The term "reporting period" is used in accounting and refers to the period of time for which a report is prepared, as well as taxes are levied on the enterprise and on individuals. The main reporting period is a year, the interim ones are a month and a quarter. As a rule, all reports and legal measures are carried out according to the results of the reporting year. The reporting period, which starts at 1.01 and ends on December 31, is called the calendar reporting period. If he, having the same duration, begins on any other date, then it is called a fiscal year.
The reporting year in Russia starts at 1.01, and in other countries it can start at 1.04, 1.07 or 1.10. It ends with the reporting date, i.e., the date of the annual report.
Sometimes it is possible to choose an annual reporting period, the beginning and end of which occur at the time of a low level of operations on receivables and inventories (to simplify the calculations). Moreover, the reporting period coincides with the natural business cycle of the enterprise and is called the natural business year.
When preparing interim financial statements, the reporting period is the interval between January 1 and the date on which the interim report is inclusive.
For the enterprises and organizations created in this calendar year in the Russian Federation, the interval between the date of their creation (date of state registration) and the date of 31.12 of the current year is considered to be the first reporting year. If the organization is registered after October 31, then the end date of the first reporting year is December 31 of the following year.
In case of liquidation or reorganization of the enterprise, the reporting period is taken from January 1 of this year to the date of liquidation (reorganization).
Interim reporting periods are a calendar month or quarter, and relevant reports are prepared. For the purposes of accounting for tax liabilities, a period equal to the calendar year is usually taken (except when payments are made for the financial year). Changes to the reporting period are possible only with the permission of the tax administration.
When preparing financial statements, a concept such as a reporting period code is used. This is a two-digit number, put down in a specially designated column of the accounting report. For any reporting period, the code is strictly defined, as well as for different types of reports. A complete list is given in the codebook.
According to this directory, numbers from 01 to 12 are codes for reporting periods equal to the corresponding months of the year. 20 - quarterly report code, from 21 to 22 - quarterly report codes, respectively, from 1 to 4 quarters, 31 - half-year report code, 33 - for 9 months, 34 - for the year.
There are other codes that correspond to certain reporting periods. So, when reporting for several months, digital signs are used in the range of numbers from 35 to 46.
The reference book also provides for cases of preparation of accounting reports during the reorganization or liquidation of an enterprise. So, for example, the number 50 in the code column of the reporting period indicates the last tax period in the event of liquidation or reorganization of the enterprise. In other cases of reorganization (liquidation), the following designations apply:
- code 51 - report for the 1st quarter;
- 52 - for the half year;
- 53 - report for 9 months;
- 54 - for the 2nd quarter;
- 55 - for the 3rd quarter;
- 56 - for the 4th quarter of the year.
In addition, when preparing monthly reports in the event of liquidation or reorganization of an enterprise (organization) , digital codes from 71 to 82 are used to designate reports for the months from January to December and 90 for the year, respectively. In the same cases, the reports for the 1st quarter, six months, 9 months, and the year (i.e., in the preparation of interim reports) are marked with codes 91 to 94, respectively. Code 99 is a code book for other unplanned cases.