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    What Is Materiality in Accounting and Why Is It Important?

    Business professional prepares financial statement
    • 05 Jan 2016
    HBS Online Author Staff
    tag
    • Accounting
    • Business Essentials
    • CORe
    • Finance
    • Financial Accounting

    Organizations rely on financial statements to record historical data, communicate with investors, and make data-driven decisions. Sometimes it can be difficult to know what should be included in these financial statements and what can be omitted. Luckily, the financial accounting concept of materiality makes this easier.

    Materiality is a key accounting principle utilized by accountants and auditors as they create a business’s financial statements. Here’s an overview of what materiality is and examples of materiality in action.


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    What Is Materiality?

    Materiality is an accounting principle which states that all items that are reasonably likely to impact investors’ decision-making must be recorded or reported in detail in a business’s financial statements using GAAP standards.

    Essentially, materiality is related to the significance of information within a company’s financial statements. If a transaction or business decision is significant enough to warrant reporting to investors or other users of the financial statements, that information is “material” to the business and cannot be omitted.

    Material vs. Immaterial Information

    What’s considered to be material and immaterial will differ based on the size and scope of the firm in question. For example, while a small, family-owned grocery store may need to record a small expense for promotional coupons, Whole Foods may not need to record a large one for a similar offer. It’s all relative.

    Material items can be financial (measurable in monetary terms) or non-financial. So, a business might need to report a pending lawsuit to the same degree it reports its revenues because both pieces of information could impact investors’ view of the company.

    For example, with a bigger investor focus on sustainability nowadays, a business might want to include information related to its environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) practices to assure shareholders that the business is a sustainable investment. As Professor Robert G. Eccles discusses in a Harvard Business Review interview, there’s been a push toward new accounting standards to better measure material information related to sustainability.

    Ultimately, the type of information that’s material to an organization’s financial statements will vary and depend on the size, scope, and business priorities of the firm.

    Examples of Materiality

    Materiality looks slightly different for each organization, but there are certain scenarios that can be applied to all businesses.

    1. Expensing vs. Depreciating

    Imagine a company purchases an electric pencil sharpener for $15. Typically, the sharpener should be recorded as an asset and then depreciation expense should be recorded throughout its useful life. However, materiality allows you to expense the entire $15 at once.

    In this scenario, you’re able to expense the entire transaction at once because the information is immaterial. Recording the transaction in this way is unlikely to impact the decision-making process of investors, therefore the $15 cost of the pencil sharpener is immaterial.

    2. Losses Compared to Net Income

    If a company were to incur a significant loss due to unforeseen circumstances, whether or not this loss is reported depends on the size of the loss compared to the company’s net income.

    Imagine that a manufacturing company’s warehouse floods and $20,000 in merchandise is destroyed. If the company’s net income is $50 million a year, then the $20,000 loss is immaterial and can be left off its income statement. On the other hand, if the company’s net income is only $40,000, that would be a 50 percent loss. In this case, the loss is material, so it’s crucial that the company makes the information known to its investors and other financial statement users.

    Financial Accounting| Understand the numbers that drive business success | Learn More

    Preparing Accurate Financial Statements

    By considering materiality and other key financial accounting concepts, a company’s financial statements will be more accurate and ultimately tell a clearer story of its financial health.

    Whether you’re in a financial role or not, it’s important that you can speak to your organization’s profitability and performance. Knowledge of how to prepare and analyze financial statements can help you better understand your organization and become more effective in your role.

    Do you want to develop your financial accounting skills and learn how to analyze financial statements? Explore our eight-week online course Financial Accounting and other finance and accounting courses to discover how managers, analysts, and entrepreneurs leverage accounting to drive strategic decision-making.

    This post was updated on September 7, 2021. It was originally published on January 5, 2016.

     
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    We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

    Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

    Are HBS Online programs available in languages other than English?

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    We expect to offer our courses in additional languages in the future but, at this time, HBS Online can only be provided in English.

    All course content is delivered in written English. Closed captioning in English is available for all videos. There are no live interactions during the course that requires the learner to speak English. Coursework must be completed in English.

    Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

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    No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location.

    How do I enroll in a course?

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    Certificate Programs

    HBS Online welcomes committed learners wherever they are—in the world and their careers—irrespective of their professional experience or academic background. To extend the reach of HBS Online, we no longer require an application for our certificate programs. (Applications are still required for our credential programs: CORe and CLIMB.) You can now immediately enroll and start taking the next step in your career.

    All programs require the completion of a brief online enrollment form before payment. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before enrolling in the program of your choice.

    Our easy online enrollment form is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

    Updates to your enrollment status will be shown on your account page. HBS Online does not use race, gender, ethnicity, or any protected class as criteria for enrollment for any HBS Online program.

    Credential Programs

    HBS Online's CORe and CLIMB programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

    Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

    Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your account page. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application for CORe and three weeks for CLIMB. HBS Online does not use race, gender, ethnicity, or any protected class as criteria for admissions for any HBS Online program.

    Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

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    No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

    What are my payment options?

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    HBS Online offers a variety of payment methods to provide flexibility, including:

    • Credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AMEX)
    • PayPal
    • Wire transfers
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    • Bank loans (When available)

    You may split your payment across two credit card transactions or send a payment link to another individual to complete payment on your behalf. A minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

    Some learners may also qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the program fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for more information.

    What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

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    After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

     

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