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 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...
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 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 are gains? Definition of Gains In financial accounting, gains often pertain to some of a company’s transactions which occur outside of the company’s main business activities. Transactions which are outside of a...
What are interim financial statements? Definition of Interim Financial Statements Interim financial statements report amounts for time intervals that are shorter than a company’s annual financial statements. The...
What is the difference between equity financing and debt financing? Definition of Equity Financing Equity financing involves increasing the owner’s equity of a sole proprietorship or increasing the stockholders’...
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 statement of activities? Definition of Statement of Activities The statement of activities is one of the main financial statements issued by a nonprofit organization. It is prepared instead of the income...
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...
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...
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 stockholders' equity? Definition of Stockholders’ Equity Stockholders’ equity (also known as shareholders’ equity) is reported on a corporation’s balance sheet and its amount is the difference between the...
If a customer pays for the same invoice twice, should the customer be informed? I say yes. If you become aware of the double payment when posting the customer’s second remittance, I would double check your records...
What is the acid test ratio? Definition of Acid Test Ratio The acid test ratio, which is also known as the quick ratio, compares the total of a company’s cash, temporary marketable securities, and accounts receivable...
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...
How do drawings affect the financial statements? Definition of Drawings Drawings are the withdrawals of a sole proprietorship’s business assets by the owner for the owner’s personal use. The drawings or draws by the...
Why do we charge depreciation? Definition of Depreciation Accountants charge (to expense) Have a significant cost Will be useful for more than a year Will not be useful indefinitely Since the asset land is assumed to be...
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 dividend? Definition of Dividend Generally, the term dividend refers to a cash dividend, which is distribution of a portion of a corporation’s earnings to its stockholders in the form of cash. The cash...
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...
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 notes payable and notes receivable? Definition of Notes Payable and Notes Receivable Notes payable and notes receivable are both associated with a written note that promises to repay the...
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...
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 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 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 a defined benefit pension plan? A defined benefit pension plan is a retirement plan in which the employer commits to paying a specified monthly payment to each eligible employee when he or she retires at a stated...
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...
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 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....
What is the difference between a general ledger and a general journal? Definition of General Ledger The general ledger contains the accounts used to sort and store a company’s transactions. The general ledger is...
What is the cost principle? Definition of Cost Principle The cost principle is one of the basic underlying guidelines in accounting. It is also known as the historical cost principle. The cost principle requires that...
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 the proper use of the words lend and borrow? If a company is granted a loan from its bank, the company is borrowing money from its bank, and the bank is lending money to one of its customers. In other words, the...
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 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...
Are earnings different from profits? Earnings and profits are often used interchangeably. Others might make a distinction between the two words. In the case of earnings per share, earnings means a corporation’s net...
What is the net book value of a noncurrent asset? The net book value of a noncurrent asset is the net amount reported on the balance sheet for a long-term asset. To illustrate net book value, let’s assume that several...
What is a deferred credit? A deferred credit could mean money received in advance of it being earned, such as deferred revenue, unearned revenue, or customer advances. A deferred credit could also result from complicated...
What is capex? Definition of Capex Capex is a shortened form of the term capital expenditure or capital expenditures. Capex is often used when referring one or both of the following: Actual amounts that were spent during...
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