What is the difference between receivables and accounts receivable? Definition of Accounts Receivables Accounts receivable are usually current assets that result from selling goods or providing services to customers on...
What is the difference between receivables and accounts receivable? Definition of Accounts Receivables Accounts receivable are usually current assets that result from selling goods or providing services to customers on...
What is the purpose of the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Definition of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts or Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts is a general ledger contra account...
Accounts Receivable and Bad Debts Expense Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable refers to a company’s unsecured claim for money it is owed by a customer or client for goods and/or services the company had provided on...
Bookkeeping Video Training Part 3 Accounts for expenses are debited, the income statement and balance sheet are connected, accrual method of accounting Must-Watch Video Learn How to Advance Your Accounting and...
Seventeen years ago I earned an accounting degree. How should I proceed to become a CPA? To pass the CPA Exam you will need to review all that you had learned plus get current on accounting and auditing standards that...
How does the accounting equation stay in balance when the monthly rent is paid? How a Rent Payment Affects the Accounting Equation A company’s payment of each month’s rent reduces the company’s asset Cash. This is...
Should a company focus on cash flows or accounting profits when making a capital expenditure decision? Using the incremental cash flows and discounting them to reflect the time value of money is the preferred method. The...
Our Explanation of Depreciation emphasizes what the depreciation amounts on the income statement and balance sheet represent. Learn why depreciation is an estimated expense that does not assist in determining the current...
Why are wages reported as an expense when the work occurs, but the employees' tax records report them when they are paid? Accrual Method for the Corporation, Cash Method for the Employees The short answer is that the...
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 the difference between a ledger and a trial balance? Definition of a Ledger A ledger is often defined as a book of accounts. Today the ledger and its accounts are likely to be an electronic record or file....
What is the difference between bad debt and doubtful debt? Definition of Bad Debt and Doubtful Debt In accounting, the terms bad debt and doubtful debt usually refer to the amounts owed by a company’s customers who...
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...
Why is Rent Expense a debit and Service Revenues a credit? Why Rent Expense is a Debit Rent expense (and any other expense) will reduce a company’s owner’s equity (or stockholders’ equity). Owner’s equity which...
What is a credit memo? Definition of Credit Memo One type of credit memo is issued by a seller in order to reduce the amount that a customer owes from a previously issued sales invoice. Another type of credit memo, or...
How does the aging of accounts receivable determine bad debts expense? Definition of Aging of Accounts Receivable The aging of accounts receivable sorts the amounts that a company is owed (from customers who had...
What is the periodic inventory system? Definition of Periodic Inventory System The periodic inventory system does not update the general ledger account Inventory when a company purchases goods to be resold. Rather than...
Why is income received in advance a liability? Definition of Income Received in Advance Under the accrual method of accounting, when a company receives money from a customer prior to earning it, the company will have to...
How do you record an asset that was partially financed? Example of Recording an Asset that was Partially Financed Assume that your company purchased a car for $10,000 by paying cash of $4,000 and signing a promissory...
How do you record an owner's money that is used to start a company? Recording Money to Start a Sole Proprietorship If Amy Ott begins a sole proprietorship by putting money into her business, the sole proprietorship will...
What is a contingent liability? Definition of Contingent Liability A contingent liability is a potential liability that may or may not become an actual liability. Whether the contingent liability becomes an actual...
Are utility bills an expense or a liability? Definition of Utility Bills Utility bills are invoices received by a company for the natural gas, electricity, water, and sewer charges that the company used during a previous...
What is accrued payroll? Definition of Accrued Payroll Accrued payroll includes wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, and other payroll related expenses that have been earned by a company’s employees, but have not yet...
What is the net method? Definition of Net Method In accounting, the net method likely refers to the way a company records each vendor’s invoice that offers an early payment discount. Example of Net Method Assume that a...
How do you report a write-down in inventory? Definition of Write-down in Inventory Under FIFO and average cost methods, when the net realizable value of inventory is less than the cost of the inventory, there needs to be...
Is depreciation a source of funds? Definition of Depreciation Depreciation is the systematic allocation of the cost of a business asset to expense over the useful life of the asset. The accounting for depreciation is a...
What is the direct write-off method? Definition of Direct Write-off Method The direct write-off method is one of the two methods normally associated with reporting accounts receivable and bad debts expense. (The other...
What is a credit balance? Definition of Credit Balance In accounting and bookkeeping, a credit balance is the ending amount found on the right side of a general ledger account or subsidiary ledger account. Examples of...
Featured Review
"As Senior Finance Manager and Intermediate Financial Modeler, I needed a refresher course in accounting that would make learning fun, but that would also be in depth. After looking at various online classes, I discovered AccountingCoach and found that the mix of detailed learning material, along with the structure of the materials, fit my needs. The puzzles, videos, and accounting techniques supported my learning style and my schedule. Additionally, the ease of mobile studying allowed me to be able to learn on the go. It is a great tool for anyone who needs to learn accounting from the beginner level, or a professional like myself, who needs to keep abreast of new accounting concepts. I continually return to the course to learn something new." - Kelvin M.
Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials
Read all 2,645 reviews
For the past 52 years, Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has
worked as an accounting supervisor, manager, consultant, university instructor, and innovator in teaching accounting online. He is the sole author of all the materials on AccountingCoach.com.
We now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping: