Dividends declared definition

What are Dividends Declared?

Dividends declared refers to dividends that have been authorized by the board of directors, but not yet paid out to investors. Income investors want the amount of dividends declared to be a high proportion of reported income, so the amount declared can be an ongoing issue between investors and a company’s board of directors.

Accounting for Dividends Declared

Dividends declared are recorded in the accounting records as a liability of the corporation. If the dividends are to be paid within one year (as is usually the case), then this liability is classified as a current liability on the balance sheet of the issuing entity.

Related AccountingTools Course

The Balance Sheet