What is prime cost? Definition of Prime Cost In cost accounting, the prime cost of a manufactured product is the combination of the following: Direct materials cost Direct labor cost The indirect manufacturing costs...
What is prime cost? Definition of Prime Cost In cost accounting, the prime cost of a manufactured product is the combination of the following: Direct materials cost Direct labor cost The indirect manufacturing costs...
What is an outlier? In cost accounting, an outlier could be a cost or its related level of activity that is out of line with other observations. An outlier can be detected by plotting each observation’s cost and...
What is a long-term asset? Definition of Long-term Asset A long-term asset is an asset that is not expected to be converted to cash or be consumed within one year of the date shown in the heading of the balance sheet....
Is the cost of goods sold an expense? Why the Cost of Goods Sold is an Expense We often think of expenses as salaries, advertising, rent, commissions, interest, and so on. However, the cost of goods sold is also an...
Is the direct method still used in the statement of cash flows? The direct method is one of two methods allowed for preparing the statement of cash flows (or cash flow statement). The direct method is recommended by the...
What is the effective interest rate for a bond? Definition of Effective Interest Rate of a Bond The effective interest rate of a bond is usually the market interest rate and the bond’s yield-to-maturity (as opposed to...
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...
Why is an amount in the cash flows from investing activities shown in parenthesis? An amount shown in parenthesis within the investing activities section of the cash flow statement indicates that cash was used to...
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...
How do you record the sales tax on the purchase of an asset? Accountants define the cost of an asset as all of the costs that are necessary to obtain the asset and to get it ready for use. If your state does not allow an...
Is a prepaid expense recorded initially as an expense? Definition of Prepaid Expense A prepaid expense refers to an amount that a company has paid and a portion or all of it will be an expense in a later accounting...
Is it a requirement for a small business to have a CPA? Generally, a small business is not required to have a CPA or certified public accountant. A CPA would be needed if the small business must have its financial...
What is the self-employed person's FICA tax rate for 2022 and 2023? 2022 FICA Tax Rate for Self-Employed The self-employed person’s FICA tax rate for 2022 (January 1 through December 31, 2022) is 15.3% on the first...
What is the free cash flow ratio? Definition of Free Cash Flow Free cash flow for a year is an amount (as opposed to a ratio or percentage) usually defined as: net cash provided by operating activities for the year minus...
Is income tax an expense or liability? Definition of Income Tax In the accounting for a regular U.S. corporation, income tax usually refers to the federal, state, local, and foreign countries’ taxes that are levied...
Why does a bond's price decrease when interest rates increase? Definition of Bond’s Price A bond’s price is the present value of the following future cash amounts: The cash interest payments that occur every six...
What causes a corporation's market value to be greater than its book value? One cause of a corporation’s market value being greater than its book value is the accountant’s cost principle. In order for an item to be...
What are payroll withholding taxes? Definition of Payroll Withholding Taxes In the U.S. payroll withholding taxes are the taxes that an employer is required to deduct from its employees’ gross wages, salaries, bonuses,...
What is the journal entry to record a one-year subscription for a magazine? Ways to Record One-Year Subscriptions Let’s assume that the cost of the one-year subscription for a monthly trade publication is $120. Let’s...
I don't understand the conservatism principle. Why do losses get recorded but not gains? Conservatism has to do with uncertainty. When uncertainty exists between two alternatives that appear to be reasonable, the...
What is a condensed income statement? A condensed income statement is one that summarizes much of the income statement detail into a few captions and amounts. For example, a retailer’s condensed income statement will...
What is the difference between book depreciation and tax depreciation? Definition of Book Depreciation Book depreciation is the amount recorded in the company’s general ledger accounts and reported on the company’s...
What is the difference between wages and salary? You should be aware that some people use the terms wages and salary interchangeably. I and many others make the following distinction… Definition of Wages Wages are...
What does current portion of long term debt mean? Definition of Current Portion of Long-Term Debt The current portion of long-term debt is the amount of principal that will be due within one year of the date of the...
What are assets? Definition of Assets In accounting and bookkeeping, a company’s assets can be defined as: Resources or things of value that are owned by a company as the result of company transactions Prepaid expenses...
Is the current portion of long term debt adjusted monthly? A monthly adjustment to the current portion of long term debt is necessary when: 1. the company issues monthly balance sheets, and 2. the amount to be paid on a...
If a mortgage payment is due by December 31, but the payment is not made until the following month, should the loan payment be accrued at December 31? The interest portion of the mortgage payment should be accrued as of...
What is the conservatism principle? Definition of Conservatism Principle In accounting, the conservatism principle (or accounting constraint) directs an accountant, who is faced with doubt between two possible...
Are estimates allowed in bookkeeping? While bookkeeping involves mostly precise amounts from sales and purchase invoices, cash receipts and checks written, etc. there are situations when estimates need to be entered....
What is an intangible asset? Definition of Intangible Asset An intangible asset is an asset that you cannot touch, since it lacks physical substance. Accountants record intangible assets at their cost when they are...
What is the difference between loan interest and bank loan repayment? Definition of Loan Interest Loan interest is the expense a borrower incurs for using a lender’s money. Loan interest is also the income earned by a...
What is capitalized interest? Definition of Capitalized Interest Capitalized interest is the interest on debt that was used to finance a self-constructed, long-term asset. The capitalized interest for the company’s...
At what point are revenues considered to be earned? Revenues, which are derived from an entity’s main activities such as the sale of merchandise or the performance of service, are considered to be earned when the...
What is a compilation? Definition of Compilation A compilation refers to a company’s financial statements that have been prepared or compiled by an outside accountant. A compilation is usually part of an accounting...
What is burn rate? In business, burn rate is usually the monthly amount of cash spent in the early years of a start-up business. Burn rate is an important metric since the new business must spend time and money...
What is Additional Medicare Tax? Definition of Additional Medicare Tax The Additional Medicare Tax is one of the U.S. government’s payroll withholding taxes that is paid solely by employees and the self-employed. In...
How do I record exterior cement work? Is it an asset or an expense? If the cement work was done to repair or maintain existing cement work, then the expenditure should be recorded as an expense. Even if the cost is very...
What is a bill payable? Definition of Bill Payable A bill payable is a document which shows the amount owed for goods or services received on credit (meaning not paid at the time that the goods or services were...
How do you calculate the cost of goods sold for a retailer? Formula for Calculating a Retailer’s Cost of Goods Sold A retailer’s cost of goods sold is: The cost of the retailer’s beginning inventory Plus the cost...
Is a utility bill an expense? The utility bill for a retailer or for a service company is an expense. Under the accrual basis of accounting, the utility bill is an expense for the period indicated by the meter reading...
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