In accounting, what is meant by relevant costs? Definition of Relevant Costs Relevant costs are future costs that will differ between two or more alternative actions. Expressed another way, relevant costs are the costs...
In accounting, what is meant by relevant costs? Definition of Relevant Costs Relevant costs are future costs that will differ between two or more alternative actions. Expressed another way, relevant costs are the costs...
What are the accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts? Definition of Accounting Principles, Assumptions, and Concepts The basic underlying accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts include the following:...
Are undeposited checks reported as cash? Undeposited checks that are not postdated (not dated with a future date) are reported as cash. Accountants define cash as more than just currency and coins. For example,...
How do you calculate accrued vacation pay? Definition of Accrued Vacation Pay Accrued vacation pay is the amount of vacation pay that a company’s employees have earned, but the company has not yet paid. Example of...
What is the difference between correlation and cause and effect? Definition of Correlation Correlation refers to the association between two or more variables. The association is measured by a statistic known as the...
What is miscellaneous expense? Definition of Miscellaneous Expense In accounting, miscellaneous expense may refer to a general ledger account in which small, infrequent transaction amounts are recorded. The account...
What are dividends? In accounting, dividends often refers to the cash dividends that a corporation pays to its stockholders (or shareholders). Dividends are often paid quarterly, but could be paid at other times. For a...
Are depreciation, depletion and amortization similar? In accounting the terms depreciation, depletion and amortization often involve the movement of costs from the balance sheet to the income statement in a systematic...
What is a fixed expense? Definition of Fixed Expense A fixed expense is an expense whose total amount does not change when there is an increase in an activity such as sales or production. The words within a relevant or...
What is straight line depreciation? Definition of Straight-Line Depreciation Straight-line depreciation is the most common method of allocating the cost of a plant asset to expense in the accounting periods during which...
What is a provision for discounts allowable? The provision for discounts allowable is likely to be a balance sheet account that serves to reduce the asset account Accounts Receivable. The provision account’s counter...
Are fixed assets the same as plant assets? Definition of Fixed Assets and Plant Assets My experience indicates that people use the term fixed assets to mean the same as plant assets. As a result, I define both fixed...
How do you record a return deposit item on a bank statement? Definition of Return Deposit Item A return deposit item is usually a customer’s check that was part of a company’s bank deposit. When the company’s bank...
What is the dividend payout ratio? The dividend payout ratio, or simply the payout ratio, is the percentage of a corporation’s earnings that is paid out in the form of cash dividends. The calculation of the dividend...
Are insurance premiums a fixed cost? The cost of the insurance premiums for a company’s property insurance is likely to be a fixed cost. The cost of worker compensation insurance is likely to be a variable cost....
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...
Should an owner's compensation be recorded as an expense or in the Drawing account? If the enterprise is a sole proprietorship, the owner’s compensation should be debited to the Drawing account. If the enterprise is a...
What are debits and credits? Definition of Debits and Credits Debits and credits are terms used in accounting and bookkeeping systems for the past five centuries. They are part of the double entry system which results in...
Which accounts normally have debit balances? Definition of Debit Balance In accounting, a debit balance refers to a general ledger account balance that is on the left side of the account. This is often illustrated by...
How do you calculate the payback period? Definition of Payback Period The payback period is the expected number of years it will take for a company to recoup the cash it invested in a project. Examples of Payback Periods...
What is reported as property, plant and equipment? Definition of Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment is the long-term asset or noncurrent asset section of the balance sheet that reports the...
Is there a difference between an expense and an expenditure? Definition of Expense An expense is reported on the income statement in the period in which the cost matches the related sales, has expired, was used up, or...
What is the difference between information and data? I was taught that information is useful data. The point is there are lots of data (plural of datum) everywhere, and most of the data will not be useful to a decision...
What is a stock split? Definition of Stock Split A stock split usually refers to a corporation dividing its existing number of shares of common stock into a greater number of shares. For instance, a corporation with...
Why aren't retained earnings distributed as dividends to the stockholders? Definition of Retained Earnings Retained earnings is one component of the stockholders’ equity section of a corporation’s balance sheet. Some...
What is contained on a 10-column worksheet? The 10-column worksheet that I am familiar with will have the general ledger account titles in the first column followed by ten columns of amounts. There will be one debit and...
Why not use Sales in the Inventory Turnover Ratio? The short answer is: Because Inventory is at cost. Inventory is not on the company’s books at selling prices. The Inventory Turnover Ratio is Cost of Goods Sold...
What is a cost center? Definition of Cost Center A cost center is often a department within a company. The manager and employees of a cost center are responsible for its costs but are not directly responsible for...
What is owner's equity? Definition of Owner’s Equity Owner’s equity is one of the three main sections of a sole proprietorship’s balance sheet and one of the components of the accounting equation: Assets =...
Where do you account for payroll taxes on the income statement? Definition of Payroll Taxes Payroll taxes are based on the wages (salaries, commissions, bonuses, etc.) of a company’s employees and on a self-employed...
What is the accounting journal entry for depreciation? Definition of Journal Entry for Depreciation The journal entry for depreciation is: Debit to the income statement account Depreciation Expense Credit to the balance...
Is the deposit for a booth at a future trade show an asset? The deposit for a booth at a future trade show is an asset until the trade show occurs. Once the trade show occurs the deposit amount should be moved from the...
What does Accumulated Depreciation tell us? Definition of Accumulated Depreciation Accumulated depreciation reports the amount of depreciation that has been recorded from the time an asset was acquired until the date of...
What is the accounting entry to close the sole proprietorship drawing account? Definition of Sole Proprietorship Drawing Account The drawing or withdrawal account for a sole proprietorship is a temporary owner equity’s...
Why are average balance sheet amounts used in calculating the turnover ratios? In the calculation of a turnover ratio, the numerator is an amount from an annual income statement, while the denominator is a balance sheet...
How do you calculate the gain or loss when an asset is sold? Definition of Gain or Loss on Sale of an Asset The gain or loss on the sale of an asset used in a business is the difference between 1) the amount of cash that...
What is managerial accounting? Definition of Managerial Accounting Managerial accounting is also known as management accounting and it includes many of the topics that are included in cost accounting. Some of the...
What is a journal? Definition of a Journal In accounting and bookkeeping, a journal is a record of financial transactions in order by date. Traditionally, a journal has been defined as the book of original entry. The...
What are generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)? Definition of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Generally accepted accounting principles (commonly referred to as GAAP or US GAAP) are the common...
What is the FISH inventory method? FISH is the acronym for first-in, still-here. FISH is an attempt to bring humor to the fact that some items have been sitting in inventory for years. Unlike FIFO and LIFO, which are...
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