What is bad debts expense? Definition of Bad Debts Expense Bad debts expense is related to a company’s current asset accounts receivable. Bad debts expense is also referred to as uncollectible accounts expense or...
What is bad debts expense? Definition of Bad Debts Expense Bad debts expense is related to a company’s current asset accounts receivable. Bad debts expense is also referred to as uncollectible accounts expense or...
How do I calculate the after-tax cost of debt? Definition of After-Tax Cost of Debt The after-tax cost of debt is the interest paid on the debt minus the income tax savings as the result of deducting the interest expense...
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 days' sales in inventory ratio? Definition of Days’ Sales in Inventory The financial ratio days’ sales in inventory tells you the number of days it took a company to sell its inventory during a recent...
How do you calculate the payback period? Definition of Payback Period The payback period is the expected number of years it will take for a company to recoup the cash it invested in a project. Examples of Payback Periods...
What is the statement of cash flows? Definition of Statement of Cash Flows The statement of cash flows (SCF) is one of the required external financial statements. The SCF is commonly referred to as the cash flow...
How do you record an owner's money that is used to start a company? Recording Money to Start a Sole Proprietorship If Amy Ott begins a sole proprietorship by putting money into her business, the sole proprietorship will...
How do I start a petty cash fund? Definition of Petty Cash Fund A petty cash fund is a small amount of money available to pay small amounts without requiring the processing of a business check. Example of Starting 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 are gross wages? Definition of Gross Wages Gross wages are the amounts earned by employees before the payroll withholding taxes and other deductions are subtracted. Sometimes gross wages is used to describe the...
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...
Is depreciation expense an administrative expense? Definition of Depreciation Expense Depreciation expense is the systematic allocation of a depreciable asset’s cost to the accounting periods in which the asset is...
What is accrued rent? Definition of Accrued Rent Accrued rent is the amount of rent that has not yet been paid by the tenant or received by the landlord for a past period of time. [If the tenant always pays the monthly...
What is a stockholder? Definition of Stockholder A stockholder (also known as a shareholder) is the owner of one or more shares of a corporation’s capital stock. A stockholder is considered to be separate from the...
How do I compute the units of production method of depreciation? Definition of Units of Production Depreciation The units of production method of depreciation (which is also referred to as the units of activity method)...
When does a negative cash balance appear on the balance sheet? Definition of Negative Cash Balance A negative cash balance results when the cash account in a company’s general ledger has a credit balance. The credit or...
Why is Rent Expense a debit and Service Revenues a credit? Why Rent Expense is a Debit Rent expense (and any other expense) will reduce a company’s owner’s equity (or stockholders’ equity). Owner’s equity which...
What type of account is the Dividends account? Definition of Dividends Account When a corporation declares a cash dividend, the amount declared will reduce the amount of the corporation’s retained earnings. Instead of...
What is the rationale for not reporting plant assets at their liquidation value? I will assume that the plant assets‘ liquidation values are higher than the present carrying values when answering your question. Plant...
What is self-insurance? Self-insurance means no insurance. For example, if a retailer decides to self-insure its buildings, the retailer will not have an insurance policy to pay for losses that may occur to its...
What is the time value of money? Definition of Time Value of Money The time value of money recognizes that receiving cash today is more valuable than receiving cash in the future. The reason is that the cash received...
What is notes receivable? Definition of Notes Receivable Notes receivable is an asset of a company, bank or other organization that holds a written promissory note from another party. (The other party will have a note...
What is an implicit interest rate? Definition of Implicit Interest Rate An implicit interest rate is one that is not stated explicitly. Example of Implicit Interest Rate Assume that I lend you $4,623 and you agree to...
What is a credit memo? Definition of Credit Memo One type of credit memo is issued by a seller in order to reduce the amount that a customer owes from a previously issued sales invoice. Another type of credit memo, or...
How does revenue affect the balance sheet? Effect of Revenue on the Balance Sheet Generally, when a corporation earns revenue there is an increase in current assets (cash or accounts receivable) and an increase in the...
What are debits and credits? Definition of Debits and Credits Debits and credits are terms used in accounting and bookkeeping systems for the past five centuries. They are part of the double entry system which results in...
What is the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Definition of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is a balance sheet contra asset account that reduces the reported amount of accounts...
What is the purpose of control accounts? Definition of Control Account A control account is a general ledger account containing only summary amounts. The details for each control account will be found in a related (but...
What is a contingent liability? Definition of Contingent Liability A contingent liability is a potential liability that may or may not become an actual liability. Whether the contingent liability becomes an actual...
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 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...
How can a manufacturer determine the precise cost of its products? A manufacturer may never be able to determine the precise cost of its individual products. The reason is that most of the manufacturing costs (other than...
How can a company have a profit but not have cash? Definition of Profit Under the accrual basis of accounting, profit is the amount of revenues earned minus the amount of expenses incurred. Note that revenues are not...
What is the difference between income and profit? Definition of Income The term income is used differently by many people. For some, income means the money coming in, such as What is your family income? What is your...
What is the rule of 72? The rule of 72 is a simple formula that tells you the approximate amount of time or interest rate needed for an amount to double. The formula is Years X Rate per year = 72. Here’s how it works....
Why is a product that sells for $50 reported in inventory at its cost of $40? Generally, items in inventory are valued at their cost—not their selling prices—because of the cost principle. Another reason for not...
What is the difference between a note payable and a bond payable? Definition of Note Payable and Bond Payable For accounting purposes, a note payable and a bond payable have the following similarities: Formal written...
What is common stock? Definition of Common Stock Common stock refers to the shares of ownership interest in a U.S. corporation. The owners of the common stock are referred to as common stockholders, common shareholders,...
What is the advantage of issuing bonds instead of stock? Definition of Bonds Bonds payable are a form of long-term debt, which include a formal agreement to pay interest semiannually and the principal amount at maturity....
What are inventoriable costs? Definition of Inventoriable Costs Inventoriable costs are: A retailer’s cost of the goods (products) that it purchased for resale, and any additional cost to get the goods in place and...
Featured Review
"I have been doing bookkeeping for over 20 years, mostly for easy clients with no assets. Becoming a PRO user helps me when I occasionally take on a client with a more complex business. With one client in particular, I came across a situation I was not quite sure how to handle. I was able to go to AccountingCoach and quickly resolve my dilemma! The platform is awesome. It is so easy to maneuver around. I love being able to take the ‘Quick Tests’, which are a great refresher. I love the ‘Questions Answered’ portion as well. This is a great program for not only the seasoned bookkeepers, but also for the ones just breaking into the business." - Deborah R.
Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials
Read all 2,645 reviews
For the past 52 years, Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has
worked as an accounting supervisor, manager, consultant, university instructor, and innovator in teaching accounting online. He is the sole author of all the materials on AccountingCoach.com.
We now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping: