Also referred to as illusory profits. Occurs because accountants use past costs rather than replacement costs. For example, in computing the cost of goods sold accountants often use the FIFO cost flow assumption. This...
Also referred to as illusory profits. Occurs because accountants use past costs rather than replacement costs. For example, in computing the cost of goods sold accountants often use the FIFO cost flow assumption. This...
National Association of Accountants. This organization’s name was changed to Institute of Management Accountants and currently is referred to as IMA.
See bill of materials.
This organization has changed its name to Institute of Management Accountants. It is currently using the name IMA to reflect the many backgrounds of its membership.
This current liability account reports the amount a company owes the U.S. government as of the balance sheet date for the federal income taxes withheld from its employees’ salaries and wages.
See straight-line method of depreciation.
A balance sheet with at least two columns of amounts. The column of amounts that is closest to the words will be the most recent amounts. The column furthest from the words will contain the oldest amounts. The older...
A certified public accountant (CPA) who practices accounting in his or her own firm without another CPA as a partner or shareholder.
Expenses which do not change in response to reasonable changes in sales or other activity.
A statistical tool used to determine the coefficients of the two or more independent variables involved in estimating the amount of the dependent variable. It utilizes the least-squares method for determining the...
Delivery expense to be paid by the seller when its merchandise is sold with terms of FOB destination. This is an operating expense and is not included in the cost of merchandise.
To assign costs to a product, department, customer, etc. on an arbitrary basis. For example, the heating cost might be allocated to the five departments located in the area that is heated. The allocation is often based...
An income statement account used to record the amount that the asset Inventory is reduced during the accounting period because the net realizable value of the inventory is less than its cost.
Under the accrual method of accounting, this account reports the amount of wages that the delivery employees have earned during the accounting period indicated in the heading of the income statement. Because wages are...
Recording an entry in an account in the general ledger or in a subsidiary ledger.
Benefits provided by a company to retirees. Typical examples of potential benefits are pensions, life insurance, and health insurance.
The top ranking financial person in the corporation.
What is inventory valuation? Definition of Inventory Valuation In the U.S., inventory valuation is the dollar amount associated with the items remaining in a company’s inventory. Generally speaking, the amount is the...
How should the sale of gift certificates be recorded in the general ledger? Definition of Gift Certificates Gift certificates (and gift cards) are often sold by a retailer to a buyer for cash. The buyer can then redeem...
What is a dividend? Definition of Dividend Generally, the term dividend refers to a cash dividend, which is distribution of a portion of a corporation’s earnings to its stockholders in the form of cash. The cash...
The situation where a company has assigned less manufacturing overhead than the amount actually incurred.
A financial statement that reports the current year information contained in the general ledger account Retained Earnings. The statement will include the beginning balance, prior period adjustments, net income for the...
The amount of insurance that was incurred/used up/expired during the period of time appearing in the heading of the income statement. The amount of insurance premiums that have not yet expired should be reported in the...
This current liability account reports the amount a company’s employees have earned in holiday pay, vacation pay, and sick days but have not yet taken as of the date of the balance sheet.
A revenue, expense, gain, or loss account. To learn more, see Explanation of Income Statement.
Sales made on account. Sales where the customer is allowed to pay at a later date. Noncash sales.
That part of a manufacturer’s inventory that is in the production process and has not yet been completed and transferred to the finished goods inventory. This account contains the cost of the direct material,...
The amount an employee “clears” on her or his payroll check. It is also the “net” amount: the gross salary or wages minus the witholdings/deductions for payroll taxes and voluntary deductions for...
The activities involved in earning revenues. For example, the purchase or manufacturing of merchandise and the sale of the merchandise including marketing and administration. In the statement of cash flows the operating...
The expense associated with a commitment to repair or replace a product for a specified period of time. The expense should be reported on the income statement at the time that the sale of the product is reported in order...
See net realizable value.
A non-operating or “other” reduction in net income resulting from a judgment against the company. It is shown in the accounting period when the amount is determined to be probable and the amount can be...
A corporation with a limited number of stockholders and whose stock is usually not publicly traded.
The amount of wages and related expenses that have been incurred by the employer (and earned by the employees) but have not yet been paid.
The withdrawal of business cash or other assets by the owner for the personal use of the owner. Withdrawals of cash by the owner are recorded with a debit to the owner’s drawing account and a credit to the cash...
A listing of the accounts in the general ledger along with each account’s balance in the appropriate debit or credit column. The total of the amounts in the debit column should equal the total of the amounts in the...
This current liability account reports the amount a company owes the United Way organization as of the balance sheet date. The amount includes the withholdings from employees’ pay plus the amount owed by the...
See direct costing.
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...
One of the main financial statements of a nonprofit organization. This financial statement reports the amounts of assets, liabilities, and net assets as of a specified date. This financial statement is similar to the...
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