used to correct errors identified both in the current reporting period and in previous periods. This method is always used when calculating additional taxes.

The reversal accounting entry method (“red reversal”) is used when the correspondence of accounts is incorrect and when recording a transaction in a larger amount than necessary. This method reverses all erroneous entries and then records them with the correct account balances and/or in the correct amount.

A second correction option is also possible: an entry is made for the same amount only with “reverse” correspondence of accounts, that is, the amount previously credited to the debit of the account is written to the credit of this account, and the amount credited to another account is recorded to the debit of this account . As a result, the incorrect posting is “neutralized” and the ending balances in these accounts will be correct. However, such a correction leads to doubling the amount in the turnover of the current reporting period.

To make a reversal entry, you must also issue an accounting certificate.

Correction procedure

The order in which errors are corrected depends on whether the error is material or not. An error is considered significant if it, individually or in combination with other errors for the same reporting period, can affect the economic decisions of users (managers, founders, participants, investors, creditors, counterparties, etc.) made by them on the basis of financial statements, compiled for this reporting period. The organization determines the materiality of the error independently, based on both the size and the nature of the corresponding article (articles) of the financial statements (clause 3 of PBU 22/2010). If the error does not affect the economic decision taken by users of financial statements, it, logically, will be insignificant.

As we see, the decisive factor of materiality may be either the size or the nature of the relevant item in the financial statements, or a combination of both.

The organization, having assessed the level of materiality, based on its own judgments about what economic decisions different users of financial statements can make on the basis of the information presented, must itself determine what errors will be significant for users. Therefore, it begs the question of introducing in the accounting policy of the organization a criterion for determining the materiality of an error (clause 4 of the Accounting Regulations “Accounting Policy of the Organization” (PBU 1/2008), approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated October 6, 2008 No. 106n).

The degree of materiality of an error can be determined based on the ratio of the amount of adjustment to the financial reporting indicator and the value of this indicator. You can also focus on another criterion, for example, the ratio of the error and the aggregated indicator presented in the reporting.

Thus, when correcting an error that affects the indicators of balance sheet items, it is possible to link to the balance sheet currency (total total). If the error affects the indicators of the profit and loss report or applications, then you can focus on the final indicators.

In relation to misstatements of different items in the financial statements, it is quite appropriate to establish different levels of materiality. Indeed, in some cases, when making decisions by users of financial statements, a deviation of 1.5% may be significant, and in some cases, a deviation of a larger size (for example, 5–7%) will remain practically unnoticed by them.

The method of correction will depend not only on the nature of the errors (significant or insignificant), but also on when they were discovered - before or after the end of the reporting period. If a significant error is detected in the second case of PBU 22/2010, two dates are identified that significantly affect the procedure for correcting errors in accounting and reporting: the date of signing and the date of approval of the reporting. The interval between these dates may include the submission of reports to founders, authorities and other users. And this date introduces variability in the order of error correction. In this regard, the time period after the beginning of the new year can be divided into four periods:

• after the end of the reporting year until the date of signing the financial statements for this year;
• after the date of signing, but before the date of submission of reports to the shareholders of the JSC, participants of the LLC, and government authorities;
• after the reporting is submitted to the persons indicated above, but before the date of its approval in the manner prescribed by law;
• after approval of the reports

Minor errors

Example 1

In February 2013, the organization did not include expenses under the premises rental agreement in expenses for ordinary activities. These services were of a production nature. For them, 16,048 rubles were paid in advance, including VAT of 2,448 rubles. We discovered an error in November while preparing for the annual report.

Since the error was discovered in November, the error should be corrected this month. Therefore, on November 28, the following entries are made in accounting:

Debit 20 Credit 60

13,600 rub. (16,048 – 2448) - included in expenses for ordinary activities are the costs of renting production premises;

Debit 19 Credit 60

2448 rub. - the amount of VAT on rent has been allocated;

Debit 60 subaccount “Advances issued” Credit 68 subaccount “VAT calculations”

2448 rub. - the amount of VAT previously accepted for deduction from the transferred advance was restored;

Debit 60 Credit 60 subaccount “Advances issued”

RUB 16,048 - the debt to the lessor has been repaid using the previously transferred advance payment;

Debit 68 subaccount “VAT calculations” Credit 19

2448 rub. - the amount of VAT on rent is accepted for deduction.

An insignificant error from 2013 can be identified in the first time period. If such an error is identified at the end of the reporting year, but before the date of signing the financial statements for this year, then it should be corrected by entries in the relevant accounting accounts for December of the reporting year (the year for which the annual financial statements are prepared) (clause 6 of PBU 22/ 2010).

Example 2

In January 2014, an error was discovered in calculating depreciation of fixed assets: for an object accepted for accounting on February 1, 2013, depreciation was accrued for 11 months of this year. The amount of monthly depreciation is 6080 rubles.

The accrual of depreciation charges for an object of fixed assets begins on the first day of the month following the month in which this object was accepted for accounting (clause 21 of the Accounting Regulations “Accounting for Fixed Assets” (PBU 6/01), approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated March 30. 01 No. 26n). Therefore, in February, the organization unlawfully included 6,080 rubles in expenses for ordinary activities. in the form of accrued depreciation.

An error in recording a transaction carried out in 2013 was discovered in the next reporting year before the annual financial statements were approved. Consequently, at the time the error is determined, an accounting certificate is drawn up to reduce the amount of accrued depreciation. Based on it, a reversal entry is made, dated December 31, 2013:

Debit 20 Credit 02

6080 rub. - the amount of excessively accrued depreciation was reversed.

Errors found in two more time periods are corrected identically: in the second and third.

An error of the previous reporting year, which is not significant, discovered after the date of signing the financial statements for this year, is corrected by entries in the relevant accounting accounts in the month of the reporting year in which it was identified. Profit or loss arising as a result of correcting this error is reflected as part of other income or expenses of the current reporting period (clause 14 of PBU 22/2010).

Example 3

In December 2012, the organization received a batch of components in the amount of 400 pieces, the actual cost per unit was 3,265 rubles. They were purchased under an agency agreement, for which the agent was transferred 63,720 rubles, including VAT of 9,720 rubles. These expenses were taken into account in the same year as expenses for ordinary activities. In the products sold in the fourth quarter of 2012, 20 pieces were used. components from the mentioned batch, the remaining components were included in the products manufactured in 2013. In November of this year, the accounting department discovered an incorrect reflection of the transaction for accounting for intermediary services. At this time, products were sold, which included 360 copies of components.

Remunerations to the agent associated with the acquisition of inventories by virtue of clause 6 of the Accounting Regulations “Accounting for Inventories” (PBU 5/01) (approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated 06/09/01 No. 44n) are included in their actual cost. Based on this, the cost per unit of components when they were capitalized should have been increased by 135 rubles. ((63,720 rub. – 9,720 rub.) / 400 pcs. × 1 pc.), thereby the actual cost increased to 3,400 rubles. (3265 + 135).

Inclusion in 2012 in expenses for ordinary activities of the entire amount of payment for agent services - 54,000 rubles. (63 720 – 9720) - carried out incorrectly. The organization had the right to take into account only part of it in expenses - 2,700 rubles. (135 rubles/piece × 20 pieces), which accounts for 20 pieces. components included in products sold in the fourth quarter of 2012. According to the accounting certificate compiled in November to correct the incorrect reflection of the transaction in 2012, the following entries are made:

Debit 10 Credit 91-1

54,000 rub. - the agent’s remuneration is reflected;

Debit 91-2 Credit 10

2700 rub. - the part of the agent’s remuneration attributable to 20 components included in the products sold in the fourth quarter of 2012 was taken into account.

The above accounting option is more detailed and clear, but it leads to an overestimation of the turnover on account 91 by 2,700 rubles. This can be circumvented by using one wiring:

Debit 10 Credit 91-1

RUB 51,300 (135 rubles/piece × (400 pieces – 20 pieces)) - reflects the part of the agent’s remuneration related to 380 copies of components registered as of January 1, 2013.

Since at the time the error was discovered, 360 pcs were used in the sold products. (380 – 20) components, then the part of the remuneration attributable to them is 48,600 rubles. (135 rubles/piece × 360 pieces), taken into account in expenses for ordinary activities:

Debit 20 Credit 10

RUB 48,600 - part of the agent’s remuneration attributable to 360 components included in products sold in 2013 was taken into account.

As of December 1, 20 copies of components worth 3,400 rubles continue to be in the accounting records.

According to paragraph 4 of PBU 22/2010, not only identified errors are subject to mandatory correction, but also their consequences. Consequently, if, as a result of correcting an error, expenses accepted for accounting lead to recalculations for income tax, then the amount of tax liabilities is also subject to correction.

Profit or loss arising as a result of correcting an insignificant error of the previous year, as mentioned above, is taken into account in account 91. Such a rule for correcting errors may lead to the need to apply the Accounting Regulations “Accounting for calculations of corporate income tax” (PBU 18/02 ) (approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated November 19, 2002 No. 114n). This will be required in a situation where an insignificant error is discovered, the correction of which will increase the accounting profit of the reporting period, and the taxable base for income tax - of the previous period. Then it will be necessary to submit an updated income tax return for the previous period, and reflect the permanent tax asset(clauses 4–7 PBU 18/02):

Debit 68 subaccount “Calculations for income tax” Credit 99 subaccount “PNA/PNO”

A permanent tax asset has been accrued.

The Federal Tax Service of Russia believes that even after the entry into force of the second sentence of paragraph 3 of paragraph 1 of Article 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, recalculation of the tax base and tax amount in the period when an error (distortion) was identified can be carried out only if it is impossible to determine the period of the error (distortion) in tax calculations bases. In all other cases, the taxpayer must submit updated tax calculations for the period in which the error was made (letter of the Federal Tax Service of Russia dated August 17, 2011 No. AS-4-3/13421). Following such urgent recommendations of the fiscal authorities leads to the need to accrue a permanent tax liability:

Debit 99 subaccount “PNA/PNO” Credit 68 subaccount “Calculations for income tax”

A permanent tax liability has been accrued.

In this case, the taxpayer will need to reflect in the financial statements the amount of income tax that he must pay under the updated declaration. Moreover, in the profit and loss statement, the amount of additional payment of income tax in connection with the discovery of errors in previous years, which does not affect the current income tax of the reporting period, must be reflected separately - on a separate line after the current income tax indicator (clause 22 of PBU 18/02, letters of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated December 10, 2004 No. 07-05-14/328, dated August 23, 2004 No. 07-05-14/219). Thus, in the line “Current income tax” of the income statement, the same amount of income tax must be indicated as in the declaration for this tax.

Significant errors

As is known, as a general rule, an economic entity obliged to prepare accounting (financial) statements must submit one mandatory copy of the annual accounting (financial) statements to the state statistics body at the place of state registration. A mandatory copy of the prepared annual accounting (financial) statements is submitted no later than three months after the end of the reporting period (clauses 1, 2 of Article 18 of Law No. 402-FZ), that is, no later than March 31.

Within the same time frame, annual accounting (financial) statements must be submitted to the tax authority at the location of the organization (subclause 5, clause 1, article 23 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).

This reporting must be approved by the owners in the manner established in the constituent documents. But the constituent documents of both limited liability companies and joint stock companies may provide for longer periods for holding an annual meeting at which financial statements are approved. So, the next general meeting:

• in an LLC must be carried out no later than 4 months after the end of the reporting year (until April 30 inclusive) (Article 34 of the Federal Law of 02/08/98 No. 14-FZ “On Limited Liability Companies”);
• JSC - no later than 6 months after the end of the financial year (until June 30) (clause 1, article 47, subclause 11, clause 1, article 48 of the Federal Law of December 26, 1995 No. 208-FZ “On Joint-Stock Companies”) .

The annual report of these companies is subject to preliminary approval by the person performing the functions of the sole executive body of the company (for joint-stock companies - in the absence of a board of directors (supervisory board) in the company), no later than 30 days before the date of the annual general meeting of shareholders (clause 4 of Art. 88 of Law No. 208-FZ, paragraph 3 of Article 37 of Law No. 14-FZ). Consequently, the date of signing of the annual reports (the date indicated on the reports sent to users) may be earlier than the date of its approval.

A significant error of the previous reporting year, identified after the date of signing the financial statements for this year, but before the date of submission of such statements to shareholders of a joint-stock company, participants of a limited liability company, a state authority, local government or other body authorized to exercise the rights of the owner, etc. . p., is corrected by entries in the relevant accounting accounts for December of the reporting year. If the specified financial statements were presented to any other users, then they must be replaced with statements in which the identified significant error has been corrected (hereinafter referred to as the revised financial statements) (clause 7 of PBU 22/2010).

Example 4

When preparing the reports for 2013, a significant error was identified: in the costs of repairing the production facility, the cost of materials in the amount of 940,000 rubles was taken into account twice. The error was discovered in March 2014. The annual report for 2013 has already been signed, but has not yet been presented to the company's participants. However, by this time the reporting with a significant error had already been transferred to the counterparty in order to consider the possibility of concluding an agreement.

In this case, in the accounting records of the organization in March 2014, a corrective entry (reversal) must be made, dated December 31, 2013:

Debit 20 Credit 10

940,000 rub. - the amount of materials incorrectly taken into account in 2013 in the material costs of repairing a production facility was reversed.

This entry entails a revision of the indicators of the reporting forms and re-submission of the corrected statements to the counterparty.

A significant error of the previous reporting year, identified after the presentation of the financial statements for this year to the persons indicated above, but before the date of approval of such statements in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the Russian Federation, is also corrected by entries in the corresponding accounting accounts for December of the reporting year. At the same time, revised financial statements are submitted to all addresses at which the original financial statements were submitted. The revised financial statements disclose information that these financial statements replace the originally presented financial statements, as well as the grounds for their preparation (clause 8 of PBU 22/2010).

Example 5

Let us slightly change the condition of example 4: before a significant error was found, the financial statements were submitted to the tax office.

The revised financial statements, which take into account the correction of a significant error in double counting of materials in the costs of repairing a production facility, must be submitted to the inspection of the Federal Tax Service of Russia. By submitting it, the taxpayer indicates that it replaces the originally submitted financial statements.

Correction of a significant error of the previous reporting year, identified after the approval of the financial statements for this year, is carried out as follows.

The error is corrected by entries in the relevant accounting accounts in the current reporting period. In this case, the corresponding account in the records is account 84 “Retained earnings (uncovered loss)”.

In addition, the comparative indicators of the financial statements for the reporting periods reflected in the financial statements of the organization for the current reporting year are recalculated. Recalculation of comparative indicators of financial statements is carried out by correcting the indicators of financial statements, as if the error of the previous reporting period had never been made (retrospective recalculation).

The specified recalculation of comparative reporting indicators may not be carried out if it is impossible:

• establish a connection between this error and a specific period;
• determine the impact of the error cumulatively in relation to all previous reporting periods.

If a significant error was made before the beginning of the earliest previous reporting period presented in the financial statements for the current reporting year, then the opening balances for the corresponding items of assets, liabilities and capital at the beginning of the earliest reporting period presented are subject to adjustment.

Example 6

At the end of 2013, the accounting department discovered an error in the formation of the initial cost of the industrial building, which was put into operation in 2003. Because of this, the amount of monthly depreciation was underestimated, but the amount of expenses for ordinary activities was overestimated.

This error affected a number of indicators in subsequent years:

• firstly, the amount of production costs;
• secondly, the cost of manufactured products;
• thirdly, on the cost of sales and, ultimately, on the financial result.

The organization’s accounting department found it too difficult to recalculate all the indicators for more than ten years. In reality, it is only possible to recalculate data for 2011–2013.

Based on this, it is necessary to calculate the total amount of depreciation underaccrued for 2003–2010. After which it is necessary to adjust in the reporting as of January 1, 2011 at least the indicators on the residual value of fixed assets and the amount of retained earnings (loss).

In the profit and loss report in the column “for 2012”, the indicator entered on line 2110 “Cost of sales” is increased by the additional accrued amount of depreciation for the year, and the values ​​indicated on lines 2100 “Gross profit (loss)”, 2200 “Profit (loss) ) from sales", 2300 "Profit (loss) before tax" are reduced by this amount.

Indicators entered on lines 2410 “Current income tax” and “Net profit (loss)” are also reduced.

In addition to the annual forms of the balance sheet and profit and loss statement, the annual form of the report on changes in capital is subject to adjustment. In particular, in section 2 “Adjustment due to changes in accounting policies and correction of errors” of the said form in the column “Change in capital due to net profit (loss)” on lines 3421 “Adjustment due to correction of errors” and 3501 “Retained earnings ( loss) after adjustments” the indicators will change.

If it is not possible to determine the impact of a material error on one prior reporting period presented in the financial statements or more, the organization must adjust the opening balance for the relevant items of assets, liabilities and equity at the beginning of the earliest period for which restatement is possible.

The impact of a significant error on the previous reporting period cannot be determined if (clause 13 of PBU 22/2010):

• complex and (or) numerous calculations are required, during which it is impossible to identify information indicating the circumstances that existed at the date of the error, or
• it is necessary to use information received after the date of approval of the financial statements for such previous reporting period.

In case of correction of a significant error of the previous reporting year, identified after the approval of the financial statements, the approved financial statements for the previous reporting periods are not subject to revision, replacement and re-presentation to users of the financial statements (clause 10 of PBU 22/2010).

If it is impossible to determine the impact of a significant error on one or more previous reporting periods presented in the financial statements, then in the explanations to the annual financial statements, by virtue of paragraph 16 of PBU 22/2010, the reasons for this must be disclosed, as well as a description of the method for reflecting the correction of the significant error in financial statements of the organization and indicate the period from which corrections were made.

Small businesses have the right to correct a significant error of the previous reporting year, identified after the approval of the financial statements for this year, in the manner prescribed for correcting errors of the previous reporting year that are not significant, identified after the date of signing the financial statements for this year, without retrospective recalculation (para. 6 clause 9 PBU 22/2010). Consequently, these economic entities correct this error by making entries in the relevant accounting accounts in the month of the reporting year in which it was detected. Profit or loss arising as a result of correcting such an error is reflected as part of other income or expenses of the current reporting period. 

Errors made in accounting distort the real financial condition of the organization. And this, in turn, may mislead interested users of such information. Therefore, it is advisable for an economic entity not only to promptly identify such errors, but also to correctly classify them in order to properly reflect changes in accounting and reporting.

Not in all cases, incorrect reflection (non-reflection) of facts of economic activity should be considered an error for the purposes of PBU 22/2010. According to paragraph 8 of paragraph 2 of PBU 22/2010, inaccuracies or omissions in the reflection of facts of economic activity in the accounting and (or) financial statements of the organization, identified as a result of obtaining new information that was not available to the organization at the time of reflection (non-reflection) of such, are not considered errors. facts of economic activity. Therefore, discovering errors in the future is in no way related to obtaining new information.

Errors in valuation are associated with incorrect determination of the original or actual value of assets, depreciation, calculation of the value of inventories when they are written off, etc. Most often they arise due to incomplete or incorrect application of the requirements of the relevant PBUs and other accounting regulations.

Specific errors constitute the third group of errors. They usually arise when using incorrectly configured accounting computer programs (changes in accounting regulations or accounting policies are not tracked), as well as due to computer failures. For example, some of the data entered into a computer may be lost due to computer viruses, a sudden power outage, or a computer breakdown.

Errors in primary documents created manually are corrected by proofreading: the incorrect text or amount is crossed out and the corrected text or amount is written above the crossed out. Crossing out is done with one line so that the correction can be read. Correction of an error must be accompanied by the inscription “corrected”, confirmed by the signature of the persons who signed the document, and the date of correction must also be indicated (Section 4 of the Regulations on Documents and Document Flow in Accounting, approved by the USSR Ministry of Finance on July 29, 1983 No. 105, letter from the Russian Ministry of Finance dated 31.03.09 No. 03-07-14/38).

With the “generalization” method, a generalized entry is made, bringing the entries in the accounting accounts in the reporting period to the state that it would have been if the transaction had been initially correctly reflected. This method allows you not to distort the indicators (cost, revenue, etc.) of the current reporting period. This method is used based on errors from past periods.

The rules for correcting significant errors that will be found in each of these periods are different. And the later the error is discovered, the more difficult the procedure for correcting it. But before we consider them, let us turn to the provisions for correcting minor errors.

If, during the preparation of the annual report, an insignificant error relating to 2013 is found in any month of the fourth quarter, then it should be corrected by entries in the relevant accounting accounts in the month of the reporting year in which it was identified (clause 5 of PBU 22/2010 ).

When correcting an error in both accounting and tax accounting in one period, there is no need to refer to PBU 18/02. For example, if an error led to an excessive payment of income tax last year, then the taxpayer, by virtue of paragraph 3 of paragraph 1 of Article 54 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, has the right to correct it in the current tax period. Consequently, there is no difference in the amounts of expenses taken into account in accounting and tax accounting during the period when the error was discovered.

The procedure for correcting significant errors identified before the end of the reporting year or after the end of this year, but before the date of signing the financial statements for this year, is the same as for correcting identical immaterial errors. They are corrected by entries in the corresponding accounting accounts (clauses 5 and 6 of PBU 22/2010):

• in the first case - in the month of the reporting year in which the error was detected;
• in the second - for December of the reporting year.

Retrospective recalculation is carried out in relation to comparative indicators starting from the previous reporting period presented in the financial statements for the current reporting year in which the corresponding error was made.

Vladimir MALYSHKO, PBU expert