What is the difference between unearned revenue and unrecorded revenue? Definition of Unearned Revenue In financial accounting, unearned revenue refers to money received prior to being earned. It is also referred to as...
What is the difference between unearned revenue and unrecorded revenue? Definition of Unearned Revenue In financial accounting, unearned revenue refers to money received prior to being earned. It is also referred to as...
What is a nonprofit organization? A nonprofit organization is an organization without commercial owners and which addresses the needs of society. Nonprofit organizations are also known as not-for-profits, NFP’s or...
What is a certificate of deposit? Definition of Certificate of Deposit A certificate of deposit, also referred to as a CD, is a time deposit at a bank, credit union, or other financial institution. A certificate of...
How is a short term bank loan recorded? Definition of Short Term Bank Loan When a company borrows money from its bank and agrees to repay the loan amount within a year, the company will record the loan by increasing its...
How is petty cash reported on the financial statements? Definition of Petty Cash Petty Cash is a small amount of money that a company has available to pay small amounts without writing a company check. The money might be...
What is opportunity cost? Definition of Opportunity Cost Opportunity cost is the profit that was lost or missed because of some action or failure to take some action. Some refer to opportunity cost as opportunity lost....
What is a dividend and why is it needed? A dividend paid by a corporation is a distribution of profits to the owners of the corporation. The owners of a corporation are known as stockholders or shareholders. (In a sole...
What is the purpose of subsidiary ledgers? Definition of Subsidiary Ledger A subsidiary ledger contains the details to support a general ledger control account. For instance, the subsidiary ledger for accounts receivable...
What is capital surplus? Definition of Capital Surplus In the past, capital surplus was used to describe what is now referred to as paid-in capital in excess of par or Premium on Common Stock. Example of Capital Surplus...
What is a standard cost? Definition of Standard Cost A standard cost is described as a predetermined cost, an estimated future cost, an expected cost, a budgeted unit cost, a forecast cost, or as the “should be”...
What is the gross profit method of inventory? Definition of Gross Profit Method The gross profit method is a technique for estimating the amount of ending inventory. The gross profit method might be used to estimate each...
What is accounts payable? Definition of Accounts Payable Accounts payable involves the amounts owed by a company to its suppliers (vendors) for goods or services the company received on credit. Accounts payable is also...
What is gross pay? Definition of Gross Pay Gross pay is the amount an employee is paid before the employer withholds FICA (Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes), income taxes (federal, state, local) if applicable,...
What is an escrow payment? An escrow payment is an amount deposited with another party and it is to be released only for its specified purpose. The following is one example of an escrow payment. A borrower and lender...
Where do preferred stocks go on the P&L? The amount received from issuing preferred stock is reported on the balance sheet within the stockholders’ equity section. Only the annual preferred dividend is reported on the...
What is the difference between par and no par value stock? Definition of Par Value Stock Some states’ laws require or may have required common stock issued by corporations residing in their states to have a par value....
What is a post-dated check? Definition of a Post-dated Check A post-dated check (or post-dated cheque) is a check written with a future date. In other words, the date that appears on the check is after the date when the...
Should a retailer's delivery surcharges be reported as revenues or as other income? I believe that a retailer’s delivery surcharges are a price adjustment and should be reported as operating revenues. The surcharges...
Why are sales a credit? Definition of Sales In accounting, sales are revenues earned when a company transfers ownership of its goods to its customers. Under the accrual basis or method of accounting, the sale occurs when...
Are LIFO inventory amounts ever written-up to their market value? LIFO inventory amounts will not be written-up, even when the current market value of the inventory is far greater than the amount reported on the balance...
What is a restrictive endorsement? Definition of Restrictive Endorsement A restrictive endorsement or restricted endorsement places a limitation on the use of a check or other negotiable financial instrument. Using a...
What is a lien? Definition of Lien A lien is a legal document filed by a creditor (lender) in order to record its claim on certain assets of the debtor (borrower). The lien is likely filed at the county government office...
What is the segregation of duties? Definition of Segregation of Duties The segregation of duties involves dividing a task so that more than one person is involve in the company’s transactions. By segregating duties, it...
What is Form 10-K? Definition of Form 10-K Form 10-K is a required annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by U.S. corporations whose common stock is publicly traded. It is common for a...
Why are accruals needed every month? Reasons for Monthly Accruals Accrual adjusting entries are needed monthly only if a company issues monthly financial statements. Two reasons for the monthly accrual adjusting entries...
What is the payout ratio? The payout ratio indicates the percentage of a corporation’s earnings which are distributed as cash dividends to its stockholders. Typically, the payout ratio is computed by using the per...
How can I determine the difference in earnings from using LIFO instead of FIFO? The difference in a corporation’s earnings from using LIFO instead of FIFO can be determined by the amounts reported in the balance sheet...
What is equity? Definitions and Examples of Equity Equity has several definitions that pertain to accounting: Equity can indicate an ownership interest in a business, such as stockholders’ equity or owner’s equity....
What is callable stock? Callable stock is an ownership interest (shares) in a corporation that can be “called in” by the corporation at a specified price. For example, a corporation might issue 9% $100 Preferred...
What is a natural business year? Definition of Natural Business Year A natural business year is the period of 12 consecutive months (or 52-53 consecutive weeks) ending at a low point of the organization’s activities...
What is the difference between public sector and private sector? Definition of Public Sector Public sector refers to: government-owned organizations, and government-provided services (Note: public sector entity is...
What is a contra inventory account? A contra inventory account is a general ledger account with a credit balance. The credit balance in the contra inventory account will be combined with the debit balance in the...
What does current portion of long term debt mean? Definition of Current Portion of Long-Term Debt The current portion of long-term debt is the amount of principal that will be due within one year of the date of the...
What is an equivalent unit of production? Definition of Equivalent Unit of Production An equivalent unit of production is an expression of the amount of work done by a manufacturer on units of output that are partially...
What is an unpresented cheque or check and does it require an adjustment to the balance sheet? Definition of Unpresented Cheque or Check An unpresented cheque is a check that a company has written, but the check has not...
What is the employer's Social Security tax rate for 2022 and 2023? Employer’s Social Security Payroll Tax for 2022 The employer’s Social Security payroll tax rate for 2022 (January 1 through December 31, 2022) is the...
What are some examples of financing activities? Definition of Financing Activities Financing activities often refers to the cash flows from financing activities, which is one of the three main sections of the statement...
What is the accounts receivable collection period? Definition of Accounts Receivable Collection Period The accounts receivable collection period is similar to the days sales outstanding or the days sales in accounts...
In a bank reconciliation, what happens to the outstanding checks of the previous month? Definition of Outstanding Checks Outstanding checks are checks written by a company, but the checks have not cleared the bank...
What is the difference between a trial balance and a balance sheet? Definition of Trial Balance A trial balance is an internal report that remains in the accounting department. The trial balance lists all of the accounts...
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