Why are accruals needed every month? Reasons for Monthly Accruals Accrual adjusting entries are needed monthly only if a company issues monthly financial statements. Two reasons for the monthly accrual adjusting entries...
Why are accruals needed every month? Reasons for Monthly Accruals Accrual adjusting entries are needed monthly only if a company issues monthly financial statements. Two reasons for the monthly accrual adjusting entries...
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...
Where should a business report cash which is restricted to purchase a long-term asset? The cash which a business has restricted to purchase a long-term asset should be reported on the balance sheet under the asset...
What are accrual adjusting entries? Definition of Accrual Adjusting Entries Accrual adjusting entries or simply accruals are one of three types of adjusting entries which are prepared at the end of an accounting period...
Is depreciation a source of funds? Definition of Depreciation Depreciation is the systematic allocation of the cost of a business asset to expense over the useful life of the asset. The accounting for depreciation is a...
What is a contra revenue account? Definition of Contra Revenue Account A contra revenue account is a revenue account that is expected to have a debit balance (instead of the usual credit balance). In other words, its...
What is the difference between public sector and private sector? Definition of Public Sector Public sector refers to: government-owned organizations, and government-provided services (Note: public sector entity is...
What is the difference between gross profit margin and gross margin? Definition of Gross Profit Gross profit is an amount that is computed as follows: A company’s net Sales minus its cost of goods sold A product’s...
Where do dividends appear on the financial statements? Definition of Dividends Cash dividends are a distribution of a company’s profits. Financial Statements of a Corporation The main financial statements of a...
Are commissions considered to be revenues or expenses? Definition of Commissions Revenues or Expenses The company or person earning and receiving commissions (such as a percentage of sales) will have commissions revenue....
What is a basis point? A basis point is a hundredth (1/100) of a percentage point. Expressed another way, one percentage point is equal to 100 basis points. This means that if an interest rate drops by 1/2 of a...
What are accrued liabilities? Definition of Accrued Liabilities Accrued liabilities are usually expenses that have been incurred by a company as of the end of an accounting period, but the amounts have not yet been paid...
Why isn't land depreciated? Definition of Land The land that is used in a business (as opposed to land that is an investment, or land that will be sold by a real estate developer) is a tangible asset that is assumed to...
What is capital stock? Definition of Capital Stock Capital stock refers to the shares of ownership that have been issued by a corporation. The amount received by the corporation when its shares of capital stock were...
Are undeposited checks reported as cash? Undeposited checks that are not postdated (not dated with a future date) are reported as cash. Accountants define cash as more than just currency and coins. For example,...
What is the difference between the Cash Flow and Funds Flow statements? Definition of Cash Flow and Funds Flow Statements The cash flow statement, known formally as the Statement of Cash Flows, reports a company’s...
What is the difference between stockholder and stakeholder? Definition of Stockholder A stockholder or shareholder is the owner of shares of a corporation’s common or preferred stock. Definition of Stakeholder A...
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...
When are expenses credited? Definition of Expenses Credited Normally, the general ledger accounts for expenses are debited and are expected to have debit balances. The reason they are debited is they cause the normal...
What is goodwill? Definition of Goodwill In accounting, goodwill is an intangible asset associated with a business combination. Goodwill is recorded when a company acquires (purchases) another company and the purchase...
What is a long-term liability? Definition of Long-term Liability A long-term liability is an obligation resulting from a previous event that is not due within one year of the date of the balance sheet (or not due within...
What are term bonds and serial bonds? Term bonds are bonds which mature or come due on a single date. Serial bonds are bonds which do not mature or come due on a single date. Instead, serial bonds have maturity dates...
What is the difference between a nominal account and a real account? Definition of Nominal Account The balance in a nominal account is closed at the end of the accounting year. As a result, a nominal account begins each...
What is the book value per share of stock? Definition of Book Value per Share of Stock The book value of a corporation is the amount of its stockholders’ equity. Assuming the corporation does not have preferred stock...
What is salvage value? Definition of Salvage Value In accounting, salvage value is the amount that is expected to be received at the end of a plant asset‘s useful life. Salvage value is sometimes referred to as...
Why do bonds rarely sell for their maturity value? The reasons why bonds rarely sell for their maturity value are: The interest paid is usually fixed at the interest rate that is stated on the face of the bond. As a...
What is the debt to total assets ratio? Definition of Debt to Total Assets Ratio The debt to total assets ratio is an indicator of a company’s financial leverage. It tells you the percentage of a company’s total...
What are the accounting entries for a fully depreciated car? Definition of a Fully Depreciated Car A fully depreciated car is one where the car’s historical cost has already been allocated to expense (except for the...
Are retained earnings an asset? Definition of Retained Earnings Usually, retained earnings consists of a corporation’s earnings since the corporation was formed minus the amount that was distributed to the stockholders...
What is a line of credit? In business a line of credit or credit line is an arrangement/commitment by a bank or other creditor with a customer. The agreement specifies an amount that the customer can borrow or use in the...
What are reversing entries and why are they used? Definition of Reversing Entries Reversing entries are made on the first day of an accounting period to remove accrual adjusting entries that were made at the end of the...
What is the statement of stockholders' equity? Definition of the Statement of Stockholders’ Equity The statement of stockholders’ equity (also known as the statement of shareholders’ equity, statement of equity,...
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...
Why are sales a credit? Definition of Sales In accounting, sales are revenues earned when a company transfers ownership of its goods to its customers. Under the accrual basis or method of accounting, the sale occurs when...
What is interest payable? Definition of Interest Payable Interest payable is the interest expense that has been incurred (has already occurred) but has not been paid as of the date of the balance sheet. [Interest payable...
What is the difference between a ledger and a trial balance? Definition of a Ledger A ledger is often defined as a book of accounts. Today the ledger and its accounts are likely to be an electronic record or file....
How do the income statements of a sole proprietorship and a regular corporation differ? Definition of Income Statements of Sole Proprietorship and Regular Corporation The income statement of a sole proprietorship and a...
What is a special journal? Definition of a Special Journal A special journal (also known as a specialized journal) is useful in a manual accounting or bookkeeping system to reduce the tedious task of recording both the...
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 a standard cost? Definition of Standard Cost A standard cost is described as a predetermined cost, an estimated future cost, an expected cost, a budgeted unit cost, a forecast cost, or as the “should be”...
Featured Review
"AccountingCoach is an amazing self-teaching tool for those first starting out and also for those that need the refresher course. It is written in a very engaging style that motivates you to read and continue to learn. It is very easy to understand, and breaks down a complicated subject matter into a progressive 'simple to learn and achieve success' system. I am enjoying AccountingCoach so much. I chose to be a member for life. Adding AccountingCoach to my toolbox has been one of the best investments I've made." - Cheryl
Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials
Read all 2,645 reviews
For the past 52 years, Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has
worked as an accounting supervisor, manager, consultant, university instructor, and innovator in teaching accounting online. He is the sole author of all the materials on AccountingCoach.com.
We now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping: