liabilities Other accrued expenses Income taxes payable Again, the order will vary. For example, some companies will list Accounts Payable as the first current liability account. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the...
liabilities Other accrued expenses Income taxes payable Again, the order will vary. For example, some companies will list Accounts Payable as the first current liability account. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the...
Accounts Receivable and Bad Debts Expense Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable refers to a company’s unsecured claim for money it is owed by a customer or client for goods and/or services the company had...
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and an accounting clerk? I envision a bookkeeper as a person employed by a smaller company and being responsible for recording nearly all of its transactions. Hence, the...
What if a company's Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is understated? Definition of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is a contra asset account. The Allowance account’s credit...
In accounting, what is meant by relevant costs? Definition of Relevant Costs Relevant costs are future costs that will differ between two or more alternative actions. Expressed another way, relevant costs are the costs...
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:...
that the receivable be assigned to them as collateral for the loan. Assigning a specific account receivable usually results in recording the receivable in a separate general ledger account such as Accounts Receivable...
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...
This is a national organization of certified public accountants. For more information go to www.aicpa.org.
Should I delay graduation for an accounting internship? If an accounting internship is optional, there are many factors to consider. The students who have been leaders in their college accounting organizations and have...
General ledger account numbers to be charged Authorizing signatures The voucher is then recorded in the voucher register. The unpaid vouchers provide the detail for the total amount reported as vouchers payable or...
This series of output by the Financial Accounting Standards Board is part of the board’s conceptual framework project. The original goal in the 1970’s was to articulate the definitions, practices, and rules...
What is the difference in salaries between a bookkeeper and an accountant? I estimate that a bookkeeper’s salary will be less than half of an accountant’s salary. For example, an accountant with a year or two of...
An organization established by the U.S.’s Sarbanes-Oxley Act to oversee the auditors of corporations whose stock is publicly-traded. The PCAOB’s board members are appointed by the Securities and Exchange...
The technique of recording accounts payable at the amount that will be paid after deducting any discount that is available for paying within the discount period. This has a theoretical advantage over the gross method...
What is the accounts receivable turnover ratio? Definition of Accounts Receivable Turnover Ratio The accounts receivable turnover ratio (or receivables turnover ratio) is an important financial ratio that indicates a...
The general guidelines and principles, standards and detailed rules, plus industry practices that exist for financial reporting. Often referred to by its acronymn GAAP. To learn more, see Explanation of Accounting...
Is Accounts Payable a debit or a credit or both? Definition of an Accounts Payable Credit Since Accounts Payable is a liability account, it should have a credit balance. The credit balance indicates the amount that a...
What does 2/10 mean in accounting? Definition of 2/10 2/10 is part of an early payment discount that allows a customer or client to pay after the sale or service has been provided. This sales discount allows the...
A nongovernment group of seven members assisted by a large research staff which is responsible for the setting of accounting standards, rules, and principles for financial reporting by U.S. entities. Go to www.fasb.org...
What to do with the balance in Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Definition of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is a contra asset account that is used with the balance in Accounts...
What is accounting for price level changes? In 1979 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued its Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 33 entitled Financial Reporting and Changing Prices. (You...
What is the days' sales in accounts receivable ratio? Definition of Days’ Sales in Accounts Receivable The days’ sales in accounts receivable ratio (also known as the average collection period) tells you the number...
What is the accounting entry when an order is received? There is no accounting entry recorded in a company’s general ledger accounts when an order is received. The reason is that a sale or sales revenues has not yet...
These are the official rules that have been released by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. These are part of the generally accepted accounting principles. Before a standard is released, the public had been able to...
What does the term arrears mean in accounting? Definition of Arrears In accounting, the term arrears will be used in the following situations: If a corporation does not declare and pay the dividend on its cumulative...
. The allowance account must be a zero or credit balance when reported on the balance sheet. Credit Right! 9. On which financial statement would you expect to find Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Balance Sheet Right!...
The independent organization based in the UK which develops the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The IASB has been working with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), which is based in the...
What is the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant? Before I provide a distinction, you should be aware that some people use the words interchangeably. Even though I was the accountant, treasurer, and CFO of a...
Unscramble 4. The type of account involved with the deferral of revenues. LIABILITY IBLLIITAY Unscramble LIABILITY AIBTLIILY Unscramble 5. This type of account is part of the entry to accrue revenues. ASSET ETASS...
Is an entry made for outstanding checks when preparing a bank reconciliation? Definition of Outstanding Checks Outstanding checks are checks written by the company, recorded in the company accounts, but not yet appearing...
When a company writes a check, the company records it with a credit to the Cash account in the company’s general ledger. Whether the check has or hasn’t cleared the bank account, the company’s Cash account...
interest expense How an Expense Affects the Balance Sheet An expense will decrease a corporation’s retained earnings (which is part of stockholders’ equity) or will decrease a sole proprietor’s capital account...
How do you record the sale of land? Definition of Sale of Land Assume that a retailer sells land that it had been holding for a future store. The retailer must remove the cost of the land from its general ledger asset...
What is the definition of net sales? Definition of Net Sales Net sales is a company’s gross sales of products minus any sales discounts and sales returns and allowances. When a company makes a sale, the general ledger...
by the utility after six months of timely payments. The new business will record the deposit with a $500 debit to the current asset account Utilities Deposits and will credit the asset account Cash for $500. The...
What is a reclassification? Definition of Reclassification In accounting, the term reclassification is often used to describe moving an amount from one general ledger account to another. Examples of Reclassification...
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...
Featured Review
"I am currently a controller. I began using AccountingCoach when I first started working in accounting. It was a huge asset for researching and answering accounting questions. Once I saw the PRO version, I did not hesitate to ask our company head to purchase this subscription. I have now been working in accounting for over 16 years, and AccountingCoach continues to be full of helpful information for any accounting level." - Dawn M.
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: