Paid in capital

Paid in capital (Paid-in capital or Contributed capital) refers to capital contributed to a corporation by investors through purchase of stock from the corporation (primary market) (not through purchase of stock in the open market from other stockholders (secondary market)). It includes share capital (i.e. capital stock) as well as additional paid-in capital.

The paid-in capital account does not reflect the amount of capital contributed by any specific investor. Instead, it shows the aggregate amount of capital contributed by all investors.

However, the term has different definitions in different contexts. For example, it could refer to the money that a company gets from potential investors in addition to the stated (nominal or par) value of the stock, which coincides with the definition of Additional paid-in capital (Paid-in capital in excess of par). The user should be aware of the use of the term and abbreviation, otherwise it may be misleading.

Paid-in Capital (a.k.a. Contributed Capital) = A + B :

Excess received from shareholders over the par value (or stated value) of the stock issued; also called contributed capital in excess of par.

For example, if 1,000 shares of $10 par value common stock are issued at a price of $12 per share, the additional paid-in capital is $2,000 (1,000 shares x $2). Additional paid-in capital is shown in the Shareholders' Equity section of the balance sheet.

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