Cash Flow: From Pocket Money to the Cash Flow Statement
Think of your own pocket money. You get ₹500 from your parents. You spend ₹200 on snacks, ₹100 on a movie ticket, and save ₹200. At the end of the month, your cash in hand has increased by ₹200. That's a cash inflow. If you had spent ₹600 instead, your cash would have decreased by ₹100 — a cash outflow.
Now imagine you run a small business. You sell goods worth ₹10,000, but the customer pays you next month. You also pay rent ₹2,000 in cash today. Your profit might be ₹8,000, but your cash actually went down by ₹2,000. Cash flow is the difference between cash coming in and cash going out during a period. It is not the same as profit.
Why Cash Flow Matters
A business can be profitable on paper yet run out of cash. This is called insolvency — the inability to pay bills when they fall due. Cash flow tells you whether the business has enough liquid money to survive day-to-day operations. The Cash Flow Statement (CFS) is a mandatory financial statement under AS-3 (Accounting Standard 3) for listed companies. It shows why cash changed during the year.
The Three Activities of Cash Flow
The NCERT textbook classifies all cash flows into three buckets:
| Activity | What it includes | Example |
|---|
| Operating Activities | Main revenue-producing activities | Cash from selling goods, cash paid to suppliers, salaries |
| Investing Activities | Purchase/sale of long-term assets | Buying machinery, selling land, loans given |
| Financing Activities | Changes in equity and borrowings | Issue of shares, repayment of bank loan, dividend paid |
The net increase or decrease in cash during the year = Operating cash flow + Investing cash flow + Financing cash flow. This must match the change in cash balance shown in the Balance Sheet.
Accounting Treatment — No Debit/Credit Here
The Cash Flow Statement is not a journal entry. It is a statement — a report that rearranges information already recorded in the books. You do not debit or credit any account while preparing it. Instead, you analyse the Balance Sheet and Statement of Profit & Loss to identify cash movements.
For example, if the Balance Sheet shows:
- Debtors increased from ₹50,000 to ₹70,000 → cash inflow from debtors is less than sales. So you deduct the increase from operating profit.
- Creditors increased from ₹30,000 to ₹40,000 → you delayed paying suppliers → cash outflow is less than purchases. So you add the increase to operating profit.
The Proforma of a Cash Flow Statement (as per NCERT)
Below is the standard format. All figures are illustrative — do not treat them as real data.
Cash Flow Statement for the year ended 31st March 20XX
| Particulars | Amount (₹) |
|---|
| A. Cash Flow from Operating Activities | |
| Net Profit before Tax (from P&L) | 1,00,000 |
| Adjustments for non-cash items: | |
| Add: Depreciation | 20,000 |
| Add: Loss on sale of asset | 5,000 |
| Less: Profit on sale of asset | (3,000) |
| Changes in Working Capital: | |
| Increase in Debtors | (10,000) |
| Decrease in Stock | 8,000 |
| Increase in Creditors | 6,000 |
| Net Cash from Operating Activities | 1,26,000 |
| B. Cash Flow from Investing Activities | |
| Purchase of Machinery | (50,000) |
| Sale of Land | 30,000 |
| Net Cash used in Investing Activities | (20,000) |
| C. Cash Flow from Financing Activities | |
| Issue of Share Capital | 40,000 |
| Repayment of Loan | (15,000) |
| Dividend Paid | (10,000) |
| Net Cash from Financing Activities | 15,000 |
| Net Increase in Cash (A+B+C) | 1,21,000 |
| Add: Opening Cash Balance | 10,000 |
| Closing Cash Balance | 1,31,000 |
Key Formulas You Must Know
While preparing the CFS, you will need these:
- Cash from Operations (Direct Method) = Cash received from customers – Cash paid to suppliers – Cash paid for expenses – Cash paid for taxes
- Cash from Operations (Indirect Method) = Net Profit + Non-cash expenses (depreciation, amortisation) + Loss on sale of assets – Profit on sale of assets + Decrease in current assets – Increase in current assets + Increase in current liabilities – Decrease in current liabilities
- Net Cash Flow = Total Inflows – Total Outflows
A common mistake: treating depreciation as a source of cash. It is not. Depreciation is a non-cash expense — we add it back to net profit because it reduced profit but did not reduce cash. Similarly, profit on sale of asset is subtracted because it increased profit but did not come from operations.
The Bottom Line
The Cash Flow Statement answers one question: Where did the cash come from, and where did it go? It is not about profit — it is about liquidity. For a Class 12 exam, focus on:
- Classifying each transaction into Operating, Investing, or Financing.
- Adjusting net profit for non-cash items and working capital changes.
- Presenting the final statement in the correct format.
Master this, and you will understand the financial health of any business — not just its earnings.