In: Accounting
Income from continuing operations is a net income category found on the income statement that accounts for a company's regular business activities. Income from continuing operations is also known as operating income. Continuing operations are the primary source of income for most successful businesses.
Discontinued Operation refer to parts of a company's core business or product line that have been divested or shut down and that are reported separately from continuing operations on the income statement
In financial accounting, discontinued operations refer to parts of a company's core business or product line that have been divested or shut down and that are reported separately from continuing operations on the income statement
Disclosure on Income Statements
When operations are discontinued, a company has multiple line items
to report on its financial statements. Although the business
component is being shut down, it still could generate a gain or
loss in the current accounting period
For further reference for discontinued
operations
What Are Discontinued Operations?
In financial accounting, discontinued operations refer to parts of
a company’s core business or product line that have been divested
or shut down and that are reported separately from continuing
operations on the income statement.
Understanding Discontinued Operations
Discontinued operations are listed separately on the income
statement because it's important that investors can clearly
distinguish the profits and cash flows from continuing operations
from those activities that have ceased. This distinction is
especially useful when companies merge, as parsing out which assets
are being divested or folded gives a clearer picture of how a
company will make money in the future.
On a company's income statement, discontinued operations are
segregated from continuing operations so that investors may see
clearly what money is inflowing from current operations versus
those which have ceased.
Disclosure on Income Statements
When operations are discontinued, a company has multiple line items
to report on its financial statements. Although the business
component is being shut down, it still could generate a gain or
loss in the current accounting period.
The total gain or loss from the discontinued operations is thus
reported, followed by the relevant income taxes. This tax is often
a future tax benefit because discontinued operations often incur
losses. To determine the company's total net income (NI), the gain
or loss from discontinued operations is aggregated with that of
continuing operations.
So as not to confuse adjustments to the financial statements that relate to previously reported discontinued operations, a company may classify the adjustments separately in the discontinued operations section of its financials. Adjustments may occur because of benefit plan obligations, contingent liabilities, or contingent contract terms.
If the buyer of a discontinued operation assumes the debt associated with the operation, any interest expense before the sale is allocated to discontinued operations. Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) do not allow general corporate overhead to be allocated to discontinued operations.