What is EBIT? EBIT is the acronym for earnings before interest and taxes. In other words, EBIT is a corporation’s net income assuming it had no interest expense and no income tax expense. (Since the amount of earnings...
What is EBIT? EBIT is the acronym for earnings before interest and taxes. In other words, EBIT is a corporation’s net income assuming it had no interest expense and no income tax expense. (Since the amount of earnings...
What is a blank endorsement? In the case of a check payable to John Smith (the payee), a blank endorsement would be the signature of John Smith on the back side of the check without any other words above or below his...
If I want a gross margin of 25%, what percent should I mark up my product? Definition of Gross Margin Gross margin as a percentage is the gross profit divided by the selling price. For example, if a product sells for...
What is a general ledger? Definition of General Ledger A general ledger is a grouping of perhaps hundreds of accounts that are used to sort and store information from a company’s business transactions. The general...
How do you record the sale of land? Definition of Sale of Land Assume that a retailer sells land that it had been holding for a future store. The retailer must remove the cost of the land from its general ledger asset...
What is notes receivable? Definition of Notes Receivable Notes receivable is an asset of a company, bank or other organization that holds a written promissory note from another party. (The other party will have a note...
How is working capital defined and measured? Definition of Working Capital Working capital is defined as the amount of a company’s current assets minus the amount of its current liabilities usually as of the final...
What is the chart of accounts? Definition of Chart of Accounts The chart of accounts is a listing of the names and account numbers for the general ledger accounts available for recording amounts. However, the chart 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...
Is the sales tax paid on merchandise that you will resell an expense? I believe that most states have sales tax exemptions for merchandise purchased for resale. Check with your state’s sales tax department to see if...
What is an invoice? Definition of Invoice An invoice is a dated bill prepared by the seller of goods sold (or services provided) which includes brief descriptions of the items, quantities of items and their unit prices,...
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 a fringe benefit rate? Definition of Fringe Benefit Rate A fringe benefit rate is a percentage that results from dividing the cost of an employee’s fringe benefits by the wages paid to the employee for the...
Is the drawing account a capital account? Definition of Drawing Account A sole proprietorship will have a drawing account in which the owner’s withdrawals or draws of cash or other assets are recorded. The amounts of...
What is the carrying amount? Definition of Carrying Amount The term carrying amount is also known as book value or carrying value. The term carrying amount is often used when there is a valuation account associated with...
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...
What is an unpresented check? An unpresented check is a check written by a company and entered in its records, but the check has not yet cleared the company’s checking account. In other words, the check has not yet...
What is the aging method? Definition of Aging Method The aging method usually refers to the technique for estimating the amount of a company’s accounts receivable that will not be collected. The estimated amount that...
How do you treat voided checks on the bank reconciliation? Definition of Voided Check on Bank Reconciliation If a check was voided in the current month but was written in the previous month and appeared on the previous...
How do I write off old outstanding checks? Definition of an Old Outstanding Check We will assume that an outstanding check has appeared on the outstanding check list that is part of the company’s bank reconciliation...
What is a letter of credit? A letter of credit is a letter or document issued by a bank for use by one of its customers. The letter of credit states that the bank will guarantee payment up to the stated amount for...
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...
What is a bookkeeper? Definition of Bookkeeper A bookkeeper is usually employed by a small to mid-size company (or other organization) to process and record the large volume of transactions involving sales, purchases,...
What is a trial balance? Definition of a Trial Balance A trial balance is a bookkeeping or accounting report that lists the balances in each of an organization’s general ledger accounts. (Often the accounts with zero...
Where is a contract with a customer reported on the balance sheet? A contract to perform future services for a customer is not reported on the balance sheet of the company that will be providing the services. For...
What is a trade discount? Definition of Trade Discount A trade discount is a routine reduction from the regular, established price of a product. The use of trade discounts allows a company to vary the final price based...
How do you divide the cost of real estate into land and building? Dividing the Cost of Real Estate into Land and Building In accounting, the cost of real estate must be divided into: The cost of land (because land is not...
What is an uncleared cheque? Definition of Uncleared Cheque An uncleared cheque is a cheque (check) that has been written and recorded in the payer’s records, but has not yet been paid by the bank on which it is drawn....
What does it mean to reclassify an amount? Definition of Reclassify an Amount To reclassify an amount likely means to move an amount from one general ledger account to another general ledger account. Example of...
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 is a standard cost? Definition of Standard Cost A standard cost is described as a predetermined cost, an estimated future cost, an expected cost, a budgeted unit cost, a forecast cost, or as the “should be”...
Why are assets and expenses increased with a debit? Definition of Debit In accounting the term debit indicates the left side of a general ledger account or the left side of a T-account. (The right side of an account or a...
What is meant by reconciling an account? Definition of Reconciling an Account Reconciling an account is likely to mean proving or documenting that an account balance is correct. Examples of Reconciling an Account When a...
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 the cost of goods manufactured? Definition of Cost of Goods Manufactured The cost of goods manufactured is a calculation of the production costs of the goods that were completed during an accounting period. In...
What is a promissory note? Definition of Promissory Note A promissory note is a written promise to pay an amount of money by a specified date (or perhaps on demand). The maker of the promissory note agrees to pay the...
Which assets are classified as current assets? Definition of Current Assets Current assets include cash and assets that are expected to turn to cash within one year of the balance sheet date. Current assets also include...
What is FIFO? Definition of FIFO In accounting, FIFO is the acronym for First-In, First-Out. It is a cost flow assumption usually associated with the valuation of inventory and the cost of goods sold. Under FIFO, the...
What is the purpose of assigning accounts receivable? The purpose of assigning accounts receivable is to provide collateral in order to obtain a loan. To illustrate, let’s assume that a corporation receives a special...
What is net income? Definition of Net Income Net income is the positive result of a company’s revenues and gains minus its expenses and losses. A negative result is referred to as net loss. (There are a few gains and...
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