(1) Not later than four months after the close of each fiscal year, and in any event prior to the annual meeting of shareholders, each corporation shall prepare (a) a balance sheet showing in reasonable detail the financial condition of the corporation as of the close of its fiscal year, and (b) an income statement showing the results of its operation during its fiscal year. Such statements may be consolidated or combined statements of the corporation and one or more of its subsidiaries, as appropriate. If financial statements are prepared by the corporation for any purpose on the basis of generally accepted accounting principles, the annual statements must also be prepared, and disclose that they are prepared, on that basis. If financial statements are prepared only on a basis other than generally accepted accounting principles, they must be prepared, and disclose that they are prepared, on the same basis as other reports and statements prepared by the corporation for the use of others.

Terms Used In Washington Code 23B.16.200

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080
(2) Upon the written request of a shareholder, the corporation shall promptly deliver to the requesting shareholder a copy of the most recent balance sheet and income statement. If prepared for other purposes, the corporation shall also deliver to a requesting shareholder upon the written request of that shareholder a statement of sources and applications of funds, and a statement of changes in shareholders’ equity, for the most recent fiscal year.
(3) If the annual financial statements are reported upon by a public accountant, the accountant’s report must accompany them. If not, the statements must be accompanied by a statement of the president or the person responsible for the corporation’s accounting records:
(a) Stating the person’s reasonable belief whether the statements were prepared on the basis of generally accepted accounting principles and, if not, describing the basis of preparation; and
(b) Describing any respects in which the statements were not prepared on a basis of accounting consistent with the basis used for statements prepared for the preceding year.
(4) For purposes of this section, “shareholder” includes a beneficial owner whose shares are held in a voting trust or by a nominee on the beneficial owner’s behalf.