Question

The board of directors of Milligan Company has decided to dispose of an unneeded parcel of land through a property dividen to their shareholders. Invidivdual homesites have been identified on the land, and those individual sites will be deeded to the shareholders in proportion to their stock holdings. On december 31, 2013, the board of directors declares the property dividend. The land is to be officially deeded to the shareholders as of January 15, 2014 (i.e., pay date).

The board estimates the land to be worth approximately $200,000 on December 31, 2013. The book value of the land prior to the declaration is $175,000. On January 5, 2014, however, the city of Green Valley announces that the adjoining land will become the home of new recreational area, which will cause the value of the Milligan land to increase in value by an additional $100,000.

Required:
Prepare below journal entries to record the declaration of the property dividend on December 31, 2013 and the payment of the dividend on January 15, 2014.

Answer 1

The declaration date of the dividends of Milligan Company is Dec,31 2013 on which the loss or the profit on the property will be booked. The book value in this case is $ 175,000 while the FMV is 200,000 dollars. Therefore the gain or the profit is = 200,000 - 150,000 = $ 500,00.

Therefore to gain a profit on the land appreciation of $500,00.

Declaring the dividends on Dec 31, 2013 from the retained earnings, that is the value of FMV of the land is given as :

The earnings retained = 200,000

To the dividends payable = 200,000

On the dividend payment date, Jan 5 2014

Dividends payable at = $200,000

To the land = 200,000

So the FMV or the value of the land is not relevant after Dec 31.