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Noncash investing and financing

Assets acquired or obligations incurred without cash moving, how that is disclosed, and examples from Intel, General Motors, Home Depot and Microsoft.

The short answer

Some investing and financing events change assets or liabilities without cash moving in that period: equipment received but not yet paid for, a lease that starts, or shares issued as deal consideration. Those items are left out of the body of the cash flow statement and listed as supplemental noncash disclosures, so the cash capex or financing lines can understate the assets or obligations that were added.

What counts as noncash

The cash flow statement only records cash. If a company takes delivery of equipment and still owes the supplier at year end, the asset is already on the balance sheet, but the cash has not yet left. The unpaid portion shows up later, when it is paid, or it sits in a supplemental line such as noncash capital expenditures or noncash property additions. New leases work the same way at commencement: a right-of-use asset and a liability are recorded, and the cash leaves over the lease term.

Examples in recent 10-Ks

Intel's 10-K for 2025 includes a line under "Non-cash supplemental disclosures" for acquisition of property, plant and equipment. General Motors's 10-K for 2025 has a block titled "Significant Non-cash Investing and Financing Activity" that includes non-cash property additions. Home Depot's 10-K for fiscal 2025 reports non-cash capital expenditures next to its cash interest figure. Microsoft's lease table, discussed on the lease payments page, reports right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations, another noncash investing and financing event.

Source: Intel 10-K for fiscal 2025, filed Jan 23, 2026 · General Motors 10-K for fiscal 2025, filed Jan 27, 2026 · Home Depot 10-K for fiscal 2025, filed Mar 18, 2026 · Microsoft 10-K for fiscal 2026, filed Jul 29, 2026

How this shows up in a capex figure

Cash capex can be lower, or higher, than assets placed in service. Accrued capex (assets received, not yet paid) makes this year's cash line smaller than the additions to PP&E. Paying last year's accruals does the opposite.
The supplemental line is the place to look. Headings vary: non-cash capital expenditures, non-cash property additions, or acquisition of property, plant and equipment as a non-cash supplemental disclosure.
Share consideration in an acquisition is another common noncash item: part of the purchase price is paid in stock, so only the cash portion (and not the shares) appears as an investing outflow.

Common questions

What is a noncash investing or financing activity?

An event that changes assets or liabilities without cash moving in the period, such as equipment bought on account, a lease that commences, or shares issued as purchase consideration.

Where is it disclosed?

Below the cash flow statement or in a note, under a heading such as non-cash supplemental disclosures (Intel) or significant non-cash investing and financing activity (General Motors).

Does it change the cash total?

No. That is why it is disclosed as a supplement rather than in the body of the statement. It still changes the balance sheet.

How does this affect capital expenditure?

The cash capex line is only the cash paid in the period. Intel, General Motors and Home Depot all disclose additional property additions or capital expenditures that were noncash in the period.

Are new leases noncash?

At commencement, yes: the right-of-use asset and the liability are recorded without a cash outlay equal to the asset. Microsoft reports right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations.

Disclosures

Editor holdings: The editor holds no position in any company named on this page. As of Nov 11, 2026.
Compensation: Nobody paid for this page. No affiliate links on this page.
Sources: Each company's own SEC filings, linked next to each number.
Last updated: Nov 10, 2026

General education, the same for every reader. Not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, and it doesn't consider your situation.

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