Accounting Law

the federal law
No. 402-FZ dated 06.12.2011

About accounting

Accepted
State Duma
22.11. 2011

Approved
Federation Council
29.11.2011

List of changing documents
(as amended by Federal Laws No. 134-FZ dated June 28, 2013,
of 02.07.2013 N 185-FZ, of 23.07.2013 N 251-FZ,
dated 02.11.2013 N 292-FZ, dated 21.12.2013 N 357-FZ,
dated December 28, 2013 N 425-FZ, dated November 4, 2014 N 344-FZ)

Chapter 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1

1. The objectives of this Federal Law are to establish uniform requirements for accounting, including accounting (financial) reporting, as well as to create a legal mechanism for regulating accounting.

2. Accounting - the formation of documented systematized information about the objects provided for by this Federal Law, in accordance with the requirements established by this Federal Law, and the preparation of accounting (financial) statements on its basis.

Article 2. Scope of this Federal Law

1. This Federal Law applies to the following persons (hereinafter referred to as economic entities):

1) commercial and non-commercial organizations;

2) state bodies, local self-government bodies, management bodies of state extra-budgetary funds and territorial state extra-budgetary funds;

3) central bank Russian Federation;

4) individual entrepreneurs, as well as lawyers who have established law offices, notaries and other persons engaged in private practice (hereinafter referred to as persons engaged in private practice);

5) branches, representative offices and other structural subdivisions of organizations established in accordance with the legislation of foreign states located on the territory of the Russian Federation, international organizations, their branches and representative offices located on the territory of the Russian Federation, unless otherwise provided by international treaties of the Russian Federation.

2. This Federal Law shall apply in the conduct of budget accounting assets and liabilities of the Russian Federation, constituent entities of the Russian Federation and municipalities, transactions that change these assets and liabilities, as well as in the preparation of budget reporting.

3. This Federal Law shall apply when a trustee maintains accounting records of the property transferred to him for trust management and related accounting objects, as well as when maintaining, including by one of the legal entities participating in a simple partnership agreement, accounting of the common property of comrades and related him objects of accounting.

4. This Federal Law shall apply in the course of accounting in the process of fulfilling a production sharing agreement, unless otherwise established by Federal Law No. 225-FZ of December 30, 1995 "On Production Sharing Agreements".

5. This Federal Law shall not apply when creating information necessary for the preparation by an economic entity of reporting for internal purposes, reporting submitted to a credit institution in accordance with its requirements, as well as reporting for other purposes, if the legislation of the Russian Federation and the rules adopted in accordance with it for compiling such reporting does not provide for the application of this Federal Law.

Article 3. Basic concepts used in this Federal Law

For the purposes of this Federal Law, the following basic concepts are used:

1) accounting (financial) statements - information on the financial position of an economic entity as of the reporting date, financial result its activities and movement Money for the reporting period, systematized in accordance with the requirements established by this Federal Law;

2) authorized federal body - a federal executive body authorized by the Government of the Russian Federation to carry out the functions of developing state policy and legal regulation in the field of accounting and financial statements;

3) accounting standard - a document that establishes the minimum necessary requirements for accounting, as well as acceptable methods of accounting;

4) international standard - an accounting standard, the application of which is a custom in international business, regardless of the specific name of such a standard;

5) chart of accounts of accounting - a systematic list of accounts of accounting;

6) reporting period - the period for which accounting (financial) statements are prepared;

7) head of an economic entity - a person who is the sole executive body of an economic entity, or a person responsible for managing the affairs of an economic entity, or a manager to whom the functions of a sole executive body have been transferred;

8) fact of economic life - a transaction, event, operation that have or are able to have an impact on the financial position of an economic entity, the financial result of its activities and (or) cash flow;

9) public sector organizations - state (municipal) institutions, state academies of sciences, state bodies, local self-government bodies, management bodies of state extra-budgetary funds, management bodies of territorial state extra-budgetary funds.

Article 4. Legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting

The legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting consists of this Federal Law, other federal laws and regulatory legal acts adopted in accordance with them.

Chapter 2. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCOUNTING

Article 5. Objects of accounting

The objects of accounting of an economic entity are:

1) facts of economic life;

2) assets;

3) obligations;

4) sources of funding for its activities;

5) income;

6) expenses;

7) other objects if it is established by federal standards.

Article 6. Obligation to keep accounting records

1. An economic entity is obliged to keep accounting records in accordance with this Federal Law, unless otherwise established by this Federal Law.

2. Accounting in accordance with this Federal Law may not be kept:

1) individual entrepreneur, a person engaged in private practice - if, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and fees, they keep records of income or income and expenses and (or) other objects of taxation or physical indicators characterizing a certain type of entrepreneurial activity; (Clause 1 as amended by Federal Law No. 292-FZ of November 2, 2013)

2) a branch, representative office or other structural subdivision of an organization established in accordance with the legislation of a foreign state located on the territory of the Russian Federation - if, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and fees, they keep records of income and expenses and (or) other objects of taxation in the manner prescribed by the said legislation.

3. Accounting is kept continuously from the date state registration until the date of termination of activities as a result of reorganization or liquidation.

4. Simplified methods of accounting, including simplified accounting (financial) reporting, are entitled to apply, unless otherwise provided by this article, the following economic entities:

(as amended by Federal Law No. 344-FZ of November 4, 2014)

1) small businesses;

2) non-profit organizations;

(Clause 2 as amended by Federal Law No. 344-FZ of November 4, 2014)

3) organizations that have received the status of participants in the project for the implementation of research, development and commercialization of their results in accordance with the Federal Law of September 28, 2010 N 244-FZ "On the Skolkovo Innovation Center".

(Part 4 as amended by Federal Law No. 292-FZ of November 2, 2013)

5. Simplified methods of accounting, including simplified accounting (financial) statements, are not used by the following economic entities:

1) organizations whose accounting (financial) statements are subject to mandatory audit in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation;

2) housing and housing-construction cooperatives;

3) credit consumer cooperatives (including agricultural credit consumer cooperatives);

4) microfinance organizations;

5) public sector organizations;

6) political parties, their regional branches or other structural subdivisions;

7) bar associations;

8) law firms;

9) lawyer consulting;

10) bar associations;

11) notary chambers;

12) non-profit organizations included in the register of non-profit organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent provided for by Clause 10 of Article 13.1 of Federal Law No. 7-FZ of January 12, 1996 "On Non-Profit Organizations".

(Part 5 was introduced by Federal Law No. 344-FZ of November 4, 2014)

Article 7. Organization of accounting

1. Accounting and storage of accounting documents are organized by the head of the economic entity.

2. If an individual entrepreneur, a person engaged in private practice, keep accounting in accordance with this Federal Law, they themselves organize accounting and storage of accounting documents, and also bear other obligations established by this Federal Law for the head of an economic entity.

3. The head of an economic entity is obliged to entrust accounting to the chief accountant or other official of this entity or to conclude an agreement on the provision of accounting services, unless otherwise provided by this part. The head of a credit organization is obliged to entrust accounting to the chief accountant. The head of an economic entity who, in accordance with this Federal Law, has the right to apply simplified methods of accounting, including simplified accounting (financial) statements, as well as the head of a medium-sized business entity, with the exception of economic entities specified in Part 5 of Article 6 of this Federal Law, may take over the accounting.
(as amended by Federal Laws No. 425-FZ of December 28, 2013, No. 344-FZ of November 4, 2014)

4. In open joint stock companies (except for credit organizations), insurance organizations and non-state pension funds, joint-stock investment funds, management companies of unit investment funds, in other economic entities whose securities are admitted to circulation on organized trading (with the exception of credit institutions), in the management bodies of state extra-budgetary funds, in the management bodies of state territorial extra-budgetary funds, the chief accountant or other official The person in charge of accounting must meet the following requirements:

1) have higher education;
(As amended by Federal Law No. 185-FZ of July 2, 2013)

2) have work experience related to accounting, preparation of accounting (financial) statements or audit activities for at least three years out of the last five calendar years, and in the absence of higher education in the field of accounting and auditing - at least five years out of the last seven calendar years;

(As amended by Federal Law No. 185-FZ of July 2, 2013)

3) not have an unexpunged or outstanding conviction for economic crimes.

5. Additional requirements for the chief accountant or other official responsible for accounting may be established by other federal laws.

6. Individual, with which an economic entity enters into an agreement on the provision of accounting services, must comply with the requirements established by part 4 of this article. A legal entity with which an economic entity enters into an agreement on the provision of accounting services must have at least one employee who meets the requirements established by paragraph 4 of this article, with whom an employment contract has been concluded.

7. Chief Accountant of a credit institution and the chief accountant of a non-credit financial institution must meet the requirements established by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

>8. In the event of disagreements regarding the maintenance of accounting between the head of the economic entity and the chief accountant or other official who is entrusted with the maintenance of accounting, or the person with whom the contract for the provision of accounting services has been concluded:

1) the data contained in the primary accounting document are accepted (not accepted) by the chief accountant or other official who is entrusted with accounting, or by the person with whom the contract for the provision of accounting services has been concluded, for registration and accumulation in accounting registers by written order of the head of the economic entity, who is solely responsible for the information created as a result of this;

2) the object of accounting is reflected (not reflected) by the chief accountant or other official who is entrusted with accounting, or by the person with whom the contract for the provision of accounting services has been concluded, in the accounting (financial) statements on the basis of a written order of the head of the economic entity , which is solely responsible for the reliability of the presentation of the financial position of the economic entity as of the reporting date, the financial result of its activities and cash flows for the reporting period.

Article 8. Accounting policy

1. The totality of ways of conducting accounting by an economic entity constitutes its accounting policy.

2. An economic entity independently forms its accounting policy, guided by the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting, federal and industry standards.

3. When forming accounting policy in relation to a specific accounting object, a method of accounting is selected from the methods allowed by federal standards.

4. If federal standards do not establish a method of accounting for a specific accounting object, such a method is independently developed based on the requirements established by the accounting legislation of the Russian Federation, federal and (or) industry standards.

5. Accounting policies must be applied consistently from year to year.

6. Changes in accounting policies may be made under the following conditions:

1) changing the requirements established by the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting, federal and (or) industry standards;

2) development or selection of a new method of accounting, the use of which leads to an increase in the quality of information about the object of accounting;

3) a significant change in the conditions of activity of an economic entity.

7. In order to ensure comparability of accounting (financial) statements for a number of years, a change in accounting policy is made from the beginning of the reporting year, unless otherwise stipulated by the reason for such a change.

Article 9. Primary accounting documents

1. Each fact of economic life is subject to registration by the primary accounting document. It is not allowed to accept for accounting documents that document facts of economic life that did not take place, including those underlying imaginary and feigned transactions.

2. Mandatory details of the primary accounting document are:

1) Title of the document;

2) date of preparation of the document;

3) the name of the economic entity that prepared the document;

4) the content of the fact of economic life;

5) the value of the natural and (or) monetary measurement of the fact of economic life, indicating the units of measurement;

6) the name of the position of the person (persons) who made (have made) the transaction, operation and responsible (responsible) for its registration, or the name of the position of the person (persons) responsible (responsible) for the registration of the event;
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

7) signatures of the persons provided for in clause 6 of this part, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

3. The primary accounting document must be drawn up at the time of the fact of economic life, and if this is not possible, immediately after its completion. The person responsible for registration of the fact of economic life ensures the timely transfer of primary accounting documents for registration of the data contained in them in accounting registers, as well as the reliability of these data. The person entrusted with accounting and the person with whom the contract for the provision of accounting services is concluded shall not be liable for the compliance of primary accounting documents compiled by other persons with the accomplished facts of economic life.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

4. The forms of primary accounting documents are determined by the head of the economic entity on the proposal of the official who is entrusted with accounting. Forms of primary accounting documents for public sector organizations are established in accordance with the budget legislation of the Russian Federation.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

5. The primary accounting document is compiled on hard copy and (or) in the form of an electronic document signed with an electronic signature.

6. If the legislation of the Russian Federation or an agreement provides for the submission of a primary accounting document to another person or to a state body on paper, an economic entity is obliged, at the request of another person or state body, at its own expense, to make hard copies of the primary accounting document drawn up in the form of an electronic document.

7. Corrections are allowed in the primary accounting document, unless otherwise provided by federal laws or regulatory legal acts of the bodies state regulation accounting. The correction in the primary accounting document must contain the date of the correction, as well as the signatures of the persons who drew up the document in which the correction was made, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

8. If, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, primary accounting documents, including in the form of an electronic document, are withdrawn, copies of the withdrawn documents made in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Russian Federation are included in accounting documents.

Article 10. Accounting registers

1. The data contained in primary accounting documents are subject to timely registration and accumulation in accounting registers.

2. Omissions or withdrawals are not allowed when registering accounting objects in accounting registers, registration of imaginary and sham accounting objects in accounting registers. For the purposes of this Federal Law, an imaginary object of accounting means a non-existent object reflected in accounting only for appearance (including unfulfilled expenses, non-existent obligations, facts of economic life that did not take place), a sham object of accounting means an object reflected in accounting accounting instead of another object in order to cover it (including sham transactions). The reserves, funds provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, and the costs of their creation are not imaginary objects of accounting.
(Part 2 as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

3. Accounting is maintained by means of double entry in accounting accounts, unless otherwise established by federal standards. It is not allowed to maintain accounting accounts outside the accounting registers used by the economic entity.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

4. Mandatory details of the accounting register are:

1) name of the register;

2) the name of the economic entity that compiled the register;

3) date of beginning and end of maintaining the register and (or) the period for which the register was drawn up;

4) chronological and (or) systematic grouping of accounting objects;

5) the value of the monetary measurement of accounting objects, indicating the unit of measurement;

6) the names of the positions of persons responsible for maintaining the register;

7) signatures of persons responsible for maintaining the register, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

5. Forms of accounting registers are approved by the head of an economic entity on the proposal of an official who is entrusted with accounting. Forms of accounting registers for public sector organizations are established in accordance with the budget legislation of the Russian Federation.

6. The accounting register is compiled on paper and (or) in the form of an electronic document signed with an electronic signature.

7. If the legislation of the Russian Federation or the agreement provides for the submission of the accounting register to another person or to a state body on paper, the economic entity is obliged, at the request of another person or state body, to make, at its own expense, on paper copies of the accounting register drawn up in the form of an electronic document.

8. Corrections not authorized by the persons responsible for maintaining the said register shall not be allowed in the accounting register. Correction in the accounting register must contain the date of correction, as well as the signatures of the persons responsible for maintaining this register, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

9. If, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, accounting registers are withdrawn, including in the form of an electronic document, copies of the withdrawn registers made in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation are included in accounting documents.

Article 11. Inventory of assets and liabilities

1. Assets and liabilities are subject to inventory.

2. During the inventory, the actual presence of the relevant objects is revealed, which is compared with the data of accounting registers.

3. The cases, terms and procedure for conducting an inventory, as well as the list of objects subject to inventory, are determined by the economic entity, with the exception of the mandatory inventory. Mandatory inventory is established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, federal and industry standards.

4. The discrepancies revealed during the inventory between the actual availability of objects and the data of accounting registers are subject to registration in accounting in the reporting period to which the date as of which the inventory is carried out.

Article 12. Monetary measurement of accounting objects

1. Accounting objects are subject to monetary measurement.

2. Monetary measurement of accounting objects is carried out in the currency of the Russian Federation.

3. Unless otherwise provided by the legislation of the Russian Federation, the cost of accounting items, expressed in foreign currency, is subject to conversion into the currency of the Russian Federation.

Article 13. General requirements for accounting (financial) reporting

1. Accounting (financial) statements should give a reliable idea of ​​the financial position of an economic entity at the reporting date, the financial result of its activities and the cash flow for the reporting period, which is necessary for users of these statements to make economic decisions. Accounting (financial) statements should be compiled on the basis of data contained in accounting registers, as well as information determined by federal and industry standards.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

2. An economic entity draws up annual accounting (financial) statements, unless otherwise established by other federal laws, regulatory legal acts of state accounting regulation bodies.

3. Annual accounting (financial) statements are prepared for the reporting year.

4. Interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared by an economic entity in cases where the legislation of the Russian Federation, regulatory legal acts of state accounting regulatory bodies, agreements, constituent documents of an economic entity, decisions of the owner of an economic entity establish the obligation to submit it.
(Part 4 as amended by Federal Law No. 251-FZ of July 23, 2013)

5. Interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared for a reporting period less than a reporting year.

6. Accounting (financial) statements should include performance indicators of all divisions of the economic entity, including its branches and representative offices, regardless of their location.

7. Accounting (financial) statements are prepared in the currency of the Russian Federation.

8. Accounting (financial) statements are considered to be drawn up after the signing of its copy on paper by the head of the economic entity.

10. In case of publication of accounting (financial) statements that are subject to mandatory audit, such accounting (financial) statements must be published together with the auditor's report.
(Part 10 as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

11. With regard to accounting (financial) statements, no trade secret regime can be established.

12. Legal regulation consolidated financial statements are carried out in accordance with this Federal Law, unless otherwise provided by other federal laws.

Article 14. Composition of accounting (financial) statements

1. Annual accounting (financial) statements, with the exception of cases established by this Federal Law, consist of a balance sheet, a statement of financial results and annexes thereto.

2. The annual accounting (financial) statements of a non-profit organization, with the exception of cases established by this Federal Law and other federal laws, consist of a balance sheet, a report on the intended use of funds and annexes thereto.

3. The composition of interim accounting (financial) statements, with the exception of cases established by this Federal Law, is established by federal standards.

4. The composition of the accounting (financial) statements of public sector organizations is established in accordance with the budget legislation of the Russian Federation.

5. The composition of the accounting (financial) statements of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation is established by Federal Law No. 86-FZ of July 10, 2002 "On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)".

Article 15 Reporting period, reporting date

1. The reporting period for annual accounting (financial) statements (reporting year) is a calendar year - from January 1 to December 31 inclusive, except for cases of creation, reorganization and liquidation legal entity.

2. The first reporting year is the period from the date of state registration of an economic entity to December 31 of the same calendar year, inclusive, unless otherwise provided by this Federal Law and (or) federal standards.

3. If the state registration of an economic entity, with the exception of a credit institution, is made after September 30, the first reporting year is, unless otherwise established by the economic entity, the period from the date of state registration to December 31 of the calendar year following the year of its state registration, inclusive .

4. The reporting period for interim accounting (financial) statements is the period from January 1 to the reporting date of the period for which interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared, inclusive.

5. The first reporting period for interim accounting (financial) statements is the period from the date of state registration of an economic entity to the reporting date of the period for which interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared, inclusive.

6. The date on which the accounting (financial) statements are prepared (reporting date) is the last calendar day of the reporting period, except for cases of reorganization and liquidation of a legal entity.

Article 16

1. The last reporting year for a reorganized legal entity, except for cases of reorganization in the form of affiliation, is the period from January 1 of the year in which the state registration of the last of the legal entities that has arisen is made, until the date of such state registration.

2. When a legal entity is reorganized in the form of affiliation, the last reporting year for a legal entity that is merging with another legal entity is the period from January 1 of the year in which an entry was made in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on the termination of the activities of the merged legal entity until the date of its entry.

3 . The reorganized legal entity draws up the last accounting (financial) statements as of the date preceding the date of state registration of the last of the legal entities that have arisen (the date of making an entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on the termination of the activities of the affiliated legal entity).

4. The latest accounting (financial) statements must include data on the facts of economic life that took place in the period from the date of approval of the deed of transfer (separation balance sheet) to the date of state registration of the last of the legal entities that have arisen (the date of making an entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on the termination of the activities of the affiliated legal entity).

5. The first reporting year for a legal entity that has arisen as a result of reorganization, with the exception of public sector organizations, is the period from the date of its state registration to December 31 of the year in which the reorganization took place, inclusive, unless otherwise established by federal standards.

6. A legal entity that has arisen as a result of reorganization, with the exception of public sector organizations, must draw up the first accounting (financial) statements as of the date of its state registration, unless otherwise established by federal standards.

7. The first accounting (financial) statements are prepared on the basis of the approved transfer act (separation balance sheet) and data on the facts of economic life that took place in the period from the date of approval of the transfer act (separation balance sheet) to the date of state registration of legal entities arising from the reorganization, with the exception of organizations public sector (the date of making an entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on the termination of the activities of the affiliated legal entity).

8. The procedure for compiling accounting (financial) statements of a public sector organization that has arisen as a result of reorganization is established by the authorized federal body.

Article 17

1. The reporting year for a legal entity in liquidation is the period from January 1 of the year in which an entry on liquidation was made in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities until the date of making such an entry.

2. The last accounting (financial) statements of a liquidated legal entity shall be drawn up by a liquidation commission (liquidator) or by an arbitration manager if the legal entity is liquidated as a result of being declared bankrupt.

3. The latest accounting (financial) statements are drawn up on the date preceding the date of making an entry on the liquidation of a legal entity in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

4. The latest accounting (financial) statements are compiled on the basis of the approved liquidation balance sheet and data on the facts of economic life that took place in the period from the date of approval of the liquidation balance sheet to the date of making an entry on the liquidation of the legal entity in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

Article 18. Mandatory copy of accounting (financial) statements

1. Economic entities obliged to compile accounting (financial) statements, with the exception of organizations of the public sector and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, submit one mandatory copy of the annual accounting (financial) statements to the state statistics body at the place of state registration.

2. A mandatory copy of the prepared annual accounting (financial) statements shall be submitted no later than three months after the end of the reporting period. When submitting a mandatory copy of the prepared annual accounting (financial) statements, which is subject to mandatory audit, audit report it is submitted together with such reporting or no later than 10 working days from the day following the date of the auditor's report, but no later than December 31 of the year following the reporting year.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

3. Mandatory copies of accounting (financial) statements, together with audit reports, constitute the state information resource. Interested parties are provided with access to the specified state information resource, except for cases when, in the interests of maintaining state secrets, such access should be limited.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

4. The procedure for submitting a mandatory copy of the accounting (financial) statements together with an auditor's report, as well as the rules for using (including fees for using, unless otherwise provided by other federal laws) the state information resource provided for in Part 3 of this article, are approved by the federal executive body exercising the functions on the development of state policy and legal regulation in the field of state statistical activity.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

Article 19. Internal control

1. An economic entity is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over the facts of economic life.

2. An economic entity, the accounting (financial) statements of which are subject to mandatory audit, is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over accounting and preparation of accounting (financial) statements (except for cases when its head has assumed the responsibility for accounting).

Chapter 3. REGULATION OF ACCOUNTING

Article 20. Principles of accounting regulation

Accounting regulation is carried out in accordance with the following principles:

1) compliance of federal and industry standards with the needs of users of accounting (financial) statements, as well as the level of development of science and accounting practice;

2) unity of the system of accounting requirements;

3) establishing simplified accounting methods, including simplified accounting (financial) statements, for economic entities entitled to apply such methods in accordance with this Federal Law;
(Clause 3 as amended by Federal Law No. 292-FZ of November 2, 2013)

4) application of international standards as the basis for the development of federal and industry standards;

5) providing conditions for the uniform application of federal and industry standards;

6) the inadmissibility of combining powers to approve federal standards and state control (supervision) in the field of accounting.

Article 21. Documents in the field of accounting regulation

1. Documents in the field of accounting regulation include:

1) federal standards;

2) industry standards;

4) economic subject standards.

2. Federal and industry standards are mandatory, unless otherwise provided by these standards.

3. Federal standards, regardless of the type of economic activity, establish:

1) definitions and attributes of accounting objects, the procedure for their classification, the conditions for their acceptance for accounting and writing them off in accounting;

2) permissible methods of monetary measurement of accounting objects;

3) the procedure for recalculating the cost of accounting items expressed in foreign currency into the currency of the Russian Federation for accounting purposes;

4) requirements for accounting policies, including the determination of the conditions for its change, inventory of assets and liabilities, accounting documents and workflow in accounting, including types of electronic signatures used to sign accounting documents;

5) the chart of accounts and the procedure for its application, with the exception of the chart of accounts for credit institutions and the procedure for its application;

6) the composition, content and procedure for the formation of information disclosed in the accounting (financial) statements, including samples of forms of accounting (financial) statements, as well as the composition of annexes to balance sheet and the report on financial results and the composition of the appendices to the balance sheet and the report on the intended use of funds;

7) the conditions under which the accounting (financial) statements give a reliable idea of ​​the financial position of the economic entity as of the reporting date, the financial result of its activities and the cash flow for the reporting period;

8) the composition of the last and first accounting (financial) statements during the reorganization of a legal entity, the procedure for its preparation and the monetary measurement of objects in it;

9) the composition of the latest accounting (financial) statements upon liquidation of a legal entity, the procedure for its preparation and the monetary measurement of objects in it;

10) simplified accounting methods, including simplified accounting (financial) statements, for economic entities entitled to apply such methods in accordance with this Federal Law.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 292-FZ of November 2, 2013)

4. Federal standards may establish special accounting requirements (including accounting policy, accounting chart of accounts and the procedure for its application) of organizations in the public sector, as well as accounting requirements for certain types of economic activity.

5. Industry standards establish the features of the application of federal standards in certain types of economic activity.

6. The chart of accounts for credit institutions and the procedure for its application are approved by a regulatory legal act of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

7. Recommendations in the field of accounting are adopted in order to correctly apply federal and industry standards, reduce the cost of organizing accounting, as well as disseminate best practices in organizing and maintaining accounting, the results of research and development in the field of accounting.

9. Recommendations in the field of accounting may be adopted regarding the procedure for applying federal and industry standards, forms of accounting documents, with the exception of those established by federal and industry standards, organizational forms of accounting, organization of accounting services of economic entities, accounting technology, organization and implementation internal control of their activities and accounting, as well as the procedure for the development of standards by these persons.

11. The standards of an economic entity are designed to streamline the organization and maintain its accounting records.

12. The necessity and procedure for developing, approving, changing and canceling the standards of an economic entity are established by this entity independently.

13. The standards of an economic entity are applied equally and equally by all divisions of an economic entity, including its branches and representative offices, regardless of their location.

14. An economic entity that has subsidiaries is entitled to develop and approve its own standards that are mandatory for use by such companies. The standards of the specified subject, obligatory for application by the parent company and its subsidiaries, should not create obstacles for such companies to carry out their activities.

15. Federal and industry standards must not contradict this Federal Law. Industry standards must not conflict with federal standards. Recommendations in the field of accounting, as well as the standards of an economic entity, should not contradict federal and industry standards.

16. Federal and industry standards, as well as the program for the development of federal standards, are approved by regulatory legal acts in the prescribed manner, taking into account the provisions of this Federal Law.

17. Documents for the organization and maintenance of accounting by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, including the chart of accounts of accounting and the procedure for its application, are approved in the manner established by Federal Law No. 86-FZ of July 10, 2002 "On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia) ".

Article 22. Subjects of accounting regulation

1. The bodies of state regulation of accounting in the Russian Federation are the authorized federal body and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

2. Accounting regulation in the Russian Federation can also be carried out by self-regulatory organizations, including self-regulatory organizations of entrepreneurs, other users of accounting (financial) statements, auditors interested in participating in accounting regulation, as well as their associations and unions and other non-profit organizations pursuing the goals development of accounting (hereinafter - the subjects of non-state regulation of accounting).

Article 23. Functions of bodies of state regulation of accounting

1. Authorized federal body:

1) develops, approves industry standards and generalizes the practice of their application;
(as amended by Federal Law No. 251-FZ of July 23, 2013)

2) approves federal standards and, within its competence, industry standards and generalizes the practice of their application;

3) organizes the examination of draft accounting standards;

4) approves the requirements for the design of draft accounting standards;

5) participates in the prescribed manner in the development of international standards;

6) represents the Russian Federation in international organizations operating in the field of accounting and accounting (financial) reporting;

7)

2. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation, within its competence:

1) approves industry standards and summarizes the practice of their application;

2) participates in the preparation and coordinates the program for the development of federal standards;

3) participates in the examination of draft federal standards;

4) participates together with the authorized federal body in the prescribed manner in the development of international standards;

5) performs other functions provided for by this Federal Law and other federal laws.

Article 24. Functions of the subject of non-state regulation of accounting

Subject of non-state regulation of accounting:

1) develops draft federal standards, conducts a public discussion of these drafts and submits them to the authorized federal body;

2) participates in the preparation of the federal standards development program;

3) participates in the examination of draft accounting standards;

4) ensures the compliance of the draft federal standard with the international standard on the basis of which the draft federal standard is developed;

6) develops proposals for improving accounting standards;

7) participates in the development of international standards.

Article 25

1. To conduct an examination of draft federal and industry standards, an accounting standards council is created under the authorized federal body.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 251-FZ of July 23, 2013)

2. The Accounting Standards Board reviews draft federal and industry standards for:
(as amended by Federal Law No. 251-FZ of July 23, 2013)

1) compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting;

2) compliance with the needs of users of accounting (financial) statements, as well as the level of development of science and accounting practice;

3) ensuring the unity of the system of accounting requirements;

4) providing conditions for the uniform application of federal and industry standards.

(as amended by Federal Law No. 251-FZ of July 23, 2013)

3. - 4. No longer valid as of September 1, 2013. - Federal Law of July 23, 2013 N 251-FZ.

5. The Accounting Standards Board is composed of:

1) 10 representatives of subjects of non-state regulation of accounting and the scientific community, of which at least three members are subject to rotation once every three years;

2) five representatives of state accounting regulation bodies.

6. The composition of the accounting standards council is approved by the head of the authorized federal body. Proposals on candidates for members of the accounting standards council, with the exception of representatives of the authorized federal body, are submitted to the authorized federal body by subjects of non-state regulation of accounting, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, scientific organizations and higher educational institutions.

7. Candidates for members of the Accounting Standards Board must have a higher education, an impeccable business (professional) reputation and professional experience in the field of finance, accounting or auditing.

(As amended by Federal Law No. 185-FZ of July 2, 2013)

8. The Chairman of the Council for Accounting Standards is elected at the first meeting of the Council from representatives of the subjects of non-state regulation of accounting included in its composition. The chairman of the accounting standards board has at least two deputies.

9. The secretary of the accounting standards council is a representative of the authorized federal body from among the members of the council.

10. Meetings of the accounting standards board are convened by its chairman, and in the absence of the chairman by an authorized deputy chairman as necessary, but at least once every three months. The meeting is considered competent if at least two thirds of the members of the accounting standards council are present.

11. Decisions of the accounting standards council are made by a simple majority vote of the members of the council participating in its meeting.

12. Meetings of the Accounting Standards Board are public.

13. Information about the activities of the accounting standards board should be open and publicly available.

14. The regulation on the accounting standards council is approved by the authorized federal body. The regulations of the accounting standards council are approved by this council independently at the first meeting.

Article 26

1. Federal standards are developed and approved in accordance with the federal standards development program.

2. Bodies of state regulation of accounting and subjects of non-state regulation of accounting make proposals on the program for the development of federal standards to the authorized federal body.

3. The authorized federal body approves the program for the development of federal standards in agreement with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

4. The program for the development of federal standards should be updated annually to ensure that federal standards meet the needs of users of accounting (financial) statements with international standards, the level of development of science and accounting practice.

5. The authorized federal body ensures the availability of the federal standards development program Central bank Russian Federation, subjects of non-state regulation and other interested parties (hereinafter referred to as interested parties) for review.

6. The rules for the preparation and clarification of the program for the development of federal standards are approved by the authorized federal body.

Article 27. Development and approval of federal standards

1. The developer of the federal standard (hereinafter - the developer) can be any subject of non-state regulation of accounting.

2. A notice of the development of a federal standard shall be sent by the developer to the authorized federal body and posted on the official websites of the authorized federal body and the developer on the information and telecommunications network "Internet" (hereinafter referred to as the "Internet" network).
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

3. Not later than 10 working days after the date of posting on the developer's official website on the Internet a notice of the development of a federal standard, the developer places it on his official website on the Internet. The draft federal standard, posted on the official website of the developer on the Internet, should be available for review without charging a fee. The developer is obliged, at the request of the interested person, to provide him with a copy of the draft federal standard on paper. The fee charged by the developer for providing the specified copy on paper cannot exceed the costs of its production and shipment. No fee shall be charged for providing the said copy to state accounting regulation bodies and subjects of non-state accounting regulation.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

4. From the day the draft federal standard is posted on the official website of the developer on the Internet, the developer conducts a public discussion of the draft federal standard. The period of public discussion of the draft federal standard cannot be less than three months from the date of placement of the specified draft on the official website of the developer on the Internet. Notification of the completion of the public discussion of the draft federal standard shall be sent by the developer to the authorized federal body and posted on the official websites of the authorized federal body and the developer on the Internet.
(Part 4 as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

5. During the period of public discussion of the draft federal standard, the developer:

1) accepts written comments from interested parties. The developer cannot refuse to accept comments in writing;

2) discusses the draft federal standard and comments received in writing;

3) draws up a list of comments received in writing, with a summary of the content of such comments and the results of their discussion;

4) finalizes the draft federal standard taking into account the comments received in writing.

6. The developer is obliged to keep the comments received in writing until the approval of the federal standard and submit them to the authorized federal body upon its request.

7. The finalized draft of the federal standard and the list of comments received in writing from interested parties shall be posted by the developer on its official website on the Internet no later than 10 working days from the date of posting on the official websites of the authorized federal body and the developer on the Internet of the notice of completion of the public discussion draft federal standard. These documents posted on the official website of the developer on the Internet should be available for review without charging a fee.
(as amended by Federal Law No. 357-FZ of December 21, 2013)

9. The revised draft of the federal standard, together with a list of comments received in writing from interested parties, is submitted by the developer to the authorized federal body, which organizes the examination of this draft.

10. The Accounting Standards Board prepares, within a period of not more than two months from the date of submission by the developer of the draft federal standard, a reasoned proposal to accept such a draft for approval or to reject it on the basis of the documents specified in Part 9 of this Article and taking into account the results of the examination. Such a proposal, together with the documents specified in part 9 of this article and the results of the examination, shall be sent to the authorized federal body.

11. The authorized federal body, on the basis of documents submitted by the accounting standards council, within a period of not more than one month, accepts the draft federal standard for approval or rejects it. The draft federal standard accepted for approval is prepared and approved by the authorized federal body in accordance with the established procedure.

12. A draft federal standard proposed by the accounting standards council for adoption may be rejected if it does not comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

13. If the draft federal standard is rejected, a reasoned decision of the authorized federal body with the attachment of the documents specified in Part 9 of this Article shall be sent to the developer of the draft federal standard within a period of not more than 10 working days after the date of adoption of such a decision.

14. Amendments to the federal standard or its cancellation are carried out in the manner prescribed by this article. Amendments to the federal standard due to changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation may be made at the initiative of the authorized federal body.

15. The examination of a draft industry standard is carried out by the accounting standards council in the manner established for the examination of federal standards by parts 9-13 of this article.

(Part 15 was introduced by Federal Law No. 344-FZ of November 4, 2014)

Article 28. Development of federal standards by the authorized federal body

1. The authorized federal body develops federal standards:

1) for public sector organizations;

2) in the event that not a single subject of non-state regulation of accounting assumes the obligation to develop a federal standard provided for by the approved program for the development of federal standards.

2. The development of the federal standard by the authorized federal body is carried out in the manner established by Article 27 of this Federal Law.

Chapter 4. FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 29. Storage of accounting documents

1. 1. Primary accounting documents, accounting registers, accounting (financial) statements, audit reports on them are subject to storage by an economic entity for the periods established in accordance with the rules for organizing state archives, but not less than five years after the reporting year.

(as amended by Federal Law No. 251-FZ of July 23, 2013)

2. Accounting policy documents, standards of an economic entity, other documents related to the organization and maintenance of accounting, including tools that ensure the reproduction of electronic documents, as well as authentication electronic signature, are subject to storage by an economic entity for at least five years after the year in which they were used for the preparation of accounting (financial) statements for the last time.

3. An economic entity must ensure safe storage conditions for accounting documents and their protection from changes.

4. When changing the head of the organization, the transfer of accounting documents of the organization should be ensured. The procedure for the transfer of accounting documents is determined by the organization independently.

(Part 4 was introduced by Federal Law No. 134-FZ of June 28, 2013)

Article 30

1. Until the federal and sectoral standards provided for by this Federal Law are approved by the state accounting regulatory authorities, the rules for maintaining accounting and compiling financial statements approved by the authorized federal executive bodies and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation before the date this Federal Law enters into force shall apply. Prior to the approval of the federal and industry standards provided for by this Federal Law, the authorized federal executive body and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation shall have the right to make changes due to changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation to the rules for maintaining accounting and compiling financial statements approved by them before the date of entry into force of this Federal law.

(as amended by Federal Law No. 344-FZ of November 4, 2014)

2. The provisions of Parts 4 and 6 of Article 7 of this Federal Law shall not apply to persons who, as of the date of entry into force of this Federal Law, are entrusted with accounting.

3. The provision of Part 2 of Article 15 of this Federal Law shall not apply when changing the type of a state (municipal) institution.

Article 31

Recognize invalid:

1) Federal Law No. 129-FZ of November 21, 1996 "On Accounting" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 1996, No. 48, Art. 5369);

2) Federal Law No. 123-FZ of July 23, 1998 "On Amendments and Additions to the Federal Law "On Accounting" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 1998, No. 30, Art. 3619);

3) Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 28, 2002 "On Amendments and Additions to the Federal Law "On Accounting" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2002, No. 13, Art. 1179);

4) article 9 of the Federal Law of December 31, 2002 N 187-FZ "On the introduction of amendments and additions to part two tax code of the Russian Federation and some other acts of the legislation of the Russian Federation" (Sobraniye zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2003, N 1, item 2);

5) Article 3 of the Federal Law of December 31, 2002 N 191-FZ "On the Introduction of Amendments and Additions to Chapters 22, 24, 25, 26.2, 26.3 and 27 of Part Two of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation and Certain Other Acts of the Legislation of the Russian Federation" (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation Federation, 2003, N 1, item 6);

6) Clause 7 of Article 2 of Federal Law No. 8-FZ of January 10, 2003 "On Introducing Amendments and Additions to the Law of the Russian Federation "On Employment of the Population in the Russian Federation" and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on Financing Measures to Promote Employment of the Population" (Meeting legislation of the Russian Federation, 2003, N 2, item 160);

7) Article 23 of the Federal Law of June 30, 2003 N 86-FZ "On the introduction of amendments and additions to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation, the recognition of certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation as invalid, the provision of certain guarantees to employees of internal affairs bodies, bodies for controlling the circulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and abolished federal bodies tax police in connection with the implementation of measures to improve public administration" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2003, No. 27, Art. 2700);

8) Article 2 of the Federal Law of November 3, 2006 N 183-FZ "On Amendments to the Federal Law "On Agricultural Cooperation" and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2006, N 45, Art. 4635);

9) Article 32 of the Federal Law of November 23, 2009 N 261-FZ "On Energy Saving and on Increasing Energy Efficiency and on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2009, N 48, Art. 5711);

10) Article 12 of the Federal Law of May 8, 2010 N 83-FZ "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in Connection with the Improvement legal status state (municipal) institutions" (Sobraniye zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2010, N 19, item 2291);

11) Federal Law No. 209-FZ of July 27, 2010 "On Amendments to Article 16 of the Federal Law "On Accounting" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2010, No. 31, Art. 4178);

12) Article 4 of the Federal Law of September 28, 2010 N 243-FZ "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in Connection with the Adoption of the Federal Law "On the Skolkovo Innovation Center" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2010, N 40, Art. 4969 ).

Article 32. Entry into force of this Federal Law

President of the Russian Federation D. MEDVEDEV

Publication date: 02/01/2013 12:31 (archived)

On January 1, 2013, Federal Law No. 402-FZ of 06.12.2011 “On Accounting” (hereinafter referred to as the Law “On Accounting”, Law No. 402-FZ) came into force.

The scope of the new Law “On Accounting” has been significantly expanded. In addition to organizations, branches and representative offices foreign organizations The economic entities covered by the law include: individual entrepreneurs; lawyers who have established law offices; notaries; other individuals in private practice.

From January 1, 2013, all organizations are required to keep accounting records, regardless of the taxation system they apply.

Individual entrepreneurs and persons engaged in private practice (including lawyers engaged in advocacy in a lawyer's office), according to subpara. 1 of paragraph 2 of Article 6 of Law No. 402FZ may not keep accounting records if, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and fees, they keep records of income or income and expenses and (or) other objects of taxation in the manner established by this legislation.

The list of accounting objects in Law No. 402-FZ has undergone significant changes.

Instead of the property of organizations, assets are named as the object of accounting in the Law, income and expenses are added to the list of accounting objects.
A significant change in the list of accounting objects is the replacement of business transactions with the facts of economic life. At the same time, in paragraph 8 of Art. 3 of Law No. 402-FZ, the fact of economic life is defined as a transaction, event, operation that has or is able to have an impact on the financial position of an economic entity, the financial result of its activities and (or) cash flow.

Thus, the Law "On Accounting", introducing the facts of economic life into accounting objects instead of business transactions, adds such new accounting objects as transactions and events.

Another accounting object is the sources of financing the activities of an economic entity (clause 4, article 5 of Law No. 402-FZ).

The new subjects of accounting regulation are self-regulatory organizations (SROs). Such organizations may be SROs of entrepreneurs, other users of accounting (financial) statements, auditors, as well as their associations and unions, and other non-profit organizations. Law No. 402-FZ establishes the possibility of non-state regulation of accounting. In Art. 24 of Law No. 402-FZ lists the main functions of the subject of non-state accounting regulation, according to which SROs can: develop draft federal standards, conduct public discussions of these projects and submit them to the authorized federal body; participate in the preparation of the federal standards development program; participate in the examination of draft accounting standards; develop and adopt recommendations in the field of accounting; develop proposals for improving accounting standards; participate in the development of international standards.

In paragraph 3 of Art. 3 of Law No. 402-FZ defines an accounting standard as a document that establishes the minimum necessary requirements for accounting and acceptable ways of maintaining it.

According to Part 1 of Art. 21 of Law No. 402-FZ distinguish between federal, industry standards and standards of an economic entity.

At the same time, Law No. 402-FZ establishes a strict hierarchy of documents regulating accounting, and establishes the rule of consistency of these documents (part 15 of article 21 of Law No. 402-FZ):

Federal and industry standards must not contradict the Federal Law “On Accounting”;
- industry standards should not contradict federal standards;
- recommendations in the field of accounting and standards of an economic entity should not contradict federal and industry standards.

As before, the head of the economic entity is responsible for the organization of accounting.

However, from 01.01.2013, only heads of small and medium-sized businesses have the right to keep accounting independently. The heads of organizations that are not small or medium-sized businesses are required to entrust accounting to the chief accountant or other official or conclude an agreement on the provision of accounting services.

Note that Law No. 402-FZ does not contain a provision on the need for the signature of the chief accountant on monetary and settlement documents, documents confirming financial and credit obligations.

Law No. 402-FZ establishes the requirements (part 4 of article 7 of the Law is listed), which the chief accountants of economic entities must comply with.

Law No. 402-FZ does not list the mandatory components of an accounting policy (working chart of accounts, forms of primary accounting documents, etc.), but only a general definition of an accounting policy as a set of accounting methods by an economic entity, and also lists the basic principles of its formation.

The Law "On Accounting" allows a change in accounting policy not from the beginning of the reporting year, if such a procedure for changing the accounting policy is due to the reason for this change.

Primary accounting documents, as before, must be compiled in connection with each fact of economic life (previously it was required to be done in connection with each business transaction).

An important innovation is the absence in Law No. 402-FZ of the requirement for the mandatory use of unified forms of primary accounting documentation approved by the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation.

Since 2013, the forms of all primary documents, which the enterprise uses to document the facts of economic life, must be approved by the head of the economic entity and contain the mandatory details listed in paragraph 2 of Art. 9 of Law No. 402-FZ. (Note that the list of such requisites has remained unchanged.)

The exception is public sector organizations. For them, the forms of primary accounting documentation are established in accordance with the budget legislation.

A new requirement of Law No. 402-FZ is the obligation to indicate in the primary accounting document, in addition to the signatures of the persons who made the transaction or operation or formalized the event, their names and initials. Previously, such a requirement was contained only in paragraph 13 of the Regulation on accounting and financial reporting in the Russian Federation.

Norms h. 5, 6 Art. 9 of Law No. 402-FZ equalize the rights of primary accounting documents on paper and in the form of an electronic document certified by an electronic signature. The Law "On Accounting" recognizes an electronic document certified by an electronic signature as equal to a document on paper.

The Law "On Accounting" does not contain a ban on making corrections to cash and bank documents. However, in Part 7 of Art. 9 of Law No. 402-FZ contains a clause "unless otherwise established by federal laws or regulatory legal acts of state accounting regulatory bodies." At the same time, in accordance with paragraph 2.1 of the Regulations on the procedure for maintaining cash transactions with banknotes and coins of the Bank of Russia on the territory of the Russian Federation (approved by the Bank of Russia on October 12, 2011 No. 373-P) and clause 2.4 of the Regulation on the rules for the transfer of funds (approved by the Bank of Russia on June 19, 2012 No. 383-P) making corrections to cash and bank documents are not allowed.

Corrections in other documents must contain, in addition to the date of correction and signatures of the persons who initially certified these documents, the names and initials of these persons, or other details necessary for their identification.

The Law "On Accounting" does not contain a list of cases of mandatory inventory. Such a list should be established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, federal and industry standards.

In addition, Law No. 402-FZ does not regulate the reflection of inventory results in accounting. It only says that the identified discrepancies are subject to registration in accounting in the reporting period to which the date as of which the inventory was carried out refers.

As part of the annual accounting (financial) statements of commercial organizations, the balance sheet, the statement of financial results and annexes to them remained (clause 1, article 14 of Law No. 402-FZ).

Law No. 402-FZ defines the composition of the annual reporting of non-profit organizations: this is a balance sheet, a report on the intended use of funds and annexes to them, the list of which, as the Ministry of Finance of Russia explained in Letter No. 07-02-06 / 126 dated 05.05.2012, is determined federal standards. The volume of interim reporting of economic entities and the cases of its preparation should also be fixed in federal standards.

The Law "On Accounting" establishes the obligation of economic entities (with the exception of public sector organizations and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation) to submit a mandatory copy of the annual accounting (financial) statements to only one user - the state statistics body.

A certain innovation is the creation in 2013 of the state information resource, which will generate mandatory copies of the annual accounting (financial) statements submitted to the state statistics authorities no later than three months after the end of the reporting period (Article 18 of Law No. 402-FZ). Access to this resource will be provided to all interested persons, except for cases when, in the interests of maintaining state secrets, such access should be limited. In this regard, the trade secret regime was removed from the accounting (financial) statements, as well as from the accounting registers by Law No. 402-FZ.

On entry into force on January 1, 2013
Federal Law of December 6, 2011 No. 402-FZ
"About Accounting"
(PZ - 10/2012)

The Department for Regulation of State Financial Control, Auditing, Accounting and Reporting has summarized the questions received in connection with the entry into force on January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of December 6, 2011 No. Law No. 402-FZ), and with regard to the organization and maintenance of accounting by economic entities (with the exception of public sector organizations, credit organizations and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation) reports the following.

Accounting rules

In accordance with Part 1 of Article 30 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, prior to the approval of the federal and industry accounting standards provided for by this Federal Law, the rules for maintaining accounting records and compiling accounting (financial) statements approved by the authorized federal executive bodies prior to the date of entry into force force of Federal Law No. 402-FZ.

At the same time, the specified rules for maintaining accounting records and compiling accounting (financial) statements are applied to the extent that they do not contradict Federal Law No. 402-FZ.

Primary accounting documents

Forms of primary accounting documents

Based on Part 4 of Article 9 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, primary accounting documents are drawn up in accordance with the forms approved by the head of the economic entity. At the same time, each primary accounting document must contain all the mandatory details established by Part 2 of Article 9 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ.

From January 1, 2013, the forms of primary accounting documents contained in the albums of unified forms of primary accounting documentation are not mandatory. At the same time, the forms of documents used as primary accounting documents established by the authorized bodies in accordance with and on the basis of other federal laws (for example, cash documents) continue to be mandatory for use.

Based on Part 1 of Article 7 and Article 9 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the head of an economic entity also determines the composition of primary accounting documents used to document the facts of the economic life of an economic entity, and the list of persons entitled to sign primary accounting documents.

According to Part 4 of Article 9 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the forms of primary accounting documents used to document the facts of the economic life of an economic entity must be approved by the head of this economic entity.

Facts of economic life, drawn up
primary accounting documents

In accordance with Part 1 of Article 9 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, each fact of economic life is subject to registration with a primary accounting document.

Based on this, and also taking into account Part 2 of Article 1 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, documents that document facts of economic life that did not take place, including those underlying imaginary and sham transactions, should not be accepted for accounting.

Documents that are issued
cash transactions

Due to the loss of force from January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 No. 129-FZ “On Accounting”, the second paragraph of Part 3 of Article 9 of this Federal Law is not subject to application.

At the same time, after December 31, 2012, the procedure for signing documents used to process cash transactions continues to be regulated by regulatory legal acts approved by authorized bodies in accordance with and on the basis of the legislation of the Russian Federation. In particular, the Regulation on the procedure for conducting cash transactions with banknotes and coins of the Bank of Russia on the territory of the Russian Federation, approved by the Bank of Russia on October 12, 2011 No. 373-P, the Regulation on the rules for the transfer of funds, approved by the Bank of Russia on June 19, 2012 No. 383-P.

Required details
primary accounting document

Part 2 of Article 9 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ establishes a list of mandatory details of the primary accounting document. The details included in this list are identical in composition and content to the mandatory details of the primary accounting document (including documents drawn up according to the forms contained in the albums of unified forms of primary accounting documentation) provided for by Part 2 of Article 9 of the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 No. 129-FZ "About Accounting".

The legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting does not establish any restrictions on the inclusion in primary accounting documents of additional to mandatory details. The inclusion of additional details to the mandatory details in the primary accounting document is carried out by the organization if necessary (due to the nature of the fact of economic life drawn up by this document, the requirements of regulatory legal acts, management needs, accounting information processing technology, etc.).

Accounting registers

Forms of accounting registers

Based on Part 5 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the data contained in primary accounting documents are subject to registration and accumulation in accounting registers, the forms of which are approved by the head of the economic entity. At the same time, each accounting register must contain all the mandatory details established by Part 4 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ.

From January 1, 2013, the forms of accounting registers approved by the federal executive authorities before the entry into force of Federal Law No. 402-FZ are not mandatory.

Based on Part 1 of Article 7 and Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the head of an economic entity also determines the composition of accounting registers used to register and accumulate data contained in the primary accounting documents of an economic entity2.

According to Part 5 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the forms of accounting registers used for registration and accumulation of data contained in the primary accounting documents of an economic entity must be approved by the head of this economic entity.

accounting objects,
registered in accounting registers

In accordance with Part 1 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the data contained in primary accounting documents are subject to timely registration and accumulation in accounting registers.

Based on this, and also taking into account Part 2 of Article 1 and Part 1 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, non-existent objects that are reflected in accounting only for the type (including unfulfilled expenses, non-existent obligations, facts of economic life that did not take place), as well as objects reflected in accounting instead of another object in order to cover it (including those underlying sham transactions). The above does not apply to reserves, funds provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, and the costs of their creation.

accounting accounts

In accordance with Part 1 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the data contained in primary accounting documents are subject to timely registration and accumulation in accounting registers. According to Part 3 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, accounting is carried out by means of double entry in accounting accounts, unless otherwise established by federal standards.

Based on this, and also taking into account Part 2 of Article 1 and Part 1 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, it is not allowed to maintain accounting records outside the accounting registers used by the economic entity.

Accounting (financial) reporting

Basis for the preparation of accounting (financial) statements

In accordance with Part 1 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, accounting (financial) statements must give a reliable idea of ​​the financial position of an economic entity as of the reporting date, the financial result of its activities and the cash flow for the reporting period, which is necessary for users of these statements to make economic solutions.

Based on this, and also taking into account Part 2 of Article 1 and Part 1 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, accounting (financial) statements should be prepared on the basis of data contained in accounting registers.

Annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012

Due to the fact that, in accordance with Article 32 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, this Federal Law enters into force on January 1, 2013, when compiling the annual accounting (financial) statements of an economic entity for 2012, it must be borne in mind that:

a) in accordance with Part 1 of Article 14 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, annual accounting (financial) statements consist of a balance sheet, a statement of financial results and annexes thereto. Based on this, as part of the annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012, the income statement should be referred to as the income statement;

b) in accordance with Part 2 of Article 14 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the annual accounting (financial) statements of a non-profit organization consist of a balance sheet, a report on the intended use of funds and annexes to them. Based on this, in the composition of the annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012, the report on the intended use of the funds received should be referred to as the report on the intended use of funds.

Based on the interrelated provisions of Part 1 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the second paragraph of Clause 6 and the second paragraph of Clause 11 of the Accounting Regulation “Accounting Statements of an Organization” (PBU 4/99), approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 6, 1999. 43n, a non-profit organization provides in its accounting (financial) statements indicators on individual income and expenses (financial results) separately in relation to the form and procedure for compiling a report on financial results in the case when:

in the reporting year, this non-profit organization received income from entrepreneurial and (or) other income-generating activities;

the indicator of income received by the non-profit organization is significant;

disclosure of data on profit from entrepreneurial and (or) other income-generating activities in the report on the intended use of funds is not enough to form a complete picture of the financial position of the non-profit organization, the financial results of its activities and changes in its financial position;

without knowledge of the indicator of income received by interested users, it is impossible to assess the financial position of a non-profit organization and the financial results of its activities;

c) in accordance with Part 2 of Article 18 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, a mandatory copy of the prepared annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012 is submitted to the state statistics authority at the place of registration of the economic entity no later than three months after the end of the reporting period;

d) due to the loss of force from January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 No. 129-FZ "On Accounting", Part 4 of Article 13 of this Federal Law is not applicable. However, by virtue of Part 1 of Article 30 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, paragraphs 6 and 37 of the Accounting Regulation “Accounting Statements of an Organization” (PBU 4/99), approved by Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 6, 1999 No. 43n, continue to apply;

e) due to the loss of force from January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 No. 129-FZ “On Accounting”, paragraph “d” of Part 2 of Article 13 of this Federal Law is not subject to application. Based on this, from January 1, 2013, the audit report on the reliability of the accounting (financial) statements and the conclusion of the audit union of agricultural cooperatives, confirming the accuracy of the accounting (financial) statements, are not included in these statements;

f) due to the loss of force from January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 No. 129-FZ “On Accounting”, paragraph “e” of Part 2 of Article 13 of this Federal Law is not subject to application. Based on this, from January 1, 2013, the explanatory note is not included in the accounting (financial) statements. However, by virtue of Part 1 of Article 30 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, Section VIII of the Accounting Regulation “Accounting Statements of an Organization” (PBU 4/99), approved by Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 6, 1999 No. 43n, continues to apply. At the same time, the information provided for in this section is not an appendix to the balance sheet and income statement;

g) based on the legislation of the Russian Federation on energy saving and on improving energy efficiency (in particular, Part 5 of Article 22 of the Federal Law "On Energy Saving and on Increasing Energy Efficiency"), the information provided for by this legislation must be included in the information accompanying the annual accounting (financial) reporting.

Rules for compiling a statement of financial results

Based on Part 1 of Article 30 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, prior to the approval by state accounting regulatory authorities of the federal and sectoral accounting standards provided for by this Federal Law, the rules drawing up, respectively, a profit and loss statement, appendices to the balance sheet and a profit and loss statement, approved by the authorized federal executive bodies before the date of entry into force of Federal Law No. 402-FZ.

Signing of accounting (financial) statements

Federal Law No. 402-FZ does not establish the procedure for signing the accounting (financial) statements of an economic entity (including the annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012). Accounting (financial) statements must be signed by persons authorized to do so by the legislation of the Russian Federation, or by the constituent documents of an economic entity, or by decisions of the relevant management bodies of an economic entity.

At the same time, according to Part 8 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, accounting (financial) statements are considered to be drawn up after signing a copy of it on paper by the head of the economic entity. Based on this, a copy of the accounting (financial) statements signed by the head of the economic entity must be kept in the affairs of the economic entity; moreover, the signature of the head of the economic entity must contain the date of signing this copy.

In cases where accounting (financial) statements are submitted to several addresses, such statements must be signed by the same authorized persons.

Addresses for submission of accounting (financial) statements

Federal Law No. 402-FZ does not establish the address for the mandatory submission of accounting (financial) statements (including the submission of annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012), except for the submission, in accordance with Article 18 of this Federal Law, of a mandatory copy of the annual accounting (financial) statements to the state statistics body at the place of registration of the economic entity (in the manner approved by Rosstat).

Addresses for the mandatory submission of accounting (financial) statements (other than state statistics bodies), as well as the terms and procedure for such submission are established by other federal laws, constituent documents of an economic entity, decisions of the relevant management bodies of an economic entity. For example:

a) in accordance with Article 26 of the Federal Law “On State and Municipal Unitary Enterprises”, at the end of the reporting period, a unitary enterprise submits accounting reports to authorized state authorities of the Russian Federation, state authorities of constituent entities of the Russian Federation or local governments;

b) in accordance with Article 23 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, taxpayers are required to submit annual accounting (financial) statements to the tax authority at the location of the organization no later than three months after the end of the reporting year.

Approval of accounting (financial) statements

In accordance with Part 9 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the approval of accounting (financial) statements (including annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012) is carried out in the manner and in cases established by federal laws. For example:

a) in accordance with Article 48 of the Federal Law "On Joint Stock Companies", the competence of the general meeting of shareholders includes the approval of the company's annual financial statements;

b) in accordance with Article 33 of the Federal Law "On Limited Liability Companies", the competence of the general meeting of the company's participants includes the approval of the company's annual balance sheets;

c) in accordance with Article 20 of the Federal Law "On State and Municipal Unitary Enterprises", the owner of the property of a unitary enterprise in relation to the said enterprise approves the accounting statements of the unitary enterprise.

In accordance with Part 9 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the publication of accounting (financial) statements (including annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012) is carried out in the manner and in cases established by federal laws. For example:

a) in accordance with Article 92 of the Federal Law "On Joint Stock Companies", an open joint stock company is obliged to disclose annual financial statements. Mandatory disclosure is carried out by the company in the amount and manner established by the federal executive body for the market valuable papers;

b) in accordance with Article 49 of the Federal Law "On Limited Liability Companies", in the event of a public placement of bonds and other issuable securities, the company is obliged to annually publish annual balance sheets.

At the same time, according to Part 10 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, in the event that accounting (financial) statements that are subject to mandatory audit are published, such accounting (financial) statements must be published together with the audit report. Cases when accounting (financial) statements are subject to mandatory audit are established by Article 5 of the Federal Law "On Auditing".

Interim accounting (financial) statements

Based on Part 4 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, from January 1, 2013, interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared in cases established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, regulatory legal acts of state accounting regulatory bodies (Ministry of Finance of Russia, Bank of Russia). For example, the need to prepare interim accounting (financial) statements is due to the fact that:

a) in the cases established by the Federal Law "On the Organization of the Insurance Business in the Russian Federation", quarterly financial statements are submitted by the subject of the insurance business to the insurance supervisory authority;

b) in the cases established by the Federal Law "On the Securities Market", the quarterly financial statements of the issuer of securities are subject to disclosure.

Based on Article 23 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, from January 1, 2013, quarterly financial statements in tax authorities does not appear.

Internal control

In accordance with Article 19 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, an economic entity is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over the facts of economic life. An economic entity, the accounting (financial) statements of which are subject to mandatory audit, is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over accounting and preparation of accounting (financial) statements (except for cases when the head of the economic entity has assumed the responsibility for accounting).

The legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting does not establish any restrictions on the procedure, methods, procedures for exercising the said internal control.

Public sector organizations - state (municipal) institutions, state academies of sciences, state bodies, local governments, management bodies of state extra-budgetary funds, management bodies of territorial state extra-budgetary funds.

For accounting, forms of primary accounting documents and accounting registers developed by an economic entity independently, provided for by the recommendations in the field of accounting adopted by non-state accounting regulation bodies, as well as other recommended forms (for example, forms of primary accounting documents contained in albums of unified forms of primary accounting documentation, the form of a book (journal) of accounting for the facts of economic activity, simplified forms of property accounting records, provided for by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated December 21, 1998 No. 64n).

Information of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation dated December 4, 2012 N PZ-10/2012 "On the entry into force from January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of December 6, 2011 N 402-FZ "On Accounting" (PZ - 10/2012) "

The Department of Regulation of State Financial Control, Auditing, Accounting and Reporting has summarized the questions received in connection with the entry into force on January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of December 6, 2011 N 402-FZ "On Accounting" (hereinafter - the Federal Law N 402-FZ), and with regard to the organization and maintenance of accounting by economic entities (with the exception of public sector organizations *, credit institutions and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation) reports the following. Accounting rules In accordance with Part 1 of Article 30 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, prior to the approval of federal and industry accounting standards provided for by this Federal Law, the rules for accounting and preparation of accounting (financial) statements approved by the authorized federal executive bodies are applied until the date of entry into force of Federal Law N 402-FZ. At the same time, the specified rules for maintaining accounting records and compiling accounting (financial) statements are applied to the extent that they do not contradict Federal Law N 402-FZ. Primary accounting documents Forms of primary accounting documents Based on Part 4 of Article 9 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, primary accounting documents are drawn up in accordance with the forms approved by the head of the economic entity. At the same time, each primary accounting document must contain all the mandatory details established by Part 2 of Article 9 of Federal Law N 402-FZ. From January 1, 2013, the forms of primary accounting documents contained in the albums of unified forms of primary accounting documentation are not mandatory. At the same time, the forms of documents used as primary accounting documents established by the authorized bodies in accordance with and on the basis of other federal laws (for example, cash documents) continue to be mandatory for use. Based on Part 1 of Article 7 and Article 9 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, the head of an economic entity also determines the composition of primary accounting documents used to document the facts of the economic life of an economic entity, and the list of persons entitled to sign primary accounting documents **. According to Part 4 of Article 9 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, the forms of primary accounting documents used to document the facts of the economic life of an economic entity must be approved by the head of this economic entity. Facts of economic life, drawn up by primary accounting documents In accordance with Part 1 of Article 9 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, each fact of economic life is subject to registration by a primary accounting document. Based on this, and also taking into account Part 2 of Article 1 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, documents that document facts of economic life that did not take place, including those underlying imaginary and sham transactions, should not be accepted for accounting. Documents used to process cash transactions In connection with the loss of force from January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 N 129-FZ "On Accounting", the second paragraph of Part 3 of Article 9 of this Federal Law is not subject to application. At the same time, after December 31, 2012, the procedure for signing documents used to process cash transactions continues to be regulated by regulatory legal acts approved by authorized bodies in accordance with and on the basis of the legislation of the Russian Federation. In particular, the Regulation on the procedure for conducting cash transactions with banknotes and coins of the Bank of Russia on the territory of the Russian Federation, approved by the Bank of Russia on October 12, 2011 N 373-P, the Regulation on the rules for the transfer of funds, approved by the Bank of Russia on June 19, 2012 N 383-P. Mandatory details of the primary accounting document Part 2 of Article 9 of Federal Law N 402-FZ establishes a list of mandatory details of the primary accounting document. The details included in this list are identical in composition and content to the mandatory details of the primary accounting document (including documents drawn up according to the forms contained in the albums of unified forms of primary accounting documentation) provided for by Part 2 of Article 9 of the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 N 129-FZ "About Accounting". The legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting does not establish any restrictions on the inclusion in primary accounting documents of additional to mandatory details. The inclusion of additional details to the mandatory details in the primary accounting document is carried out by the organization if necessary (due to the nature of the fact of economic life drawn up by this document, the requirements of regulatory legal acts, management needs, accounting information processing technology, etc.). Accounting registers Forms of accounting registers Based on Part 5 of Article 10 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, the data contained in primary accounting documents are subject to registration and accumulation in accounting registers, the forms of which are approved by the head of the economic entity. At the same time, each accounting register must contain all the mandatory details established by Part 4 of Article 10 of Federal Law N 402-FZ. From January 1, 2013, the forms of accounting registers approved by the federal executive authorities before the entry into force of Federal Law N 402-FZ are not mandatory. Based on Part 1 of Article 7 and Article 10 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, the head of an economic entity also determines the composition of accounting registers used to register and accumulate data contained in the primary accounting documents of an economic entity2. According to Part 5 of Article 10 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, the forms of accounting registers used for registration and accumulation of data contained in the primary accounting documents of an economic entity must be approved by the head of this economic entity. Accounting objects registered in accounting registers In accordance with Part 1 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the data contained in primary accounting documents are subject to timely registration and accumulation in accounting registers. Based on this, and also taking into account Part 2 of Article 1 and Part 1 of Article 13 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, non-existent objects that are reflected in accounting only for the type (including unfulfilled expenses, non-existent obligations, facts of economic life that did not take place), as well as objects reflected in accounting instead of another object in order to cover it (including those underlying sham transactions). The above does not apply to reserves, funds provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, and the costs of their creation. Accounting accounts In accordance with Part 1 of Article 10 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, the data contained in primary accounting documents are subject to timely registration and accumulation in accounting registers. According to Part 3 of Article 10 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, accounting is maintained by double entry in accounting accounts, unless otherwise established by federal standards. Based on this, and also taking into account Part 2 of Article 1 and Part 1 of Article 10 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, it is not allowed to maintain accounting accounts outside the accounting registers used by the economic entity. Accounting (financial) statements Basis for preparation of accounting (financial) statements In accordance with Part 1 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. funds for the reporting period, necessary for users of this reporting to make economic decisions. Based on this, and also taking into account Part 2 of Article 1 and Part 1 of Article 10 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, accounting (financial) statements should be prepared on the basis of data contained in accounting registers. Annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012 Due to the fact that, in accordance with Article 32 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, this Federal Law comes into force on January 1, 2013, when compiling the annual accounting (financial) statements of an economic entity for 2012 d. it must be borne in mind that: a) in accordance with Part 1 of Article 14 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, annual accounting (financial) statements consist of a balance sheet, a statement of financial results and annexes to them. Based on this, as part of the annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012, the income statement should be referred to as the income statement; b) in accordance with Part 2 of Article 14 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, the annual accounting (financial) statements of a non-profit organization consist of a balance sheet, a report on the intended use of funds and annexes to them. Based on this, in the composition of the annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012, the report on the intended use of the funds received should be referred to as the report on the intended use of funds. Based on the interrelated provisions of part 1 of article 13 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, the second paragraph of paragraph 6 and the second paragraph of paragraph 11 of the Accounting Regulation "Accounting statements of the organization" (PBU 4/99), approved by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 6, 1999 No. N 43n, a non-profit organization provides in its accounting (financial) statements indicators on individual income and expenses (financial results) separately in relation to the form and procedure for compiling a report on financial results in the event that: in the reporting year, this non-profit organization received income from entrepreneurial and ( or) other income-generating activities; the indicator of income received by the non-profit organization is significant; disclosure of data on profit from entrepreneurial and (or) other income-generating activities in the report on the intended use of funds is not enough to form a complete picture of the financial position of the non-profit organization, the financial results of its activities and changes in its financial position; without knowledge of the indicator of income received by interested users, it is impossible to assess the financial position of a non-profit organization and the financial results of its activities; c) in accordance with Part 2 of Article 18 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, a mandatory copy of the prepared annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012. submitted to the state statistics body at the place of registration of the economic entity no later than three months after the end of the reporting period; d) due to the loss of force from January 1, 2013 of the Federal Law of November 21, 1996 N 129-FZ "On Accounting", Part 4 of Article 13 of this Federal Law is not applicable. However, by virtue of Part 1 of Article 30 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, paragraphs 6 and 37 of the Accounting Regulation "Accounting Statements of an Organization" (PBU 4/99), approved by Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 6, 1999 N 43n, continue to apply; e) due to the loss of force from January 1, 2013 of Federal Law No. 129-FZ of November 21, 1996 "On Accounting", clause "d" of Part 2 of Article 13 of this Federal Law is not applicable. Based on this, from January 1, 2013, the audit report on the reliability of the accounting (financial) statements and the conclusion of the audit union of agricultural cooperatives, confirming the accuracy of the accounting (financial) statements, are not included in these statements; f) due to the loss of force from January 1, 2013 of Federal Law No. 129-FZ of November 21, 1996 "On Accounting", paragraph "e" of Part 2 of Article 13 of this Federal Law is not applicable. Based on this, from January 1, 2013, the explanatory note is not included in the accounting (financial) statements. However, by virtue of Part 1 of Article 30 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, Section VIII of the Regulation on Accounting "Accounting Statements of an Organization" (PBU 4/99), approved by Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated July 6, 1999 N 43n, continues to apply. At the same time, the information provided for in this section is not an appendix to the balance sheet and income statement; g) based on the legislation of the Russian Federation on energy saving and on improving energy efficiency (in particular, Part 5 of Article 22 of the Federal Law "On Energy Saving and on Increasing Energy Efficiency"), the information provided for by this legislation must be included in the information accompanying the annual accounting (financial) reporting. Rules for compiling a statement of financial results Based on Part 1 of Article 30 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, prior to the approval by the state accounting authorities of the federal and industry accounting standards provided for by this Federal Law, in relation to the preparation of a statement of financial results, appendices to the balance sheet and the income statement, the rules for drawing up the profit and loss statement, appendices to the balance sheet and income statement, approved by the authorized federal executive bodies before the date of entry into force of Federal Law N 402-FZ, are applied. Signing the accounting (financial) statements Federal Law No. 402-FZ does not establish the procedure for signing the accounting (financial) statements of an economic entity (including the annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012). Accounting (financial) statements must be signed by persons authorized to do so by the legislation of the Russian Federation, or by the constituent documents of an economic entity, or by decisions of the relevant management bodies of an economic entity. At the same time, in accordance with Part 8 of Article 13 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, accounting (financial) statements are considered to be drawn up after signing a copy of it on paper by the head of the economic entity. Based on this, a copy of the accounting (financial) statements signed by the head of the economic entity must be kept in the affairs of the economic entity; moreover, the signature of the head of the economic entity must contain the date of signing this copy. In cases where accounting (financial) statements are submitted to several addresses, such statements must be signed by the same authorized persons. Addresses for Submission of Accounting (Financial) Statements a copy of the annual accounting (financial) statements to the state statistics authority at the place of registration of the economic entity (in the manner approved by Rosstat). Addresses for the mandatory submission of accounting (financial) statements (other than state statistics bodies), as well as the terms and procedure for such submission are established by other federal laws, constituent documents of an economic entity, decisions of the relevant management bodies of an economic entity. For example: a) in accordance with Article 26 of the Federal Law "On State and Municipal Unitary Enterprises", at the end of the reporting period, a unitary enterprise submits accounting reports to authorized state authorities of the Russian Federation, state authorities of constituent entities of the Russian Federation or local governments; b) in accordance with Article 23 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, taxpayers are required to submit annual accounting (financial) statements to the tax authority at the location of the organization no later than three months after the end of the reporting year. Approval of accounting (financial) statements In accordance with Part 9 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, approval of accounting (financial) statements (including annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012) is carried out in the manner and in cases established by federal laws. For example: a) in accordance with Article 48 of the Federal Law "On Joint Stock Companies", the competence of the general meeting of shareholders includes the approval of the company's annual financial statements; b) in accordance with Article 33 of the Federal Law "On Limited Liability Companies", the competence of the general meeting of the company's participants includes the approval of the company's annual balance sheets; c) in accordance with Article 20 of the Federal Law "On State and Municipal Unitary Enterprises", the owner of the property of a unitary enterprise in relation to the said enterprise approves the accounting statements of the unitary enterprise. Publication of accounting (financial) statements In accordance with Part 9 of Article 13 of Federal Law No. 402-FZ, publication of accounting (financial) statements (including annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012) is carried out in the manner and in cases established by federal laws. For example: a) in accordance with Article 92 of the Federal Law "On Joint Stock Companies", an open joint stock company is obliged to disclose annual financial statements. Mandatory disclosure is carried out by the company in the amount and procedure established by the federal executive body for the securities market; b) in accordance with Article 49 of the Federal Law "On Limited Liability Companies", in the event of a public placement of bonds and other issuable securities, the company is obliged to annually publish annual balance sheets. At the same time, according to Part 10 of Article 13 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, in the event that accounting (financial) statements that are subject to mandatory audit are published, such accounting (financial) statements must be published together with the audit report. Cases when accounting (financial) statements are subject to mandatory audit are established by Article 5 of the Federal Law "On Auditing". Interim accounting (financial) statements Based on Part 4 of Article 13 of Federal Law N 402-FZ, from January 1, 2013, interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared in cases established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, regulatory legal acts of state accounting regulatory bodies (Ministry of Finance of Russia , Bank of Russia). For example, the need to prepare interim accounting (financial) statements is due to the fact that: a) in the cases established by the Federal Law "On the Organization of the Insurance Business in the Russian Federation", quarterly accounting statements are submitted by the subject of the insurance business to the insurance supervisory authority; b) in the cases established by the Federal Law "On the Securities Market", the quarterly financial statements of the issuer of securities are subject to disclosure. Based on Article 23 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, as of January 1, 2013, quarterly financial statements are not submitted to the tax authorities. Internal control In accordance with Article 19 of the Federal Law N 402-FZ, an economic entity is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over the facts of economic life. An economic entity, the accounting (financial) statements of which are subject to mandatory audit, is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over accounting and preparation of accounting (financial) statements (except for cases when the head of the economic entity has assumed the responsibility for accounting). The legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting does not establish any restrictions on the procedure, methods, procedures for exercising the said internal control. _____________________________ * Organizations of the public sector - state (municipal) institutions, state academies of sciences, state bodies, local governments, management bodies of state extra-budgetary funds, management bodies of territorial state extra-budgetary funds. ** For accounting, forms of primary accounting documents and accounting registers developed by an economic entity independently, provided for by the recommendations in the field of accounting adopted by non-state accounting regulation bodies, as well as other recommended forms (for example, forms of primary accounting documents contained in albums of unified forms of primary accounting documentation, the form of a book (journal) of accounting for the facts of economic activity, simplified forms of property accounting records, provided for by order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated December 21, 1998 N 64n).

Document overview

Accounting rules from January 1, 2013: some clarifications.
On January 1, 2013, the Accounting Law comes into force. Some points have been clarified.
Prior to the approval of the federal and industry accounting standards provided for by this law, the rules for accounting and preparation of accounting (financial) statements approved by the authorized bodies before January 1, 2013 are applied. They are valid to the extent that they do not contradict the law.
From the indicated date, the forms of primary accounting documents contained in the albums of unified forms of primary accounting documentation are not mandatory for use. Primary accounting documents are compiled according to the forms approved by the head of the economic entity. The latter also determines the composition of these documents and the list of persons entitled to sign them. The organization, if necessary, may include in the primary accounting document additional details to the mandatory ones.
The basics of drawing up accounting (financial) statements are explained, by whom it is signed, as it is approved, at what addresses it is submitted, how it is published. It is clarified that the annual accounting (financial) statements for 2012 are prepared according to the new rules. Starting from January 1, 2013, quarterly financial statements are not submitted to the tax authorities.

Chapter 1. General Provisions

Article 1

1. The objectives of this Federal Law are to establish uniform requirements for accounting, including accounting (financial) reporting, as well as to create a legal mechanism for regulating accounting.

2. Accounting - the formation of documented systematized information about the objects provided for by this Federal Law, in accordance with the requirements established by this Federal Law, and the preparation of accounting (financial) statements on its basis.

Article 2. Scope of this Federal Law

1. This Federal Law applies to the following persons (hereinafter referred to as economic entities):

1) commercial and non-commercial organizations;

2) state bodies, local self-government bodies, management bodies of state extra-budgetary funds and territorial state extra-budgetary funds;

3) the Central Bank of the Russian Federation;

4) individual entrepreneurs, as well as lawyers who have established law offices, notaries and other persons engaged in private practice (hereinafter referred to as persons engaged in private practice);

5) branches, representative offices and other structural subdivisions of organizations established in accordance with the legislation of foreign states located on the territory of the Russian Federation, international organizations, their branches and representative offices located on the territory of the Russian Federation, unless otherwise provided by international treaties of the Russian Federation.

2. This Federal Law is applied when maintaining budgetary accounting of assets and liabilities of the Russian Federation, constituent entities of the Russian Federation and municipalities, operations that change these assets and liabilities, as well as when compiling budget reporting.

3. This Federal Law shall apply when a trustee maintains accounting records of the property transferred to him in trust management and related accounting objects, as well as when maintaining, including by one of the legal entities participating in a simple partnership agreement, accounting of the common property of comrades and related accounting items.

4. This Federal Law shall apply in the course of accounting in the process of fulfilling a production sharing agreement, unless otherwise established by Federal Law No. 225-FZ of December 30, 1995 "On Production Sharing Agreements".

5. This Federal Law shall not apply when creating information necessary for the preparation by an economic entity of reports for internal purposes, reports submitted to a credit institution in accordance with its requirements, as well as reports for other purposes, if the legislation of the Russian Federation and the rules adopted in accordance with it the preparation of such reports does not provide for the application of this Federal Law.

Article 3. Basic concepts used in this Federal Law

For the purposes of this Federal Law, the following basic concepts are used:

1) accounting (financial) statements - information on the financial position of an economic entity as of the reporting date, the financial result of its activities and cash flows for the reporting period, systematized in accordance with the requirements established by this Federal Law;

2) authorized federal body - a federal executive body authorized by the Government of the Russian Federation to carry out the functions of developing state policy and legal regulation in the field of accounting and financial reporting;

3) accounting standard - a document that establishes the minimum necessary requirements for accounting, as well as acceptable methods of accounting;

4) international standard - an accounting standard, the application of which is a custom in international business turnover, regardless of the specific name of such a standard;

5) chart of accounts of accounting - a systematic list of accounts of accounting;

6) reporting period - the period for which accounting (financial) statements are prepared;

7) head of an economic entity - a person who is the sole executive body of an economic entity, or a person responsible for managing the affairs of an economic entity, or a manager to whom the functions of a sole executive body have been transferred;

8) the fact of economic life - a transaction, event, operation that have or are able to have an impact on the financial position of an economic entity, the financial result of its activities and (or) cash flow;

9) organizations of the public sector - state (municipal) institutions, state academies of sciences, state bodies, local governments, management bodies of state extra-budgetary funds, management bodies of territorial state extra-budgetary funds.

Article 4. Legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting

The legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting consists of this Federal Law, other federal laws and regulatory legal acts adopted in accordance with them.

Chapter 2. General requirements for accounting

Article 5. Objects of accounting

The objects of accounting of an economic entity are:

1) facts of economic life;

2) assets;

3) obligations;

4) sources of financing of its activities;

5) income;

6) expenses;

7) other objects if it is established by federal standards.

Article 6. Obligation to keep accounting records

1. An economic entity is obliged to keep accounting records in accordance with this Federal Law, unless otherwise established by this Federal Law.

2. Accounting in accordance with this Federal Law may not be kept:

1) an individual entrepreneur, a person engaged in private practice - if, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and fees, they keep records of income or income and expenses and (or) other objects of taxation in the manner established by this legislation;

2) a branch, representative office or other structural subdivision of an organization established in accordance with the legislation of a foreign state located on the territory of the Russian Federation - if, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and fees, they keep records of income and expenses and (or) other objects of taxation in the manner prescribed by the said legislation.

3. Accounting is kept continuously from the date of state registration until the date of termination of activities as a result of reorganization or liquidation.

4. Organizations that have received the status of participants in a project for the implementation of research, development and commercialization of their results in accordance with Federal Law No. 244-FZ of September 8, 2010 "On the Skolkovo Innovation Center" have the right to apply simplified accounting methods, including simplified accounting (financial) reporting established for small businesses.

Article 7. Organization of accounting

1. Accounting and storage of accounting documents shall be organized by the head of an economic entity.

2. In the event that an individual entrepreneur, a person engaged in private practice, keep accounting in accordance with this Federal Law, they themselves organize accounting and storage of accounting documents, and also bear other obligations established by this Federal Law for the head of an economic subject.

3. The head of an economic entity, with the exception of a credit institution, shall be obliged to entrust accounting to the chief accountant or other official of this entity, or to conclude an agreement on the provision of accounting services. The head of a credit organization is obliged to entrust accounting to the chief accountant. The head of a small and medium-sized business may take over the accounting.

4. In open joint stock companies (with the exception of credit institutions), insurance organizations and non-state pension funds, joint stock investment funds, management companies of mutual investment funds, in other economic entities whose securities are admitted to trading on stock exchanges and (or) other organizers of trade in the securities market (with the exception of credit institutions), in the management bodies of state extra-budgetary funds, the management bodies of state territorial extra-budgetary funds, the chief accountant or other official who is responsible for accounting must meet the following requirements:

1) have a higher professional education;

2) have work experience related to accounting, preparation of accounting (financial) statements or audit activities, at least three years out of the last five calendar years, and in the absence of higher professional education in the specialties of accounting and audit - at least five years from the last seven calendar years;

3) not have an unexpunged or outstanding conviction for crimes in the field of economics.

5. Additional requirements for the chief accountant or other official responsible for accounting may be established by other federal laws.

6. An individual with whom an economic entity enters into an agreement on the provision of accounting services must comply with the requirements established by part 4 of this article. A legal entity with which an economic entity enters into an agreement on the provision of accounting services must have at least one employee who meets the requirements established by paragraph 4 of this article, with whom an employment contract has been concluded.

7. The chief accountant of a credit institution must meet the requirements established by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

8. In the event of disagreements regarding the maintenance of accounting between the head of an economic entity and the chief accountant or other official who is entrusted with the maintenance of accounting, or a person with whom an agreement on the provision of accounting services has been concluded:

1) the data contained in the primary accounting document are accepted (not accepted) by the chief accountant or other official who is entrusted with accounting, or by the person with whom the contract for the provision of accounting services has been concluded, for registration and accumulation in registers accounting by written order of the head of the economic entity, which is solely responsible for the information created as a result of this;

2) the object of accounting is reflected (not reflected) by the chief accountant or other official who is entrusted with accounting, or by the person with whom the contract for the provision of accounting services has been concluded, in the accounting (financial) statements on the basis of a written order of the head an economic entity that is solely responsible for the reliability of the presentation of the financial position of the economic entity as of the reporting date, the financial result of its activities and cash flows for the reporting period.

Article 8. Accounting policy

1. The totality of ways of conducting accounting by an economic entity constitutes its accounting policy.

2. An economic entity independently forms its accounting policy, guided by the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting, federal and industry standards.

3. When forming an accounting policy in relation to a specific accounting object, a method of accounting is selected from the methods allowed by federal standards.

4. If federal standards do not establish a method of accounting for a specific accounting object, such a method is independently developed based on the requirements established by the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting, federal and (or) industry standards.

5. Accounting policies must be applied consistently from year to year.

6. Changes in accounting policies may be made under the following conditions:

1) changing the requirements established by the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting, federal and (or) industry standards;

2) development or selection of a new method of accounting, the use of which leads to an increase in the quality of information about the object of accounting;

3) a significant change in the conditions of activity of an economic entity.

7. In order to ensure comparability of accounting (financial) statements for a number of years, a change in accounting policy is made from the beginning of the reporting year, unless otherwise stipulated by the reason for such a change.

Article 9. Primary accounting documents

1. Each fact of economic life is subject to registration by the primary accounting document.

2. Mandatory details of the primary accounting document are:

1) the name of the document;

2) date of drawing up the document;

3) the name of the economic entity that prepared the document;

5) the value of the natural and (or) monetary measurement of the fact of economic life, indicating the units of measurement;

6) the title of the position of the person (persons) who made (completed) the transaction, operation and responsible (responsible) for the correctness of its execution, or the title of the position of the person (persons) responsible (responsible) for the correctness of registration of the event;

7) signatures of the persons provided for in paragraph 6 of this part, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

3. The primary accounting document must be drawn up at the time of the fact of economic life, and if this is not possible, immediately after its completion.

4. Forms of primary accounting documents shall be approved by the head of an economic entity on the proposal of an official who is entrusted with accounting. Forms of primary accounting documents for public sector organizations are established in accordance with the budget legislation of the Russian Federation.

5. The primary accounting document is compiled on paper and (or) in the form of an electronic document signed with an electronic signature.

6. If the legislation of the Russian Federation or an agreement provides for the submission of a primary accounting document to another person or to a state body on paper, an economic entity is obliged, at the request of another person or state body, at its own expense, to make hard copies of the primary accounting document drawn up in form of an electronic document.

7. Corrections are allowed in the primary accounting document, unless otherwise established by federal laws or regulatory legal acts of the bodies of state regulation of accounting. The correction in the primary accounting document must contain the date of the correction, as well as the signatures of the persons who drew up the document in which the correction was made, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

8. If, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, primary accounting documents, including in the form of an electronic document, are withdrawn, copies of the withdrawn documents made in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation are included in accounting documents.

Article 10. Accounting registers

1. Data contained in primary accounting documents are subject to timely registration and accumulation in accounting registers.

2. Omissions or withdrawals are not allowed when registering accounting objects in accounting registers.

3. Accounting is kept by means of double entry in accounting accounts, unless otherwise established by federal standards.

4. Mandatory details of the accounting register are:

1) the name of the register;

2) the name of the economic entity that compiled the register;

3) date of beginning and end of maintaining the register and (or) the period for which the register was drawn up;

4) chronological and (or) systematic grouping of accounting objects;

5) the value of the monetary measurement of accounting objects, indicating the unit of measurement;

6) the names of the positions of the persons responsible for maintaining the register;

7) signatures of persons responsible for maintaining the register, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

5. Forms of accounting registers are approved by the head of an economic entity on the proposal of an official who is entrusted with accounting. Forms of accounting registers for public sector organizations are established in accordance with the budget legislation of the Russian Federation.

