See Supplies.
See Supplies.
What is an ordinary annuity? Definition of Ordinary Annuity In accounting, an ordinary annuity refers to a series of identical cash amounts with each amount occurring at the end of equal time intervals. Another term for...
See deferred expense.
The date that determines which stockholders are entitled to receive a corporation’s declared dividend. No accounting entry is made on this date.
A current asset representing amounts paid in advance for future expenses. As the expenses are used or expire, expense is increased and prepaid expense is decreased.
A document that discloses important information on bonds or preferred stock. Included in the indenture would be the call price, the actions that can occur if the company fails to pay the interest or dividend, etc.
A rolling budget adds a future accounting period’s budget to replace a budget for an accounting period that has past. For example, a company’s 2024 annual budget will become a rolling budget if in February...
A business that sells goods from inventory. The business could be a retailer, wholesaler, distributor, manufacturer, etc.
The products with significant value that emerge at a split-off point in a process. When a joint product has little value it is referred to as a by-product.
The percentage resulting from dividing the dividends per share by the market price per share.
The shipping cost to be paid by the buyer of merchandise purchased when the terms are FOB shipping point. Freight-in is considered to be part of the cost of the merchandise and should be included in inventory if the...
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...
A sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation organized for the purpose of earning profits and enhancing the financial position of the owners.
Also referred to as manufacturing overhead, factory overhead, indirect manufacturing costs, or manufacturing support costs. To learn more, see Explanation of Manufacturing Overhead.
To include in the cost of an asset. For example, the interest incurred by a company when it constructs its own building is added to the cost of the building’s components. This is referred to as capitalizing the...
Usually financial statements refer to the balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, statement of retained earnings, and statement of stockholders’ equity. The balance sheet reports information as of...
See last in, first out (LIFO).
Spreading the physical counting of inventory throughout the year. For example, a company may physically count a different 10% of its inventory each month instead of counting 100% of its inventory once per year.
See American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
The chief accounting officer of a company. This person would head up the accounting department.
A series of equal amounts occurring at the beginning of each equal time interval. Also known as an annuity due. An example would be the monthly rent on an apartment.
The sum of future amounts multiplied by their respective probabilities of occurrence.
See endowment fund.
What is accrued payroll? Definition of Accrued Payroll Accrued payroll includes wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, and other payroll related expenses that have been earned by a company’s employees, but have not yet...
The compensation earned by employees who are paid on an hourly basis. It is common for production workers to earn wages, since they are usually paid via an hourly rate.
A check that has been issued but has not yet been paid by the bank on which it is drawn. An uncleared check is also known as an outstanding check.
Repairs that do not improve an asset or extend the asset’s life. These repairs are charged to Repairs Expense or Maintenance Expense when incurred. Major repairs such as a complete engine overhaul that extends the...
A payment toward the amount of principal owed. Generally when a loan payment consists of only a principal and interest payment, the amount owed for interest is processed first and the remaining amount of the payment is...
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...
A dividend paid in assets other than cash.
See income statement. To learn more, see Explanation of Income Statement.
A cost or expense that is not directly traceable to a department, product, activity, customer, etc. As a result indirect costs and expenses are often allocated to the department, product, etc. For example, a...
To assign costs to a product, department, customer, etc. on an arbitrary basis. For example, the heating cost might be allocated to the five departments located in the area that is heated. The allocation is often based...
In business decision-making, payback means the number of years before the cash invested in a project is returned. It involves the cash flows from the project but generally the cash flows are not discounted to reflect the...
See certified public accountant.
The gross amount of purchases minus the amount of purchase returns, purchase allowances, and purchase discounts.
See membership dues.
An asset representing the right to receive the principal amount contained in a written promissory note. Principal that is to be received within one year of the balance sheet date is reported as a current asset. Any...
A donor-imposed restriction on net assets that requires using the assets within a specified passage of time.
A report prepared by a professional appraiser with detailed information on the calculation of an asset’s current market value.
Featured Review
"Thank you for being my reference book as I complete my accounting degree. I had no experience in accounting or bookkeeping before completing this degree and understandably I was in over my head! All the way over in New Zealand I came across your website, subscribed, hoping I may learn even a couple of things and have ended up using your website as my main reference tool. The quizzes, question and answer pages, the entire website is so user friendly and I know it will see me through to the completion of my degree. I can't thank you enough, please keep up the fantastic work!!!" - K. H.
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: