Course Outline
Join PRO

What are the two methods for recording prepaid expenses?

Author:
Harold Averkamp, CPA, MBA

Definition of Prepaid Expenses

Prepaid expenses refers to payments made in advance and part of the amount will become an expense in a future accounting period. A common example is paying a 6-month insurance premium in December that provides coverage from December 1 through May 31.

Examples of Two Methods for Recording Prepaid Expenses

One method for recording a prepaid expense is to record the entire payment in an asset account. For example, assume that on December 1 a company pays an insurance premium of $2,400 for 6 months of liability insurance coverage:

  • On December 1 the company debits Prepaid Insurance for $2,400 and credits Cash for $2,400
  • On the last day of December and on the last day of the following 5 months the company needs to record an adjusting entry that debits Insurance Expense for $400 ($2,400 divided by 6 months) and credits Prepaid Insurance for $400

A second method of recording a prepaid expense is to record the entire payment in the expense account. Using the information above, the following entries will occur:

  • On December 1 the company debits Insurance Expense for $2,400 and credits Cash for $2,400
  • On the last day of December the company records an adjusting entry that debits the asset account Prepaid Insurance for $2,000 ($2,400 divided by 6 months times the 5 months that will be prepaid as of December 31) and credits Insurance Expense for $2,000
  • At the end of each of the following 5 months the adjusting entry will debit Insurance Expense for $400 and will credit Prepaid Insurance for $400

Either method for recording prepaid expenses could be used as long as the asset account balance is equal to the unexpired or unused cost as of each balance sheet date.

Join PRO to Track Progress

Advance Your Accounting and Bookkeeping Career

Must Watch image

  • Perform better at your job
  • Get hired for a new position
  • Understand your small business
  • Pass your accounting class
Watch the Video
Certificates of Achievement

Earn Our Certificates of Achievement

Certificates of Achievement
  • Debits and Credits
  • Adjusting Entries
  • Financial Statements
  • Balance Sheet
  • Income Statement
  • Cash Flow Statement
  • Working Capital and Liquidity
  • Financial Ratios
  • Bank Reconciliation
  • Accounts Receivable and Bad Debts Expense
  • Depreciation
  • Payroll Accounting
View PRO Plus Features

Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials

Read all 2,651 reviews

Features

PRO

PRO Plus

Features
Lifetime Access (One-Time Fee)
Explanations
Quizzes
Q&A
Word Scrambles
Crosswords
Bookkeeping Video Training
Financial Statements Video Training
Flashcards
Visual Tutorials
Quick Tests
Quick Tests with Coaching
Cheat Sheets
Bookkeeping Study Guide
Managerial Study Guide
Business Forms
All PDF Files
Progress Tracking
Earn Badges and Points
Certificate - Debits and Credits
Certificate - Adjusting Entries
Certificate - Financial Statements
Certificate - Balance Sheet
Certificate - Income Statement
Certificate - Cash Flow Statement
Certificate - Working Capital
Certificate - Financial Ratios
Certificate - Bank Reconciliation
Certificate - Accounts Receivable and Bad Debts Expense
Certificate - Depreciation
Certificate - Payroll Accounting

About the Author

Harold Averkamp

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.

Learn More About Harold

Read 2,651 Testimonials

Take the Tour Join Pro Upgrade to Pro Plus