ACCA Financial Management (F9) Certification Practice Exam

How do you calculate Interest Cover?

1. Profit from operations / Interest

2. Net income / Total equity

3. Operating profit / Total liabilities

4. Profits before tax / Total assets

The correct answer is: Profit from operations / Interest

Interest cover is a financial metric used to assess a company's ability to meet its interest obligations on outstanding debt. It is calculated by taking the profit from operations and dividing it by the interest expense incurred during the same period. This ratio provides insight into how easily a company can pay its interest costs – a higher ratio indicates a stronger financial position and a greater ability to cover interest payments. When analyzing the provided options, the first choice accurately represents this calculation by using profit from operations (also known as operating profit) as the numerator and interest expenses as the denominator. This formulation is essential because it reflects the operational capacity of the business to generate sufficient earnings to cover its interest obligations. The other choices relate to different financial ratios that serve distinct analytical purposes but are not relevant for calculating interest cover. For example, net income divided by total equity measures return on equity, while operating profit divided by total liabilities assesses solvency. Profits before tax divided by total assets relates to return on assets, which is a measure of how effectively a company is using its assets to generate earnings. These ratios provide valuable insights into a company's performance and financial health but do not address the specific ability to cover interest expenses.