New Take on Net Assets - Nonprofit Accounting Academy (2024)

New Take on Net Assets - Nonprofit Accounting Academy (1)We keep getting “the question.” Hint — it’s not “Would you be our treasurer?” Though we get that one a lot, too.

No, the question we refer to is when our client points to the net assets section of the organization’s balance sheet and asks, “Is that the money we have to spend?”

It’s a little bit more complicated than that.

Net assets is what’s left after you subtract liabilities from total assets. Put another way, net assets is the amount of the organization’s assets not financed with debt.

It’s even possible, if liabilities exceed assets, for net assets to be negative. Negative net assets would be bad.

A positive number for net assets is looking better, but before you can give a thumbs up, you need to look more closely. Are any of the net assets restricted?

New Language for Net Assets

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) decided the language around net assets was too confusing. Imagine that, a bunch of accountants agreeing nobody could understand them. So they came out with Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-14 that defines two types of net assets:

  1. Net assets with strings attached
  2. Net assets without strings attached

Just kidding! The actual language they use is:

  1. Net assets with donor restrictions
  2. Net assets without donor restrictions

First subtract liabilities from total assets to come up with total net assets. Then remove net assets with strings attached, er, make that with donor restrictions. Any positive number remaining is net assets without strings attached; er, we mean without donor restrictions.

What are net assets with donor restrictions?

The new rules define net assets with donor restrictions as “the portion of net assets subject to donor-imposed restrictions.” That’s what we just said.

Maybe a few examples will help.

Net Assets with Donor Restrictions as to Purpose

Net assets with donor restrictions can be temporarily restricted as to purpose. For example, you receive a grant to provide transportation for visually impaired individuals or to conduct a summer theatre program for teens. As you spend the funds on the specified program, the temporary restrictions are released. Any UNspent purpose-restricted funds would be part of net assets with donor restrictions.

Net Assets with Donor Restrictions as to Time

Net assets with donor restrictions can also be restricted as to time. For example, you receive a pledge to be paid over five years. The portion to be paid in future years is considered time restricted since it’s not available to be spent until you receive it. You may also receive a grant with explicit restrictions on when the funds are to be used. In this case the restrictions are released with the passage of time. Funds to be received and/or spent in future years would be part of net assets with donor restrictions.

Net Assets with Donor Restrictions for Endowment

Another type of donor-imposed restriction is “permanently restricted.” Permanently restricted funds under the new accounting standard are now called endowment funds. (Actually we’ve always referred to such funds as endowment; now it’s just official.) Per the FASB Glossary, the purpose of endowment funds is to provide income for the maintenance of a not-for-profit organization. Endowment funds may provide income in perpetuity (permanent endowment) or for a specified period (term endowment). Endowment funds are also part of net assets with donor restrictions.

Net Assets Without Donor Restrictions

So if part of the organization’s net assets are comprised of net assets with restrictions, these net assets need to be pulled out and presented separately from total net assets. The remaining balance is net assets without donor restrictions. If net assets without donor restrictions is a positive number (and it should be) that’s a good thing. Unfortunately it still does not represent the money you have to spend.

In a future post we’ll delve into determining the money you have to spend!

New Take on Net Assets - Nonprofit Accounting Academy (2024)

FAQs

What are net assets in nonprofit accounting? ›

Your nonprofit's net assets are the financial resources you have available to fund your. operations and mission-related activities. They include both monetary resources like cash and investments as well as assets that aren't monetary but still have financial value for your organization, such as property and equipment.

Is non profit accounting difficult? ›

Your financial reports must be timely, accurate, and consistent. And the last one— consistency— is a significant challenge for many nonprofits. Many nonprofit accounting teams are self-trained. And many CPAs or general accountants aren't familiar with the specific challenges that a nonprofit faces.

How do you calculate change in net assets for a non profit? ›

Add up all the inflows from donations and revenue that the charity generated. Subtract the outflows from expenses related to the charity's operations. Find the net realized gain or loss from sales of assets during the period, and either add in the gain, or subtract the loss.

How do you solve for net assets? ›

It is calculated ((Total Fixed Assets + Total Current Assets) – (Total Current Liabilities + Total Long Term Liabilities)).

What are the two types of net assets? ›

Every nonprofit must show two categories of Net Assets on its Balance Sheet: Net Assets with Donor Restrictions and Net Assets without Donor Restrictions.

What are the three classes of net assets? ›

Classes of Net Assets
  • Unrestricted.
  • Temporarily restricted.
  • Permanently restricted.

What is the hardest subject in accounting? ›

What Is the Most Difficult Accounting Course?
  • Taxation. ...
  • Cost Accounting. ...
  • Financial Statement Analysis. ...
  • Managerial Accounting. ...
  • Accounting Information Systems. ...
  • International Accounting. ...
  • Forensic Accounting. ...
  • Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting.

What accounting method do most nonprofits use? ›

Due to their more complicated requirements, medium-sized and large nonprofits typically choose accrual basis accounting. In fact, U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) dictate the use of accrual accounting, and some states have their own regulations for how nonprofits must report income.

Who owns non profit assets? ›

The nonprofit corporation generally owns assets of the business and is entitled to receive the revenue from its operation. Many nonprofits are managed by boards, others may be managed by voting members, some are managed by a combination of those.

What causes a change in net assets? ›

Operating activities: Profits or losses generated from an organization's core business operations, such as sales revenue, cost of goods sold, and operating expenses, can cause a change in net assets.

Do nonprofits have to capitalize assets? ›

Many mid-sized nonprofits have a capitalization threshold of $1000. That means that if your organization bought a new laptop computer that cost $1000 or more, it would be classified as an asset. If the computer cost less than $1000 it would be treated as an expense instead.

What is net new assets? ›

Net new assets measure the degree of success in acquiring assets under management.

What is a good NAV? ›

Is a High NAV Good or Bad? A high NAV indicates nothing on its own, except that the fund holds a large value of assets. What is important is to compare things on a relative basis, such as the NAV of one growth fund to another. It is also important to compare a fund's NAV to its market price.

How do you explain net assets? ›

The term 'net assets' refers to the total assets of an entity, minus its all liabilities. In other words, net assets are all things or shares that a company owns, minus what it owes to other organisations or people. The total amount of net assets is exactly the same as the stockholders' equity of a business.

What are considered assets for a nonprofit? ›

The assets section of your nonprofit balance sheet defines what your nonprofit owns. It includes items like your cash assets, accounts receivable, property and equipment investments, long-term receivables, prepaid expenses, and more.

What are the net assets on a 990? ›

Budget details can be found further down in the 990. minus total liabilities is the net assets. This represents what the organization has, what is invested, what is deposited, and what is owed. For a company, this would be viewed as stockholder's equity.

What is included in net assets? ›

It is the sum total of everything your company owns (gross assets) minus the total cost of your debts (liabilities). The resulting figure is often referred to as your company's net asset value. The calculation is the same as for an individual's net worth.

What are the classifications of non profit net assets? ›

Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) call for an organization's net assets to be classified as “with” or “without” donor restrictions. Net assets were formerly presented as unrestricted, temporarily restricted, or permanently restricted.

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