What is the difference between a cost center and a profit center? Definition of Cost Center A cost center is a subunit of a company that is responsible only for its costs. A few examples of cost centers are: Production...
What is the difference between a cost center and a profit center? Definition of Cost Center A cost center is a subunit of a company that is responsible only for its costs. A few examples of cost centers are: Production...
In least squares regression, what do y and a represent? Here are the meanings of the components or symbols used in the least squares equation of y = a + bx: y is the dependent variable, such as the estimated or expected...
What is a flexible budget variance? Definition of Flexible Budget and Flexible Budget Variance First, a flexible budget is a budget in which some amounts will increase or decrease when the level of activity changes. A...
What is the difference between actual overhead and applied overhead? Definition of Actual Overhead In the context of actual and applied overhead, actual overhead refers to a manufacturer’s indirect manufacturing costs....
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...
How do you calculate the cost of goods sold for a retailer? Formula for Calculating a Retailer’s Cost of Goods Sold A retailer’s cost of goods sold is: The cost of the retailer’s beginning inventory Plus the cost...
Is a manufacturer's product warranty part of its manufacturing overhead or is it part of its SG&A expense? The costs associated with a manufacturer’s product warranty are part of its selling expenses and therefore part...
How do you calculate the cost of carrying inventory? Definition of Cost of Carrying Inventory The cost of carrying inventory (or cost of holding inventory) is the sum of the following: Cost of money tied up in inventory,...
How do I calculate depreciation using the sum of the years' digits? Definition of the Sum-of-the-Years’-Digits Depreciation The sum-of-the-years’-digits depreciation (SYD depreciation) is one method for calculating...
of an Expense As a prepaid cost such as the $6,000 in the asset account Prepaid Insurance expires, the part that expires will be reported on the income statement as Insurance Expense. If the insurance cost is expiring...
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...
What does a debit signify in bookkeeping? In bookkeeping, a debit can signify an increase in an asset, an expense, and the owner’s draws. A debit can also signify a decrease in a liability, revenues, and owner’s...
Will I be able to pass the CPA Exam after studying the accounting material on AccountingCoach.com? AccountingCoach.com contains introductory accounting material. While you need to master the principles and concepts...
What is the difference between public sector and private sector? Definition of Public Sector Public sector refers to: government-owned organizations, and government-provided services (Note: public sector entity is...
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...
the company’s true amount of cash. Example of an Outstanding Check in the Bank Reconciliation In the bank reconciliation process, the total amount of outstanding checks is subtracted from the ending balance on the...
on the company’s balance sheet is an increase in current assets and an increase in owner’s or stockholders’ equity. The company’s income statement will also report the amount of the revenues earned. Example of...
Why are expenses debited? Why Expenses Are Debited Expenses cause owner’s equity to decrease. Since owner’s equity’s normal balance is a credit balance, an expense must be recorded as a debit. At the end of the...
Why is Accumulated Depreciation an asset account? Definition of Accumulated Depreciation The account Accumulated Depreciation reports the total amount of depreciation expense that has been recorded from the time the...
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 mortgage loan? Definition of Mortgage Loan A mortgage loan is a loan associated with the purchase of real estate, such as a home or buildings used in a business. As part of the loan process, the lender files a...
What is apportionment? An apportionment is an allocation based on some proportions. I associate the term apportionment with a corporation’s taxable income that was earned in many states within the U.S. In that...
What is the days' sales in accounts receivable ratio? Definition of Days’ Sales in Accounts Receivable The days’ sales in accounts receivable ratio (also known as the average collection period) tells you the number...
What is a/c? Definition of a/c In accounting, a/c is the abbreviation for account. Example of a/c An accountant might leave the following note for a subordinate: “Please review the balance in the a/c Interest...
What is the fixed asset turnover ratio? Definition of Fixed Asset Turnover Ratio The fixed asset turnover ratio shows the relationship between a company’s annual net sales and the net amount of its fixed assets. The...
What is a basis point? A basis point is a hundredth (1/100) of a percentage point. Expressed another way, one percentage point is equal to 100 basis points. This means that if an interest rate drops by 1/2 of a...
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...
What is the employer matching of FICA? Definition of FICA FICA is the acronym for Federal Insurance Contributions Act, which requires employers to withhold the following from each employee’s paycheck: Social Security...
What is net sales? Definition of Net Sales Under the accrual basis of accounting, net sales is the total amount of goods shipped/delivered to customers during a specified period of time minus any early payment discounts...
What is a burden rate in inventory? I assume that the burden rate in inventory refers to a manufacturer’s indirect manufacturing costs, which are also referred to as factory overhead, indirect production costs, and...
What is a transposition error? Definition of Transposition Error A transposition error occurs when an amount is recorded incorrectly as the result of switching the positions of two (or more) digits. The switching of the...
What are the stockholders' equity accounts? The stockholders’ equity accounts are balance sheet accounts and a part of the accounting equation Assets = Liabilities + Stockholders’ Equity. In this light you can view...
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...
What is the cost of capital? Definition of Cost of Capital The cost of capital is the weighted-average, after-tax cost of a corporation’s long-term debt, preferred stock (if any), and the stockholders’ equity...
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 a lump sum payment? A lump sum payment is often associated with a single amount paid to acquire a group of items. For instance, a corporation might pay $50,000 for the inventory and equipment of a small...
Where is the discount on the purchase of office furniture recorded? Definition of Discount on Purchase of Office Furniture The discount on the purchase of office furniture that will be used by a company (as opposed to...
If a mortgage payment is due on January 1, should the payment be accrued at December 31? The following answer assumes that the accrual basis of accounting (also known as the accrual method of accounting) is being used…...
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...
What is a long-term asset? Definition of Long-term Asset A long-term asset is an asset that is not expected to be converted to cash or be consumed within one year of the date shown in the heading of the balance sheet....
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