Introduction Working capital refers to the capital which is required by an enterprise to smoothly run its daily operations. It is the measure of the short-term liquidity of a business. Working capital is the total of the current assets of a business, net of its current liabilities. Working capitalRead more
Introduction
Working capital refers to the capital which is required by an enterprise to smoothly run its daily operations.
It is the measure of the short-term liquidity of a business.
Working capital is the total of the current assets of a business, net of its current liabilities.
Working capital = Current Assets – Current Liabilities
The working capital consists of cash, accounts receivable and inventory of raw materials and finished goods fewer accounts payable and other short-term liabilities.
Without a proper level of working capital, a business cannot maintain regular production and pay its creditors and expenses.
Hence, for proper management of working capital, it is divided into types:
- Permanent working capital
- Temporary working capital
I have discussed them below:
Permanent Working Capital
It is the fixed level or minimum level of working capital that an enterprise needs to maintain to ensure production at the normal capacity and pay for its daily expenses. It is independent of the level of production.
It is also known as fixed working capital.
By ‘permanent’, it does not mean that it will forever remain at the same level or amount but it may change if the overall production capacity changes. But such changes in permanent working capital are not often.
Temporary Working Capital
It is the level of working capital that depends upon the level of production of a business. It is the excess working capital over the permanent capital that is required to meet seasonal high demand.
It is also known as fluctuating working capital because it tends to change often depending on the level of production.
Temporary working capital is required when high production is required to meet seasonal demands.
For example, a bakery will need more working capital to meet the increased demand for cakes and pastry during Christmas season
Graph showing permanent and temporary working capital

Here, the temporary working capital is fluctuating whereas the permanent working capital is gradually increasing with time.
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Introduction & Definition Firstly, let's see what the term 'petty cash book' means. The word ‘petty’ means small. A petty cash book is identical to a cash book, maintained to record the small expenses of a business like stationery, postage, stamps, carriage, etc. The cash received by a petty casRead more
Introduction & Definition
Firstly, let’s see what the term ‘petty cash book’ means. The word ‘petty’ means small. A petty cash book is identical to a cash book, maintained to record the small expenses of a business like stationery, postage, stamps, carriage, etc. The cash received by a petty cashier is recorded on the debit/ receipt side whereas, the money he pays is recorded on the credit/ payment side. The difference between the sum of the debit and credit items represents the balance of the petty cash in hand.
The reason the petty cash book is maintained is that it records small expenses that are inconvenient or too small to be registered in the cash book. This is also called a simple petty cash book. Just like a cash book is maintained by the accountant, the petty cash book is maintained by a petty cashier.
When it comes to the format, there are two types of petty cash book formats. They are-
We have been discussing the simple petty cash book so far. Thus,
Format of Simple Petty Cash Book
Analytical Petty Cash Book
The analytical petty cash book has numerous columns for the recording of monetary transactions. In the analytical petty cash book, there are pre-existing columns for the usual expenses that are recorded frequently in the business which makes it easier for a business that has daily expenses for food, stationery, postage, etc. They’ll be having individual columns. It has numerous columns in it for the recording of expenses in it.
The key advantages of an analytical petty cash book are-
Format of Analytical Petty Cash Book
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