Materiality Concept - Management
• The Materiality Concept states that only information significant enough to affect decisions of users should be recorded or reported.
• Ensures focus on information that really matters.
• Saves time and cost by not tracking trivial details.
• Helps present financial statements that are relevant, clear, and not overloaded.
• Provides a practical balance between accuracy and efficiency in accounting.
Simple Example: Imagine Indian Railways purchases 10,000 new coaches worth ₹5,00,000 each. At the same time, one pencil worth ₹10 is bought for the Accounts Office.
➤ Recording coach purchases is MATERIAL → because it affects assets, budgets, and financial statements.
➤ Recording the pencil individually is IMMATERIAL → because whether it’s recorded or not, it doesn’t affect decision-making.
In practice:
- Coaches → recorded properly in the books.
- Pencil → usually treated as a stationery expense, not tracked individually.
👉 Essence: The Materiality Concept ensures financial statements reflect useful and significant information without being cluttered by trivial details.
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