What is an outlier? In cost accounting, an outlier could be a cost or its related level of activity that is out of line with other observations. An outlier can be detected by plotting each observation’s cost and...
What is an outlier? In cost accounting, an outlier could be a cost or its related level of activity that is out of line with other observations. An outlier can be detected by plotting each observation’s cost and...
What is prime cost? Definition of Prime Cost In cost accounting, the prime cost of a manufactured product is the combination of the following: Direct materials cost Direct labor cost The indirect manufacturing costs...
What is practical capacity? Definition of Practical Capacity Practical capacity is a manufacturer’s level of output (often expressed in machine hours, barrels, pounds, etc.). Practical capacity is less than its...
What is boilerplate? In business, boilerplate is a term to describe the standard wording that is contained in warranties and other documents. Generally, the information that is boilerplate is not subject to change....
What is safety stock? Definition of Safety Stock Safety stock is an additional quantity of an item held by a company in inventory in order to reduce the risk that the item will be out of stock. Safety stock acts as a...
stock is the result of a corporation repurchasing its own stock and holding those shares instead of retiring them. In the general ledger there will be an account Treasury Stock with a debit balance. (At the time of the...
be recorded in an expense account (such as Cost of Goods Sold) Their cost could be recorded in an asset account (such as Inventory) Either way, the Inventory account must be adjusted to the actual amount. The other part...
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 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 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...
-in-Progress (CWIP) and the account would be on the balance sheet as a long-term asset in the section entitled Property, Plant and Equipment. When the project is completed and put into service, the amount would be...
What is a balance sheet and why is it prepared? Definition of Balance Sheet The balance sheet is prepared in order to report an organization’s financial position at the end of an accounting period, such as midnight on...
Why does our company's balance sheet report its land at cost when it is so much more valuable? Accountants are guided by the cost principle. This requires accountants to report assets at their cost when acquired—not...
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...
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...
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...
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...
months later, the utility will record the purchase of only the coal that has arrived and the related account payable. Likewise, on the day the contract is signed, the coal company does not have a sale of the coal...
What is the earnings per share (EPS) ratio? Definition of Earnings per Share The earnings per share ratio, or simply earnings per share, or EPS, is a corporation’s 1) net income (or earnings) after tax that is...
What is lead time in purchasing? In purchasing, lead time is the estimated time between ordering goods and receiving the goods. For instance, if 100 units of Product X are ordered on April 11 and are expected to be...
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...
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...
Are dividend payments shown as an expense on the income statement? Definition of Dividend Payments The cash dividends paid to stockholders are a distribution of the corporation’s earnings. Dividends are not an expense...
What are dividends? In accounting, dividends often refers to the cash dividends that a corporation pays to its stockholders (or shareholders). Dividends are often paid quarterly, but could be paid at other times. For 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...
What is an early payment discount? Definition of Early Payment Discount An early payment discount is a reduction in the amount on a supplier’s invoice if the customer pays the supplier promptly. The early payment...
What is the full disclosure principle? Definition of Full Disclosure Principle The full disclosure principle requires a company to provide the necessary information so that people who are accustomed to reading financial...
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...
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...
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...
How do I calculate the cost of goods sold for a manufacturing company? Calculation of the Cost of Goods Sold for a Manufacturer The calculation of the cost of goods sold for a manufacturing company is: Beginning...
How should an interest only loan be recorded? Defintion of an Interest Only Loan An interest only loan specifies that only interest payments are required during the life of the loan. No principal payment is required...
continuous financial statement.) The amount of net income will cause an increase in the stockholders’ equity account Retained Earnings, while a loss will cause a decrease. The amount of other comprehensive income will...
adjustments when reconciling the bank statement. For example, if a check is written in December but is voided in January, the Cash account in the company’s general ledger will need to be increased when the check is...
What does Accumulated Depreciation tell us? Definition of Accumulated Depreciation Accumulated depreciation reports the amount of depreciation that has been recorded from the time an asset was acquired until the date of...
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 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...
Are salaried employees entitled to overtime pay? Some salaried employees are entitled to overtime pay. The salaried employees entitled to overtime pay are referred to as nonexempt employees. Nonexempt means that the...
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...
What does it mean to recognize an expense? Definition of Recognize an Expense To recognize an expense means to report the proper amount of an expense on the income statement for the appropriate accounting period. When...
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