Our Explanation of Payroll Accounting discusses the taxes and benefits which are withheld from employees' pay as well as the taxes and benefits that are expenses for the employers. Also provided are examples of the...
Our Explanation of Payroll Accounting discusses the taxes and benefits which are withheld from employees' pay as well as the taxes and benefits that are expenses for the employers. Also provided are examples of the...
Our Explanation of Accounting Basics uses a simple story to introduce important accounting concepts and terminology. It illustrates how transactions will be included in a company's financial statements.
What is the difference between gains and proceeds in terms of long-term assets? Definition of Long-term Assets Long-term assets, which are also referred to as noncurrent assets, are assets that generally are not expected...
What are capital expenditures? Definition of Capital Expenditures Capital expenditures are the amounts spent for tangible assets that will be used for more than one year in the operations of a business. Capital...
What is a lien? Definition of Lien A lien is a legal document filed by a creditor (lender) in order to record its claim on certain assets of the debtor (borrower). The lien is likely filed at the county government office...
What is accrued income? Definition of Accrued Income Accrued income is an amount that: A company has earned The company has a right to receive The collection is probable Has not yet been recorded in the general ledger...
What is inventory? Definition of Inventory Inventory is a very significant current asset for retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. Inventory serves as a buffer between 1) a company’s sales of goods, and 2) its...
What is a post-closing trial balance? Definition of Post-closing Trial Balance A post-closing trial balance is a trial balance which is prepared after all of the temporary accounts in the general ledger have been closed....
What is YOY? In financial analysis and data analytics, YOY is the acronym for year over year. YOY indicates the change from the comparable amount reported in the same period one year earlier. Below are three examples of...
What is present value? Definition of Present Value In accounting, present value refers to the amount after discounting future cash amounts to the present. The present is depicted on a timeline as the point 0, which is...
What is a T-account? Definition of T-Account A T-account is a visual aid used to depict a general ledger account. The account title is written above the horizontal part of the “T”. On the left-side of the vertical...
How can I determine the inventory methods used by other companies in my industry? Definition of Inventory Methods Inventory methods refers to the order or manner in which a company moves its actual costs out of the...
What is the difference between entries in a general journal versus a general ledger? Definition of General Journal The general journal is described as the book of original entry. Today the general journal is used to...
How many days after a month ends should the bank reconciliation be done? Definition Bank Reconciliation The bank reconciliation (if prepared or reviewed by someone other than the person with access to the checking...
What is not sufficient funds? Definition of Not Sufficient Funds Not sufficient funds or NSF or insufficient funds is a term to describe a check that has been returned by the bank because the balance in the checking...
What is bad debts expense? Definition of Bad Debts Expense Bad debts expense is related to a company’s current asset accounts receivable. Bad debts expense is also referred to as uncollectible accounts expense or...
How do I start a petty cash fund? Definition of Petty Cash Fund A petty cash fund is a small amount of money available to pay small amounts without requiring the processing of a business check. Example of Starting a...
What is accrued rent? Definition of Accrued Rent Accrued rent is the amount of rent that has not yet been paid by the tenant or received by the landlord for a past period of time. [If the tenant always pays the monthly...
What is a stockholder? Definition of Stockholder A stockholder (also known as a shareholder) is the owner of one or more shares of a corporation’s capital stock. A stockholder is considered to be separate from the...
What type of account is the Dividends account? Definition of Dividends Account When a corporation declares a cash dividend, the amount declared will reduce the amount of the corporation’s retained earnings. Instead of...
What is a contingent liability? Definition of Contingent Liability A contingent liability is a potential liability that may or may not become an actual liability. Whether the contingent liability becomes an actual...
How can a company have a profit but not have cash? Definition of Profit Under the accrual basis of accounting, profit is the amount of revenues earned minus the amount of expenses incurred. Note that revenues are not...
What is the difference between income and profit? Definition of Income The term income is used differently by many people. For some, income means the money coming in, such as What is your family income? What is your...
What are the ways to value inventory? Definition of Valuing Inventory Generally, the financial statements of a U.S. company must report its inventory at its historical cost (not at its selling prices). Inventories are to...
Should capital budgeting decisions be based on cash flows or revenues and expenses? Definition of Capital Budgeting Decisions Capital budgeting assists in the investment decisions regarding assets that will have an...
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 liquidity? Definition of Liquidity Liquidity is a company’s ability to convert its assets to cash in order to pay its liabilities when they are due. Current Assets Generally, the assets that are expected to...
What is long-term debt? Definition of Long-term Debt In accounting, long-term debt generally refers to a company’s loans and other liabilities that will not become due within one year of the balance sheet date. (The...
FIFO and LIFO is best with which type of products? Definition of FIFO and LIFO FIFO and LIFO pertain to the flow of products’ costs out of inventory to the cost of goods sold that is reported on the income statement....
What is the advantage of using historical cost on the balance sheet for property, plant and equipment? Definition of Historical Cost Historical cost is the original cost of an asset including all the necessary costs to...
Why Does Inventory Get Reported on Some Income Statements? Reporting of Inventory on Financial Statements Inventory is an asset and its ending balance is reported in the current asset section of a company’s balance...
What if an employee's actual vacation payment is greater than the amount that has been accrued? Let’s assume that a company’s accounting year ends on December 31 and the company has only one employee who worked the...
What is double-entry bookkeeping? Definition of Double-Entry Bookkeeping Double-entry bookkeeping refers to the 500-year-old system in which each financial transaction of a company is recorded with an entry into at least...
Is rent expense a period cost or a product cost? Definition of Rent Expense Rent expense is often a monthly amount paid by a company for use of a building. Typically, the rent is due on the first day of every month that...
How can I learn bookkeeping? You can learn bookkeeping at no cost on our website AccountingCoach.com. We recently expanded our Explanation of Bookkeeping, and we have many other topics that are relevant including debits...
What is the difference in salaries between a bookkeeper and an accountant? I estimate that a bookkeeper’s salary will be less than half of an accountant’s salary. For example, an accountant with a year or two of...
Are LIFO inventory amounts ever written-up to their market value? LIFO inventory amounts will not be written-up, even when the current market value of the inventory is far greater than the amount reported on the balance...
What is decentralization? Definition of Decentralization Decentralization refers to a company’s top management delegating authority to subunits or segments of the company such as a company consisting of a consumer...
What is the difference between adjusting entries and correcting entries? Definition of Adjusting Entries Generally, adjusting entries are required at the end of every accounting period so that a company’s financial...
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