Additional Paid-In Capital vs. Contributed Capital: Key Differences Explained

The shareholders’ equity section of the balance sheet contains related amounts called additional paid-in capital and contributed capital. The key difference between additional paid-in capital vs. contributed capital is that the latter is referred to as the total value of cash and assets that shareholders provided to a company in exchange for the company’s shares. Additional paid-in capital refers to the value of cash or assets that the shareholders provided over and above the par value of the company’s shares.

Additional paid-in capital and contributed capital are also reported differently on the balance sheet under the shareholders’ equityStockholders EquityStockholders Equity (also known as Shareholders Equity) is an account on a company's balance sheet that consists of share capital plus section. The additional paid-in capital is reported in a separate account. Whereas, contributed capital is combined and is the sum of the common stock and additional paid-in capital accounts.

What is Additional Paid-in Capital?

Additional paid-in capital is the amount paid for share capital above its par value. It is also commonly known as the “contributed capital in excess of “par” or “share premium.” Essentially, the additional paid-in capital reveals how much money investors paid for the shares above their nominal value.

Remember that the par valuePar ValuePar Value is the nominal or face value of a bond, or stock, or coupon as indicated on a bond or stock certificate. It is a static value of a stock is usually a small amount (e.g., $0.10 or $0.01) that appears on stock certificates. In some cases, the par value can even be lower than $0.01. The par value must not be confused with the market value of shares. Par value indicates the minimum value at which a company may sell its shares to investors. On the other hand, the market value of shares is determined by the transactions occurring in the market.

Additional paid-in capital is recorded on a company’s balance sheet under the stockholders’ equity section. The account for the additional paid-in capital is created every time when a company issues new shares to or repurchases its shares from shareholders. Note that the transactions with the company’s shares in the secondary marketSecondary MarketThe secondary market is where investors buy and sell securities from other investors. Examples: New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), London Stock Exchange (LSE). do not affect the company’s paid-in capital since it does not receive any cash for the transactions.

What is Contributed Capital?

Contributed capital (also known as the paid-in capital) is the total value of a company’s equity purchased by investors directly from a company. In other words, it indicates the total amount of money that the shareholders paid to a company to acquire their stakes in it. A company’s contributed capital includes the value paid for equity through initial public offerings (IPOs)Initial Public Offering (IPO)An Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the first sale of stocks issued by a company to the public. Prior to an IPO, a company is considered a private company, usually with a small number of investors (founders, friends, family, and business investors such as venture capitalists or angel investors). Learn what an IPO is, direct public offerings, and public listings. Essentially, contributed capital includes both the par value of share capital (common stock) and the value above par value (additional paid-in capital).

Contributed capital is reported on the balance sheet under the shareholders’ equity section. On the balance sheet, the contributed capital contains two separate accounts: common stock account and additional paid-in capital.

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