How does petty cash affect expenses? Definition of Petty Cash Petty cash is a small amount of currency and coins that a company has available to make very small payments instead of requesting and processing a company...
How does petty cash affect expenses? Definition of Petty Cash Petty cash is a small amount of currency and coins that a company has available to make very small payments instead of requesting and processing a company...
What is the difference between gross profit and net profit? Definition of Gross Profit Gross profit is defined as net sales minus the cost of goods sold. Example of Gross Profit Assume that a retailer had gross sales of...
Which financial statement shows a corporation's worth? Not one of the financial statements will show a corporation’s worth. The balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, and stockholders’ equity...
Why is interest expense a nonoperating expense? Definition of Interest Expense as a Nonoperating Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money. For most companies the borrowing of money is not part of their...
Are payroll withholding taxes an expense or a liability? Definition of Payroll Withholding Taxes Payroll withholding taxes are amounts withheld from employees’ wages and salaries. The amounts withheld are actually the...
What is a contingent asset? Definition of Contingent Asset A contingent asset is a potential asset that is associated with a potential gain. The asset and gain are contingent because they are dependent upon some future...
What is the total asset turnover ratio? Definition of Total Asset Turnover Ratio The total asset turnover ratio indicates the relationship between a company’s net sales for a specified year to the average amount of...
What is the difference between periodic and perpetual inventory systems? Periodic Inventory System In a periodic system the account Inventory: Has only the ending balance from the previous accounting year Excludes the...
What are phantom profits? The terms phantom profits or illusory profits are often used in the context of inventory (but can also pertain to depreciation) during periods of rising costs. The amount of phantom or illusory...
What are net assets? Definition of Net Assets Net assets is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. Examples of Net Assets In a sole proprietorship the amount of net assets is reported as owner’s equity. In a...
What is an overdraft? Definition of Overdraft An overdraft (also known as a bank overdraft) generally means that the amount of a company’s checks being presented at the bank for payment exceeded the amount on deposit....
What is a capital expenditure versus a revenue expenditure? Definition of Capital Expenditure A capital expenditure is an amount spent to acquire or significantly improve the capacity or capabilities of a long-term asset...
Are the sales taxes part of a retailer's sales? Definition of Sales Taxes Sales taxes are likely state and local taxes collected by the sellers of specified goods and the providers of specified services. The sales taxes...
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 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 =...
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...
What is the direct write-off method? Definition of Direct Write-off Method The direct write-off method is one of the two methods normally associated with reporting accounts receivable and bad debts expense. (The other...
What is the monetary unit assumption? Definition of Monetary Unit Assumption The monetary unit assumption as it applies to a U.S. corporation is that the U.S.dollar (USD) is stable in the long run. That is, the USD does...
What is a natural business year? Definition of Natural Business Year A natural business year is the period of 12 consecutive months (or 52-53 consecutive weeks) ending at a low point of the organization’s activities...
Why are accruals needed every month? Reasons for Monthly Accruals Accrual adjusting entries are needed monthly only if a company issues monthly financial statements. Two reasons for the monthly accrual adjusting entries...
What does it mean to check the extensions and to foot an invoice? To check the extensions on a purchase invoice means to verify that the number of units of each item multiplied by its unit cost agrees with the total...
How does the purchase of a new machine affect the profit and loss statement? Definition of New Machine’s Effect on Profit The purchase of a new machine that will be used in a business will affect the profit and loss...
In a bank reconciliation, what happens to the outstanding checks of the previous month? Definition of Outstanding Checks Outstanding checks are checks written by a company, but the checks have not cleared the bank...
What is the accounting entry when an order is received? There is no accounting entry recorded in a company’s general ledger accounts when an order is received. The reason is that a sale or sales revenues has not yet...
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 working capital? Definition of Working Capital Working capital is the amount of a company’s current assets minus the amount of its current liabilities. Example of Working Capital Let’s assume that a...
What is window dressing? Definition of Window Dressing Window dressing refers to actions taken or not taken prior to issuing financial statements in order to improve the appearance of the financial statements. Example...
Why would Prepaid Insurance have a credit balance? Definition of Prepaid Insurance Generally, Prepaid Insurance is a current asset account that has a debit balance. The debit balance indicates the amount that remains...
What is a purchase allowance? Definition of Purchase Allowance A purchase allowance is a reduction in the buyer’s cost of merchandise that had been purchased. The purchase allowance is granted by the supplier because...
What is the net method? Definition of Net Method In accounting, the net method likely refers to the way a company records each vendor’s invoice that offers an early payment discount. Example of Net Method Assume that a...
What is a deferral? Definition of Deferral A deferral often refers to an amount that was paid or received, but the amount cannot be reported on the current income statement since it will be an expense or revenue of a...
What is the difference between inventory and the cost of goods sold? Definition of Inventory Inventory for a retailer or distributor is the merchandise that was purchased and has not yet been sold to customers. A...
What are fixed assets? Definition of Fixed Assets Fixed assets are a company’s tangible, noncurrent assets that are used in its business operations. The word fixed indicates that these assets will not be used up,...
Why is income received in advance a liability? Definition of Income Received in Advance Under the accrual method of accounting, when a company receives money from a customer prior to earning it, the company will have to...
Why and how do you adjust the inventory account in the periodic method? Definition of Inventory Account in Periodic Method Under the periodic method or periodic system, the account Inventory is dormant throughout the...
Is the installation labor for a new asset expensed or included in the cost of the asset? Accounting for Labor to Install Asset The definition of an asset’s cost is all costs that are necessary to get an asset in place...
What items are added to the balance per bank on the bank reconciliation? Bank Reconciliation Adjustments to Bank Balance The items that are added to the balance per bank when doing a bank reconciliation include: Deposits...
Why does an increase in accounts payable appear as an addition on the statement of cash flows? Adjustments from Accrual to Cash on Statement of Cash Flows When the statement of cash flows (SCF, cash flow statement) is...
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...
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...
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