AccountingQA Latest Questions

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  2. SidharthBadlani CA Inter Student
    This answer was edited.

    Prepaid expense means a service to be rendered in the future period for which the business has already paid the remuneration. Prepaid expenses are classified as assets. The benefits of this payment will accrue to the business at a later period.  For example, insurance is often paid for annually on tRead more

    Prepaid expense means a service to be rendered in the future period for which the business has already paid the remuneration. Prepaid expenses are classified as assets. The benefits of this payment will accrue to the business at a later period. 

    For example, insurance is often paid for annually on the basis of the calendar year. A business may pay insurance every year on 1st January for that entire year. While preparing the financial statements on 31st March, it will recognize the insurance premium for the period 1st April to 31st December of the next financial year as a prepaid insurance expense. 

    Why are prepaid expenses classified as assets? 

    First of all, let us understand what an asset is. An asset is anything over which the business has ownership rights and which it can sell for money. The benefits of this asset should accrue to the business. 

    In light of this definition, let us analyze prepaid expenses as an asset. As the business has already paid for these goods or services, it becomes a legal right of the business to receive the relevant goods or services at a later date. As the benefit of this expense would accrue to the business only at a later date, the prepaid expenses are classified as an asset. 

    Some examples of prepaid expenses are prepaid insurance, prepaid rent etc

    Treatment of Prepaid Expenses

    Prepaid expenses are recorded in the balance sheet under the heading “Current Assets” and sub-heading “Other Current Assets”

    As per the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or GAAP, expenses must be recognized in the accounting period to which they relate or in which the benefit due to them is likely to arise. Thus, we cannot recognize the prepaid expenses in the accounting period in which they are incurred. 

    Prepaid assets are classified as assets and carried forward in the balance sheet to be debited in the income statement of the accounting period to which they relate. 

    Adjusting Entries

    Adjusting entries are those entries that are used to recognize prepaid expenses in the income statement of the period to which they relate. These entries are not used to record new transactions. They ensure compliance with GAAP by recognizing the expenses in the period to which they relate. 

    Conclusion

    The GAAP and basic definition of an asset govern the treatment of prepaid expenses as an asset. The business incurs them in an accounting period different from the accounting period in which their benefit would accrue to the business. The business has a legal right to receive those goods or services. 

    The business carries them as a current asset on the balance sheet. In the relevant accounting period, they are recognized in the income statement. 

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  2. Ishika Pandey Curious ca aspirant
    This answer was edited.

    Definition The trial balance is a list of all the closing balances of the general ledger at the end of the year. Or in other words, I can say that it is a statement showing debit and credit balances. A trial balance is prepared on a particular date and not on a particular period. Importance As the tRead more

    Definition

    The trial balance is a list of all the closing balances of the general ledger at the end of the year. Or in other words, I can say that it is a statement showing debit and credit balances.

    A trial balance is prepared on a particular date and not on a particular period.

    Importance

    As the trial balance is prepared at the end of the year so it is important for the preparation of financial statements like balance sheet or profit and loss

    Purpose of trial balance which are as follows:

      • To verify the arithmetical accuracy of the ledger accounts
      • This means trial balance indicates that equal debits and credits have been recorded in the ledger accounts.
      • It enables one to establish whether the posting and other accounting processes have been carried out without any arithmetical errors.
      • To help in locating errors
      • There can be some errors if the trial balance is untallied therefore to get error-free financial statements trial balance is prepared.
      • To facilitates the preparation of financial statements
      • A trial balance helps us to directly prepare the financial statements and then which gives us the right to not look or no need to refer to the ledger accounts.

     

    Preparation of trial balance

      • To verify the correctness of the posting of ledger accounts in the terms of debit credit amounts periodically, a periodic trial balance may be prepared ( say ) at the end of the month or quarter, or half year.
      • There is no point in denying that a trial balance can be prepared at any time.
      • But it should at least be prepared at the end of the accounting period to verify the arithmetical accuracy of the ledger accounts before the preparation of financial statements.

     

    Methods of preparation

    • Balance method
    • Total amount methods

     

    These are two methods that you can use to prepare trail balance, now let me explain to you in detail about these methods which are as follows:-

     

    Balance method

    • The balances of all the accounts ( including cash and bank account ) are incorporated in the trial balance.
    • When ledger accounts are balanced only this method can be used.
    • This method is generally used by accountants for preparation of the financial statements.

     

    Total amount method

    • Under this method, the total amount of debit and credit items in each ledger account is incorporated into the trial balance.
    • This method can be used immediately after the completion of posting from the books of the original entry ledger.

     

    Steps to prepare a trial balance

    • First, we need to decide the method to opt for the preparation of the trial balance which is mentioned above.
    • Then once opted, collect all the balances as per the method adopted and prepare accordingly by posting the debit and credit side of the trial balance.
    • After this process arrange all the accounts in order of their nature (assets, liabilities, equity, income, and expenses ).
    • Then you have to total debit and credit balances separately.
    • After the above steps if there is any difference between the total debit and credit side balances then that is adjusted through the suspense account.

     

    A suspense account is generated when the above case arises that is trial balance did not agree after transferring the balance of all ledger accounts including cash and bank balance.

    And also errors are not located in  timely, then the trial balance is tallied by transferring the difference between the debit and credit side to an account known as a suspense account.

     

    Rules of trial balance

    When we prepare a trial balance from the given list of ledger balances, the following rules to be kept in mind that are as follows :

    • The balance of all
    • Assets accounts
    • Expenses accounts
    • Losses
    • Drawings
    • Cash and bank balances

    Are placed in the debit column of the trial balance.

