What is a journal? Definition of a Journal In accounting and bookkeeping, a journal is a record of financial transactions in order by date. Traditionally, a journal has been defined as the book of original entry. The...
What is a journal? Definition of a Journal In accounting and bookkeeping, a journal is a record of financial transactions in order by date. Traditionally, a journal has been defined as the book of original entry. The...
Reconciling the Bank Statement When preparing a bank reconciliation, you may find the following tip to be helpful: “Put it where it ain’t.” My now deceased neighbor (Herb) insisted that I share this tip, which he...
How can I determine the inventory methods used by other companies in my industry? Definition of Inventory Methods Inventory methods refers to the order or manner in which a company moves its actual costs out of the...
Is a prepaid expense recorded initially as an expense? Definition of Prepaid Expense A prepaid expense refers to an amount that a company has paid and a portion or all of it will be an expense in a later accounting...
What is premium on bonds payable? Definition of Premium on Bonds Payable Premium on bonds payable (or bond premium) occurs when bonds payable are issued for an amount greater than their face or maturity amount. This is...
What is the difference between reserve and allowance? More than 60 years ago, accountants in the U.S. used Reserve for Bad Debts as the title of the contra account associated with Accounts Receivable or Loans Receivable....
Is a loan's principal payment included on the income statement? Definition of Loan Principal Payment When a company borrows money from its bank, the amount received is recorded with a debit to Cash and a credit to a...
What is the difference between Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes? Social Security Payroll Tax The Social Security payroll tax is 6.2% and is based on each employee’s earnings (wages, salaries, bonuses,...
What is the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Definition of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is a balance sheet contra asset account that reduces the reported amount of accounts...
Why do you separate current liabilities from long-term liabilities? Definition of Current Liabilities and Long-term Liabilities Generally, current liabilities are a company’s obligations that are due within one year of...
What is a bill payable? Definition of Bill Payable A bill payable is a document which shows the amount owed for goods or services received on credit (meaning not paid at the time that the goods or services were...
What is a creditor? Definition of Creditor A creditor could be a bank, supplier or person that has provided money, goods, or services to a company and expects to be paid at a later date. In other words, the company owes...
How do you treat voided checks on the bank reconciliation? Definition of Voided Check on Bank Reconciliation If a check was voided in the current month but was written in the previous month and appeared on the previous...
What is the difference between cash flow and free cash flow? Definition of Cash Flow Cash flow refers to the amounts of cash that a company, investment or project generates. The cash that a company generates is different...
What is the chart of accounts? Definition of Chart of Accounts The chart of accounts is a listing of the names and account numbers for the general ledger accounts available for recording amounts. However, the chart of...
What is the difference between liability and debt? Definition of Liability In accounting and bookkeeping, the term liability refers to a company’s obligation arising from a past transaction. Examples of Liabilities A...
Is the sales tax paid on merchandise that you will resell an expense? I believe that most states have sales tax exemptions for merchandise purchased for resale. Check with your state’s sales tax department to see if...
How do cash dividends affect the financial statements? Definition of Cash Dividends Cash dividends are a distribution of a corporation’s earnings to its stockholders or shareholders. For cash dividends to occur, the...
What does double entry mean? Definition of Double Entry In accounting, double entry means that every transaction will involve at least two accounts. Double entry also requires that one account be debited and the other...
What is premium on common stock? Definition of Premium on Common Stock If a corporation’s common stock has a par value and the corporation receives more than the par value when issuing a new share of the stock, the...
What is the meaning of aging? Definition of Aging In accounting, the term aging is often associated with a company’s accounts receivable. Accounts receivable arise when a company provides goods or services and allows...
Is the direct method still used in the statement of cash flows? The direct method is one of two methods allowed for preparing the statement of cash flows (or cash flow statement). The direct method is recommended by the...
What is a rubber check? A rubber check is a check that is not paid (or honored) by the bank on which it is drawn. The reason the check is not paid is the maker’s account had insufficient funds or not sufficient funds...
Why and how do you adjust the inventory account in the periodic method? Definition of Inventory Account in Periodic Method Under the periodic method or periodic system, the account Inventory is dormant throughout the...
What is a T-account? Definition of T-Account A T-account is a visual aid used to depict a general ledger account. The account title is written above the horizontal part of the “T”. On the left-side of the vertical...
What is the difference between interest expense and interest payable? Definition of Interest Expense Assuming the accrual method of accounting, interest expense is the amount of interest that was incurred on debt during...
Why does a bond's price decrease when interest rates increase? Definition of Bond’s Price A bond’s price is the present value of the following future cash amounts: The cash interest payments that occur every six...
What are the disclosures for a manufacturer's inventory? A manufacturer should disclose the following categories of inventory: raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, manufacturing supplies, and packaging...
Weekly Income Statement When I became a director of a meatpacking company, I was concerned about the thin profit margins, the corporation’s lack of working capital, and my inexperience in the industry. The company...
How do I record money received for an insurance claim on inventory loss? Definition of Money from Insurance Claim for Inventory Loss Let’s assume that a company has insurance on its inventory and its inventory is...
What are accruals? Definition of Accruals The accounting and bookkeeping term accruals refers to adjustments that must be made before a company’s financial statements are issued. Accruals involve the following types of...
Can you help me understand the golden rules of accounting? The golden rules of accounting are not presented in any of the U.S. accounting books that I have reviewed. I assume the reason for omitting the golden rules of...
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...
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...
Where do I record the refund of a registration fee? If the registration fee refers to a fee expense that you had originally paid but the amount is now being refunded to you, I would credit the same expense account that...
How is working capital defined and measured? Definition of Working Capital Working capital is defined as the amount of a company’s current assets minus the amount of its current liabilities usually as of the final...
What should be the entry when goods are purchased at a discount? Definition of Goods Purchased at a Discount There are two common types of discounts for companies buying goods to resell: Trade discount Early payment...
Are payroll withholding taxes an expense or a liability? Definition of Payroll Withholding Taxes Payroll withholding taxes are amounts withheld from employees’ wages and salaries. The amounts withheld are actually the...
What is a trade discount? Definition of Trade Discount A trade discount is a routine reduction from the regular, established price of a product. The use of trade discounts allows a company to vary the final price based...
What is the procedure for preparing a trial balance? Definition of a Trial Balance A trial balance consists of the following information: The title of each general ledger account that has a balance To the right of the...
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