refer to the allowance account as Allowance for Uncollectible Expense, Allowance for Bad Debts or Provision for Bad Debts. The related income statement account could have the title of Uncollectible Accounts Expense,...
refer to the allowance account as Allowance for Uncollectible Expense, Allowance for Bad Debts or Provision for Bad Debts. The related income statement account could have the title of Uncollectible Accounts Expense,...
Where should a business report cash which is restricted to purchase a long-term asset? The cash which a business has restricted to purchase a long-term asset should be reported on the balance sheet under the asset...
What is a deposit in transit? Definition of Deposit in Transit A company’s deposit in transit is the currency and customers’ checks that have been received and are rightfully reported as cash on the date received,...
such as Deferred Income, Deferred Revenues, or Customer Deposits. As the amount is earned, the liability account is reduced and the amount earned will be reported on the income statement as revenues. Example #1 of...
that are in ending inventory. This allocated amount will be reported on the end-of-the-year balance sheet. Products or goods that have been sold during the year. This allocated amount will appear on the income statement...
Would you please help me understand opportunity cost? You might think of opportunity cost as the profit you had to forego. Let’s illustrate this with a little story. Suppose that you are the sole owner of a company...
How can a company with a net loss show a positive cash flow? Definition of Net Loss A net loss occurs when a company’s revenues and gains are less than its operating expenses, other expenses and losses. The net loss or...
How does an expense affect the balance sheet? Definition of Expense An expense is a cost that has been used up, expired, or is directly related to the earning of revenues. Most of a company’s expenses fall into the...
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...
Our Explanation of Break-even Point illustrates how to determine the number of units or sales dollars that will result in zero net income. The techniques rely on a product's contribution margin or contribution margin...
Our Explanation of Bank Reconciliation will show you the needed adjustments to the balance on the bank statement and also the adjustments needed to the balance in the related general ledger account. A comprehensive...
Where is treasury stock reported on the balance sheet? Under the cost method of recording treasury stock, the cost of treasury stock is reported at the end of the Stockholders’ Equity section of the balance sheet....
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...
Why isn't land depreciated? Definition of Land The land that is used in a business (as opposed to land that is an investment, or land that will be sold by a real estate developer) is a tangible asset that is assumed to...
What is the difference between public companies and public sector? Definition of Public Companies Public companies are those businesses owned by individuals (and not by a government). Definition of Publicly-Held...
What is the double-entry system? Definition of Double-Entry System The double-entry system of accounting or bookkeeping means that for every business transaction, amounts must be recorded in a minimum of two accounts....
How do I calculate the amount of sales tax that is included in total receipts? Sales Tax Calculation To calculate the sales tax that is included in a company’s receipts, divide the total amount received (for the items...
What are sales taxes? In the United States, most of its 50 States assess a sales tax, which is a tax on sales to the end user. For example, in the state of Wisconsin a retailer must collect a 5% sales tax and perhaps...
What is the distinction between debtor and creditor? Definition of Debtor A debtor is a person or enterprise that owes money to another party. The party to whom the money is owed might be a supplier, bank, or other...
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...
When calculating inventory turnover, do you use sales or the cost of goods sold? I calculate the inventory turnover by using the cost of goods sold. I use the cost of goods sold because inventory is in the general ledger...
, and manufacturing overhead that are included in the products that moved from the manufacturing area to the finished goods inventory during the accounting period. The calculation is presented as a schedule or statement....
What are term bonds and serial bonds? Term bonds are bonds which mature or come due on a single date. Serial bonds are bonds which do not mature or come due on a single date. Instead, serial bonds have maturity dates...
What is an equivalent unit of production? Definition of Equivalent Unit of Production An equivalent unit of production is an expression of the amount of work done by a manufacturer on units of output that are partially...
has not earned any of the contract amount and therefore does not have a right or a receivable to the $20,000 as of December 31. Similarly, Company Jay’s income statement for December and its December 31 owner’s...
What is a long-term liability? Definition of Long-term Liability A long-term liability is an obligation resulting from a previous event that is not due within one year of the date of the balance sheet (or not due within...
Are liabilities always a bad thing? Definition of Liabilities Liabilities are a company’s obligations and are usually defined as a claim on the company’s assets. However, liabilities (and stockholders’ equity) can...
Why will some asset accounts have a credit balance? Definition of Asset Account Balances In accounting, asset accounts normally have debit balances. That is, the general ledger accounts for assets typically have their...
What is the difference between biweekly and semimonthly payroll? Definition of Biweekly Payroll Biweekly payroll refers to paydays that occur 26 times per year (52 weeks in a year divided by 2 weeks = 26 times per year)....
What is a favorable variance? Definition of a Variance In accounting the term variance usually refers to the difference between an actual amount and a planned or budgeted amount. For example, if a company’s budget for...
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...
Is Accounts Payable a debit or a credit or both? Definition of an Accounts Payable Credit Since Accounts Payable is a liability account, it should have a credit balance. The credit balance indicates the amount that a...
What is the book value per share of stock? Definition of Book Value per Share of Stock The book value of a corporation is the amount of its stockholders’ equity. Assuming the corporation does not have preferred stock...
What is a current asset? Definition of Current Asset A current asset is a company’s cash and its other assets that are expected to be converted to cash within one year of the date appearing in the heading of the...
What is carriage inwards? Definition of Carriage Inwards Carriage inwards refers to the transportation costs required to be paid by the purchaser when it receives merchandise it ordered with terms FOB shipping point....
of an asset’s cost that has been moved to the income statement in the form of depreciation expense since the asset was acquired. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the Question as Read Must-Watch Video Learn How to...
, the entry to record the stock dividend will be a debit of $250,000 to Retained Earnings and a credit to a paid-in capital account such as Common Stock. It is important to note that dividends are not expenses and...
Inventory and will be the first costs to be included in the cost of goods sold on the income statement. Therefore, under the FIFO cost flow assumption the most recent costs will remain in Inventory to be reported on the...
What is the difference between stockholder and stakeholder? Definition of Stockholder A stockholder or shareholder is the owner of shares of a corporation’s common or preferred stock. Definition of Stakeholder A...
What is a post-dated check? Definition of a Post-dated Check A post-dated check (or post-dated cheque) is a check written with a future date. In other words, the date that appears on the check is after the date when the...
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