What is the difference between revenues and receipts? Definition of Revenues A company’s revenues are amounts it has earned as the result of business activities such as selling merchandise or performing services. Under...
What is the difference between revenues and receipts? Definition of Revenues A company’s revenues are amounts it has earned as the result of business activities such as selling merchandise or performing services. Under...
What is solvency? Definition of Solvency I use the term solvency to mean a company is able to 1) pay its obligations when they come due, and 2) continue in business. Some people look to a company’s working capital to...
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...
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 is the difference between stock dividend and cash dividend? Definition of a Stock Dividend A stock dividend is a dividend consisting of additional shares of stock. Assume that before a corporation declares a stock...
What is a deferral? Definition of Deferral A deferral often refers to an amount that was paid or received, but the amount cannot be reported on the current income statement since it will be an expense or revenue of a...
What is a noncash expense? Definition of a Noncash Expense A noncash expense is an expense that is reported on the income statement of the current accounting period, but the related cash payment took place in another...
How should an interest only loan be recorded? Defintion of an Interest Only Loan An interest only loan specifies that only interest payments are required during the life of the loan. No principal payment is required...
What does the term arrears mean in accounting? Definition of Arrears In accounting, the term arrears will be used in the following situations: If a corporation does not declare and pay the dividend on its cumulative...
What does NOI stand for? NOI is the acronym for net operating income. Net operating income is also referred to as income from operations. NOI excludes discontinued operations, extraordinary items, and nonoperating (or...
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...
What is the difference between fixed assets and noncurrent assets? Fixed Assets are Part of Noncurrent Assets Fixed assets are one of several categories of noncurrent assets. Fixed assets are usually reported on the...
What is the debt to equity ratio? Definition of Debt to Equity Ratio The debt to equity ratio or debt-equity ratio is the result of dividing a corporation’s total liabilities by the total amount of stockholders’...
How do you account for a project under construction? Accounting for a Project Under Construction If a company is constructing a major project such as a building, assembly line, etc., the amounts spent on the project will...
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 is a liquidity ratio? Definition of Liquidity Ratio A liquidity ratio is a financial ratio that indicates whether a company’s current assets will be sufficient to meet the company’s obligations when they become...
What is the transaction approach and balance sheet approach to measuring net income? The transaction approach to measuring net income is the traditional bookkeeping and accounting method. That is, individual transactions...
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 are some examples of financing activities on the cash flow statement? Definition of Financing Activities Financing activities reported on the statement of cash flows (SCF) involve changes to the long-term...
How do you write off a bad account? Definition of the Write-off of a Bad Account The write-off of a bad account usually refers to eliminating an account receivable due to the customer’s inability to pay the amount...
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 is retained earnings? Definition of Retained Earnings Retained earnings is the cumulative amount of earnings since the corporation was formed minus the cumulative amount of dividends that were declared. Retained...
In accounting, what is the meaning of cr.? In accounting, cr. is the abbreviation for credit. In accounting and in bookkeeping, credit or cr. indicates an entry on the right side of a general ledger account. Credit...
Is a money market account a current asset or a fixed asset? A money market account is a current asset unless it is restricted for a long-term purpose. The amount of an unrestricted money market account will likely be...
The balance sheet and income statement are connected. Definition of Balance Sheet and Income Statement The balance sheet reflects the accounting equation: Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s (Stockholders’) Equity When a...
Why is the P&L profit entered on the credit side of the balance sheet? Profit’s Effect on the Balance Sheet The profit or net income belongs to the owner of a sole proprietorship or to the stockholders of a...
What is the difference between the direct method and the indirect method for the statement of cash flows? Main Difference between Direct and Indirect Method of SCF The main difference between the direct method and the...
What is meant by nonoperating expenses and losses? Definition of Nonoperating Expenses and Losses Nonoperating expenses are business expenses that are outside of a company’s main or central operations. (Some describe...
Are dividend payments shown as an expense on the income statement? Definition of Dividend Payments The cash dividends paid to stockholders are a distribution of the corporation’s earnings. Dividends are not an expense...
Is the reversal of a previous year's accrued expense permanent? Definition of Reversal of Accrued Expense An accrued expense typically requires an accrual adjusting entry recorded at the end of an accounting year (or any...
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 are the journal entries for a stock split? Definition of a Stock Split A stock split usually increases the number of shares of a corporation’s common stock with the intention of reducing the market price of each...
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...
Where can I find an illustration of a common size balance sheet? You will find an illustration of a common size balance sheet under AccountingCoach.com’s Explanation of Financial Ratios. The common size balance sheet...
If a customer pays for the same invoice twice, should the customer be informed? I say yes. If you become aware of the double payment when posting the customer’s second remittance, I would double check your records...
What if a company's Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is understated? Definition of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is a contra asset account. The Allowance account’s credit balance is...
Where are short-term bank loans reported on the statement of cash flows? Definition of Short-Term Bank Loans Short-term bank loans are generally loans that must be repaid within one year of the date of the balance sheet....
How do you record a dividend payment to stockholders? Definition of Dividend Payment to Stockholders A dividend payment to stockholders is usually a cash payment which reduces the corporation’s asset cash and the...
What does overstated mean? Definition of Overstated When an accountant uses the term overstated, it means two things: The reported amount is incorrect, and The reported amount is more than the true or correct amount. In...
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...
Featured Review
"I discovered AccountingCoach while I was teaching an Accounting 1 class at the college I work at and provided the website to my students to supplement their learn experience. I know it made a difference! I am a Small Business Development Center adviser and workshop presenter and I provide the AccountingCoach website to my clients and workshop attendees to help them learn accounting. AccountingCoach is a great resource for small business people!" - Ida C.
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: