The depreciation used on a company’s income tax return. Usually this is different from the depreciation used on the financial statements.
The depreciation used on a company’s income tax return. Usually this is different from the depreciation used on the financial statements.
A quality of accounting information that facilitates comparing a company’s reporting of one accounting period to another. For example, the reader of a company’s financial statements can assume that the...
Usually means to scrap a long-term plant asset and receive no proceeds from its disposal.
See Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
A past, historical cost. They are called sunk because a past cost cannot be changed and decisions involve only the present and the future.
What is meant by nonoperating revenues and gains? Nonoperating revenues are the amounts earned by a business which are outside of its main or central operations. Nonoperating revenues are also described as incidental or...
What conditions cause a discount on bonds payable? Discount on bonds payable occurs when a bond’s stated interest rate is less than the bond market’s interest rate. If a $1,000,000 bond issue promises to pay interest...
Losses result from the sale of an asset (other than inventory) for less than the amount shown on the company’s books. Since the loss is outside of the main activity of a business, it is reported as a nonoperating...
The systematic allocation of the cost of a natural resource from the balance sheet to the income statement.
See income statement. To learn more, see Explanation of Income Statement.
A bond issued with a series (or staggering) of maturity dates.
The person or organization to whom a check is written.
The difference between the actual amount and the budgeted amount.
An income statement account that reports the amount of service revenues earned during the time interval indicated in the heading of the income statement. (Under the accrual basis of accounting, fees earned are reported...
Repairs that do not improve an asset or extend the asset’s life. These repairs are charged to Repairs Expense or Maintenance Expense when incurred. Major repairs such as a complete engine overhaul that extends the...
A cost and/or volume of activity that is outside of an expected range.
One of the main financial statements. The balance sheet reports the assets, liabilities, and owner’s (stockholders’) equity at a specific point in time, such as December 31. The balance sheet is also referred...
See Financial Accounting Foundation.
See electronic funds transfer.
See inventory: finished goods.
Under the accrual basis of accounting, the account Rent Expense will report the cost of occupying space during the time interval indicated in the heading of the income statement, whether or not the rent was paid within...
To report a revenue or expense that has occurred, but has not yet been entered in the accounting records as of the end of the accounting period. To learn more, see Explanation of Adjusting Entries.
One component of the FICA tax (the other component is Social Security). This payroll tax is withheld from employees’ payroll checks and is also matched by the employer. The employee and the employer each pay the...
A loss that occurs by holding an asset. Holding losses might be recorded on the income statement or they might not be recorded depending on the asset and the amounts.
For a retailer, wholesaler, and distributor the primary activities would be the buying of merchandise and then the sale of that merchandise. A manufacturer’s primary activities would be the production and sale of...
The revenue classification used by nonprofit organizations to account for the amounts received as donations. It is also an expense classification for the donations made to another nonprofit organization. Contributions...
Approximate amounts. Accountants use estimates for depreciation expense, warranty expense, bad debts expense, monthly accruals for utilities, bonuses, income taxes, etc. Also see change in accounting estimate.
A current asset representing amounts paid in advance for future expenses. As the expenses are used or expire, expense is increased and prepaid expense is decreased.
A rolling budget adds a future accounting period’s budget to replace a budget for an accounting period that has past. For example, a company’s 2024 annual budget will become a rolling budget if in February...
A negative balance in the bank’s records for the company’s checking account.
See deferred expense.
The date that determines which stockholders are entitled to receive a corporation’s declared dividend. No accounting entry is made on this date.
A person whose pay is based on an annual amount (instead of being based on an hourly rate of pay multiplied by actual hours worked). For example, the officers of a corporation and the heads of departments within a...
A legal agreement to pay rent to the lessor for a stated period of time. Sometimes the lease is in substance a purchase of an asset and a financing arrangement. For example, if a company agrees to lease a forklift truck...
To eliminate debt such as a company’s repurchase or retirement of its outstanding bonds.
An organization without owners and with the main purpose of providing services needed by society. After application and approval by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, a nonprofit organization may be granted tax exempt...
A term that refers to a negative checking account balance. It arises when a company writes checks in excess of the amount it has on deposit in its checking account.
Temporary differences between the reporting of a revenue or expense for financial statements (books) and the reporting of the item for income tax purposes. For example, it is common for companies to depreciate equipment...
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