What does it mean to amortize a loan? Definition of Amortize a Loan To amortize a loan usually means establishing a series of equal monthly payments that will provide the lender with: An interest payment based on the...
What does it mean to amortize a loan? Definition of Amortize a Loan To amortize a loan usually means establishing a series of equal monthly payments that will provide the lender with: An interest payment based on the...
What is Additional Medicare Tax? Definition of Additional Medicare Tax The Additional Medicare Tax is one of the U.S. government’s payroll withholding taxes that is paid solely by employees and the self-employed. In...
What is inflation accounting? In the U.S., inflation accounting has resulted in optional supplementary disclosures on the effects of 1) general inflation, and 2) changes in the prices of specific types of assets. In...
How do you write off a bad account? Definition of the Write-off of a Bad Account The write-off of a bad account usually refers to eliminating an account receivable due to the customer’s inability to pay the amount...
What are the limitations of the balance sheet? Definition of Balance Sheet The balance sheet is one of the main required financial statements. It is also known as the statement of financial position. The balance sheet...
How do you record a return deposit item on a bank statement? Definition of Return Deposit Item A return deposit item is usually a customer’s check that was part of a company’s bank deposit. When the company’s bank...
What is the death spiral? Definition of Death Spiral In cost accounting and managerial accounting, the term death spiral refers to the repeated elimination of a manufacturer’s products which will result in spreading...
Why is there a difference in the amounts for Bad Debts Expense and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts? Amount Reported as Bad Debts Expense The amount reported in the income statement account Bad Debts Expense pertains to...
What is net realizable value? Definition of Net Realizable Value Net realizable value (NRV) is the cash amount that a company expects to receive. Hence, net realizable value is sometimes referred to as cash realizable...
What are the various types of adjusting entries? Types of Adjusting Entries Adjusting entries, which are required in order to have a company’s financial statements comply with the accrual method of accounting, are...
Why can a retailer record its purchase of merchandise as a debit to purchases within the cost of goods sold, instead of the asset inventory? Before we explain why companies will record the purchases of merchandise in the...
What is the cost of goods sold? Definition of Cost of Goods Sold The cost of goods sold is the cost of the products that a retailer, distributor, or manufacturer has sold. The cost of goods sold is reported on the income...
What is the difference between adjusting entries and closing entries? Definition of Adjusting Entries Adjusting entries are made at the end of the accounting period (but prior to preparing the financial statements) in...
What is FICA? Definition of FICA FICA is the acronym for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. FICA consists of the U.S. Social Security payroll tax and the Medicare payroll tax. The FICA payroll tax is withheld from...
Would you please help me understand opportunity cost? You might think of opportunity cost as the profit you had to forego. Let’s illustrate this with a little story. Suppose that you are the sole owner of a company...
Why do you separate current liabilities from long-term liabilities? Definition of Current Liabilities and Long-term Liabilities Generally, current liabilities are a company’s obligations that are due within one year of...
How do I calculate the amount of sales tax that is included in total receipts? Sales Tax Calculation To calculate the sales tax that is included in a company’s receipts, divide the total amount received (for the items...
Why does a cost system developed for inventory valuation distort product cost information? The cost system for inventory valuation may have been developed to provide a reasonable total cost of inventory and a reasonable...
What is a limitation of the inventory turnover ratio? Definition of Inventory Turnover Ratio The inventory turnover ratio is often calculated by dividing a company’s cost of goods sold for a recent year by the average...
What is a fixed cost? Definition of Fixed Cost A fixed cost is one that does not change in total within a reasonable range of activity. Since the fixed cost remains constant in total, the fixed cost per unit of activity...
What is the allowance method? Definition of Allowance Method The allowance method usually refers to one of the two ways for reporting bad debts expense that results from a company selling goods or services on credit....
Our income statement shows wide fluctuations in utilities expense from month to month. I suspect our accounting is not proper. Any suggestions? Under accrual accounting, your income statement should report the amount for...
Is sales tax an expense or a liability? Definition of Sales Tax In the U.S., a sales tax is a state tax (and possibly an additional city and/or county tax) that is paid by the buyer at the time of purchase. The sales tax...
What is an accounting period? Definition of Accounting Period An accounting period is the period of time covered by a company’s financial statements. Common accounting periods for external financial statements include...
Why use normal costing instead of actual costing? Definition of Normal Costing For a manufacturer, normal costing means assigning the following costs to the actual goods produced each month: Actual direct materials...
What is the annual wage limit? Definition of Annual Wage Limit Annual wage limit is a payroll accounting term that is associated with the Social Security payroll tax. (The annual wage limit is also known as the annual...
How do you calculate opportunity costs? Definition of Opportunity Costs Opportunity costs are the profits a company (or person) missed, or the contribution margin that was missed. Opportunity cost might be thought of as...
What is the materials usage variance? Definition of Materials Usage Variance The materials usage variance or materials quantity variance is associated with a standard costing system. This variance results when the actual...
Are the goods purchased by a retailer an expense or an asset? Definition of Goods Purchased by a Retailer The goods purchased by a retailer are the products or merchandise that it buys and plans to resell. The goods that...
What is the matching principle? Definition of Matching Principle The matching principle is one of the basic underlying guidelines in accounting. The matching principle directs a company to report an expense on its income...
Why do purchases appear as expenses on an income statement? Definition of Purchases In the context of companies that sell merchandise, the term purchases refers to the purchases of goods that are intended to be sold to...
What should be the entry when goods are purchased at a discount? Definition of Goods Purchased at a Discount There are two common types of discounts for companies buying goods to resell: Trade discount Early payment...
What is the major weakness of the traditional method of allocating factory overhead? Definition of Traditional Method Allocating Factory Overhead The traditional method of allocating factory overhead (manufacturing...
Why are assets and expenses increased with a debit? Definition of Debit In accounting the term debit indicates the left side of a general ledger account or the left side of a T-account. (The right side of an account or a...
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 net sales? Definition of Net Sales Under the accrual basis of accounting, net sales is the total amount of goods shipped/delivered to customers during a specified period of time minus any early payment discounts...
What is the difference between FIFO and LIFO? Difference Between FIFO and LIFO The difference between FIFO and LIFO will exist only if the unit costs of a company’s products are increasing or decreasing. U.S. companies...
What does it mean to amortize the premium, discount, and issue costs on bonds payable? Definition of Amortize Premium, Discount, and Issue Costs With regards to bonds payable, the term amortize means to systematically...
Should inventories be reported at their cost or at their selling prices? Definition of Inventory Cost Inventories are reported at cost, not at selling prices. A retailer’s inventory cost is the cost to purchase the...
What is simple linear regression analysis? What is Simple Linear Regression Analysis Simple linear regression analysis is a statistical tool for quantifying the relationship between one independent variable (hence...
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