Additional Paid-In Capital (APIC)

What Is Additional Paid-in Capital (APIC)?

Additional paid-in capital (APIC) is an accounting term referring to money an
investor pays above and beyond the par value price of a stock.

Often referred to as "contributed capital in excess of par,” APIC occurs when

an investor buys newly-issued shares directly from a company during
its initial public offering (IPO) stage. APIC, which is itemized under
the shareholder equity (SE) section of a balance sheet, is viewed as a profit
opportunity for companies as it results in them receiving excess cash from
stockholders.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 Additional paid-in capital (APIC) is the difference between the par value
of a stock and the price that investors actually pay for it.
 To be the "additional" part of paid-in capital, an investor must buy the
stock directly from the company during its IPO.
 The APIC is usually booked as shareholders' equity on the balance
sheet.
 APIC is a great way for companies to generate cash without having to
give any collateral in return.
How Additional Paid-in Capital (APIC) Works
During its IPO, a firm is entitled to set any price for its stock that it sees fit.
Meanwhile, investors may elect to pay any amount above this declared par
value of a share price, which generates the APIC.

Let us assume that during its IPO phase the XYZ Widget Company issues
one million shares of stock, with a par value of $1 per share, and that
investors bid on shares for $2, $4, and $10 above the par value. Let us
further assume that those shares ultimately sell for $11, consequently making
the company $11 million. In this instance, the APIC is $10 million ($11 million
minus the par value of $1 million). Therefore, the company’s balance
sheet itemizes $1 million as "paid-in capital," and $10 million as "additional
paid-in capital."

Once a stock trades in the secondary market, an investor may pay whatever

the market will bear. When investors buy shares directly from a given
company, that corporation receives and retains the funds as paid-in capital.
But after that time, when investors buy shares in the open market, the
generated funds go directly into the pockets of the investors selling off their
positions.

APIC is recorded at the initial public offering (IPO) only; the transactions that
occur after the IPO do not increase the APIC account.

Special Considerations
APIC is generally booked in the SE section of the balance sheet. When a
company issues stock, there are two entries that take place in the equity
section: common stock and APIC. The total cash generated by the IPO is
recorded as a debit in the equity section, and the common stock and APIC
are recorded as credits.

The APIC formula is:

APIC = (Issue Price – Par Value) x Number of Shares Acquired by Investors.

Par Value
Due to the fact that APIC represents money paid to the company above the
par value of a security, it is essential to understand what par actually means.
Simply put, “par” signifies the value a company assigns to stock at the time of
its IPO, before there is even a market for the security. Issuers traditionally set
stock par values deliberately low—in some cases as little as a penny per
share—in order to preemptively avoid any potential legal liability, which might
occur if the stock dips below its par value.

Market Value
Market value is the actual price a financial instrument is worth at any given
time. The stock market determines the real value of a stock, which shifts
continuously as shares are bought and sold throughout the trading day. Thus,
investors make money on the changing value of a stock over time, based on
company performance and investor sentiment.

Additional Paid-in Capital vs. Paid-in Capital

Paid-in capital, or contributed capital, is the full amount of cash or other
assets that shareholders have given a company in exchange for stock. Paid-
in capital includes the par value of both common and preferred stock plus any
amount paid in excess.

Additional paid-in capital, as the name implies, includes only the amount paid
in excess of the par value of stock issued during a company's IPO.
Both of these items are included next to one another in the SE section of the
balance sheet.

Benefits of Additional Paid-in Capital

For common stock, paid-in capital consists of a stock's par value and APIC,
the latter of which may provide a substantial portion of a company's equity
capital, before retained earnings begin to accumulate. This capital provides a
layer of defense against potential losses, in the event that retained earnings
begin to show a deficit. 

Another huge advantage for a company issuing shares is that it does not
raise the fixed cost of the company. The company doesn't have to make any
payment to the investor; even dividends are not required. Furthermore,
investors do not have any claim on the company's existing assets.

After issuing stock to shareholders, the company is free to use the funds
generated any way it chooses, whether that means paying off loans,
purchasing an asset, or any other action that may benefit the company.

Why Is Additional Paid-in Capital Useful?

APIC is a great way for companies to generate cash without having to give
any collateral in return. Furthermore, purchasing shares at a company's IPO
can be incredibly profitable for some investors.

Is Additional Paid-in Capital an Asset?

APIC is recorded under the equity section of a company's balance sheet. It is
recorded as a credit under shareholders' equity and refers to the money an
investor pays above the par value price of a stock. The total cash generated
from APIC is classified as a debit to the asset section of the balance sheet,
with the corresponding credits for APIC and regular paid in capital located in
the equity section.

How Do You Calculate Additional Paid-in Capital?

The APIC formula is APIC = (Issue Price – Par Value) x Number of Shares
Acquired by Investors.

How Does Paid-in Capital Increase or Decrease?

Any new issuance of preferred or common shares may increase the paid-in
capital as the excess value is recorded. Paid-in capital can be reduced with
share repurchases.