{"id":23930,"date":"2022-10-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldscholarshipforum.com\/wealth\/?p=23930"},"modified":"2022-10-27T02:21:51","modified_gmt":"2022-10-27T02:21:51","slug":"deferred-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kiiky.com\/wealth\/deferred-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Deferred Tax? Definition, Overview, and How It Works","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Taxation is one aspect of the economy the government uses to gain revenues and everyone including companies and individuals is liable to pay tax. There are several tax rules guiding tax payment, and various countries have their tax rules. Sometimes, there might be similarities between tax rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, one thing that stands out is that the accounting methods used by companies in preparing financial statements might differ from that of the tax authorities leading to discrepancies in both parties’ records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One area of tax where a company\u2019s accounting method differs from tax rules is in the case of deferred tax. Regarding taxable income, tax authorities do not regard some things like warranties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another aspect might be in the depreciation method a company chooses. All these could lead to either a deferred tax liability or asset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll be looking at what is deferred tax? Its definition, overview, and how it works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is Deferred Tax?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Wikipedia, Deferred Tax is a national asset or liability that reflects corporate income taxation on a basis that is the same or more similar to the recognition of profit than the taxation treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It refers to either a liability or asset entry on a company\u2019s balance sheet concerning tax owed or overpaid due to temporary differences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defer tax means tax that is either owed or overpaid because of a temporary difference. This temporary difference is seen as a difference between the company\u2019s income and the tax income which can be resolved later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Also: What is Tax Topic 152? All you need to know<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does Deferred Tax Work?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Deferred tax can happen in two ways either as an asset or liability. These two items will appear as entries on the company\u2019s balance sheet. They both represent the negative or positive amount of tax owed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A company can have only a tax liability or a deferred tax asset. To determine which is an asset or a liability depends on whether the tax is owed or overpaid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Deferred Tax Asset<\/strong>?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Deferred tax asset occurs when a company overpays its tax due for a specific period, this can be recorded as a deferred tax asset on the company\u2019s balance sheet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When businesses overpay taxes or pay taxes in advance this can be seen as an asset which means the business is eligible to receive a tax break or reduction on their next tax filing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One benefit of paying tax in advance or overpaying tax for businesses is that it reduces the burden of future tax dues. They wouldn\u2019t have to worry about the amount of tax they\u2019ll pay in their next tax filing or if they\u2019ll be able to meet up with the amount required. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also happens when losses are carried over from the previous accounting period to the new accounting period. This can also be claimed as an asset in the new accounting period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example of deferred tax asset calculation<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Imagine a phone production company estimates, based on previous experience, that the probability that a phone will be returned for warranty repair in the coming year is 4% of the total production. If the company\u2019s total revenue in year one is $8000 and the warranty expenses in its book are $320 (2%\u00d78,000), then the taxable income is 7,680.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most tax authorities do not allow companies to subtract expenses based on expected warranties. This means the company\u2019s taxable income is the whole $8,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assuming the tax rate for companies is 30%, the difference of $96 ($320\u00d730%) between the tax payable in the income statement and the actual amount of tax paid to the tax authorities is the deferred tax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Also: 9 States With No Income Tax in 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Causes Deferred Tax Asset?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A company\u2019s balance sheet reflects deferred tax assets if it has overpaid its tax dues or it paid in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This might happen because of a difference in the time a company pays its tax and when the tax authorities credit it. If it shows that the company overpaid its tax, they\u2019ll be refunded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In circumstances like this, the company\u2019s balance sheet should show taxes they paid or money due to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deferred Tax Liability<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Deferred tax liability happens when a company has a specific amount of income for an accounting period that differs from the taxable amount on their tax returns. If such an amount is less than the estimated tax, it should be recorded as a deferred tax liability in the balance sheet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One disadvantage of having accrued tax or paying a lesser tax amount than the expected tax amount is that you\u2019ll be owing to the tax authorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It increases your tax burden which means while you\u2019re trying to pay your present tax you\u2019ll also be thinking of how to clear off the previous amount you\u2019re owing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example of deferred tax liability<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Imagine a company with a building classified as an asset and they decide to use a particular type of depreciation method, say an accelerated method that allows higher deductions earlier in ownership of the asset and decreased deduction later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This method then differs from the slower straight-line method used by the tax authorities which allows the depreciation to be spread equally over the useful life of the assets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This method impacts how much the charges will be for each accounting year. These charges can be claimed as a capital allowance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the depreciation method selected by the company would initially lead to a larger amount than the depreciation method selected by the tax authorities, their income will be much more than what is considered a taxable income. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In such cases, the temporary difference will be added as deferred tax liability in the books. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Causes Deferred Tax Liability?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A company\u2019s balance sheet reflects deferred tax liability if it underpaid its tax due or has accrued tax expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This occurs when a company uses a different method from the tax authorities to prepare its financial books. If it chooses an accounting method that reduces its taxable income or makes it lower than what the tax authorities calculated, it\u2019ll be liable to pay back the amount owed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In such cases, the company\u2019s balance sheet would reflect the amount of accrued tax or tax owed to the tax authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See Also: What is Tax Planning? Why do You Need It in 2022<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deferred tax and taxable temporary difference<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The taxable temporary difference is an important concept to know about deferred tax. The taxable temporary difference happens when a company has an asset with a liability value that doesn\u2019t match the current taxable value of the asset. This may happen when accounting and tax rules differ in how an asset is accounted for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The taxable temporary difference affects a company\u2019s financial account because they show that income and expenses appear within the same accounting period, while the taxable amount is paid in a different accounting period. A temporary difference can be deductible or taxable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is The Benefit of Deferred Tax?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A company can only enjoy benefits from deferred tax if they have a deferred tax asset. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some benefits include :<\/p>\n\n\n\n