What is owner's equity? Definition of Owner’s Equity Owner’s equity is one of the three main sections of a sole proprietorship’s balance sheet and one of the components of the accounting equation: Assets =...
What is owner's equity? Definition of Owner’s Equity Owner’s equity is one of the three main sections of a sole proprietorship’s balance sheet and one of the components of the accounting equation: Assets =...
What is a depreciable asset? Definition of Depreciable Asset A depreciable asset has the following characteristics: A tangible asset (other than land) Has a useful life of more than a year Is used in the business The...
What is the coefficient of determination? The coefficient of determination is a statistic which indicates the percentage change in the amount of the dependent variable that is “explained by” the changes in the...
What is a plant asset? What is a Plant Asset A plant asset is an asset with a useful life of more than one year that is used in producing revenues in a business’s operations. Plant assets are also known as fixed...
What is operating income? Definition of Operating Income Operating income is defined as a corporation’s operating revenues minus its operating expenses. Operating income will be shown as a subtotal on many...
Why aren't retained earnings distributed as dividends to the stockholders? Definition of Retained Earnings Retained earnings is one component of the stockholders’ equity section of a corporation’s balance sheet. Some...
Are salaries and wages part of expenses on the income statement? Definition of Salaries and Wages Salaries and wages are forms of compensation paid to employees of a company. Salaries and Wages as Expenses on Income...
Does paying an account payable affect net income? Definition of Paying Accounts Payable Under the accrual basis of accounting, expenses are recorded when they have occurred, not when they are paid. Therefore, if an...
What does a bookkeeper do? Definition of Bookkeeper A bookkeeper’s role at a company varies by the size and nature of the business. At a very small company without an accountant, the bookkeeper’s duties are likely to...
What is cycle counting? Cycle counting refers to physically counting a portion of the inventory items on many days throughout the year instead of counting all of the items on a single day near the end of the year. For...
What is the statement of financial position? Definition of Statement of Financial Position The statement of financial position is another name for the balance sheet. It is one of the main financial statements. The...
What is bookkeeping? Definition of Bookkeeping Bookkeeping includes the recording, storing and retrieving of financial transactions for a business, nonprofit organization, individual, etc. Examples of Bookkeeping Tasks...
Which financial ratios are considered to be efficiency ratios? I consider the efficiency ratios to be the ratios also known as asset turnover ratios, activity ratios, or asset management ratios. These efficiency ratios...
What is the difference between revenue, income, and gain? Definition of Revenue Revenue is the amount earned from a company’s main operating activities, such as a retailer selling merchandise or a law firm providing...
What is principles of accounting? Three meanings come to mind when you ask about principles of accounting… Principles of accounting was often the title of the introductory course in accounting. It was also common for...
What are accounting principles? Definition of Accounting Principles Accounting principles are the common rules that must be followed when preparing financial statements that are distributed to people outside of the...
What is scrap value? Definition of Scrap Value In cost accounting, scrap value refers to a relatively insignificant amount that a manufacturer receives from the sale of production materials that remain after the...
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 accelerated depreciation? Definition of Accelerated Depreciation Accelerated depreciation is the allocation of a plant asset‘s cost at a faster rate than straight-line depreciation. Compared to straight-line...
What are payroll withholding taxes? Definition of Payroll Withholding Taxes In the U.S. payroll withholding taxes are the taxes that an employer is required to deduct from its employees’ gross wages, salaries, bonuses,...
Which financial statement shows a corporation's worth? Not one of the financial statements will show a corporation’s worth. The balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, and stockholders’ equity...
What is the carrying amount? Definition of Carrying Amount The term carrying amount is also known as book value or carrying value. The term carrying amount is often used when there is a valuation account associated with...
What does M and MM stand for? Definition of M The Roman numeral M is often used to indicate one thousand. Example of M An expense of $60,000 could be written as $60M. Internet advertisers are familiar with CPM which is...
Why is interest expense a nonoperating expense? Definition of Interest Expense as a Nonoperating Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money. For most companies the borrowing of money is not part of their...
What are the effects of depreciation? Definition of Depreciation Depreciation is the systematic allocation of the cost of a company’s assets used in its business from the balance sheet to the income statement (as an...
What is a bond? There are several business definitions for bond. A bond could be a formal debt instrument issued by a corporation or government and purchased by investors. This is the meaning when we say that a public...
Why is Interest Expense Included in the Operating Activities Section of the Cash Flow Statement? Definition of Interest Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money. Under the accrual method of accounting,...
Costs that are matched with revenues on the income statement. For example, Cost of Goods Sold is an expense caused by Sales. Insurance Expense, Wages Expense, Advertising Expense, Interest Expense are expenses matched...
How does petty cash affect expenses? Definition of Petty Cash Petty cash is a small amount of currency and coins that a company has available to make very small payments instead of requesting and processing a company...
What is the monthly close? Definition of Monthly Close In accounting, monthly close is a series of steps and procedures that are followed so that a company’s monthly financial statements are in compliance with the...
What are some of the accounting courses in a college accounting degree? The accounting courses often included in a 120- or 150-credit college accounting degree are: fundamentals of financial accounting fundamentals of...
What does an unfavorable volume variance indicate? An unfavorable volume variance indicates that the amount of fixed manufacturing overhead costs applied (or assigned) to the manufacturer’s output was less than the...
What is interest expense? Definition of Interest Expense Interest expense is the cost of borrowing money during a specified period of time. Interest expense is occurring daily, but the interest is likely to be paid...
Is advertising an asset or an expense? Definition of Advertising Expense Advertising is the amount a company incurs to promote its products, brands, and image via television, radio, magazines, Internet, etc. Since the...
What is the entry for an employee's personal phone calls included in the company's bill? Let’s assume that an employee has made personal phone calls of $20 which are included in the company’s phone bill of $100....
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 increases a break-even point? Definition of Break-even Point The break-even point is the volume of sales in units or in dollars that is equal to a company’s total expenses (including the cost of goods sold). In...
How do you amortize goodwill? Definition of Amortize Goodwill Prior to 2001, to amortize goodwill meant to consistently and in uniform increments move the reported amount of the intangible asset goodwill from the balance...
What is reported as property, plant and equipment? Definition of Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment is the long-term asset or noncurrent asset section of the balance sheet that reports the...
Adjusting Entries(Quick Test #4 with Coaching) Download PDF This Quick Test with Coaching includes a “View Coaching” button to the right of each answer box. If you choose to click the button, an explanation for the...
Featured Review
"AccountingCoach is designed for non-accountants and is well suited to students, small-business owners, and bookkeepers. The quizzes and crosswords provide positive reinforcement and are a fun way to learn. There are videos if you prefer to learn by watching and listening rather than reading. The tests increase your confidence in your mastery of the material. As an employer, you can test the knowledge of a potential hire before they can touch your books. Additionally, the free articles on bookkeeping and accounting are a great resource for when you have questions as an isolated bookkeeper working from home with no peers working alongside you. The PRO Plus membership has certificates you can earn, which could potentially even help an employee get a raise or promotion at work, or to return to the workforce. All around, this site is a great resource." - Laura
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: