Questions:
Compare and contrast the cost, equity and consolidation method of reporting ownership interest between companies.

What are the requirements for accounting of consolidated financial statements?

Reference answers:
There are primarily three ways to report ownership interest between companies. The first way is to create consolidated subsidiary financial statements. The cost and equity methods are two additional ways companies may account for ownership interests in their financial reporting. Ownership is usually based on the total amount of equity owned. If a company owns less than 20% of another company's stock, it will usually use the cost method of financial reporting. If a company owns more than 20% but less than 50%, it will usually use the equity method.

Equity Method:
The equity method is an accounting technique used by a company to record the profits earned through its investment in another company. With the equity method of accounting, the investor company reports the revenue earned by the other company on its income statement. This amount is proportional to the percentage of its equity investment in the other company.
The equity method is the standard technique used when one company, the investor, has a significant influence over another company, the investee. When a company holds approximately 20% or more of a company's stock, it is considered to have significant influence.The significant influence means that the investor company can impact the value of the investee company, which in turn benefits the investor.the change in value of that investment must be reported on the investor's income statement.Companies with less than 20% interest in another company may also hold significant influence, in which case they also need to use the equity method. Significant influence is defined as an ability to exert power over another company. This power includes representation on the board of directors, involvement in policy development, and the interchanging of managerial personnel.

Cost method:
the cost method is used when making a passive, long-term investment that doesn't result in influence over the company. The cost method should be used when the investment results in an ownership stake of less than 20%, but this isn't a set-in-stone rule, as the influence is the more important factor.
Under the cost method, the stock purchased is recorded on a balance sheet as a non-current asset at the historical purchase price, and is not modified unless shares are sold, or additional shares are purchased. Any dividends received are recorded as income, and can be taxed as such.
For example, if your company buys a 5% stake in another company for $1 million, that is how the shares are valued on your balance sheet -- regardless of their current price. If your investment pays $10,000 in quarterly dividends, that amount is added to your company's income.

When an investor company exercises full control, generally over 50% ownership, over the investee company, it must record its investment in the subsidiary using a consolidation method. All revenue, expenses, assets, and liabilities of the subsidiary would be included in the parent company's financial statements. The consolidation method works by reporting the subsidiary’s balances in a combined statement along with the parent company’s balances, hence “consolidated”. Under the consolidation method, a parent company combines its own revenue with 100% of the revenue of the subsidiary.


The consolidation method records 100% of the subsidiary’s assets and liabilities on the parent company’s balance sheet, even though the parent may not own 100% of the subsidiary’s equity. The parent income statement will also include 100% of the subsidiary’s revenue and expenses. If the parent does not own 100% of the subsidiary, then the parent will allocate to the noncontrolling interest the percentage of the subsidiary’s net income that the parent does NOT own. When the companies are consolidated, an elimination entry must be made to eliminate these amounts to ensure there is no overstatement.
The elimination adjustment is made with the intent of offsetting the intercompany transaction and the shareholders’ equity, such that the values are not double counted at the consolidated level.

IFRS requires to combine like items of assets, liabilities, equity, income, expenses and cash flows of the parent with those of its subsidiaries offset (eliminate) the carrying amount of the parent's investment in each subsidiary and the parent's portion of equity of each subsidiary (IFRS 3 Business Combinations explains how to account for any related goodwill) eliminate in full intra group assets and liabilities, equity, income, expenses and cash flows relating to transactions between entities of the group (profits or losses resulting from intragroup transactions that are recognized in assets, such as inventory and fixed assets, are eliminated in full).
A reporting entity includes the income and expenses of a subsidiary in the consolidated financial statements from the date it gains control until the date when the reporting entity ceases to control the subsidiary. Income and expenses of the subsidiary are based on the amounts of the assets and liabilities recognised in the consolidated financial statements at the acquisition date. 
The parent and subsidiaries are required to have the same reporting dates, or consolidation based on additional financial information prepared by subsidiary, unless impracticable. Where impracticable, the most recent financial statements of the subsidiary are used, adjusted for the effects of significant transactions or events between the reporting dates of the subsidiary and consolidated financial statements. The difference between the date of the subsidiary's financial statements and that of the consolidated financial statements shall be no more than three months.