What type of account is the Dividends account? Definition of Dividends Account When a corporation declares a cash dividend, the amount declared will reduce the amount of the corporation’s retained earnings. Instead of...
What type of account is the Dividends account? Definition of Dividends Account When a corporation declares a cash dividend, the amount declared will reduce the amount of the corporation’s retained earnings. Instead of...
that was in inventory at a cost of $30,000, the company’s current assets will increase by $20,000. If no other expenses are incurred, working capital will increase by $20,000. If a company borrows $50,000 and agrees...
What is a dividend? Definition of Dividend Generally, the term dividend refers to a cash dividend, which is distribution of a portion of a corporation’s earnings to its stockholders in the form of cash. The cash...
What is the proper use of the words lend and borrow? If a company is granted a loan from its bank, the company is borrowing money from its bank, and the bank is lending money to one of its customers. In other words, the...
is calculated by dividing a company’s cost of goods sold during a year by the average inventory during the same year. Accounts receivable turnover ratio. This ratio is computed by dividing the credit sales during a...
What is stockholders' equity? Definition of Stockholders’ Equity Stockholders’ equity (also known as shareholders’ equity) is reported on a corporation’s balance sheet and its amount is the difference between the...
What is the difference between fixed assets and noncurrent assets? Fixed Assets are Part of Noncurrent Assets Fixed assets are one of several categories of noncurrent assets. Fixed assets are usually reported on the...
What does the term arrears mean in accounting? Definition of Arrears In accounting, the term arrears will be used in the following situations: If a corporation does not declare and pay the dividend on its cumulative...
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...
will cause the related expense known as the cost of goods sold to be reported/recognized on the July income statement. If the company’s sales reps have earned commissions on the July sales, these commissions...
Why is interest expense a nonoperating expense? Definition of Interest Expense as a Nonoperating Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money. For most companies the borrowing of money is not part of their...
What is the difference between a debit and a debit balance? Definition of Debit A debit is an entry on the left side of a T-account. A debit entry is used to record assets, expenses, losses, and owner’s draws in their...
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...
Why is Interest Expense Included in the Operating Activities Section of the Cash Flow Statement? Definition of Interest Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money. Under the accrual method of accounting,...
What are net assets? Definition of Net Assets Net assets is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. Examples of Net Assets In a sole proprietorship the amount of net assets is reported as owner’s equity. In a...
What is budgeting? Definition of Budgeting Budgeting is the process of preparing detailed projections of future amounts. Companies often engage in two types of budgeting: Operational budgeting, and Capital budgeting...
What is the difference between Rent Receivable and Rent Payable? Definition of Rent Receivable Rent Receivable is an asset account in the general ledger of a landlord which reports the amount of rent that has been earned...
What is the difference between the direct method and the indirect method for the statement of cash flows? Main Difference between Direct and Indirect Method of SCF The main difference between the direct method and the...
If a customer pays for the same invoice twice, should the customer be informed? I say yes. If you become aware of the double payment when posting the customer’s second remittance, I would double check your records...
What are adjusting entries? Definition of Adjusting Entries Adjusting entries are usually made on the last day of an accounting period (year, quarter, month) so that a company’s financial statements comply with the...
of Depreciate The term depreciate refers to systematically moving part of the cost of a plant asset from the balance sheet to depreciation expense on the income statement. Example of Capitalize and Depreciate Assume a...
30, and will not include the goods in transit as its December 31 inventory. On December 31, the customer (buyer) is the owner of the goods in transit and will need to report a purchase, a payable, and must include the...
Is it possible for owner's equity to be a negative amount? Definition of Negative Owner’s Equity Negative owner’s equity means the amount of a sole proprietorship’s liabilities exceeds the amount of its assets....
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 is an outstanding deposit? Definition of Outstanding Deposit An outstanding deposit refers to a company’s receipts (cash, checks from customers, etc.) which have been recorded in the company’s general ledger...
balance in a contra asset account will violate the cost principle.) Examples of Contra Asset Accounts The most common contra asset account is Accumulated Depreciation. Accumulated Depreciation is associated with...
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...
Is there a difference between an expense and an expenditure? Definition of Expense An expense is reported on the income statement in the period in which the cost matches the related sales, has expired, was used up, or...
What is a bank reconciliation? What is a Bank Reconciliation A bank reconciliation is a process performed by a company to ensure that its records (check register, general ledger account, balance sheet, etc.) are correct....
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...
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...
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...
Is AccountingCoach.com based on GAAP or IFRS? The materials presented on AccountingCoach.com are based on U.S. GAAP. Since the accounting materials on AccountingCoach.com are generally introductory concepts, the...
What is the transaction approach and balance sheet approach to measuring net income? The transaction approach to measuring net income is the traditional bookkeeping and accounting method. That is, individual transactions...
and the depreciation expense begins. This expense will reduce the company’s profits (net income, earnings). There may also be some additional revenues and costs, and perhaps cost savings, that will also affect the...
What is the purpose of depreciation? Purpose of Depreciation The purpose of depreciation is to achieve the matching principle of accounting. That is, a company is attempting to match the historical cost of a productive...
What is the provision for bad debts? Definition of Provision for Bad Debts The provision for bad debts could refer to the balance sheet account also known as the Allowance for Bad Debts, Allowance for Doubtful Accounts,...
How do I determine my payroll tax liabilities? Your payroll tax liabilities will include the following: Federal, state, and local income taxes withheld from employees’ wages, salaries, bonuses, etc. but not yet...
What is the stated interest rate of a bond payable? Definition of Stated Interest Rate of a Bond The stated interest rate of a bond payable is the annual interest rate that is printed on the face of the bond and stated...
at the end of each accounting period. As a result, Accumulated Depreciation is viewed as a permanent account. Example of Depreciation Accounts Assume a company has equipment which is used in its business. The...
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