Capital Expenditure

Definition of Capital Expenditure

Capital expenditure, also known as CAPEX can be defined as the amount of fundsutilized  by an organisation to buy, upgrade and/ or maintain long term tangible/ non-tangible assets such as buildings, property, vehicles, equipment, industrial plant, technology, goodwill etc which is expected to provide long term future economic benefits usually for a period longer than one  accounting period.

Explanation

CAPEX is a term often used to describe expenditure like venturing into new projects or adding to existing investments. It creates a substantial effect on long term and short term financial position of an organization. Depending upon the type of expenditure, the amount spended will be recorded and reported under various assets heads like land and buildings, plant and machineries, furniture and fixtures etc.Cost of these assets accepts land is allocated as depreciation expense over a period of time for which capital asset is expected to generate future economic benefits of its useful life. Cashflows incurred under capex are usually reported under investing activities part of cashflows.

Characteristics of Capital Expenditure

• Capex are made generally to acquire fixed assets that have a useful life of more than one accounting period.
• It may sometimes add value to an asset by incurring upgrading and maintenance expenditure thereby increasing the shell life of an asset. For example, a machine is installed in a company that produces 100 units per day and it undergoes an upgrade which increases its capacity from 100 to 150 units per day. Hence CAPEXincreases the value of assets.
• Only expenditure whose useful life is more than one year will be considered as CAPEX. Normal maintenance expenses like any general repairs, painting, etc will not be considered as CAPEX.
• CAPEX increases profit earning capacity of business in the long term.
• It requires huge funds as the value of such assets is usually very high.
• The decisions made regarding CAPEX are irreversible; that is once the amount is spent on any fixed asset cannot be reversed.
• The amount of Capex is charges as expense in more than one accounting period.

Formula of Capital Expenditure

There is no established or fixed formula for calculating capex. In fact, the definition of capex may vary from business to business. A Capital asset for one may be trading goods for another. Still, to find out capex, one can use two balance sheets of an entity and compare each figure of fixed assets like Buildings, machineries, furniture, any other capex item and adjust the difference with other adjustments like depreciation, amortization, impairment, etc. The resulting figure will give details of net capital expenditure

Capital Expenditure = Change in CAPEX Asset +/- other adjustment entries like depreciation etc.

Examples of Capital Expenditure

Following are the examples are given below:

Example #1

Calculate capex incurred during the FY 2019 with the help of the following information:

Assume there is no any other related transaction.

Solution:

Example #2

Classify each of the following as Capex/operating expenditure with justification

Solution:

Types of Capital Expenditure

We have tried to group CAPEX into four main categories as follows: –

• Expansion: Complete new project undertaking or increasing existing asset base which helps in increasing production capacity.
• Replacement: Obsolete machines and equipment which needs to be replaced due to wear and tier and advancement of technology.
• Diversification: Certain expenses are made to diversify the business into new product lines and fields for multiple achievements.
• Strategic Investments:  Expenses such as land, property, etc are made due to strategic investment decisions. That will surely reap the benefit in either way.

Challenges of Capital Expenditure

The following are the challenges faced due to CAPEX –

• Substantial funds: Normally huge funds are required for processing a capital expenditure and availability of funds may be an issue. Therefore, organizations must wisely make capex decisions.
• Irreversible: Once a capex is incurred, the decision cannot be changed easily. Reversing capex decision may prove to be very costlier for any entity.
• Uncertainty: It becomes difficult to foresight expenses that may occur in the future. CAPEX involves huge cost and results that may be extended to the future. Hence it is uncertain to characterize the exact decision regarding CAPEX which involves future expenses.
• Measurement Issue: The cost and benefits of CAPEX are difficult to identify and measure
• Temporal Spread: Decisions made regarding CAPEX are consistent over a long time and investments it includes are called as long term investments. These long term investments create problems in getting the exact discount rates and maintaining their equivalence in the coming period.

Importance of Capital Expenditure

• LongTerm Effects: Effects of CAPEX sustains for a long term period. Smoothness in running a business may be a result of previous CAPEX.
• High Initial Cost: The expenditures done on the fixed assets may be expensive initially but it provides strong potential benefits for the companies or organizations in long run.
• Depreciation: By spending through CAPEX, there is an increase in an asset account which in turn increases the depreciation once the capital assets are put into use. This reduces the value of the capital asset and in turn, provides tax benefits to a company.
• Business Valuation: Capex play a major role in business valuation and determining the new worth of the entity. Valuation of existing capital assets plays a vital role in case of business sale, amalgamation and merger deals, etc.

Difference Between Capital Expenditure and Operating Expenses

Operating expense is the expenditure done on the day to day basis for the regular functioning of the business such as administrative expense, general repair, and maintenance, utility expenses whereas CAPEX is incurred for providing long term monetary benefits. Operating expenses are recorded as an expense in the income statement whereas CAPEX is capitalized in the balance sheet as assets and allocated as expense over a period of its useful life. Operating expenses are usually of a lower value as compared to Capex. Higher level management approval is usually required for processing capex which may not be essential in operating expenses case.

Conclusion

Capex are expenses that are expected to provide benefits to the business organization for more than one accounting period. Each organization needs to undergo capex initially and even regularly as per requirement. Capex involves huge funds outlay and hence it requires higher management approval. Every organization should wisely incur capex as these are irreversible decision and business model failure may lead to the winding up of the organization. Low funding cost may be one of the indicators of efficient capex funding.

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This is a guide to Capital Expenditure. Here we also discuss the definition and challenges of capital expenditure along with examples and importance. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more –

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