6. The accounting register is compiled on paper and (or) in the form of an electronic document signed with an electronic signature.

7. If the legislation of the Russian Federation or an agreement provides for the submission of an accounting register to another person or to a state body on paper, an economic entity is obliged, at the request of another person or state body, to make, at its own expense, on paper copies of the accounting register drawn up in form of an electronic document.

8. In the accounting register, corrections are not allowed that are not authorized by the persons responsible for maintaining the said register. Correction in the accounting register must contain the date of correction, as well as the signatures of the persons responsible for maintaining this register, indicating their surnames and initials or other details necessary to identify these persons.

9. If, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, accounting registers are withdrawn, including in the form of an electronic document, copies of the withdrawn registers made in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation are included in accounting documents.

Article 11. Inventory of assets and liabilities

1. Assets and liabilities are subject to inventory.

2. During the inventory, the actual presence of the relevant objects is revealed, which is compared with the data of accounting registers.

3. The cases, terms and procedure for conducting an inventory, as well as the list of objects subject to inventory, are determined by the economic entity, with the exception of the mandatory inventory. Mandatory inventory is established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, federal and industry standards.

4. The discrepancies revealed during the inventory between the actual availability of objects and the data of accounting registers are subject to registration in accounting in the reporting period to which the date as of which the inventory was carried out refers.

Article 12. Monetary measurement of accounting objects

1. Objects of accounting are subject to monetary measurement.

2. Monetary measurement of accounting items is carried out in the currency of the Russian Federation.

3. Unless otherwise established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, the cost of accounting items expressed in foreign currency shall be subject to conversion into the currency of the Russian Federation.

Article 13. General requirements for accounting (financial) reporting

1. Accounting (financial) statements should give a reliable idea of ​​the financial position of an economic entity as of the reporting date, the financial result of its activities and the cash flow for the reporting period, which is necessary for users of these statements to make economic decisions.

2. An economic entity draws up annual accounting (financial) statements, unless otherwise established by other federal laws, regulatory legal acts of the bodies of state regulation of accounting.

3. Annual accounting (financial) statements are prepared for the reporting year.

4. Interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared by an economic entity in cases established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, regulatory legal acts of state accounting regulatory bodies.

5. Interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared for a reporting period less than a reporting year.

6. Accounting (financial) statements must include performance indicators of all divisions of an economic entity, including its branches and representative offices, regardless of their location.

7. Accounting (financial) statements are prepared in the currency of the Russian Federation.

8. Accounting (financial) statements are considered to be drawn up after the signing of its copy on paper by the head of the economic entity.

11. No trade secret regime can be established with respect to accounting (financial) statements.

12. Legal regulation of consolidated financial statements is carried out in accordance with this Federal Law, unless otherwise provided by other federal laws.

Article 14. Composition of accounting (financial) statements

1. Annual accounting (financial) statements, with the exception of cases established by this Federal Law, consist of a balance sheet, a statement of financial results and annexes thereto.

2. The annual accounting (financial) statements of a non-profit organization, with the exception of cases established by this Federal Law and other federal laws, consist of a balance sheet, a report on the intended use of funds and annexes thereto.

3. The composition of interim accounting (financial) statements, with the exception of cases established by this Federal Law, is established by federal standards.

4. The composition of the accounting (financial) statements of public sector organizations is established in accordance with the budgetary legislation of the Russian Federation.

5. The composition of the accounting (financial) statements of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation is established by Federal Law No. 86-FZ of July 10, 2002 "On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)".

Article 15. Reporting period, reporting date

1. The reporting period for annual accounting (financial) statements (reporting year) is a calendar year - from January 1 to December 31 inclusive, except for cases of creation, reorganization and liquidation of a legal entity.

2. The first reporting year is the period from the date of state registration of an economic entity to December 31 of the same calendar year, inclusive, unless otherwise provided by this Federal Law and (or) federal standards.

3. If the state registration of an economic entity, with the exception of a credit institution, is made after September 30, the first reporting year is, unless otherwise established by the economic entity, the period from the date of state registration to December 31 of the calendar year following the year of its state registration , inclusive.

4. The reporting period for interim accounting (financial) statements is the period from January 1 to the reporting date of the period for which interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared, inclusive.

5. The first reporting period for interim accounting (financial) statements is the period from the date of state registration of an economic entity to the reporting date of the period for which interim accounting (financial) statements are prepared, inclusive.

6. The date on which accounting (financial) statements are prepared (reporting date) is the last calendar day of the reporting period, except for cases of reorganization and liquidation of a legal entity.

Article 16

1. The last reporting year for a reorganized legal entity, except for cases of reorganization in the form of affiliation, is the period from January 1 of the year in which the state registration of the last of the resulting legal entities was carried out until the date of such state registration.

2. When a legal entity is reorganized in the form of affiliation, the last reporting year for a legal entity that is merging with another legal entity is the period from January 1 of the year in which an entry was made in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on the termination of the activities of the merged legal entity until the date of its making.

3. The reorganized legal entity draws up the last accounting (financial) statements as of the date preceding the date of state registration of the last of the legal entities that have arisen (the date of making an entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on the termination of the activities of the affiliated legal entity).

4. The latest accounting (financial) statements must include data on the facts of economic life that took place in the period from the date of approval of the deed of transfer (separation balance sheet) until the date of state registration of the last of the legal entities that have arisen (the date of making an entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on the termination activities of the affiliated legal entity).

5. The first reporting year for a legal entity that has arisen as a result of reorganization, with the exception of public sector organizations, is the period from the date of its state registration to December 31 of the year in which the reorganization took place, inclusive, unless otherwise established by federal standards.

6. A legal entity that has arisen as a result of reorganization, with the exception of public sector organizations, must draw up the first accounting (financial) statements as of the date of its state registration, unless otherwise established by federal standards.

7. The first accounting (financial) statements are drawn up on the basis of the approved transfer act (separation balance sheet) and data on the facts of economic life that took place in the period from the date of approval of the transfer act (separation balance sheet) to the date of state registration of legal entities arising as a result of the reorganization, for with the exception of public sector organizations (the date of making an entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities on the termination of the activities of the affiliated legal entity).

8. The procedure for compiling accounting (financial) statements of a public sector organization that has arisen as a result of reorganization is established by the authorized federal body.

Article 17

1. The reporting year for a legal entity in liquidation is the period from January 1 of the year in which an entry on liquidation was made in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities until the date of making such an entry.

2. The last accounting (financial) statements of a liquidated legal entity shall be drawn up by a liquidation commission (liquidator) or by an arbitration manager if the legal entity is liquidated as a result of being declared bankrupt.

3. The latest accounting (financial) statements are drawn up on the date preceding the date of making an entry on the liquidation of a legal entity in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

4. The latest accounting (financial) statements are compiled on the basis of the approved liquidation balance sheet and data on the facts of economic life that took place in the period from the date of approval of the liquidation balance sheet to the date of making an entry on the liquidation of the legal entity in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

Article 18. Mandatory copy of accounting (financial) statements

1. Economic entities obliged to prepare accounting (financial) statements, with the exception of organizations of the public sector and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, submit one mandatory copy of the annual accounting (financial) statements to the state statistics body at the place of state registration.

2. A mandatory copy of the prepared annual accounting (financial) statements shall be submitted no later than three months after the end of the reporting period.

3. Mandatory copies of accounting (financial) statements constitute the state information resource. Interested parties are provided with access to the specified state information resource, except for cases when, in the interests of maintaining state secrets, such access should be limited.

4. The procedure for submitting a mandatory copy of accounting (financial) statements, as well as the rules for using (including fees for using, unless otherwise provided by other federal laws) the state information resource provided for by Part 3 of this article, are approved by the federal executive body that performs the functions of developing state policy and legal regulation in the field of state statistical activity.

Article 19. Internal control

1. An economic entity is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over the facts of economic life.

2. An economic entity, the accounting (financial) statements of which are subject to mandatory audit, is obliged to organize and exercise internal control over accounting and preparation of accounting (financial) statements (except for cases when its head has assumed the responsibility for accounting).

Chapter 3. Accounting regulation

Article 20. Principles of accounting regulation

Accounting regulation is carried out in accordance with the following principles:

1) compliance of federal and industry standards with the needs of users of accounting (financial) statements, as well as the level of development of science and accounting practice;

2) unity of the system of accounting requirements;

3) simplification of accounting methods, including simplified accounting (financial) reporting, for small businesses and certain forms of non-profit organizations;

4) application of international standards as the basis for the development of federal and industry standards;

5) providing conditions for the uniform application of federal and industry standards;

6) the inadmissibility of combining powers to approve federal standards and state control (supervision) in the field of accounting.

Article 21. Documents in the field of accounting regulation

1. Documents in the field of accounting regulation include:

1) federal standards;

4) standards of the economic entity.

2. Federal and industry standards are mandatory, unless otherwise provided by these standards.

3. Federal standards, regardless of the type of economic activity, establish:

1) definitions and features of accounting objects, the procedure for their classification, the conditions for their acceptance for accounting and writing them off in accounting;

2) acceptable methods of monetary measurement of accounting objects;

3) the procedure for recalculating the cost of accounting items expressed in foreign currency into the currency of the Russian Federation for accounting purposes;

4) requirements for accounting policies, including the determination of the conditions for its change, inventory of assets and liabilities, accounting documents and workflow in accounting, including types of electronic signatures used to sign accounting documents;

5) the chart of accounts for accounting and the procedure for its application, with the exception of the chart of accounts for credit institutions and the procedure for its application;

6) the composition, content and procedure for the formation of information disclosed in the accounting (financial) statements, including sample forms of accounting (financial) statements, as well as the composition of the appendices to the balance sheet and the income statement and the composition of the annexes to the balance sheet and the report on intended use of funds;

7) the conditions under which the accounting (financial) statements give a reliable idea of ​​the financial position of the economic entity as of the reporting date, the financial result of its activities and the cash flow for the reporting period;

8) the composition of the last and first accounting (financial) statements during the reorganization of a legal entity, the procedure for its preparation and the monetary measurement of objects in it;

9) the composition of the latest accounting (financial) statements upon liquidation of a legal entity, the procedure for its preparation and the monetary measurement of objects in it;

10) simplified methods of accounting, including simplified accounting (financial) reporting, for small businesses.

4. Federal standards may establish special accounting requirements (including accounting policy, accounting chart of accounts and the procedure for its application) of public sector organizations, as well as accounting requirements for certain types of economic activity.

5. Industry standards establish the features of the application of federal standards in certain types of economic activity.

6. The chart of accounts for credit institutions and the procedure for its application are approved by a regulatory legal act of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

7. Recommendations in the field of accounting are adopted in order to correctly apply federal and industry standards, reduce the cost of organizing accounting, as well as disseminate best practices in organizing and maintaining accounting, the results of research and development in the field of accounting.

9. Recommendations in the field of accounting may be adopted regarding the procedure for applying federal and industry standards, forms of accounting documents, with the exception of those established by federal and industry standards, organizational forms of accounting, organization of accounting services of economic entities, accounting technology, organization procedure and exercising internal control over their activities and accounting, as well as the procedure for the development of standards by these persons.

11. The standards of an economic entity are intended to streamline the organization and maintain its accounting records.

12. The necessity and procedure for developing, approving, changing and canceling the standards of an economic entity are established by this entity independently.

13. The standards of an economic entity are applied equally and equally by all divisions of an economic entity, including its branches and representative offices, regardless of their location.

14. An economic entity that has subsidiaries is entitled to develop and approve its own standards that are mandatory for use by such companies. The standards of the specified subject, obligatory for application by the parent company and its subsidiaries, should not create obstacles for such companies to carry out their activities.

15. Federal and industry standards must not contradict this Federal Law. Industry standards must not conflict with federal standards. Recommendations in the field of accounting, as well as the standards of an economic entity, should not contradict federal and industry standards.

16. Federal and industry standards, as well as the program for the development of federal standards, are approved by regulatory legal acts in the prescribed manner, subject to the provisions of this Federal Law.

17. Documents for the organization and maintenance of accounting by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, including the chart of accounts and the procedure for its application, are approved in the manner established by Federal Law No. 86-FZ of July 10, 2002 "On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank Russia)".

Article 22. Subjects of accounting regulation

1. Bodies of state regulation of accounting in the Russian Federation are the authorized federal body and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

2. Regulation of accounting in the Russian Federation may also be carried out by self-regulatory organizations, including self-regulatory organizations of entrepreneurs, other users of accounting (financial) statements, auditors interested in participating in the regulation of accounting, as well as their associations and unions and other non-profit organizations, pursuing the goals of the development of accounting (hereinafter - the subjects of non-state regulation of accounting).

Article 23. Functions of bodies of state regulation of accounting

1. Authorized federal body:

1) approves the program for the development of federal standards in the manner established by this Federal Law;

2) approves federal standards and, within its competence, industry standards and generalizes the practice of their application;

3) organize the examination of draft accounting standards;

4) approves the requirements for the execution of draft accounting standards;

5) participates in the prescribed manner in the development of international standards;

6) represents the Russian Federation in international organizations operating in the field of accounting and accounting (financial) reporting;

7) perform other functions provided for by this Federal Law and other federal laws.

2. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation, within its competence:

1) approve industry standards and summarize the practice of their application;

2) participates in the preparation and coordinates the program for the development of federal standards;

3) participates in the examination of draft federal standards;

4) participates together with the authorized federal body in the prescribed manner in the development of international standards;

5) performs other functions provided for by this Federal Law and other federal laws.

Article 24. Functions of the subject of non-state regulation of accounting

Subject of non-state regulation of accounting:

1) develops draft federal standards, conducts a public discussion of these drafts and submits them to the authorized federal body;

2) participates in the preparation of the federal standards development program;

3) participates in the examination of draft accounting standards;

4) ensures the compliance of the draft federal standard with the international standard on the basis of which the draft federal standard has been developed;

6) develop proposals for improving accounting standards;

7) participates in the development of international standards.

Article 25

1. To conduct an examination of draft federal standards, an accounting standards council is created under the authorized federal body.

2. The Accounting Standards Board conducts an examination of draft federal standards for:

1) compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on accounting;

2) compliance with the needs of users of accounting (financial) statements, as well as the level of development of science and accounting practice;

3) ensuring the unity of the system of accounting requirements;

4) providing conditions for the uniform application of federal standards.

3. Bodies of state regulation of accounting in the relevant area of ​​economic activity have the right to send draft industry standards that they have received for approval or developed by them to the accounting standards council for examination of such projects.

4. Examination of draft industry standards is carried out in the manner established for the examination of draft federal standards.

