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Q.Manas and Ranvir are partners in a firm having capital balances of ₹1,20,000 and ₹80,000 respectively. Sanju is admitted as a new partner in the firm for 1/5 th share in future profits. Sanju brought ₹1,00,000 as his capital. The goodwill of the firm on Sanju's admission will be : (A) ₹5,00,000 (B) ₹2,00,000 (C) ₹3,00,000 (D) ₹1,00,000

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2024MCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★
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The goodwill of the firm is calculated using the hidden goodwill method, which is the difference between the total capitalised value of the firm based on the new partner's capital and the actual combined capital of all partners. The goodwill of the firm is ₹2,00,000.

When a new partner is admitted to a firm, and they bring in capital for a specific share of future profits, but the value of the firm's goodwill is not explicitly given, we often need to calculate what is known as "Hidden Goodwill" or "Implied Goodwill." This method is based on the premise that the capital brought in by the new partner for their share of profits represents a proportionate share of the total capitalised value of the entire firm.

The core idea is this: if a new partner invests a certain amount for a certain share, we can extrapolate what the total value of the firm should be based on this investment. We then compare this "total capitalised value" with the actual combined capital of all partners (old and new). Any excess of the total capitalised value over the actual combined capital is attributed to the firm's goodwill, as goodwill is an intangible asset that enhances the firm's earning capacity and thus its overall value.

Treatment:

The calculation involves two main steps:

  1. Determining the Total Capitalised Value of the Firm: This is derived by taking the new partner's capital and dividing it by their profit-sharing ratio. This effectively "scales up" the new partner's contribution to represent the value of the entire firm.
  2. Calculating the Actual Combined Capital of All Partners: This is simply the sum of the capital balances of all partners (existing and new) after the new partner's capital contribution.
  3. Finding Hidden Goodwill: The difference between the Total Capitalised Value and the Actual Combined Capital is the Hidden Goodwill.
Watch out

A common mistake is to simply add the new partner's capital to the old partners' capitals and assume that is the firm's total capital. This ignores the value of goodwill that the existing partners have built up over time, which the new partner is effectively buying into. The hidden goodwill method accounts for this unrecorded value.

Working Notes

1. Calculation of Total Capitalised Value of the Firm …

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