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 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...
What is the debt ratio? Definition of Debt Ratio The debt ratio is also known as the debt to asset ratio or the total debt to total assets ratio. Hence, the formula for the debt ratio is: total liabilities divided by...
What is a defined benefit pension plan? A defined benefit pension plan is a retirement plan in which the employer commits to paying a specified monthly payment to each eligible employee when he or she retires at a stated...
What does Accumulated Depreciation tell us? Definition of Accumulated Depreciation Accumulated depreciation reports the amount of depreciation that has been recorded from the time an asset was acquired until the date of...
Is there a difference between work-in-process and work-in-progress? It depends on the user of the terms. Definition of Work-in-Process I use the term “work-in-process” to mean a manufacturer’s inventory that is not...
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 are accrued expenses and when are they recorded? Accrued Expenses Accrued expenses are expenses that have occurred but are not yet recorded in the company’s general ledger. This means these expenses will not...
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...
How do I calculate the cost of goods sold for a manufacturing company? Calculation of the Cost of Goods Sold for a Manufacturer The calculation of the cost of goods sold for a manufacturing company is: Beginning...
Are salaried employees entitled to overtime pay? Some salaried employees are entitled to overtime pay. The salaried employees entitled to overtime pay are referred to as nonexempt employees. Nonexempt means that the...
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...
How can I learn bookkeeping? You can learn bookkeeping at no cost on our website AccountingCoach.com. We recently expanded our Explanation of Bookkeeping, and we have many other topics that are relevant including debits...
What is the difference between paid-in capital and retained earnings? Definition of Paid-in Capital Paid-in capital is one of the major categories of stockholders’ equity. Generally, paid-in capital reports the amount...
What is the cost principle? Definition of Cost Principle The cost principle is one of the basic underlying guidelines in accounting. It is also known as the historical cost principle. The cost principle requires that...
What is a voided check? A voided check is a check written or partially written but then canceled or deleted by the maker of the check. The notation of “void” is used because checks are prenumbered for control...
What is interest expense? Definition of Interest Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money during a specified period of time. Interest expense is occurring daily, but the interest is likely to be paid...
The activities involved in earning revenues. For example, the purchase or manufacturing of merchandise and the sale of the merchandise including marketing and administration. In the statement of cash flows the operating...
The expense associated with a commitment to repair or replace a product for a specified period of time. The expense should be reported on the income statement at the time that the sale of the product is reported in order...
The withdrawal of business cash or other assets by the owner for the personal use of the owner. Withdrawals of cash by the owner are recorded with a debit to the owner’s drawing account and a credit to the cash...
How do you calculate an asset's salvage value? Definition of Asset Salvage Value In accounting, an asset’s salvage value is the estimated amount that a company will receive at the end of a plant asset’s useful life....
See direct costing.
See inventory shrinkage.
What is capitalized interest? Definition of Capitalized Interest Capitalized interest is the interest on debt that was used to finance a self-constructed, long-term asset. The capitalized interest for the company’s...
The amount of vacation that an employee has earned but has not yet taken.
The last-in, first-out cost flow assumption under the perpetual inventory system. The last (most recent) costs as of the time that goods are sold are the first costs removed from inventory. The oldest costs as of the...
A gain that occurs by holding an asset. For example, if a company bought land for $20,000 many years ago and today the company continues to hold the land and its value is now $175,000, the company has a holding gain of...
Using debt in order to control more assets. Also known as financial leverage.
A person who is considered to be both the employer and the employee. For example, the sole owner of a sole proprietorship is self-employed.
A word that means to add column totals across to see if the sum will equal the grand total. In the table below each of the columns A through Total was “footed” (added or summed) in order to get each...
The amount of wages and related expenses that have been incurred by the employer (and earned by the employees) but have not yet been paid.
The amount by which actual costs exceed the standard costs or budgeted costs. Also, the amount by which actual revenues are less than the budgeted revenues.
Using debt (such as loans and bonds) to acquire more assets than would be possible by using only owners’ funds. Also referred to as trading on equity.
Fair, unbiased, and objective; not subjective.
See first-in, still here (FISH).
The term used by manufacturers to indicate that the manufacturing overhead applied or assigned to its production is greater than the amount actually incurred.
Goods placed with another party without transferring ownership. See consigned goods.
Also referred to as a sunk cost. A past cost is not relevant to a decision.
See inventory: work-in-process (WIP).
This is the classification shown on a single-step income statement which reports the operating revenues, nonoperating revenues, and gains in one section of the income statement. Revenues and gains enhance the...
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