Accounting Question:
Download Questions PDF

What is the difference between cost accounting management accounting and financial accounting?

Answer:

For simplistic purposes, there is not much, if any, difference between "cost accounting" and "management accounting". These terms refer to the accounting techniques used internally by a company's management to determine the costs of running the business and help in decision making. For example, reports that compare budgeted to actual expenses are commonly used to monitor the successful management of a specific department or store within a larger enterprise.

Financial Accounting refers to accounting practices that result in financial statements used by various stakeholders of the business. Stakeholders may include management and employees, as well as vendors, suppliers, customers, bankers and regulators. The accounting practices used in compiling financial statements are referred to as "GAAP" or the generally accepted accounting principles as set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board in the U.S. In the U.S., external financial reports issued by public and/or regulated companies must comply with GAAP.

Some accounting methods used in cost accounting are not recognized by GAAP and therefore can only be used internally.

Download Accounting Interview Questions And Answers PDF

Previous QuestionNext Question
What is the relationship between cost accounting financial accounting and managerial accounting?Where the financial accounting fails the cost accounting for is rescue but still there are some limitations deficiencies in the system?