What Is FIFO Inventory Method?

The Fifo accounting method stands for First In First Out. It is one of the most common methods to value Inventory at the end of any accounting period; thus, it impacts the cost of goods sold during the particular period.

Inventory costs are reported either on the balance sheet or are transferred to the income statement as an expense to match against sales revenueSales RevenueSales revenue refers to the income generated by any business entity by selling its goods or providing its services during the normal course of its operations. It is reported annually, quarterly or monthly as the case may be in the business entity's income statement/profit & loss account.read more. When inventories are used up in production or are sold, their cost is transferred from the balance sheet to the income statement as the cost of goods sold.

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FIFO Inventory Method Explained

Under the FIFO inventory method formula, the goods purchased at the earliest are the first to be removed from the inventory account. This results in remaining in the inventory at books being valued at the most recent price for which the last inventory stock is purchased. This results in inventory assets recorded at the most recent posts on the balance sheet.

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Conversely, this method also results in older historical purchase price allocated to the cost of goods sold (COGS) and matched against current period revenues.

The FIFO method of inventory valuation results in an overstatement of gross margin in an inflationary environment and therefore does not necessarily reflect a proper matching of revenues and costs. For example, in an environment where inflation is on an upward trend, current revenue will be matched against older and lower-cost inventory items, resulting in the highest possible gross margin.

The FIFO method inventory valuation is commonly used under both International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Generally Accepted Accounting PrinciplesGenerally Accepted Accounting PrinciplesGAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) are standardized guidelines for accounting and financial reporting.read more (GAAP).

Examples

Let us look at some example of fifo inventory method.

ABC Corporation uses the FIFO method of inventory valuation for December. During that month, it records the following transactions:

Unit of Goods sold: 1000 Beginning inventory + 2000 Purchased – 1250 Ending inventory = 1750 Units. Calculation of First In First Out method

The controller uses the information in the above table and the FIFO inventory method formula to calculate the cost of goods sold for December and the inventory balance as of the end of December.

The $42,000 cost of goods sold and $36,000 ending inventory equals the $78,000 combined total of beginning inventory and purchases during the month.

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Thus, the above example of fifo inventory method gives a clear idea about the valuation process.

Reason

A business in the trading of perishable items generally sells the items purchased first; the benefits of FIFO inventory method is that it typically gives the most accurate calculation of the inventory and sales profit. Other examples include retail businesses that sell foods or other products with an expiration date.

However, there are times when even other businesses that don’t fit this description of perishable items use the First In, First Out method for the following reason: Profit and loss statement would reflect a higher gross profit and shows a stronger financial position that is higher net profit to the investors. From the balance sheet point of viewBalance Sheet Point Of ViewA balance sheet is one of the financial statements of a company that presents the shareholders' equity, liabilities, and assets of the company at a specific point in time. It is based on the accounting equation that states that the sum of the total liabilities and the owner's capital equals the total assets of the company.read more the inventory is also valued at a cost at the current price. This would result in a strong balance sheet as inventory would potentially carry a higher value under the FIFO method inventory valuation (assuming an inflationary environment).

Advantages

• The FIFO method of accounting saves time and money spent calculating the exact inventory cost of being sold because the inventory recording is done in the same order as purchased or produced.
• Easy to understand is one of the benefits of FIFO inventory method
• . Ending inventory is valued based on the most recent purchase price; therefore, inventory value better reflects current market prices of similar products.
• As the oldest available units are used for the cost of goods sold calculation, the possible risk of reduced net realizable valueNet Realizable ValueNet Realizable Value is a value at which the asset may be sold in the market by the company after deducting the expected cost of selling the asset in the market. It is a crucial metric for determining the value of a company's ending inventory or receivables.read more (NRV) and resulting loss recognition is negated as an entity is not dragging any old inventory units in records.
• As the closing stock valueClosing Stock ValueClosing stock or inventory is the amount that a company still has on its hand at the end of a financial period. It may include products getting processed or are produced but not sold. Raw materials, work in progress, and final goods are all included on a broad level.read more is critical in current asset calculation and related accounting ratios (for example, liquidity ratios), the FIFO inventory valuation method is much more relevant to value-ending inventory.
• Normally in an inflationary environment, prices are constantly rising, which will cause an increase in operating expenses. Still, with FIFO accounting, the same inflation will cause an increase in ending inventoryEnding InventoryThe ending inventory formula computes the total value of finished products remaining in stock at the end of an accounting period for sale. It is evaluated by deducting the cost of goods sold from the total of beginning inventory and purchases.read more value that will help increase gross profit and ultimately cover other inflated operating expenses.

Disadvantages

source: bp.com

• One of the biggest disadvantages of FIFO accounting methodFIFO Accounting MethodFIFO stands for First In, First Out. This costing, valuation, and accounting method is most commonly used for inventory valuation, where the first-purchased goods are considered first, followed by the later purchased goods.read more is inventory valuation during inflation; the First In, First Out method will result in higher profits and thus will result in higher “Tax Liabilities” in that particular period. This may result in increased tax charges and higher tax-related cash outflows.
• Use of perpetual FIFO inventory method is not a suitable measure of inventory in times of “hyperinflationHyperinflationHyperinflation is merely an accelerated level of inflation that tends to quickly destroy the actual value of the local currency since there is a rise in the cost of all products and services, and it causes people to lower their holdings in that particular currency as they opt to participate in foreign currencies that are relatively more stable.read more.” During such times, there is no particular pattern of inflation, which may result in the prices of goods inflating drastically. Thus, in such periods, matching most prior purchases with the most recent sales would not be appropriate and present a distorted picture as the profit may be pumped up.

• FIFO inventory valuation method would not be price patterns. This may result in misstated profits for the same period.
• Although the perpetual FIFO inventory method is easy to understand, it may get cumbersome and clumsy to extract and operate the costs of goods, as a substantial amount of data is required, resulting in clerical errors.

FIFO Inventory Methods Vs LIFO Inventory Method

Under FIFO inventory method, whatever comes in first is sold out first whereas under LIFO inventory method what is purchased last is sold out first. However, the differences between them as given below:

Video on FIFO Inventory Method

Recommended Articles

This has been a guide to FIFO Inventory Methods. We discuss first in, first out accounting along with practical examples. Here we also look at the advantages and disadvantages of using FIFO accounting on inventory valuations. You may also have a look at these articles below to learn more on accounting –

• FIFO vs. LIFO
• Inventory Write-Down
• LIFO Reserve
• Retained Earnings Meaning