Q.A Limited took over the assets of ₹3,00,000 and liabilities of ₹10,000 from B & Co. Ltd., for an agreed purchase consideration of ₹2,70,000 to be satisfied by issue of 15% debentures of ₹100 at 20% premium. Show the journal entries in the journal of A Limited.

What is Purchase Consideration? Start with an everyday intuition

Imagine you want to buy a small shop from its owner. You don't just pay for the goods on the shelves — you also pay for the shop's name, its customer base, the furniture, the pending bills, and maybe even the goodwill. The total amount you agree to pay the seller for everything — all assets, all liabilities, the whole business — is the purchase consideration.

In simple terms: when one business buys another business (not just its products), the lump sum paid is purchase consideration. It is the price of the entire business as a going concern.

The precise meaning (as per NCERT / Class 12)

Purchase Consideration is the agreed amount payable by the purchasing company to the vendor company (the one being sold) for the acquisition of its business.

It is not the same as the net assets (assets minus liabilities). It is a negotiated figure — often different from the book value of net assets. If the purchase consideration is higher than the net assets, the difference is goodwill. If lower, it is capital reserve.

Why does it matter?

Because the entire accounting entry for the purchase of a business hinges on this one number. You cannot record the acquisition without first determining:

• How much to pay the old firm
• Whether goodwill arises or capital reserve is created
• How to settle the payment (cash, shares, debentures, or a mix)

In board exams, the most common mistake is confusing purchase consideration with net assets. They are not the same.

Methods of calculating Purchase Consideration

NCERT prescribes four methods. You need to know all, but the Net Assets Method is the most frequently tested.

Accounting Treatment — The Journal Entry

When the purchasing company acquires the business, it records the following:

Step 1: Record the assets and liabilities taken over

The journal entry in the books of the purchasing company is:

Sundry Assets A/c                     Dr.   [Agreed value of assets taken over]
Goodwill A/c (if PC > Net Assets)     Dr.   [Difference]
    To Sundry Liabilities A/c                     [Agreed value of liabilities taken over]
    To Vendor (or Business Purchase) A/c          [Purchase Consideration]
    To Capital Reserve A/c (if PC < Net Assets)   [Difference]

Step 2: Discharge of purchase consideration

When the purchasing company pays the vendor:

Vendor (or Business Purchase) A/c     Dr.   [Purchase Consideration]
    To Bank A/c (if paid in cash)
    To Share Capital A/c (if shares issued)
    To Debentures A/c (if debentures issued)

The format / proforma for the Net Assets Method

In your exam, you will often be asked to compute purchase consideration using the Net Assets Method. Here is the standard working note format: