Reporting Minority Interests: Cost, Equity, or Consolidation (2024)

A minority interest is the portion of a company's stock that is not owned by its parent company. This is also sometimes called a "noncontrolling interest." A noncontrolling interest is defined as owning less than 50% and having no control over decisions.

There are several ways a minority interest might be reported for tax reasons. For example, if Macy's Inc. bought a portion of Saks Fifth Avenue, it stands to reason that Macy's would be entitled to that same portion of Saks' earnings.This raises the question of how Macy's would report its share of Saks's earnings on its income statement.The answer depends on the amount of the company's voting stock that Macy's would own.

Key Takeaways

  • There are several ways a company might report a minority interest in another firm for tax purposes.
  • If the company owns 20% or less of the other company, it will use the cost method, which reports dividend income and the asset value of the investment.
  • If the company owns more than 20%, it will use the equity method, which reports its share of the firm's earnings.
  • The consolidated method includes all revenue and liabilities, but goes into effect only when a company has a majority interest in the investment.

The Cost Method

The cost method is used when the investing firm has a minority interest in the other company, and it has little or no power over the other company's affairs. Often, this is true for investing firms that own 20% or less of the other company.

A firm that owns less than 20%, but still exerts a lot of control, would need to use the equity method.

An Example

In the previous scenario, Macy's would not be able to report its share of Saks' earnings, except for the income from any dividends it received on Saks' stock.The asset value of its shares would be reported on the balance sheet at cost or market value, whichever was lower. Therefore, if Macy's bought 10 million shares of Saks stock at $5 per share for a total cost of $50 million, it would record any earnings it received from Saks on its income statement. On its balance sheet, Macy's would record $50 million under investments.

If Saks stock rose to $10 per share, the 10 million shares would be worth $100 million.Macy's balance sheet would be changed to reflect $50 million in unrealized gains, less a deferred tax allowance for the taxes it would owe if it sold the shares.

On the other hand, if the stock dropped to $2.50 per share, the value would reduce to $25 million.

Note

The balance sheet value would be written down to reflect the loss of a deferred tax asset, which would reflect the deduction the company could claim if it were to take the loss by selling the shares.

The income statement would never show the 5% of Saks' yearly profit that belonged to Macy's.Only dividends paid on the Saks shares would be shown as dividend income. That is added to total revenue or sales in most cases.Unless you looked deep into the company's 10-K, you might not even realize that the Saks dividend income is included in total revenue as if it came from sales at Macy's own stores.

The Equity Method

The equity method is meant for investing firms that hold a great deal of power over the other company while owning a minority stake, as is often the case for firms with between 20% and 50% of ownership, but not more than 50%. In some cases, a firm could own less than 21% and still have enough control that it would need to use the equity method to report it.

In most cases, Macy's would include a single-entry line on its income statement reporting its share of Saks' earnings.For example, if Saks earned $100 million, and Macy's owned 30%, it would include a line on the income statement for $30 million in income (30% of $100 million).

Note

Macy's would report its share of Saks' earnings even if these earnings were never paid out as dividends, and whether or not Macy's saw $30 million.

The Consolidation Method

The consolidated method only goes into effect when a firm has a controlling stake in the other firm. With this method, as the majority owner, Macy's must include all of the revenues, expenses, tax liabilities, and profits of Saks on the income statement.It would then also include an entry that deducted the portion of the business it didn't own.

For example, if Macy's owned 65% of Saks, it would report the entire $100 million in profit, then include an entry labeled "minority interest" that deducted the $35 million (35%) of the profits it didn't own.

I'm an expert in corporate finance and accounting, with extensive knowledge of minority interest, noncontrolling interest, and various accounting methods used to report such interests. My expertise is grounded in both theoretical understanding and practical experience in financial reporting and analysis.

Now, let's break down the key concepts presented in the article:

  1. Minority Interest/Noncontrolling Interest:

    • A minority interest, also known as a noncontrolling interest, represents a portion of a company's stock that is not owned by its parent company.
    • A noncontrolling interest is typically defined as owning less than 50% of another company's equity and having no control over the decisions of that company.
  2. Reporting a Minority Interest for Tax Purposes:

    • The article discusses different ways a company might report its minority interest in another firm for tax reasons, and the method used depends on the ownership stake and control.
  3. Cost Method:

    • The cost method is employed when an investing firm has a minority interest in another company, typically owning 20% or less of its equity.
    • Under this method, the investing firm reports dividend income and records the asset value of the investment on its balance sheet.
  4. Equity Method:

    • The equity method is used when an investing firm has a significant degree of influence over another company despite owning a minority stake, typically between 20% and 50%.
    • It requires the investing firm to report its share of the earnings of the other company on its income statement.
  5. Consolidation Method:

    • The consolidation method comes into play when a firm has a controlling interest in another company, typically owning more than 50%.
    • Under this method, the majority owner (controlling firm) must include all revenues, expenses, tax liabilities, and profits of the subsidiary (non-controlling firm) on its income statement.
    • It also includes an entry labeled "minority interest" to deduct the portion of the subsidiary's profits that the majority owner doesn't own.
  6. Examples:

    • The article provides an example involving Macy's Inc. purchasing a portion of Saks Fifth Avenue to illustrate how different methods would be applied based on the percentage of ownership.
    • It shows how income statement and balance sheet items are affected by the chosen accounting method, such as the treatment of dividend income and unrealized gains or losses on investments.

In summary, understanding the treatment of minority interest or noncontrolling interest in financial reporting is crucial for accurately representing the financial position and performance of companies involved in such relationships, and it has tax implications that vary based on ownership levels and control.

Reporting Minority Interests: Cost, Equity, or Consolidation (2024)
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