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...
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 does it mean to replenish the petty cash fund? Definition of Replenishing Petty Cash Replenishing the petty cash fund means the petty cash custodian requests and receives cash from the company’s regular checking...
What is the difference between bad debt and doubtful debt? Definition of Bad Debt and Doubtful Debt In accounting, the terms bad debt and doubtful debt usually refer to the amounts owed by a company’s customers who...
What is a blank check? Definition of Blank Check A blank check often refers to a check that has been signed by an authorized check signer without completing the other information (date, payee, amount). A blank check...
What is the break-even formula? Break-even Point in Units of Product The formula for determining the break-even point in units of product sold is: total fixed expenses divided by the contribution margin per unit. For...
What is liquidity? Definition of Liquidity Liquidity is a company’s ability to convert its assets to cash in order to pay its liabilities when they are due. Current Assets Generally, the assets that are expected to...
What is an unsecured creditor? Definition of Unsecured Creditor An unsecured creditor is often a vendor or supplier that: Shipped goods to a customer as part of a sale on credit Has not been paid Does not have a lien on...
What are operating expenses? Definition of Operating Expenses Operating expenses are the costs that have been used up (expired) as part of a company’s main operating activities during the period shown in the heading of...
What is the contribution margin ratio? Definition of Contribution Margin Ratio The contribution margin ratio is the percentage of sales revenues, service revenues, or selling price remaining after subtracting all of the...
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...
What is the income statement? Definition of Income Statement The income statement is also known as the statement of operations, profit and loss statement, and statement of earnings. It is one of a company’s main...
What are balance sheet accounts? Definition of Balance Sheet Accounts Balance sheet accounts are one of two types of general ledger accounts. (The other accounts in the general ledger are the income statement accounts.)...
What are the limitations of the payback period? Definition of Payback Period The payback period is a common (but not the best) tool for screening a company’s potential investments. It uses the potential investment’s...
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)....
How are dividends paid when there are dividends in arrears? Definition of Dividends in Arrears Dividends in arrears exist when a corporation has: Cumulative preferred stock Omitted past dividends on the cumulative...
How do I determine the cost of missing inventory? Definition of Determining the Cost of Missing Inventory The approximate cost of missing inventory is the difference between 1) the cost of the inventory items that are...
What is marginal cost? Definition of Marginal Cost Marginal cost is a manufacturer’s cost to produce one more unit of product. In other words, marginal cost is the change in total costs when one additional unit is...
How do I record an advance to an employee and the deduction? Definition of Advance to an Employee A cash advance to an employee is usually a temporary loan by a company to an employee. In other words, the company is the...
What is an expense? Definition of Expense Under the accrual method of accounting, an expense is a cost that is reported on the income statement for the period in which: The cost best matches the related revenues The cost...
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 difference between depreciation expense and accumulated depreciation? Definition of Depreciation Expense Depreciation expense is the amount of depreciation that is reported on the income statement. In other...
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...
What is turnover? Definition of Turnover In accounting, the term turnover can have more than one meaning. In some countries turnover is used in place of sales. Turnover also pertains to certain financial ratios that...
What is the gross profit method? Gross Profit Method Definition The gross profit method is a technique used to estimate the amount of ending inventory. The technique could be used for monthly financial statements when a...
What is straight line depreciation? Definition of Straight-Line Depreciation Straight-line depreciation is the most common method of allocating the cost of a plant asset to expense in the accounting periods during which...
What is an impairment? Definition of Impairment The term impairment is associated with an asset currently having a market value that is less than the asset’s book value . A test is done to determine whether the...
FIFO and LIFO is best with which type of products? Definition of FIFO and LIFO FIFO and LIFO pertain to the flow of products’ costs out of inventory to the cost of goods sold that is reported on the income statement....
What is a general ledger? Definition of General Ledger A general ledger is a grouping of perhaps hundreds of accounts that are used to sort and store information from a company’s business transactions. The general...
What is the purpose of the cash flow statement? Definition of Cash Flow Statement The cash flow statement or statement of cash flows or SCF identifies a company’s major cash inflows and outflows that occurred the same...
What does capitalize mean? Definition of Capitalize In accounting, the word capitalize means to record an expenditure as an asset. The cost of this asset is then allocated to expense over its useful life. (If the...
What are external financial statements? Definition of External Financial Statements External financial statements are those distributed outside of the company’s management. Some of the recipients of the external...
What is a fully depreciated asset? Definition of Fully Depreciated Asset A fully depreciated asset is a plant asset or fixed asset where the asset’s book value is equal to its estimated salvage value. In other words,...
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...
Debits and Credits Meaning of Debits and Credits Debit and credit are related to the terms used in Italy 500 years ago to record business transactions using the double-entry system of accounting. Today, you should...
Our Explanation of Financial Statements provides you with the highlights of each of the five external financial statements issued by U.S. corporations. Our insights will give you a good understanding of what the...
Bookkeeping (Test for Prospective Employees #1) 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....
Income Statement(Quick Test #1) 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. Note: Some of the...
Income Statement(Quick Test #1) 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. Note: Some of the...
Bank Reconciliation(Quick Test #2) Download PDF After you have answered all 25 questions, click "Grade This Quick Test" at the bottom of the page to view your grade and receive feedback on your answers. Note: Some of the...
Our Explanation of Financial Statements provides you with the highlights of each of the five external financial statements issued by U.S. corporations. Our insights will give you a good understanding of what the...
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