Farmers and fishermen may chose to use the cash basis of accounting, while all other taxpayers have to use the accrual method of accounting. The difference between the two methods boils down to how revenues and expenses are accounted for.
In the cash method, all revenues are recognized in the period they are received, and costs are deducted when they are actually paid. Think of it as recognizing revenues when the deposit is made to the bank, and recognizing costs when the cheque is written to pay the bill.
With the accrual method, revenues are recognized when the sale is made, usually when the invoice is sent to the customer, and costs are recognized when the expenses are incurred, usually when an order is placed or when goods are received.
In addition, the accrual method of accounting requires that accounts payable and accounts receivable are recorded, and inventory held for sale is kept track of. The cash basis does not require that accounts payable and receivable or inventory be tracked, and is thus simpler and requires less bookkeeping.
Given all this, why would a farmer or fisherman chose anything other than the cash basis? Well, the reason that accrual accounting is the norm is that it matches revenues to the expenses incurred to earn the revenues, and gives a truer picture of what the actual net income of a business is. As a result, it tends to result in more even net income from year to year, avoiding the “boom and bust” that cash basis accounting can cause. This can result in significant tax savings for businesses, as the example of two start up operations shown below illustrates.
| FARMER | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Total |
| Revenues | Assume NIL | 100,000 | 200,000 | 100,000 | 400,000 |
| Expenses/Purchases | 40,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 220,000 |
| Net Income | (40,000) | 40,000 | 140,000 | 40,000 | 180,000 |
| Losses applied | (40,000) | ||||
| Taxable Income | NIL | NIL | 140,000 | 40,000 | 180,000 |
| Taxes | NIL | NIL | 42,272 | 6,019 | 48,291 |
As you can see, the farmer incurs expenses a year before the revenues are received, because his animals or crops have to grow. He spent more in year 2 and got a good return in year 3, while his return wasn’t as good in year 4 although he spent the same amount in year 3 as he did in year 2. Hopefully he has a good year in year 5, but who knows? A fisherman might have a good catch in one year and thus a high income, and a poor catch in other, and have a low income or a loss.
| BUSINESS | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Total |
| Revenues | NIL | 100,000 | 180,000 | 120,000 | 400,000 |
| Opening Inventory | NIL | 40,000 | 45,000 | 6,000 | |
| PLUS: Expenses/Purchases | 40,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 220,000 |
| Inventory available for sale | 40,000 | 100,000 | 105,000 | 66,000 | |
| LESS: Ending Inventory | (40,000) | (45,000) | (6,000) | NIL | |
| EQUALS: Cost of Goods Sold | NIL | 55,000 | 99,000 | 66,000 | 220,000 |
| Taxable Income | NIL | 45,000 | 81,000 | 54,000 | 180,000 |
| Taxes | NIL | 7,437 | 18,389 | 10,110 | 35,936 |
The business also incurs expenses before revenues, because they have to build goods before they sell them. Even though the business had the same revenues and expenses as the farm, they paid significantly less tax. Most of the farm’s income came in one year, year 3, and the farmer therefore was in a higher tax bracket. Even though the business paid taxes in more years than the farm did, the total taxes overall were less, because of the smoothing effect discussed earlier.
This is why farmers might want to use accrual accounting even if they can opt for cash accounting. Also, there are a number of items that farmers must track on the accrual basis in any case, so the simplicity of bookkeeping for the cash basis might not apply. Consult your accountant for advice on which method is best for you.