What is job order costing? Definition of Job Order Costing Job order costing or job costing is a system for assigning and accumulating manufacturing costs of an individual unit of output. The job order costing system is...
What is job order costing? Definition of Job Order Costing Job order costing or job costing is a system for assigning and accumulating manufacturing costs of an individual unit of output. The job order costing system is...
What is the meaning of debit? Definition of Debit The term debit is similar to the term used in Italy more than 500 years ago when the double entry accounting system was documented. What you need to know today is that...
What are the ways to value inventory? Definition of Valuing Inventory Generally, the financial statements of a U.S. company must report its inventory at its historical cost (not at its selling prices). Inventories are to...
What is the conservatism principle? Definition of Conservatism Principle In accounting, the conservatism principle (or accounting constraint) directs an accountant, who is faced with doubt between two possible...
Why is manufacturing overhead allocated to products? Definition of Manufacturing Overhead Allocated to Products Manufacturing overhead refers to the indirect production costs of producing goods, products, component...
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...
What is long-term debt? Definition of Long-term Debt In accounting, long-term debt generally refers to a company’s loans and other liabilities that will not become due within one year of the balance sheet date. (The...
Are transportation-in costs part of the cost of goods sold? Definition of Transportation-in Costs Transportation-in costs, which are also known as freight-in costs, are part of the cost of goods purchased. The reason is...
Why are the amounts on the financial statements rounded to thousands or millions? Definition of Rounding Amounts on Financial Statements Rounding the amounts on a company’s financial statements means dropping the less...
What is an intangible asset? Definition of Intangible Asset An intangible asset is an asset that you cannot touch, since it lacks physical substance. Accountants record intangible assets at their cost when they are...
How should a mortgage loan payable be reported on a classified balance sheet? Definition of a Mortgage Loan Payable The account Mortgage Loan Payable contains the principal amount owed on a mortgage loan. (Any interest...
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 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...
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...
Is depreciation a temporary account? Definition of Depreciation Accounts There are two types of general ledger accounts in which depreciation is recorded: Depreciation Expense which is a temporary account since it is an...
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 difference between reserve and provision? Definition of Reserve Many decades ago, U.S. accountants decided to eliminate the word reserve when reporting the balances in contra asset accounts. The accounting...
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...
Why would someone buy a bond at a premium? Definition of Bond Premium Bond premium or premium on bonds occurs when the bond’s actual interest payments are greater than the interest payments expected by the market. The...
Should a manufacturer's selling prices be based on costs? A manufacturer’s selling prices should not be based on costs alone. One reason is that the actual cost of each product is not known with precision. At best,...
What is preferred stock? Definition of Preferred Stock Preferred stock is a type of capital stock issued by some corporations in addition to its common stock. Preferred stock is also known as preference stock. The word...
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...
What is bad debts expense? Definition of Bad Debts Expense Bad debts expense is related to a company’s current asset accounts receivable. Bad debts expense is also referred to as uncollectible accounts expense or...
What is the difference between break-even point and payback period? Definition of Break-Even Point The break-even point is the amount of sales required to cover a company’s costs and expenses that are reported on its...
What is the rationale for not reporting plant assets at their liquidation value? I will assume that the plant assets‘ liquidation values are higher than the present carrying values when answering your question. Plant...
Under accrual accounting, how are worker comp premiums handled? Worker comp insurance premiums should be charged to the areas where the related wages and salaries are charged. Let’s assume that the net cost of worker...
What are some examples of investing activities? Definition of Investing Activities Investing activities often refers to the cash flows from investing activities, which is one of the three main sections of the statement...
What are net incremental cash flows? Net incremental cash flows are the combination of the cash inflows and the cash outflows occurring in the same time period, and between two alternatives. For example, a company could...
What is the units of activity depreciation? Definition of Units-of-Activity Depreciation The units-of-activity depreciation is unique among the common methods of depreciation in that the useful life of the asset being...
What is the difference between gross margin and contribution margin? Definition of Gross Margin Some use the term gross margin to mean the same as gross profit, which is: net sales minus the cost of goods sold. Others...
Which assets are classified as current assets? Definition of Current Assets Current assets include cash and assets that are expected to turn to cash within one year of the balance sheet date. Current assets also include...
Payroll Accounting(Quick Test #1) Download PDF After you have answered all 40 questions, click "Grade This Quick Test" at the bottom of the page to view your grade and receive feedback on your answers. Note: Some of the...
See U.S. Treasury bills.
An estimate of an asset’s market value
Accounts Receivable and Bad Debts Expense (Flashcards) Download Single-Sided PDF Download Double-Sided PDF All Cards (27) Marked Wrong (0) Marked Right (0) accounts receivable This current asset represents a right to...
What is going concern? Definition of Going Concern The going concern assumption is a basic underlying assumption of accounting. For a company to be a going concern, it must be able to continue operating long enough to...
What is benchmarking? Benchmarking is a process for improving some activity within an organization. We will illustrate benchmarking with the following example. Company Q has identified one of its activities that needs...
What is the role of a company's controller? Definition of Company Controller A company’s controller is considered to be the chief accounting officer and the head of the accounting department. Role of the Controller As...
What is recorded in the Wages and Salaries Expense account? Definition of Wages and Salaries Expense The account Wages and Salaries Expense (or separate accounts such as Wages Expense or Salaries Expense) are used to...
Featured Review
"I am truly grateful to AccountingCoach who has not only been a lifeline, but has been a rescuer on numerous occasions. I appreciate the in-depth explanations, concepts and even links to obtain additional information, especially when going through an on-the-job crunch period with close deadlines. I highly recommend AccountingCoach to everyone. Those in large or small companies, business owners, and all levels of educational studies, will find AccountingCoach a great go-to source!" - Pat W.
Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials
Read all 2,645 reviewsWe now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping: