What is a credit? Definition of a Credit In bookkeeping and accounting, a credit likely refers to the amount entered on the right side of a general ledger account or to the right side of a T-account. A credit could also...
What is a credit? Definition of a Credit In bookkeeping and accounting, a credit likely refers to the amount entered on the right side of a general ledger account or to the right side of a T-account. A credit could also...
What is the expanded accounting equation? Definition of Expanded Accounting Equation The expanded accounting equation provides more details for the owner’s equity amount shown in the basic accounting equation. The...
What is a toxic asset? I would define a toxic asset as an investment whose value has dropped significantly and there is no market in which to sell the asset. To illustrate, let’s assume that at the peak of the real...
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,...
What is the bookkeeping equation? Definition of Bookkeeping Equation The bookkeeping equation (or accounting equation) is similar to the structure of the balance sheet: For a sole proprietorship: Assets = Liabilities +...
on the corporation’s income statement), plus Other comprehensive income (if any) Examples of other comprehensive income include: Unrealized gains/losses on hedging derivatives Foreign currency translation...
What is the entry for a loan to an employee? Definition of Loan to Employee A loan to an employee is money advanced by the company to assist the employee. If the employee is expected to repay the loan within one year of...
How do I learn more about the CPA Exam? You can learn more about the Uniform CPA Exam at our free Accounting Career Center. Within our Accounting Career Center are direct links to the state boards of accountancy, CPA...
of the owner’s capital account and a drawing account. The drawing account is a temporary account in which the owner’s current year draws or withdrawals are recorded. The sole proprietor withdraws money for personal...
What is the three-way match? Definition of Three-Way Match In the accounting and bookkeeping area of accounts payable, the three-way match refers to a procedure used when processing an invoice received from a vendor or...
What is an unpresented cheque or check and does it require an adjustment to the balance sheet? Definition of Unpresented Cheque or Check An unpresented cheque is a check that a company has written, but the check has not...
What is the difference between gross profit margin and gross margin? Definition of Gross Profit Gross profit is an amount that is computed as follows: A company’s net Sales minus its cost of goods sold A product’s...
What is equity? Definitions and Examples of Equity Equity has several definitions that pertain to accounting: Equity can indicate an ownership interest in a business, such as stockholders’ equity or owner’s equity....
Where do I record the refund of a registration fee? If the registration fee refers to a fee expense that you had originally paid but the amount is now being refunded to you, I would credit the same expense account that...
What are the disclosures for a manufacturer's inventory? A manufacturer should disclose the following categories of inventory: raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, manufacturing supplies, and packaging...
What is inventory shrinkage? Definition of Inventory Shrinkage Inventory shrinkage is a term to describe the loss of inventory. The shrinkage could be the result of theft, breakage, poor recordkeeping, etc. The term...
What is the working capital ratio? Definition of Working Capital Ratio The working capital ratio is defined as the amount of a company’s current assets divided by the amount of its current liabilities. Hence, the...
as of the date of the bank statement, but were not deposited in time for them to appear on the bank statement Bank errors which resulted in too much withdrawn from the bank account or too little added to the bank...
What is a creditor? Definition of Creditor A creditor could be a bank, supplier or person that has provided money, goods, or services to a company and expects to be paid at a later date. In other words, the company owes...
What is a purchase return? Definition of Purchase Return A purchase return occurs when a buyer returns merchandise that it had purchased from a supplier. Since the return of purchased merchandise is time consuming and...
, and depreciation expense of $8,000. Therefore, the net income reported on its income statement was $22,000. (The depreciation pertains to a truck purchased in an earlier year.) Depreciation and the Statement of Cash...
on the income statement. Therefore the plant asset’s carrying amount will be decreasing each period. The going concern assumption implies that the company will be continuing in business. Since it is assumed that the...
What is a source document? Definition of Source Document A source document is an original record which contains the detail that supports or substantiates a transaction that will be (or has been) entered in an accounting...
An unfavorable budget variance (e.g. an actual expense is more than the budgeted amount, or actual revenues are less than the budgeted amount) An amount that is being subtracted The meaning of a negative amount in a...
When are expenses credited? Definition of Expenses Credited Normally, the general ledger accounts for expenses are debited and are expected to have debit balances. The reason they are debited is they cause the normal...
reconciliation the outstanding checks are a deduction from the bank balance (or balance per the bank statement). If an outstanding check from the previous month did not clear the bank account in the current month, the...
containing each account’s unadjusted balance, Adjustments containing any adjusting entries, Adjusted Trial Balance containing the combination of the unadjusted balance and any adjustments, Income Statement containing...
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...
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...
What is a deferred cost? Definition of Deferred Cost A deferred cost is a cost that is already recorded in a company’s accounts, but at least some of the cost should not be expensed until a future accounting period....
Where does accrued interest on notes receivable get reported on the balance sheet? Definition of Accrued Interest on Notes Receivable Accrued interest on notes receivable is the amount of interest the lender has earned,...
the amount of the write-down (reduction) as a loss on its income statement. Examples of Impairment A meat packing plant in recent years invested large amounts in its plant and equipment. Since then, the company...
and Allowances for $500 and will credit Accounts Receivable for $500. Company K’s income statement will report the gross Sales of $100,000 minus the sales returns and allowances of $500 and the resulting net sales of...
A corporation has a large balance in retained earnings. Does that mean that its dividends to stockholders will be increasing? Definition of Retained Earnings Retained earnings is one part of a corporation’s...
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...
How do you record an asset that was partially financed? Example of Recording an Asset that was Partially Financed Assume that your company purchased a car for $10,000 by paying cash of $4,000 and signing a promissory...
What is the difference between a deferred expense and a prepaid expense? Definition of Deferred Expense and Prepaid Expense Deferred expense and prepaid expense both refer to a payment that was made, but due to the...
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...
What is reported as property, plant and equipment? Definition of Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment is the long-term asset or noncurrent asset section of the balance sheet that reports the...
What is the employer's Social Security tax rate for 2022 and 2023? Employer’s Social Security Payroll Tax for 2022 The employer’s Social Security payroll tax rate for 2022 (January 1 through December 31, 2022) is the...
Featured Review
"I'm currently transitioning from a programming background into the world of accounting, and AccountingCoach has been an absolute game-changer. The PRO membership has provided me with an unparalleled learning experience with the videos, quick tests, cheat sheets, flashcards, and printable PDF files; and those are not even all of the features of the PRO membership! I'm so happy to have found this excellent learning platform, covering everything from accounting basics to the most complex topics. The depth and simplicity with which intricate accounting concepts are explained have been a revelation. And the greatest thing about it all is that I can master accounting at my own pace, without any time restrictions. The lifetime access ensures I can revisit and reinforce my knowledge whenever needed. Thank you, AccountingCoach, for being the comprehensive, accessible, and reliable platform that has immensely supported my transition into the captivating world of accounting!" - Ben P.
Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials
Read all 2,645 reviewsWe now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping: