What is inventory? Definition of Inventory Inventory is a very significant current asset for retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. Inventory serves as a buffer between 1) a company’s sales of goods, and 2) its...
What is inventory? Definition of Inventory Inventory is a very significant current asset for retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. Inventory serves as a buffer between 1) a company’s sales of goods, and 2) its...
Would you please explain unearned income? Definition of Unearned Income Unearned income or deferred income is a receipt of money before it has been earned. This is also referred to as deferred revenues or customer...
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...
What is the meaning of sundry and sundry debtors? Definition of Sundry Sundry can mean various, miscellaneous, or diverse. Definition of Sundry Debtors Sundry debtors could be referring to a company’s customers who...
Does sales commission get reported in the income statement? Definition of Sales Commissions Sales commissions are amounts earned by selling another company’s goods or services and paid by the company whose goods or...
What is the accounting journal entry for depreciation? Definition of Journal Entry for Depreciation The journal entry for depreciation is: Debit to the income statement account Depreciation Expense Credit to the balance...
Are commissions a cost of goods sold account or an expense? Definition of Commissions Commissions are compensation for obtaining sales. Hence, sales commissions are a selling expense and will be recorded in general...
What is a source document? Definition of Source Document A source document is an original record which contains the detail that supports or substantiates a transaction that will be (or has been) entered in an accounting...
What is prepaid insurance? Definition of Prepaid Insurance Prepaid insurance is the portion of an insurance premium that has been paid in advance and has not expired as of the date of a company’s balance sheet. This...
What is the working capital turnover ratio? Definition of Working Capital Turnover Ratio The working capital turnover ratio is also referred to as net sales to working capital. It indicates a company’s effectiveness in...
Why does a company debit Purchases instead of Inventory? Definition of Purchases and Inventory When a company uses the periodic inventory system the amount of the company’s inventory is determined by a physical count...
How do you calculate staff turnover? To calculate staff turnover, I would use the W-2 wage statements for the most recent year. My first step would be to sort the W-2’s into meaningful groups such as full-time...
What is annualizing? Definition of Annualizing Annualizing means taking a partial year amount and converting it to a full year amount. We will use several examples to illustrate how this works. Examples of Annualizing A...
What is the meaning of arrears? In accounting we use the word arrears in at least two ways. One use involves the omitted dividends on cumulative preferred stock. For example, if a corporation has cumulative preferred...
What is an account? Definition of Account In accounting, an account is a record in the general ledger that is used to sort and store transactions. For example, companies will have a Cash account in which to record every...
What is the difference between accounts payable and accrued expenses payable? Definition of Accounts Payable Accounts Payable is a liability account in which suppliers’ or vendors’ approved invoices are recorded. As...
What is Form 10-K? Definition of Form 10-K Form 10-K is a required annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by U.S. corporations whose common stock is publicly traded. It is common for a...
Why does a company prepare a bank reconciliation? Reasons for Preparing a Bank Reconciliation There are several reasons for a company to prepare a bank reconciliation: To safeguard the company’s cash. Performing a bank...
What is a journal? Definition of a Journal In accounting and bookkeeping, a journal is a record of financial transactions in order by date. Traditionally, a journal has been defined as the book of original entry. The...
Reducing the Need for Accruing Expenses One day I was explaining to the owner of a small business that I would have to accrue for the shipping expenses associated with his company’s sales. Since the shipping company...
What is a post-closing trial balance? Definition of Post-closing Trial Balance A post-closing trial balance is a trial balance which is prepared after all of the temporary accounts in the general ledger have been closed....
How do you divide the cost of real estate into land and building? Dividing the Cost of Real Estate into Land and Building In accounting, the cost of real estate must be divided into: The cost of land (because land is not...
Which accounts get closed at the end of a fiscal year? The temporary accounts get closed at the end of an accounting year. Temporary accounts include all of the income statement accounts (revenues, expenses, gains,...
What is the difference between unearned revenue and unrecorded revenue? Definition of Unearned Revenue In financial accounting, unearned revenue refers to money received prior to being earned. It is also referred to as...
What is an expense? Definition of Expense Under the accrual method of accounting, an expense is a cost that is reported on the income statement for the period in which: The cost best matches the related revenues The cost...
What are generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)? Definition of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Generally accepted accounting principles (commonly referred to as GAAP or US GAAP) are the common...
What is the difference between an invoice and a voucher? Definition of an Invoice An invoice received from a vendor is a billing for goods or services that it had provided. The vendor’s invoice will include the...
Where does revenue received in advance go on a balance sheet? Definition of Revenue Received in Advance Under the accrual basis of accounting, revenues received in advance of being earned are reported as a liability. If...
What is petty cash? Definition of Petty Cash Petty cash or a petty cash fund is a small amount of money available for paying small expenses without writing a check. Petty Cash is also the title of the general ledger...
What are sundry expenses? Definition of Sundry Expenses In accounting and bookkeeping, sundry expenses are expenses that are small in amount and rare in occurrence. For these rare and insignificant expenses, a company...
What does the cost principle mean for a company's income statement? If a company has buildings, equipment and inventory, the cost principle will mean that the amount of depreciation expense and the cost of goods sold...
Where do credit card payments get recorded? Definition of Credit Card Payments We define a credit card payment as the amount a company remits to the credit card company for the purchases that occurred by using the credit...
What does overstated mean? Definition of Overstated When an accountant uses the term overstated, it means two things: The reported amount is incorrect, and The reported amount is more than the true or correct amount. In...
What is the cost of sales? Definition of Cost of Sales Cost of sales is often a line shown on a manufacturer’s or retailer’s income statement instead of cost of goods sold. The cost of sales for a manufacturer is 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...
How do you calculate the cost of goods sold for a retailer? Formula for Calculating a Retailer’s Cost of Goods Sold A retailer’s cost of goods sold is: The cost of the retailer’s beginning inventory Plus the cost...
Where can I find a sample of a cash flow statement? A cash flow statement or statement of cash flows should be presented with a U.S. corporation’s annual financial statements. If a corporation’s stock is publicly...
What is a defined contribution pension plan? A defined contribution pension plan is one in which the employer contributes an amount into each eligible employee’s account within an established plan. The employee decides...
How do you calculate the cost of carrying inventory? Definition of Cost of Carrying Inventory The cost of carrying inventory (or cost of holding inventory) is the sum of the following: Cost of money tied up in inventory,...
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...
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