Our Explanation of Debits and Credits describes the reasons why various accounts are debited and/or credited. For the examples we provide the logic, use T-accounts for a clearer understanding, and the appropriate general...
Our Explanation of Debits and Credits describes the reasons why various accounts are debited and/or credited. For the examples we provide the logic, use T-accounts for a clearer understanding, and the appropriate general...
Our Explanation of Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold will take your understanding to a new level. You will see how the income statement and balance sheet amounts are affected by the various inventory systems and cost flow...
Bookkeeping Video Training Part 12 Bank reconciliation: process to determine the true or adjusted amount of cash, journal entries needed for adjustments to book balance Must-Watch Video Learn How to Advance Your...
Bookkeeping Video Training Part 10 Adjusting entries: recap of accruals, deferrals, one balance sheet account and one income statement account will be affected Must-Watch Video Learn How to Advance Your Accounting and...
How do you record a dividend payment to stockholders? Definition of Dividend Payment to Stockholders A dividend payment to stockholders is usually a cash payment which reduces the corporation’s asset cash and the...
What is the difference between liquidity and liquidation? Definition of Liquidity Liquidity usually refers to a company’s ability to pay its bills when they become due. Liquidity is often evaluated by comparing a...
What is carriage inwards? Definition of Carriage Inwards Carriage inwards refers to the transportation costs required to be paid by the purchaser when it receives merchandise it ordered with terms FOB shipping point....
What is financial reporting? Definition of Financial Reporting Financial reporting includes all of a company’s communication of financial information to people outside of the company. Examples of Financial Reporting...
What is accounting for price level changes? In 1979 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued its Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 33 entitled Financial Reporting and Changing Prices. (You...
Should trademarks be included on the balance sheet? Definition of Trademark In the U.S. a trademark could be a word, phrase, logo, etc. registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. If a company purchases a...
of the page. 1. ABC Co.’s bank statement indicates that its checking account was credited when one of ABC’s customers transferred $500 into ABC’s checking account. How will this be recorded by ABC Co. in its...
Our Explanation of Nonprofit Accounting includes a chart that contrasts the financial statements of a nonprofit (or not-for-profit) organization with those of a for-profit business corporation. There are many examples to...
or Practice Quiz for this topic. For more insight regarding a specific question, use the search box at the top of the page. 1. Recording each transaction with a minimum of one debit and one credit is known as __________...
Our Explanation of Payroll Accounting discusses the taxes and benefits which are withheld from employees' pay as well as the taxes and benefits that are expenses for the employers. Also provided are examples of the...
Our Explanation of the Balance Sheet provides you with a basic understanding of a corporation's balance sheet (or statement of financial position). You will gain insights regarding the assets, liabilities, and...
Our Explanation of Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold will take your understanding to a new level. You will see how the income statement and balance sheet amounts are affected by the various inventory systems and cost flow...
by following the accrual method of accounting. Statement of Comprehensive Income The statement of comprehensive income reports 1) the amount of net income from the income statement, plus 2) some additional items...
for this topic. For more insight regarding a specific question, use the search box at the top of the page. 1. Job costing is also known as job __________ costing. 2. Instead of stating that manufacturing overhead costs...
or Practice Quiz for this topic. For more insight regarding a specific question, use the search box at the top of the page. 1. Variable costing is also known as __________ costing. 2. Under variable costing, the...
by reading our Cash Flow Statement (Explanation). For all questions assume that the indirect method is used. There are four parts to the Statement of Cash Flows (or Cash Flow Statement): Operating Activities Investing...
Our Explanation of Financial Ratios includes calculations and descriptions of 15 financial ratios. As you calculate the financial ratios you will also gain a deeper understanding of a company's operations and financial...
What are LIFO layers? Definition of LIFO Layer LIFO is the acronym for Last-In, First-Out. In the context of inventory, it means that the cost of the most recently purchased units will be the first costs to be matched...
What is leverage? Definition of Leverage In accounting and finance, leverage is the use of a significant amount of debt to purchase an asset, operate a company, acquire another company, etc. Since the cost of debt is...
In adjusting entries, how do I know which T-accounts to use? We illustrate the common adjusting entries with the use of T-accounts in the Explanation of the Topic Adjusting Entries available for your reading at no...
What does amortization mean? Definition of Amortization In general, the word amortization means to systematically reduce a balance over time. In accounting, amortization is conceptually similar to the depreciation of a...
Why are some plastic cards called debit cards? I assume the name debit card relates to the reduction in the cardholder’s checking account balance at the time that the card is used. The checking account balances of a...
What is EOQ? Definition of EOQ EOQ is the acronym for economic order quantity. The economic order quantity is the optimum quantity of an item to be purchased at one time in order to minimize the combined annual costs of...
What is a sale on credit? Definition of Sale on Credit A sale on credit is revenue earned by a company when it sells goods and allows the buyer to pay at a later date. This is also referred to as a sale on account....
What are the elements of financial statements? Definition of Elements of Financial Statements The elements of financial statements are the classes of items contained in the financial statements. Examples of Elements of...
What is the difference between the cash basis and the accrual basis of accounting? Definition of the Cash Basis of Accounting Revenues are reported on the income statement in the period in which the cash is received from...
What is the accrual method? Definition of Accrual Method The accrual method of accounting reports revenues on the income statement when they are earned even if the customer will pay 30 days later. The accrual method of...
What is accumulated other comprehensive income? Definition of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Accumulated other comprehensive income is a separate line within the stockholders’ equity section of the balance...
What is the difference between gross profit and net profit? Definition of Gross Profit Gross profit is defined as net sales minus the cost of goods sold. Example of Gross Profit Assume that a retailer had gross sales of...
What is the difference between periodic and perpetual inventory systems? Periodic Inventory System In a periodic system the account Inventory: Has only the ending balance from the previous accounting year Excludes the...
What is a financial statement? Definition of Financial Statement Generally, the term financial statement could be referring to: General-purpose, external financial reports that are distributed by a company to people...
What are the reasons for high inventory days? Definition of Inventory Days I assume that inventory days is referring to the days’ sales in inventory. If so, then inventory days is also related to the inventory turnover...
How does inflation affect the cost of goods sold? Inflation and the Cost of Goods Sold Generally speaking, a company selling goods during periods of inflation will see an increase in its cost of goods sold. When and by...
What is the gross margin ratio? Definition of Gross Margin Ratio The gross margin ratio is a percentage resulting from dividing the amount of a company’s gross profit by the amount of its net sales. (The gross margin...
What is the difference between an invoice and a statement? Definition of an Invoice An invoice received from a supplier shows the items purchased, the cost per unit, the total cost or extension of each item, the total of...
What is the accounting entry to close the sole proprietorship drawing account? Definition of Sole Proprietorship Drawing Account The drawing or withdrawal account for a sole proprietorship is a temporary owner equity’s...
Featured Review
"What is absolutely wonderful about AccountingCoach is that they have just the right answer at just the right time. In our top-heavy results driven business environment, and because I have had to wear many hats for various employers, sometimes you grow stale between projects on particular topics. It's good to know that I can 'refresh' my mind and continue to be and sound like the accounting professional I am. Their easy-to-follow format and search gets me right where I need to be....fast. Thank you!" - Shirley C.
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: