of the monetary unit assumption, accountants at a U.S. corporation do not hesitate to add the cost of a parcel of land purchased in 2024 to the cost of another parcel of land that had been purchased in 2004. (See...
of the monetary unit assumption, accountants at a U.S. corporation do not hesitate to add the cost of a parcel of land purchased in 2024 to the cost of another parcel of land that had been purchased in 2004. (See...
between the asset amounts reported on the balance sheet minus the liability amounts. Next, the accountant’s cost principle requires that only the cost of items purchased can be reported as an asset. This means that...
Quiz for this topic. For more insight regarding a specific question, use the search box at the top of the page. 1. When an asset has the same amount of depreciation expense each full year, it is being depreciated under...
This is a long term asset account that accumulates the cost of a project that has not yet been placed into service. When the project is finished and placed into the service, the cost is removed from this account and is...
The multiplication of a quantity times its cost. For example, if 100 items are in inventory at a cost of $3.46 each, the inventory extension is $346.
The shipping cost to be paid by the buyer of merchandise purchased when the terms are FOB shipping point. Freight-in is considered to be part of the cost of the merchandise and should be included in inventory if the...
An asset having accumulated depreciation equal to its depreciable cost (cost minus estimated salvage value). The use of an asset after it is fully depreciated will mean no depreciation expense for those accounting...
In activity-based costing this refers to the allocation of the cost of activities (determined by stage 1 allocations) to the cost objects such as products or services.
A cost flow assumption where the first (oldest) costs are assumed to flow out first. This means the latest (recent) costs remain on hand. To learn more, see Explanation of Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold.
Additions or changes to a rented building that are made by the tenant rather than by the landlord. The tenant will record the cost of these changes in the long term asset account Leasehold Improvements. The cost of these...
The symbol that represents the total cost in the equation of the cost line y = a + bx.
A cost flow assumption where the last (recent) costs are assumed to flow out of the asset account first. This means the first (oldest) costs remain on hand. To learn more, see Explanation of Inventory and Cost of Goods...
To include in the cost of an asset. For example, the interest incurred by a company when it constructs its own building is added to the cost of the building’s components. This is referred to as capitalizing the...
Usually the difference between the cost of inventory at LIFO versus the cost of inventory at FIFO.
In standard costing the difference between the actual cost and the standard cost of direct materials or direct labor. The price variance of direct labor is usually referred to as the labor rate variance.
A symbol that indicates the variable cost rate and also the slope of a straight line. For example, in the equation of the straight line, y = a + bx, ‘b’ represents the variable cost rate per unit of...
In the equation of a straight line, y = a + bx, ‘bx’ is the total variable cost resulting from the variable cost rate ‘b’ multiplied times the quantity ‘x’.
Generally, this rule requires that the cost flow assumption used for tax purposes be the same cost flow assumption used for the financial statements. Consult a tax professional about this and other tax matters.
A long-term asset account that reports the cost of real property exclusive of the cost of any constructed assets on the property. Land usually appears as the first item under the balance sheet heading of Property, Plant...
Buildings is a noncurrent or long-term asset account which shows the cost of a building (excluding the cost of the land). Buildings will be depreciated over their useful lives by debiting the income statement account...
The underlying true cause of a cost occurring. In other words, the root cause is more than a mere correlation between an event and a cost. There is a real cause and effect relationship.
A weighted average cost used with the periodic inventory system. To learn more, see Explanation of Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold.
How do you account for the rebate on an automobile? The rebate on the purchase of an automobile should be recorded as a reduction of the automobile’s cost. The lower automobile cost will result in lower depreciation...
in the accounting period in which it expires or is used up. If the future benefit of a cost cannot be determined, it should be charged to expense immediately. Examples of the Matching Principle To illustrate the...
Can absorption costing cause an increase in net income? Definition of Absorption Costing Absorption costing is a cost accounting method (required by US GAAP) in which a manufacturer must assign fixed manufacturing...
to prepare its external financial statements. Example of Materials Usage Variance Even though a company uses a standard cost system in its accounting, the company’s external financial statements must comply with the...
the standard quantity of materials. The materials usage variance is favorable when the actual quantity of materials used was less than the standard quantity. In the U.S. the materials usage cost variance is expressed in...
the balance sheet report the current value of an asset. True Wrong. The purpose of depreciation is to match the cost of the asset to revenues derived from using the asset or to the periods benefiting from the asset. The...
Our Explanation of Stockholders' Equity covers the unique terminology for a corporation's paid-in capital, retained earnings, treasury stock, and accumulated other comprehensive income. Included are cash dividends, stock...
of the typical observations is referred to as an __________. 3. __________ regression analysis involves only one independent variable. 4. A cost that is partly fixed and partly variable is referred to as a mixed or...
Our Explanation of Bookkeeping provides you with a rich understanding of the recording of transactions. It then discusses the additional steps necessary for preparing accurate financial statements. This is great for...
Kindly illustrate various depreciation methods. Definition of Depreciation Depreciation is the systematic allocation of the cost of an asset to Depreciation Expenses over the asset’s useful life. If an asset will have...
What happens when the high-low method ends up with a negative amount? The high-low method of determining the fixed and variable portions of a mixed cost relies on only two sets of data: 1) the costs at the highest level...
A variance arising in a standard costing system that indicates the difference between the standard cost of direct labor for the good output (standard hours times standard rate) and the standard cost of the actual hours...
The system where the general ledger account Inventory is not updated during the year. Rather, the merchandise purchased is recorded in temporary purchases accounts. At the time a balance sheet is presented, the inventory...
The first-in, first-out cost flow assumumption under the perpetual inventory system. The first (oldest) costs are the first costs removed from inventory at the time that goods are sold. The most recent costs will remain...
This account is a non-operating or “other” expense for the cost of borrowed money or other credit. The amount of interest expense appearing on the income statement is the cost of the money that was used...
How do you record the sales tax on the purchase of an asset? Accountants define the cost of an asset as all of the costs that are necessary to obtain the asset and to get it ready for use. If your state does not allow an...
A term used in cost accounting to arrive at the cost per unit. The term is associated with the units that are not completed at the end of an accounting period. For example, if 500 units are completed as far as materials,...
A method for estimating the inventory of a retailer. This method requires that the retail amounts and the related cost amounts are available for beginning inventory and purchases. An illustration of this technique is...
Featured Review
"I became a bookkeeper at my work. Prior to this, I had little experience so I knew I had to get some sort of education. I came across AccountingCoach and signed up. The material is easy to learn, and the format is great. I really like the repetition, because that's exactly what I need. I like the testing at the end which helps to ensure that you grasp what you've studied. If it wasn't for what I learned at AccountingCoach, I would have been more lost and confused. I became a PRO member because I wanted all the benefits I could get, and it was a great choice. It really helped me, and I couldn't have gone into this job without the knowledge I gained from AccountingCoach. Thank you!" - Brenda
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: