A potential liability dependent upon some future event occurring or not occurring. For example, a company is named as a defendant in a $1 million lawsuit. Does that mean the company automatically has a liability of $1 million? What if the lawsuit has no merit and can easily be defended? If it is probable that the company will lose and the amount can be estimated, a journal entry is prepared to debit Loss from Lawsuit and to credit Lawsuit Payable. If it is possible but not probable that the company will lose, the journal entry is not made but instead there will be a footnote disclosure. If the lawsuit is remote (a nuisance suit without any merit), there is no need for a journal entry and no need to disclose the lawsuit. Accountants usually consider product warranties to be a contingent liability that is both probable and can be estimated and is therefore recorded with a journal entry.
Featured Review
"Getting a lifetime PRO membership at AccountingCoach was one of the best investments I have ever made in the field of accounting and finance. AccountingCoach makes accounting concepts and principles easy to understand and I have learned a great deal from using AccountingCoach in the last few years. I am a licensed tax preparer and I took accounting courses many ages ago. Having 24/7 access to a well-organized set of materials on a wide range of topics on accounting and bookkeeping has been very valuable to me. It has helped me stay up-to-date with my knowledge and understanding of modern-day accounting concepts, and as a result, better digest and dissect financial statements given to me by my business clients. Thank you, AccountingCoach." - Anonymous
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: