Trading stock is anything your business acquires, produces or manufactures, for the purpose of manufacturing, selling or exchanging. Livestock is also trading stock.
Trading stock does not include:
- standing or growing crops, timber or fruit – these only become trading stock when they are harvested, felled or picked
- stocks of spare parts held for repairs or maintenance to plant and equipment
- goods owned by a lending business where the goods are used to earn income by hire or rental, rather than manufacture, sale or exchange, for example furniture, DVDs, catering equipment, tools, vehicles etc.
- consumables used in manufacturing trading stock, such as cleaning agents or sandpaper.
All businesses must account for the value of their trading stock at the end of each income year (closing stock) and at the start of the next income year (opening stock).
Find out about:
- Valuing trading stock
- Simpler trading stock rules for small businesses
- General trading stock rules
- Using stock for private purposes