Cost accounting and financial accounting

Financial accounting refers to the branch that prepared financial reports (known as financial statements) that are for general use. Primarily however, they are prepared for external users (owners, investors, government, suppliers, creditors). The goal of financial accounting is to provide financial statements that follow generally accepted accounting standards or GAAP.

Cost accounting is the branch that focuses on manufacturing costs, i.e. direct materials, direct labor, and factory overhead. It is often considered part of management accounting, the branch that provides information for internal purposes and focuses on helping management make decisions instead of strictly complying with GAAP. Cost accounting deals with manufacturing concerns.