Is the reversal of a previous year's accrued expense permanent? Definition of Reversal of Accrued Expense An accrued expense typically requires an accrual adjusting entry recorded at the end of an accounting year (or any...
Is the reversal of a previous year's accrued expense permanent? Definition of Reversal of Accrued Expense An accrued expense typically requires an accrual adjusting entry recorded at the end of an accounting year (or any...
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...
Where can I find the amount of income taxes paid by a corporation? Definition of Income Taxes Paid by a Corporation The amount of income tax paid by a corporation is different from the amount of income tax (income tax...
What is an early payment discount? Definition of Early Payment Discount An early payment discount is a reduction in the amount on a supplier’s invoice if the customer pays the supplier promptly. The early payment...
What is a classified balance sheet? Definition of Classified Balance Sheet A classified balance sheet arranges the amounts from a company’s balance sheet accounts into a format that is useful for the readers. For...
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 the debt to equity ratio? Definition of Debt to Equity Ratio The debt to equity ratio or debt-equity ratio is the result of dividing a corporation’s total liabilities by the total amount of stockholders’...
Where can I find an illustration of a common size balance sheet? You will find an illustration of a common size balance sheet under AccountingCoach.com’s Explanation of Financial Ratios. The common size balance sheet...
How do I start a petty cash fund? Definition of Petty Cash Fund A petty cash fund is a small amount of money available to pay small amounts without requiring the processing of a business check. Example of Starting a...
What are byproducts? Byproducts, or by-products, are products with relatively little value that emerge from a common process along with the main products. The main products have significant value and are referred to as...
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...
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...
The balance sheet and income statement are connected. Definition of Balance Sheet and Income Statement The balance sheet reflects the accounting equation: Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s (Stockholders’) Equity When a...
What are wages payable? Definition of Wages Payable Wages payable refers to the wages that a company’s employees have earned, but have not yet been paid. Under the accrual method of accounting, this amount is likely...
How do you account for a project under construction? Accounting for a Project Under Construction If a company is constructing a major project such as a building, assembly line, etc., the amounts spent on the project will...
What is lead time in purchasing? In purchasing, lead time is the estimated time between ordering goods and receiving the goods. For instance, if 100 units of Product X are ordered on April 11 and are expected to be...
What is the earnings per share (EPS) ratio? Definition of Earnings per Share The earnings per share ratio, or simply earnings per share, or EPS, is a corporation’s 1) net income (or earnings) after tax that is...
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 difference between a note payable and a bond payable? Definition of Note Payable and Bond Payable For accounting purposes, a note payable and a bond payable have the following similarities: Formal written...
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...
What is a liability account? Definition of Liability Account A liability account is a general ledger account in which a company records the following which resulted from business transactions: Amounts owed to suppliers...
Should an owner's compensation be recorded as an expense or in the Drawing account? If the enterprise is a sole proprietorship, the owner’s compensation should be debited to the Drawing account. If the enterprise is a...
What is the definition of capital market? Often, capital market refers to the structured market for trading stocks and bonds. Examples are the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the New...
Why is the P&L profit entered on the credit side of the balance sheet? Profit’s Effect on the Balance Sheet The profit or net income belongs to the owner of a sole proprietorship or to the stockholders of a...
What are the journal entries for a stock split? Definition of a Stock Split A stock split usually increases the number of shares of a corporation’s common stock with the intention of reducing the market price of each...
Are dividend payments shown as an expense on the income statement? Definition of Dividend Payments The cash dividends paid to stockholders are a distribution of the corporation’s earnings. Dividends are not an expense...
Can I capitalize this year's R&D? Generally, R&D costs cannot be capitalized for U.S. financial statements according to the Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 2, Accounting for Research and Development...
What is the definition of net sales? Definition of Net Sales Net sales is a company’s gross sales of products minus any sales discounts and sales returns and allowances. When a company makes a sale, the general ledger...
What is a noncash expense? Definition of a Noncash Expense A noncash expense is an expense that is reported on the income statement of the current accounting period, but the related cash payment took place in another...
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...
Is there a difference between work-in-process and work-in-progress? It depends on the user of the terms. Definition of Work-in-Process I use the term “work-in-process” to mean a manufacturer’s inventory that is not...
How does revenue affect the balance sheet? Effect of Revenue on the Balance Sheet Generally, when a corporation earns revenue there is an increase in current assets (cash or accounts receivable) and an increase in the...
In accounting, what is the meaning of dr.? Definition of Dr. In accounting, dr. is the abbreviation for the Italian term used more than 500 years ago to indicate today’s term debit. In accounting and bookkeeping, debit...
What are some examples of financing activities on the cash flow statement? Definition of Financing Activities Financing activities reported on the statement of cash flows (SCF) involve changes to the long-term...
What is the debt ratio? Definition of Debt Ratio The debt ratio is also known as the debt to asset ratio or the total debt to total assets ratio. Hence, the formula for the debt ratio is: total liabilities divided by...
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 is a provision for discounts allowable? The provision for discounts allowable is likely to be a balance sheet account that serves to reduce the asset account Accounts Receivable. The provision account’s counter...
Where is interest on a note payable reported on the cash flow statement? Definition of Interest on a Note Payable The interest on a note payable is reported on the income statement as Interest Expense. Usually this means...
What is the difference between Notes Payable and Accounts Payable? Definition of Notes Payable The account Notes Payable is a liability account in which a borrower’s written promise to pay a lender is recorded. (The...
What is stock? Definition of Stock In business there are at least common meanings for the term stock: Some people use the word stock to mean inventory. In other words, they mean the goods (products, component parts,...
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