5. The composition of the accounting standards council includes:

1) 10 representatives of subjects of non-state regulation of accounting and the scientific community, of which at least three members are subject to rotation once every three years;

2) five representatives of state accounting regulation bodies.

6. The composition of the accounting standards council is approved by the head of the authorized federal body. Proposals on candidates for members of the accounting standards council, with the exception of representatives of the authorized federal body, are submitted to the authorized federal body by subjects of non-state regulation of accounting, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, scientific organizations and higher educational institutions.

7. Candidates for members of the accounting standards council must have a higher professional education, an impeccable business (professional) reputation and professional experience in the field of finance, accounting or auditing.

8. The chairman of the council for accounting standards is elected at the first meeting of the council from among the representatives of the subjects of non-state regulation of accounting included in its composition. The chairman of the accounting standards board has at least two deputies.

9. The secretary of the council for accounting standards is a representative of the authorized federal body from among the members of the council.

10. Meetings of the accounting standards council are convened by its chairman, and in the absence of the chairman by the authorized deputy chairman as necessary, but at least once every three months. The meeting is considered competent if at least two thirds of the members of the accounting standards council are present.

11. Decisions of the council on accounting standards are made by a simple majority of votes of the members of the council participating in its meeting.

12. Meetings of the Accounting Standards Board are public.

13. Information about the activities of the accounting standards board should be open and publicly available.

14. The regulation on the accounting standards council is approved by the authorized federal body. The regulations of the accounting standards council are approved by this council independently at the first meeting.

Article 26

1. Federal standards are developed and approved in accordance with the federal standards development program.

2. Bodies of state regulation of accounting and subjects of non-state regulation of accounting submit proposals on the program for the development of federal standards to the authorized federal body.

3. The authorized federal body approves the program for the development of federal standards in agreement with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

4. The program for the development of federal standards must be revised annually in order to ensure that federal standards comply with the needs of users of accounting (financial) statements with international standards, the level of development of science and accounting practice.

5. The authorized federal body shall ensure that the federal standards development program is available to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, subjects of non-state regulation and other interested parties (hereinafter referred to as interested parties) for familiarization.

6. The rules for the preparation and clarification of the program for the development of federal standards are approved by the authorized federal body.

Article 27. Development and approval of federal standards

1. The developer of the federal standard (hereinafter - the developer) can be any subject of non-state regulation of accounting.

2. Notification of the development of a federal standard shall be sent by the developer to the authorized federal body, published in a printed publication determined by the authorized federal body (hereinafter referred to as the printed edition), and posted on the official websites of the authorized federal body and the developer in the information and telecommunications network "Internet" (hereinafter - Internet").

3. Not later than 10 working days after the day of publication of the notice of the development of the federal standard in the printed edition, the developer publishes the draft federal standard in the printed edition and places it on his official website on the Internet. The draft federal standard, posted on the official website of the developer on the Internet, should be available for review without charging a fee. The developer is obliged, at the request of the interested person, to provide him with a copy of the draft federal standard on paper. The fee charged by the developer for providing the specified copy on paper cannot exceed the costs of its production and shipment. No fee shall be charged for providing the said copy to state accounting regulation bodies and subjects of non-state accounting regulation.

4. From the date of publication of the draft federal standard in a printed publication, the developer conducts a public discussion of the federal standard. The term for public discussion of a draft federal standard cannot be less than three months after the day of publication of the said draft in a printed publication. Notification of the completion of the public discussion of the draft federal standard shall be sent by the developer to the authorized federal body, published in a print publication and posted on the official websites of the authorized federal body and the developer on the Internet.

5. During the period of public discussion of the draft federal standard, the developer:

1) accept comments in writing from interested persons. The developer cannot refuse to accept comments in writing;

2) discusses the draft federal standard and comments received in writing;

3) draws up a list of comments received in writing with a summary of the content of such comments and the results of their discussion;

4) finalizes the draft federal standard, taking into account the comments received in writing.

6. The developer is obliged to keep the comments received in writing until the approval of the federal standard and submit them to the authorized federal body upon his request.

7. The finalized draft of the federal standard is published by the developer in the same printed edition no later than 10 working days after the day of publication of the notice of completion of the public discussion of the draft federal standard in a printed publication. At the same time, the developer posts on his official website on the Internet a revised draft of the federal standard and a list of comments received in writing from interested parties. These documents posted on the official website of the developer on the Internet should be available for review without charging a fee.

2 - 7 of this article, is established by the authorized federal body.

9. The finalized draft of the federal standard, together with a list of comments received in writing from interested parties, is submitted by the developer to the authorized federal body, which organizes the examination of this draft.

10. The Accounting Standards Board prepares, within a period of not more than two months from the date of submission by the developer of the draft federal standard, a reasoned proposal to accept such a draft for approval or to reject it on the basis of the documents specified in Part 9 of this Article and taking into account the results of the examination. Such a proposal, together with the documents specified in part 9 of this article and the results of the examination, shall be sent to the authorized federal body.

11. The authorized federal body, on the basis of the documents submitted by the accounting standards council, within a period of not more than one month, accepts the draft federal standard for approval or rejects it. The draft federal standard accepted for approval is prepared and approved by the authorized federal body in accordance with the established procedure.

12. A draft federal standard proposed by the accounting standards council for adoption may be rejected if it does not comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

13. If the draft federal standard is rejected, a reasoned decision of the authorized federal body with the attachment of the documents specified in Part 9 of this Article shall be sent to the developer of the draft federal standard within a period of not more than 10 working days after the date of adoption of such a decision.

14. Amendments to the federal standard or its cancellation are carried out in the manner established by this article. Amendments to the federal standard due to changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation may be made at the initiative of the authorized federal body.

Article 28. Development of federal standards by the authorized federal body

1. The authorized federal body develops federal standards:

1) for public sector organizations;

2) in the event that no subject of non-state regulation of accounting assumes the obligation to develop a federal standard provided for by the approved program for the development of federal standards.

2. The development of the federal standard by the authorized federal body is carried out in the manner established by Article 27 of this Federal Law.

Chapter 4. Final Provisions

Article 29. Storage of accounting documents

1. Primary accounting documents, accounting registers, accounting (financial) statements are subject to storage by an economic entity for the periods established in accordance with the rules for organizing state archiving, but not less than five years after the reporting year.

2. Accounting policy documents, standards of an economic entity, other documents related to the organization and maintenance of accounting, including the means that ensure the reproduction of electronic documents, as well as the verification of the authenticity of an electronic signature, shall be kept by an economic entity for at least five years after the year which they were used for the preparation of accounting (financial) statements for the last time.

3. An economic entity must provide safe conditions for storing accounting documents and protect them from changes.

Article 30

1. Until the federal and sectoral standards provided for by this Federal Law are approved by state accounting regulatory bodies, the rules for maintaining accounting and compiling financial statements approved by the authorized federal executive bodies and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation before the date this Federal Law enters into force shall apply.

2. The provisions of Parts 4 and 6 of Article 7 of this Federal Law shall not apply to persons who, as of the date of entry into force of this Federal Law, are entrusted with accounting.

3. The provision of Part 2 of Article 15 of this Federal Law shall not apply when changing the type of state (municipal) institution.

Article 31

Recognize invalid:

1) Federal Law No. 129-FZ of November 21, 1996 "On Accounting" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 1996, No. 48, Art. 5369);

2) Federal Law No. 123-FZ of July 23, 1998 "On Amendments and Additions to the Federal Law "On Accounting" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 1998, No. 30, Art. 3619);

3) Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 28, 2002 "On Amendments and Additions to the Federal Law "On Accounting" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2002, No. 13, Art. 1179);

4) Article 9 of the Federal Law of December 31, 2002 N 187-FZ "On Amendments and Additions to Part Two of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation and Certain Other Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation, 2003, N 1, Article 2 );

5) Article 3 of Federal Law No. 191-FZ of December 31, 2002 "On the Introduction of Amendments and Additions to Chapters 22, 24, 25, 26, 26 and 27 of Part Two of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation and Certain Other Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" (Meeting legislation of the Russian Federation, 2003, N 1, item 6);

6) Clause 7 of Article 2 of the Federal Law of January 10, 2003 N 8-FZ "On Amendments and Additions to the Law of the Russian Federation "On Employment in the Russian Federation" and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation on Financing Measures to Promote Employment of the Population" (Sobraniye zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2003, N 2, art. 160);

7) Article 23 of the Federal Law of June 30, 2003 N 86-FZ "On the introduction of amendments and additions to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation, the recognition of certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation as invalid, the provision of certain guarantees to employees of internal affairs bodies, bodies for controlling turnover narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and the abolished federal bodies of the tax police in connection with the implementation of measures to improve public administration" (Sobraniye zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2003, No. 27, art. 2700);

8) Article 2 of the Federal Law dated

November 3, 2006 N 183-FZ "On Amendments to the Federal Law "On Agricultural Cooperation" and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2006, N 45, Art. 4635);

9) Article 32 of the Federal Law of November 23, 2009 N 261-FZ "On Energy Saving and on Increasing Energy Efficiency and on Amending Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2009, N 48, Art. 5711);

10) Article 12 of the Federal Law of May 8, 2010 N 83-FZ "On Amending Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in Connection with the Improvement of the Legal Status of State (Municipal) Institutions" (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation, 2010, N 19, art. 2291);

11) Federal Law No. 209-FZ of July 27, 2010 "On Amendments to Article 16 of the Federal Law "On Accounting" (Sobraniye Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2010, No. 31, Art. 4178);

12) Article 4 of Federal Law No. 243-FZ of September 28, 2010 "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in Connection with the Adoption of the Federal Law "On the Skolkovo Innovation Center" (Sobranie Zakonodatelstva Rossiyskoy Federatsii, 2010, No. 40, Art. 4969).

Article 32. Entry into force of this Federal Law

President of Russian Federation

Law 402-FZ "On Accounting" was approved in order to establish uniform requirements for maintaining financial and business documents of enterprises. This normative act establishes the legal mechanism for regulating this sphere. The document formulates the key requirements for reporting.

402-FZ "On Accounting": scope

The regulation applies to:

1. Non-profit and commercial enterprises.
2. State bodies, territorial structures of self-government, administrative apparatuses of state and local non-budgetary funds.
3. Individual entrepreneurs, notaries, lawyers who have created offices, and other persons engaged in private practice.
4. Representative offices and other structural subdivisions of companies established under the laws of foreign countries, international organizations and their branches located on the territory of the Russian Federation, unless otherwise provided by interstate agreements.

Application features

Law 402-FZ "On Accounting" is used when maintaining financial and business papers by a trustee for the property transferred to him and objects associated with it. It is also applied within the framework of the activities of a simple partnership and other economic entities. Fundamentals 402-FZ "On Accounting" is used in the preparation of financial and economic documentation in the course of the execution of a production sharing agreement, unless otherwise provided for in regulatory act No. 225.

Key Concepts

402-FZ "On Accounting" uses special definitions. They should be known to the employee who draws up financial and economic documentation at the enterprise. These concepts include:

1. Accounting reporting. It is a document containing information about the financial condition of a business entity on a specific date, the results of its economic activity, the movement of funds for a certain period. Reporting is systematized in accordance with the requirements established by the law in question.
2. Authorized body. It is an executive structure endowed by the Government with the authority to carry out the functions of developing state policy and regulatory regulation in the field of accounting and reporting.
3. Standard. It is a document that establishes the minimum requirements for accounting, acceptable methods of its maintenance. The standard can be national or international.
4. Chart of accounts - a systematic list of accounting items.
5. Head of a business entity. It is a person who is the sole executive body of the enterprise or a manager who has been delegated the appropriate powers. A manager may be a person responsible for the conduct of business in an organization.
6. Reporting period - the time period for which accounting documentation is prepared.
7. The fact of economic activity (life). It can be an event, operation, transaction that has or is capable of influencing the financial condition of the entity, the result of its economic activity or the movement of funds.

Objects

They are listed in Art. Chapter 5 2 of the normative act under consideration. This provision 402-FZ "On Accounting" establishes the following controlled objects:

Subject duty

402-FZ "On Accounting" prescribes to maintain financial and business documentation:

1. Individual entrepreneurs, private practitioners. For these entities, the obligation to draw up documentation is imputed if, according to the current regulatory acts on fees and taxes, they register expenses and incomes or other objects of taxation in the prescribed manner.
2. Representative offices, branches and other structural subdivisions of companies formed under foreign laws located within the territory of the Russian Federation. For these subjects, the condition given in the previous paragraph also applies.

402-FZ "On Accounting" prescribes the maintenance of financial and economic documentation from the moment of state registration and until the date of termination of the enterprise due to liquidation or reorganization.

Process features

According to 402-FZ "On Accounting", the head of the subject is responsible for organizing the maintenance of financial and economic documentation and its storage. If a private practitioner or an individual entrepreneur registers expenses and incomes, they fill out the necessary paperwork on their own. Along with this, they are charged with other duties provided for the head of an economic entity. The manager of the enterprise should assign the functions of compiling documentation to the appropriate specialist. For this, an order is issued. 402-FZ "On Accounting" allows the conclusion of an agreement with a private company to provide the latter with relevant services to the enterprise. For a credit institution, a slightly different procedure applies. The head of such a company is obliged to assign the functions of reporting to the chief accountant. The manager of a small or medium-sized enterprise can carry out the preparation of documentation on his own.

Requirements for a specialist

The head of the economic entity must check the compliance of the level of professional training of the employee with the duties that he will perform. Only after that the director can sign the corresponding order. 402-FZ "On Accounting" establishes the following requirements for a specialist:

1. The presence of higher professional education.
2. No outstanding or unexpunged conviction for economic crime.
3. At least three years of work experience in the profession within the last five years. In the absence of higher vocational education, the employee's length of service must be at least five years out of the last seven.

Other federal laws regulating relations in the field of finance may establish additional requirements for a specialist. The legal entity with which the company enters into a contract for the provision of services must have at least one employee. However, it must meet the requirements listed above. The latter also applies to a private practitioner with whom an agreement is concluded for the provision of services for maintaining financial and economic documentation at the enterprise. The chief accountant in a credit institution must meet the requirements established by the Central Bank.

controversial points

Disagreements may arise between the head of the enterprise and the chief accountant or another person performing his duties on issues of reporting. In these cases, the information present in primary documentation accepted / not accepted by a specialist for registration and accumulation in registers by written order of the director. The latter is solely responsible for the data generated as a result of these actions. A similar rule applies to accounting items, on the reflection / non-recording of which a disputable situation arose.