End-of-year inventory tasks really put the “count” in accounting. 415 Group senior manager Matt Campanale, CPA, explains the short-term and long-term importance of an organized system and accurate count.
As year-end approaches, it’s time for some calendar-year businesses to perform physical inventory counts. This activity is more than a time-consuming chore; it’s an opportunity to improve your company’s operational efficiency.
Here are some best practices as you prepare to count your inventory, as well as guidance on how to get more from these counts.
Getting an accurate count
Accurate inventory counts are important for many reasons.
First, you want a reliable estimate of ending inventory so that the profits you record this year are accurate. For retailers, manufacturers and many other businesses, the cost of sales is a major expense on the income statement. At the most basic level, the cost of sales equals beginning inventory plus purchases during the year minus ending inventory.
If the inventory balance is incorrect at the beginning or end of the year, management won’t truly know the company’s profit. If the inventory balance is incorrect at the beginning or end of the year, management won’t know how profitable the company truly is.
In addition, inventory is a major line item on your company’s balance sheet. Lenders rely on inventory as a form of loan collateral. Stockholders look to inventory-based ratios (such as the current ratio or days-in-inventory ratio) to evaluate financial strength. And if disaster strikes, your insurance coverage (based on asset values on your balance sheet) should be adequate to cover any inventory losses.
Most companies track the value of inventory through a computerized perpetual inventory system. In it, the value increases when purchases are made (or as raw materials are processed into finished goods) and decreases when goods are sold.
But a count taken from a perpetual inventory system may not always be accurate.
That’s why periodic physical counts are part of a strong internal control system. Companies that conduct a year-end physical inventory count send a message to would-be fraudsters: We’re watching our assets and taking steps to catch fraud.
Estimating inventory values
Depending on the nature of a company’s operations, its balance sheet may include inventory consisting of raw materials, work-in-progress and/or finished goods. Inventory items are recorded at the lower of cost or market value under U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
Estimating the market value of inventory may involve subjective judgment calls, especially if your company converts raw materials into finished goods available for sale. The value of work-in-progress inventory can be especially hard to objectively assess. That’s because it includes overhead allocations and, in some cases, may require percentage of completion assessments.
Preparing for the big day
Before the counting starts, management generally should:
- Order (or create) pre-numbered inventory tags,
- Preview inventory for potential roadblocks that can be fixed before counting begins,
- Assign workers in two-person teams to specific count zones,
- Write off any defective or obsolete inventory items, and
- Pre-count and separate slow-moving items into sealed containers.
- If your company issues audited financial statements, one or more members of your external audit team will be present during your physical inventory count. They won’t help count inventory.
Instead, they’ll observe the procedures (including any statistical sampling methods), review written inventory processes, evaluate internal controls over inventory and perform independent counts to compare to your inventory listing and counts made by your employees.
Ready, set, count
When it comes to physical inventory counts, we’ve seen the best (and worst) practices over the years.
Contact us for guidance on how to perform a physical inventory count and manage your inventory more efficiently.
© 2023
When it comes to year-end inventory counts, it’s important to be both accurate and organized. Let’s first discuss accuracy.
When you have an accurate end-of-year inventory count, it sets you up for success in the new year. The data will provide an accurate number not only for inventory but also for cost of goods sold, which will impact your profit.
An accurate inventory balance could even impact your relationships with lenders, stockholders and insurance companies, as mentioned in the main article below.
At 415 Group, we often see it also having an impact when it comes time to sell the business to a new owner or when new outside investors are brought in. These people rely on the financial statements to get a good picture of where the business currently stands. Inaccurate inventory and cost of goods sold amounts could negatively impact the sale.
Implementing Cycle Counts
If you find that your business already has discrepancies during its year-end inventory counts, you may want to consider implementing cycle counts. These periodic physical counts create a stronger control system. Not only does it help avoid a large adjustment at the end of the year, but it also sends a message to employees that the company is keeping an eye on inventory, which aids in stopping employees from stealing products for personal use or to sell on the side. Now for the importance of an organized system.
Organized Inventory
The article below mentions a handful of ways you can prepare for counting inventory and a visit from your external audit team. The external audit team typically performs a sample of counts to ensure the company’s inventory is materially accurate. In order to keep the process efficient and effective, you’ll want to ensure you are organized.
Knowing where the inventory is ahead of time and being in one single location makes it quite easy for them to take a sample count. Organized inventory will help both you and the external auditor. Everyone involved will appreciate the efficiency and lack of confusion.
Inventory Count Assistance
At our firm, we not only observe inventory counts for many of our clients, but we also assist firms that need help with businesses in our area. For example, an accounting firm in Texas may have a client based in Northeast Ohio. They can reach out to us for inventory observation, which is a more cost-effective solution compared to sending out part of their team for a few days.
So, if your company needs help with inventory observations in Northeast Ohio, reach out to 415 Group today. We’d be happy to discuss your needs and devise a solution that ensures an accurate count.