What is Negative Retained Earnings?

When a company records a profit, the amount of the profit, less any dividends paid to stockholders, is recorded in retained earnings, which is an equity account. When a company records a loss, this too is recorded in retained earnings. If the amount of the loss exceeds the amount of profit previously recorded in the retained earnings account as beginning retained earnings, then a company is said to have negative retained earnings. Negative retained earnings can arise for a profitable company if it distributes dividends that are, in aggregate, greater than the total amount of its earnings since the foundation of the company.

Example of Negative Retained Earnings

Elfin Productions is a manufacturer of shoes for people with small feet. At the beginning of its current year, Elfin has a retained earnings balance of $300,000. During its current year, an unexpected decline in economic conditions results in a sharp drop in its sales, triggering a loss of $100,000. At this point, the company still has positive retained earnings of $200,000. However, its auditors also force it to write off $250,000 of unsold shoes, which results in a negative retained earnings balance of -$50,000.

Understanding Negative Retained Earnings

Negative retained earnings can be an indicator of bankruptcy, since it implies a long-term series of losses. In rare cases, it can also indicate that a business was able to borrow funds and then distribute these funds to stockholders as dividends; however, this action is usually prohibited by a lender's loan covenants.

Presentation of Negative Retained Earnings

Negative retained earnings appear as a debit balance in the retained earnings account, rather than the credit balance that normally appears for a profitable company. On the company's balance sheet, negative retained earnings are usually described in a separate line item as an accumulated deficit. A sample presentation of this format appears in the following exhibit, which contains the equity section of a balance sheet.