What are the accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts? Definition of Accounting Principles, Assumptions, and Concepts The basic underlying accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts include the following:...
What are the accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts? Definition of Accounting Principles, Assumptions, and Concepts The basic underlying accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts include the following:...
could be less than the cost of not filing a customer’s order on time or having to stop its production line. Example of Safety Stock Assume that a company uses the economic order quantity (EOQ) model to determine the...
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...
What is meant by nonoperating expenses and losses? Definition of Nonoperating Expenses and Losses Nonoperating expenses are business expenses that are outside of a company’s main or central operations. (Some describe...
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...
. For example, a small retailer can compare her cost of goods sold (perhaps 78%) to a much larger retailer’s cost of goods sold (perhaps 80%). Similarly, one company’s inventory might be 33% (of total assets) while a...
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...
the reported amount of assets. Since the reported amounts reflect the cost principle and other accounting principles, the net result cannot be assumed to be the company’s worth. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the...
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...
be: Revenues (sales, service fees) that were earned during the accounting period Expenses (cost of goods sold, salaries, rent, advertising, etc.) that match the revenues being reported or have expired during the...
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...
cost over 5 years. In December, ABCO will have very little depreciation expense, which means a small reduction in its December’s net income. However, ABCO’s Cash account will be reduced by $40,000 in December....
How should the sale of gift certificates be recorded in the general ledger? Definition of Gift Certificates Gift certificates (and gift cards) are often sold by a retailer to a buyer for cash. The buyer can then redeem...
What is the accounting treatment for an asset that is fully depreciated, but continues to be used in a business? An asset that is fully depreciated and continues to be used in the business will be reported on the balance...
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...
Why isn't the direct write off method of uncollectible accounts receivable the preferred method? Definition of Direct Write Off Method Under the direct write off method of accounting for credit losses pertaining to...
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...
What are phantom profits? The terms phantom profits or illusory profits are often used in the context of inventory (but can also pertain to depreciation) during periods of rising costs. The amount of phantom or illusory...
share of a corporation’s common stock. Often the purpose is to allow small investors to purchase 100 shares of the corporation’s stock at a more reasonable total cost. Reverse stock splits such as 1-for-10 (which...
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...
What is inventory valuation? Definition of Inventory Valuation In the U.S., inventory valuation is the dollar amount associated with the items remaining in a company’s inventory. Generally speaking, the amount is the...
What is a comparative balance sheet? Definition of Comparative Balance Sheet A comparative balance sheet typically has two columns of amounts that appear to the right of the account titles or other descriptions such as...
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 a mortgage loan? Definition of Mortgage Loan A mortgage loan is a loan associated with the purchase of real estate, such as a home or buildings used in a business. As part of the loan process, the lender files a...
What is an asset account? Definition of an Asset Account An asset account is a general ledger account used to sort and store the debit and credit amounts from a company’s transactions involving the company’s...
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...
Are depreciation, depletion and amortization similar? In accounting the terms depreciation, depletion and amortization often involve the movement of costs from the balance sheet to the income statement in a systematic...
Accounting Principles The basic underlying accounting principles consist of the following: Economic entity assumption Going concern assumption Time period assumption Monetary unit assumption Cost principle or...
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...
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 are gross wages? Definition of Gross Wages Gross wages are the amounts earned by employees before the payroll withholding taxes and other deductions are subtracted. Sometimes gross wages is used to describe the...
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...
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...
What is a purchase allowance? Definition of Purchase Allowance A purchase allowance is a reduction in the buyer’s cost of merchandise that had been purchased. The purchase allowance is granted by the supplier because...
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...
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 a voided check? A voided check is a check written or partially written but then canceled or deleted by the maker of the check. The notation of “void” is used because checks are prenumbered for control...
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....
the depreciable asset is sold, scrapped, or retired, its accumulated depreciation and its cost are removed from the respective accounts. (Any difference between the book value and the amount received is recorded as a...
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...
Featured Review
"As a private business accountant, I often need more expert help. When looking for online help with difficult accounting issues, I stumbled across AccountingCoach. It was by far the best and most detailed website I had found. Their material is very in depth, yet simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. Their examples of journal entries always make me look like the expert. In the middle of tax season, I can always get quick help within minutes. I love AccountingCoach and would never want to be without their assistance and knowledge. Thank you, AccountingCoach!" - Debbie
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: