What to do with the balance in Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Definition of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is a contra asset account that is used with the balance in Accounts...
What to do with the balance in Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Definition of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is a contra asset account that is used with the balance in Accounts...
What is the difference between a debit and a debit balance? Definition of Debit A debit is an entry on the left side of a T-account. A debit entry is used to record assets, expenses, losses, and owner’s draws in their...
How do you balance a checkbook? Definition of Balance a Checkbook To balance a company checkbook means comparing the amounts on the bank statement (or other bank account detail) to the amount in the company’s...
Why is a negative cash balance reported as a liability? The following will illustrate why a negative cash balance is reported as a liability instead of being reported as a negative asset amount. Company X writes checks...
What is the difference between a ledger and a trial balance? Definition of a Ledger A ledger is often defined as a book of accounts. Today the ledger and its accounts are likely to be an electronic record or file....
What is the procedure for preparing a trial balance? Definition of a Trial Balance A trial balance consists of the following information: The title of each general ledger account that has a balance To the right of the...
What is the double declining balance method of depreciation? Definition of Double Declining Balance Method of Depreciation The double declining balance method of depreciation, also known as the 200% declining balance...
A credit is not a normal balance for what accounts? Definition of Credit Balance A credit balance refers to the balance on the right side of a general ledger account or T-account. Normally, the liability and owner’s...
An accelerated method of depreciation, where two times the straight-line rate is applied to the book value of an asset. The result is more depreciation expense in the early years and less in the later years of the...
Our Explanation of Accounting Principles provides you with clear and concise descriptions of the basic underlying guidelines of accounting. You will see how the accounting principles affect the balance sheet and income...
Why is there a difference in the amounts for Bad Debts Expense and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Amount Reported as Bad Debts Expense The amount reported in the income statement account Bad Debts Expense pertains to...
The preferred method for systematically moving bond discount or premium from the balance sheet over to interest expense on the income statement over the life of the bond. This method is superior to the straight-line...
Usually financial statements refer to the balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, statement of retained earnings, and statement of stockholders’ equity. The balance sheet reports information as of...
Some examples of intangible assets include copyrights, patents, goodwill, trade names, trademarks, mail lists, etc. These assets will be reported at cost (or lower) on the balance sheet after property, plant and...
Obligations due within one year of the balance sheet date. (If a company’s operating cycle is longer than one year, an item is a current liability if it is due within the operating cycle.) Another condition is that...
What is the difference between the accounts rent receivable and rent revenue? Definition of Rent Receivable Rent Receivable is the title of the balance sheet asset account which indicates the amount of rent that has been...
Things that are resources owned by a company and which have future economic value that can be measured and can be expressed in dollars. Examples include cash, investments, accounts receivable, inventory, supplies, land,...
Our Explanation of Debits and Credits describes the reasons why various accounts are debited and/or credited. For the examples we provide the logic, use T-accounts for a clearer understanding, and the appropriate general...
What is capital surplus? Definition of Capital Surplus In the past, capital surplus was used to describe what is now referred to as paid-in capital in excess of par or Premium on Common Stock. Example of Capital Surplus...
What are some reasons that cause the balance on the bank statement to differ from the cash balance on the books? Reasons a Bank Balance Will Differ from a Company’s Balance Some of the reasons for a difference between...
What is a bank reconciliation? What is a Bank Reconciliation A bank reconciliation is a process performed by a company to ensure that its records (check register, general ledger account, balance sheet, etc.) are correct....
Our Explanation of Stockholders' Equity covers the unique terminology for a corporation's paid-in capital, retained earnings, treasury stock, and accumulated other comprehensive income. Included are cash dividends, stock...
Since our Explanation of Cash Flow Statement illustrates how the amounts are determined, you will get a better understanding of this very important financial statement. No longer will you look at only the income...
Since our Explanation of Cash Flow Statement illustrates how the amounts are determined, you will get a better understanding of this very important financial statement. No longer will you look at only the income...
What journal entries are prepared in a bank reconciliation? Definition of Journal Entries in a Bank Reconciliation Journal entries are required in a bank reconciliation when there are adjustments to the balance per...
What are byproducts? Byproducts, or by-products, are products with relatively little value that emerge from a common process along with the main products. The main products have significant value and are referred to as...
How do you report a write-down in inventory? Definition of Write-down in Inventory Under FIFO and average cost methods, when the net realizable value of inventory is less than the cost of the inventory, there needs to be...
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...
What is Notes Payable? Definition of Notes Payable In accounting, Notes Payable is a general ledger liability account in which a company records the face amounts of the promissory notes that it has issued. The balance in...
Bookkeeping (Test for Prospective Employees #2) Download PDF After you have answered all 40 questions, click "Grade This Quick Test" at the bottom of the page to view your grade and receive feedback on your answers....
What is the difference between Rent Receivable and Rent Payable? Definition of Rent Receivable Rent Receivable is an asset account in the general ledger of a landlord which reports the amount of rent that has been earned...
Our visual tutorial for the topic Adjusting Entries shows you how every adjusting entry will impact both the balance sheet and the income statement. We demonstrate a simple technique with several examples.
This is a contra owner’s equity account, because it has a debit balance if draws were made. Even though it is a balance sheet account, it is a temporary account. At the end of each year the account’s debit...
This is a contra long-term asset account which is credited for the depreciation associated with Buildings. Since it is a balance sheet account, the accumulated depreciation account balance does not close at the end of...
What is the earnings per share (EPS) ratio? Definition of Earnings per Share The earnings per share ratio, or simply earnings per share, or EPS, is a corporation’s 1) net income (or earnings) after tax that is...
Adjusting Entries For multiple-choice and true/false questions, simply press or click on what you think is the correct answer. For fill-in-the-blank questions, press or click on the blank space provided. If you have...
What is a deferred expense? Definition of Deferred Expense A deferred expense refers to a cost that has occurred but it will be reported as an expense in one or more future accounting periods. To accomplish this, the...
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...
What is the net book value of a noncurrent asset? The net book value of a noncurrent asset is the net amount reported on the balance sheet for a long-term asset. To illustrate net book value, let’s assume that several...
Is a loan's principal payment included on the income statement? Definition of Loan Principal Payment When a company borrows money from its bank, the amount received is recorded with a debit to Cash and a credit to a...
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