Q.Mahesh and Dinesh share profits and losses in the ratio of 2:1. From January 01, 2014 they admit Rakesh into their firm who is to be given a share of 1/10 of the profits with a guaranteed minimum of ₹25,000. Mahesh and Dinesh continue to share profits as before but agree to bear any deficiency on account of guarantee to Rakesh in the ratio of 3:2 respectively. The profits of the firm for the year ending December 31, 2015 amounted to ₹1,20,000. Prepare Profit and Loss Appropriation Account.

Profit Appropriation Account – A First Look

Think of a partnership firm as a group of friends who run a business together. At the end of the year, they have earned some profit. But before they split that profit among themselves, they must first settle certain obligations: pay interest on the capital each partner contributed, give a salary to a partner who works full-time, or pay a commission to a partner who brought in a special client. Only after these items are accounted for can the remaining profit be divided.

That is exactly what the Profit Appropriation Account does. It is not a separate ledger account in the double-entry system — it is an extension of the Profit and Loss Account. The Profit and Loss Account shows the net profit (or net loss) of the firm. The Profit Appropriation Account shows how that net profit is appropriated (distributed or allocated) among the partners and to various reserves.

Why does it matter?

Without an appropriation account, you would not know:

• How much interest on capital each partner is entitled to.
• Whether a partner’s salary or commission has been paid.
• How much profit is transferred to the General Reserve.
• What remains to be shared as profit among the partners.

In short, it answers the question: “We made Rs 5,00,000 profit — now what happens to it?”

Accounting treatment – the logic

The Profit Appropriation Account is credited with the net profit brought forward from the Profit and Loss Account. Then, all appropriations (interest on capital, partner’s salary, partner’s commission, transfer to reserve) are debited to this account. The balance left after all debits is the divisible profit, which is then credited to the partners’ capital accounts in their profit-sharing ratio.

The format (as per NCERT Class 12)

Below is the standard proforma. Note that the left side (Dr.) shows all appropriations, and the right side (Cr.) shows the net profit brought in.