How does petty cash affect expenses? Definition of Petty Cash Petty cash is a small amount of currency and coins that a company has available to make very small payments instead of requesting and processing a company...
How does petty cash affect expenses? Definition of Petty Cash Petty cash is a small amount of currency and coins that a company has available to make very small payments instead of requesting and processing a company...
What is the definition of capital market? Often, capital market refers to the structured market for trading stocks and bonds. Examples are the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the New...
What is materiality? Definition of Materiality In accounting, materiality refers to the relative size of an amount. Relatively large amounts are material, while relatively small amounts are not material (or immaterial)....
How do you record a check that clears the bank months after it was voided? Since you had voided the check months earlier, your general ledger no longer reflects 1) the original credit to the cash account, and 2) the...
What is lead time in purchasing? In purchasing, lead time is the estimated time between ordering goods and receiving the goods. For instance, if 100 units of Product X are ordered on April 11 and are expected to be...
What is Notes Payable? Definition of Notes Payable In accounting, Notes Payable is a general ledger liability account in which a company records the face amounts of the promissory notes that it has issued. The balance in...
How do you account for bond issue costs? Definition of Bond Issue Costs The costs associated with issuing bonds are debited to a contra liability account such as Bond Issue Costs. Over the life of the bonds, the issue...
What items are added to the balance per bank on the bank reconciliation? Bank Reconciliation Adjustments to Bank Balance The items that are added to the balance per bank when doing a bank reconciliation include: Deposits...
What is OEM and EOM? OEM is the acronym for original equipment manufacturer. EOM is the acronym for end of month. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the Question as Read Must-Watch Video Learn How to Advance Your Accounting...
What is the effect on financial ratios when using LIFO instead of FIFO? Definition of Effect of LIFO Instead of FIFO During periods of significantly increasing costs, the LIFO cost flow assumption instead of the FIFO...
What is a contra asset account? Definition of Contra Asset Account A contra asset account is an asset account where the account balance is a credit balance. It is described as “contra” because having a credit balance...
In a bank reconciliation, what happens to the outstanding checks of the previous month? Definition of Outstanding Checks Outstanding checks are checks written by a company, but the checks have not cleared the bank...
What does it mean to report expenses by function? Definition of Reporting Expenses by Function Reporting expenses by function means to classify and report expenses according to the type of activity for which the expenses...
What is a deferred credit? A deferred credit could mean money received in advance of it being earned, such as deferred revenue, unearned revenue, or customer advances. A deferred credit could also result from complicated...
What is the difference between the accounts rent receivable and rent revenue? Definition of Rent Receivable Rent Receivable is the title of the balance sheet asset account which indicates the amount of rent that has been...
What is EBITDA? EBITDA is the acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Take our Financial Ratios Exam. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the Question as Read Must-Watch Video Learn How...
How can I learn bookkeeping at a low cost? You can use the Internet to learn bookkeeping at little or no cost. For example, at no cost you can read clear explanations of debits and credits, adjusting entries, financial...
What is the difference between Present Value (PV) and Net Present Value (NPV)? Definition of Present Value (PV) Present value or PV is the result of discounting one or more future amounts to the present. The greater the...
Is there a relationship between direct materials variances and direct labor variances? Definition of Direct Materials Variances Direct materials variances (pertaining to standard costing) commonly consist of two...
What is yield to maturity? Definition of Yield to Maturity Yield to maturity is the total return that will be earned by someone who purchases a bond and holds it until its maturity date. The yield to maturity might also...
What is the coefficient of determination? The coefficient of determination is a statistic which indicates the percentage change in the amount of the dependent variable that is “explained by” the changes in the...
Why use normal costing instead of actual costing? Definition of Normal Costing For a manufacturer, normal costing means assigning the following costs to the actual goods produced each month: Actual direct materials...
What is the difference between a cost center and a profit center? Definition of Cost Center A cost center is a subunit of a company that is responsible only for its costs. A few examples of cost centers are: Production...
What is the difference between a differential cost and an incremental cost? Definition of Differential Cost and Incremental Cost I use the terms differential cost and incremental cost to mean the same thing: the...
Isn't all overhead fixed? Not all overhead is fixed. Some manufacturing overhead costs, which are also referred to as indirect factory costs, are variable. A common example of a variable overhead cost is the electricity...
Is a favorable variance always an indicator of efficiency in operation? In a standard costing system, some favorable variances are not indicators of efficiency in operations. For example, the materials price variance,...
Why does the fixed cost per unit change? Definition of Fixed Cost per Unit Fixed costs such as rent, salaries, depreciation, etc. generally do not change in total within a reasonable range of volume or activity. On the...
What is a budget variance? A budget variance results when an actual amount is different from a planned or budgeted amount. A budget variance can occur for revenues and for expenses. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the...
What is the coefficient of correlation? Definition of Coefficient of Correlation In simple linear regression analysis, the coefficient of correlation (or correlation coefficient) is a statistic which indicates an...
What is the price earnings ratio? The price earnings ratio, or P/E ratio, is the market price per share of common stock divided by the earnings per share of common stock. A corporation with a high price earnings ratio is...
What is illusory profit? Illusory profit, also called phantom profit, is the difference between 1) the profit reported using historical costs required by US GAAP, and 2) the profit computed using replacement costs....
What is COS? Definition of COS In accounting, the acronym COS could indicate either cost of sales or cost of services. The income statement of a manufacturer or a retailer might use the term cost of sales or it might use...
What is NIFO? NIFO is the acronym for next-in, first-out. NIFO is a cost flow assumption, just as FIFO and LIFO are cost flow assumptions. However, NIFO is not acceptable for financial reporting since it calls for a...
Featured Review
"Thank you so much for putting this site together. It's been ten years since I earned my degree in accounting and there's a great deal I've forgotten. So when I signed up with an employment agency and they wanted to do testing, I was very nervous. I did a search and came to your site for a refresher. I ended up getting very high scores and received a job offer. And then the company I was already working for offered me a better position and a 12% pay increase. I'm sure my scores wouldn't have been nearly as good if I hadn't come to this site, so thank you again!" - S.V.
Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials
Read all 2,645 reviewsWe now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping: