Days' cash on hand

Financial statement data for years ending December 31 for Newton Company follow:

Line Item Description 20Y9 20Y8
Cash (end of year) $25,500 $24,250
Short-term investments (end of year) 8,270 9,460
Operating expenses 60,135 63,780
Depreciation expense 13,225 11,400
Determine the days’ cash on hand for 20Y8 and 20Y9. Assume 365 days in a year. Round all calculations to one decimal place.

Year Days’ Cash on Hand
20Y8: fill in the blank 1 of 2
days
20Y9: fill in the blank 2 of 2
days

1 answer

To calculate the days' cash on hand, we first need to determine the total cash available, which includes cash and short-term investments. Then, we use the operating expenses to find the number of days' cash available based on the total expenses incurred.

The formula for days' cash on hand is:

\[ \text{Days' Cash on Hand} = \left( \frac{\text{Cash} + \text{Short-term Investments}}{\text{Total Operating Expenses} / 365} \right) \]

For 20Y8:

  1. Total Cash and Short-term Investments:

    • Cash (end of year) = $24,250
    • Short-term investments (end of year) = $9,460
    • Total = $24,250 + $9,460 = $33,710
  2. Total Operating Expenses:

    • Operating expenses = $63,780
  3. Days' Cash on Hand Calculation:

    • \[ \text{Days' Cash on Hand} = \left( \frac{33,710}{63,780 / 365} \right) \]
    • Calculate operating expenses per day:
    • \( \frac{63,780}{365} \approx 174.5 \) (operating expenses per day)
    • Now calculate days' cash on hand:
    • \[ \text{Days' Cash on Hand} = \left( \frac{33,710}{174.5} \right) \approx 192.5 \]

For 20Y9:

  1. Total Cash and Short-term Investments:

    • Cash (end of year) = $25,500
    • Short-term investments (end of year) = $8,270
    • Total = $25,500 + $8,270 = $33,770
  2. Total Operating Expenses:

    • Operating expenses = $60,135
  3. Days' Cash on Hand Calculation:

    • \[ \text{Days' Cash on Hand} = \left( \frac{33,770}{60,135 / 365} \right) \]
    • Calculate operating expenses per day:
    • \( \frac{60,135}{365} \approx 164.4 \) (operating expenses per day)
    • Now calculate days' cash on hand:
    • \[ \text{Days' Cash on Hand} = \left( \frac{33,770}{164.4} \right) \approx 205.1 \]

Final Results:

  • 20Y8 Days' Cash on Hand: 192.5 days
  • 20Y9 Days' Cash on Hand: 205.1 days

Fill in the blanks:

  • 20Y8: 192.5 days
  • 20Y9: 205.1 days