Admission and Withdrawal of Partners

The admission of a new partner results in the legal dissolution of the existing partnership and the beginning of a new one. From an economic standpoint, however, the admission of a new partner (or partners) may be of minor significance in the continuity of the business. For example, in large public accounting or law firms, partners are admitted annually without any change in operating policies. To recognize the economic effects, it is necessary only to open a capital account for each new partner. In the entries illustrated in this appendix, we assume that the accounting records of the predecessor firm will continue to be used by the new partnership. A new partner may be admitted either by (1) purchasing the interest of one or more existing partners or (2) investing assets in the partnership, as shown in Illustration 12A-1. The former affects only the capital accounts of the partners who are parties to the transaction. The latter increases both net assets and total capital of the partnership.