Inventory Conformity Rule

According to the LIFO conformity requirement, the LIFO cost flow method must be utilized in the financial statements if it is used to calculate taxable revenue. The regulation is intended to stop businesses from using LIFO accounting to lower their taxable income while employing a different inventory cost flow method (like FIFO) to generate a higher income number in their financial statements.

The conformity rule has the unfavorable effect of causing firms who choose to utilize LIFO to effectively underreport their financial performance to their lenders, investors, and creditors. As a result, a company's market value can decline, and (link: https://fincent.com/glossary/trade-creditors text: creditors) and lenders might refuse to extend loans.

Understanding Inventory Conformity Rule

It is important to study the first LIFO approach in order to comprehend the LIFO Conformity rule. Last in, first out is referred to as LIFO. Inventory is maintained and recorded using the LIFO accounting approach. This approach marks the most recent product as having been sold for the first time. The most recently produced products are the first to be reported as a Cost of Goods Sold expense under the Last-in, First-out technique ((link: https://fincent.com/glossary/cost-of-goods-sold text: COGS)). Because the recently created things under this strategy are sold first, the older, lower-priced items end up being presented as inventory.

As a result, businesses might modify their (link: https://fincent.com/glossary/financial-statements text: financial statements) to represent inventory at reduced costs. The Internal Revenue Service has established a LIFO conformance rule to address such circumstances and reduce the likelihood of account manipulation. Prior to the LIFO Conformity Directive, several businesses used the LIFO method to advertise their inventory at a lower cost, but these loopholes are now closed.

The LIFO approach reduces an organization's net income, enabling them to receive a tax benefit. To deal with such circumstances, the IRS issued a conformity rule that requires LIFO-using businesses to maintain consistency in their usage of LIFO in their tax calculation and financial statement preparation.

Requirements of Conformity Rule

• The Last in, First out conformity rule must firstly be applied to the taxpayer's first taxable year using the Last in, First out technique in order to be in compliance. A taxpayer is required to make sure that they exclusively use the Last in, First out approach to calculate taxes and prepare financial accounts. All reports or income statements, profit or loss statements of shareholders, payees, or credit holders are subject to the conformity regulations.
• Future taxable years are likewise covered by the Last in, First out conformity rule. When a taxpayer opts for the latest in, first out method of inventory valuation, it is required to maintain consistency while employing LIFO to report financial information. If a taxpayer switches to a different technique, it must also alter it for tax purposes.

Exceptions of Conformity Rule to the Financial Statement Reporting Requirement

There are some exceptions to using the LIFO method to the financial reporting requirement. The five exceptions are explained below:

1. For the information given as an explanation and a supplement to the taxpayer's financial statement, a non-LIFO approach may be employed. It's possible that the income statement will not include explanatory or supplemental data.
2. A taxpayer utilizing the LIFO technique may use a non-LIFO method to estimate the value of its inventory on its balance sheet, but a taxpayer is not required to disclose non-LIFO earnings when making these disclosures.
3. A taxpayer employing the LIFO approach may also present an internal management report using the non-LIFO way. Therefore, none of the stakeholders or other business parties should be shown these non-LIFO reports. The sole purpose of the internal management reports created by the taxpayer utilizing LIFO is management.
4. A taxpayer who reports utilizing the non-LIFO approach and covers a single period of less than a year may do so. Reports that offer data for a complete year are subject to the LIFO compliance rule.
5. While employing the LIFO approach, a taxpayer can decide whether to value their stock at cost or at a lower market value. He has not broken the conformance norm. Therefore, in order to comply with the conformity rule, tax stock must be valued at actual cost using LIFO.

Tips for Audit by IRS

To determine whether a taxpayer has utilized the LIFO technique or another non-LIFO method for tax purposes, a study of the annual reports of taxpayers employing the LIFO method should be conducted. Checking that taxpayers comply with the exception requirement should also include a review of the internal management report and interim report.

If the non-LIFO method is used to give annual reports to shareholders and annual reports take into account data and information for more than a year, all reports should be taken into consideration as consideration of conformance rule breach.