Reconciling the Bank Statement When preparing a bank reconciliation, you may find the following tip to be helpful: “Put it where it ain’t.” My now deceased neighbor (Herb) insisted that I share this tip, which he...
Reconciling the Bank Statement When preparing a bank reconciliation, you may find the following tip to be helpful: “Put it where it ain’t.” My now deceased neighbor (Herb) insisted that I share this tip, which he...
Is the sales tax paid on merchandise that you will resell an expense? I believe that most states have sales tax exemptions for merchandise purchased for resale. Check with your state’s sales tax department to see if...
What are the effects of depreciation? Definition of Depreciation Depreciation is the systematic allocation of the cost of a company’s assets used in its business from the balance sheet to the income statement (as an...
Why and how do you adjust the inventory account in the periodic method? Definition of Inventory Account in Periodic Method Under the periodic method or periodic system, the account Inventory is dormant throughout the...
What is a bond? There are several business definitions for bond. A bond could be a formal debt instrument issued by a corporation or government and purchased by investors. This is the meaning when we say that a public...
What is the difference between liability and debt? Definition of Liability In accounting and bookkeeping, the term liability refers to a company’s obligation arising from a past transaction. Examples of Liabilities A...
What is a bill payable? Definition of Bill Payable A bill payable is a document which shows the amount owed for goods or services received on credit (meaning not paid at the time that the goods or services were...
What journal entries are prepared in a bank reconciliation? Definition of Journal Entries in a Bank Reconciliation Journal entries are required in a bank reconciliation when there are adjustments to the balance per...
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 are accrued liabilities? Definition of Accrued Liabilities Accrued liabilities are usually expenses that have been incurred by a company as of the end of an accounting period, but the amounts have not yet been paid...
What is the chart of accounts? Definition of Chart of Accounts The chart of accounts is a listing of the names and account numbers for the general ledger accounts available for recording amounts. However, the chart of...
What is the entry for a loan to an employee? Definition of Loan to Employee A loan to an employee is money advanced by the company to assist the employee. If the employee is expected to repay the loan within one year of...
What is a rubber check? A rubber check is a check that is not paid (or honored) by the bank on which it is drawn. The reason the check is not paid is the maker’s account had insufficient funds or not sufficient funds...
Why isn't a key employee reported as an asset on the balance sheet? While an employee could be an organization’s most valuable asset, accountants record past transactions that can be measured. Since an employee is not...
What is salvage value? Definition of Salvage Value In accounting, salvage value is the amount that is expected to be received at the end of a plant asset‘s useful life. Salvage value is sometimes referred to as...
Is the cost of land, buildings, and machinery a fixed cost? Land, Buildings and Machinery are Fixed Assets It is common for people to refer to land, buildings, and machinery as fixed assets. They are also referred to as...
What is other comprehensive income? Definition of Other Comprehensive Income Other comprehensive income, or OCI, consists of items that have an effect on the balance sheet amounts, but the effect is not reported on the...
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...
What is contained on a 10-column worksheet? The 10-column worksheet that I am familiar with will have the general ledger account titles in the first column followed by ten columns of amounts. There will be one debit and...
Are liabilities always a bad thing? Definition of Liabilities Liabilities are a company’s obligations and are usually defined as a claim on the company’s assets. However, liabilities (and stockholders’ equity) can...
What is the procedure for preparing a trial balance? Definition of a Trial Balance A trial balance consists of the following information: The title of each general ledger account that has a balance To the right of the...
What does the term organic growth mean? Organic growth often refers to the growth in a company’s sales that did not occur because of an acquisition of another company. Expressed another way, organic growth is...
What is meant by nonoperating revenues and gains? Nonoperating revenues are the amounts earned by a business which are outside of its main or central operations. Nonoperating revenues are also described as incidental or...
What is the matching principle? Definition of Matching Principle The matching principle is one of the basic underlying guidelines in accounting. The matching principle directs a company to report an expense on its income...
Is an entry made for outstanding checks when preparing a bank reconciliation? Definition of Outstanding Checks Outstanding checks are checks written by the company, recorded in the company accounts, but not yet appearing...
What is the difference between a land improvement and a leasehold improvement? Definition of Land Improvement A land improvement is a long-term (long-lived) asset resulting from a physical addition to a company’s land....
What is the double declining balance method of depreciation? Definition of Double Declining Balance Method of Depreciation The double declining balance method of depreciation, also known as the 200% declining balance...
Our income statement shows wide fluctuations in utilities expense from month to month. I suspect our accounting is not proper. Any suggestions? Under accrual accounting, your income statement should report the amount for...
What is the bookkeeping equation? Definition of Bookkeeping Equation The bookkeeping equation (or accounting equation) is similar to the structure of the balance sheet: For a sole proprietorship: Assets = Liabilities +...
Can you help me understand the golden rules of accounting? The golden rules of accounting are not presented in any of the U.S. accounting books that I have reviewed. I assume the reason for omitting the golden rules of...
What are reversing entries and why are they used? Definition of Reversing Entries Reversing entries are made on the first day of an accounting period to remove accrual adjusting entries that were made at the end of the...
Why do bonds rarely sell for their maturity value? The reasons why bonds rarely sell for their maturity value are: The interest paid is usually fixed at the interest rate that is stated on the face of the bond. As a...
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...
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...
What is the difference between interest expense and interest payable? Definition of Interest Expense Assuming the accrual method of accounting, interest expense is the amount of interest that was incurred on debt during...
How much do you depreciate an asset and when? Definition of How and When to Depreciate an Asset Depreciation begins when you place an asset in service and it ends when you take an asset out of service or when you have...
What is the entry for an employee's personal phone calls included in the company's bill? Let’s assume that an employee has made personal phone calls of $20 which are included in the company’s phone bill of $100....
What is the difference between information and data? I was taught that information is useful data. The point is there are lots of data (plural of datum) everywhere, and most of the data will not be useful to a decision...
What conditions cause a discount on bonds payable? Discount on bonds payable occurs when a bond’s stated interest rate is less than the bond market’s interest rate. If a $1,000,000 bond issue promises to pay interest...
Featured Review
"I was looking out for an online accounting course after a gap of 25 years. Luckily, I came across AccountingCoach. The very first visit to this site made me feel very comfortable. I felt as though it was made just for me. Very soon I enrolled myself as a PRO member. Now that I am able to access the entire site like the seminars, exams, crosswords and many many more interesting ways to learn accounting, my knowledge in accounting has deepened. I can confidently say to people who are new to this field, or who are trying for a refresher course like me, this is THE WEBSITE for you. It's a well structured program, the most difficult accounting concepts have been explained in a very crystal clear fashion with beautiful real-life examples. Thanks to Mr Harold Averkamp and his dedicated team for sharing their deep insight without whom I wouldn't be ready to give my bookkeeping exams shortly." - Sunita P.
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: