This assesses the extent to which managers make discretionary accounting choices to alter earnings. Total accruals are calculated as the change in working capital accounts other than cash less depreciation.
TATA is comprised of the change in working capital, less cash and depreciation/amortization. Year-to-year changes may indicate earnings manipulation resulting from management accrual decisions, particularly short-term decisions.
Higher positive accruals (excluding cash) are correlated to earnings manipulation likelihood measure the leverage forecast error and also can indicate earnings manipulation.
In its simplist form, if working capital (excluding cash) either increases or decreases dramatically, there could be a strong indication of financial statement manipulation. Accruals have always provided a common opportunity to commit and conceal a fraud. Total accruals is therefore defined as the change in working capital accounts other than cash and depreciation.