    • The balances of
    • liabilities accounts
    • income accounts
    • profits
    • capital

    Are placed in the credit column of the trial balance.

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Wages Outstanding Wages and Salaries Director’s Remuneration Advance Payment of Wages All of the Above

  2. SidharthBadlani CA Inter Student
    This answer was edited.

    The correct answer is option B. Wages and salaries are debited to the trading account. The trading account helps us to determine the Gross Profit Or Loss that a company earns or incurs by carrying on its core manufacturing or trading activities. Let us discuss the above items and their treatments inRead more

    The correct answer is option B. Wages and salaries are debited to the trading account.

    The trading account helps us to determine the Gross Profit Or Loss that a company earns or incurs by carrying on its core manufacturing or trading activities.

    Let us discuss the above items and their treatments in the final accounts one at a time:

    Wages Outstanding

    Firstly, “wages outstanding” is not debited into the trading account. It is a liability that is shown in the balance sheet.

    Outstanding wages imply remuneration due to be paid to the workers for the services they have already rendered to the business.

    Since the company has already received the service, it becomes a legal obligation for it to pay the wages to the workers for those services. Hence, outstanding wages are a liability.

    Wages and Salaries

    Wages and Salaries are debited to the trading account.

    Wages Vs Salaries

    Let us understand the difference between wages and salaries. Wages are the regular payments that are made daily, weekly or fortnightly. Such payments are mostly made to factory workers.

    Salaries, on the other hand, are assumed to imply the remuneration paid to office workers and sales staff.

    Wages are debited to the trading account, while salaries are debited to the Profit and Loss account.

    Director’s Remuneration

    No, the director’s remuneration is not debited to the trading account. This is because director’s generation is a business expense. It is a kind of salary provided to the director for the services rendered by him to the company.

    Directors’ remuneration refers to compensation the company gives to its directors for the services rendered. It is debited to the Profit and Loss Account.

    Advance Payment of Wages

    No, advance payment of wages is not debited to a trading account. It is shown by reducing it to wages. Advance payment of wages implying paying remuneration to the workers before the commencement of the period for which the wages relate to.

    However, one must note that if both wages and prepaid wages appear within the trial balance, then only the figure written against wages would appear in the trading account. There would be no treatment for prepaid wages.

    Let us consider a scenario where wages of amount 5,000 is appearing inside trial balance. Outside the trial balance, the following information is provided

    • Wages prepaid for the current financial year = 1,000
    • Wages prepaid for the next financial year = 2,000

    In the above case, the total wages to be debited to the trading account would be 5,000 + 1,000 – 2,000 = 4,000

    Significance of the Final Accounts

    • It helps in determining the net profit or loss of the entity for the current financial year.
    • It is a major source of guidance for investors. Shareholders decide whether or not to invest in a company on the basis of final accounts.
    • It allows banks and investors to see your business’s total income, debt load a,nd financial stability.

     

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  2. SidharthBadlani CA Inter Student
    This answer was edited.

    The profit earned by an entity is determined through the profit and loss account. All the expenses are recorded on the debit side of the profit and loss account while all the incomes are recorded on the credit side. The profit is shown as the credit balance of profit and loss A/c. When the sum of itRead more

    The profit earned by an entity is determined through the profit and loss account. All the expenses are recorded on the debit side of the profit and loss account while all the incomes are recorded on the credit side.

    The profit is shown as the credit balance of profit and loss A/c. When the sum of items on the debit side of a profit and loss account is less than the sum of those on the credit side, it implies profit while when the sum of the items on the credit side is less than the sum of those on the debit side, it implies a loss for the entity.

    The Reason for Credit

    Profit is recorded as an increase in equity

    To understand the reason why profit is recorded as a credit balance, we must first understand the basic principle of debit and credit.

    The basic principle of debits and credits is that debits increase asset accounts and decrease liability and equity accounts while credits decrease asset accounts and increase liability and equity accounts.

    The revenue that a company earns is credited to the income account and increases equity.

    The expenses that a company incurs to earn that revenue are debited to the expense account and decrease equity.

    The difference between revenue and expenses is the profit, which is recorded as an increase in equity.

    Increase in equity due to revenue – decrease in equity due to expense = profit

    Gross Profit Vs Net Profit

    Revenue is the total income that a business or profession earns. Profit is the excess revenue that remains after reducing all expenses from it.

    Gross profit is the profit that a company earns after reducing the cost of goods sold from sales revenue while net profit is the profit that a business earns after reducing the total of all its direct and indirect expenses from its direct as well as indirect allowable business income.

     

    Conclusion

    The basic principle of debit and credit governs the classification of profit as a debit or credit. Since profit increases our equity, it is a credit.

    In the case of a company, it belongs to the shareholders. It is usually recorded in the retained earnings account. Profit can be reinvested in the business or can be distributed as a dividend. In the case of a sole proprietorship, the profit belongs to the owner and is recorded in the owner’s capital account.

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  2. Ishika Pandey Curious ca aspirant
    This answer was edited.

    What is net credit sales? Net credit sales are those revenues by a business entity, less all sales returns and allowances. Immediate payment in cash is not included in net credit sales. Formula  The formula for net credit sales is as follows: Net credit sales  = Sales on credit - Sales returns - SalRead more

    What is net credit sales?

    Net credit sales are those revenues by a business entity, less all sales returns and allowances. Immediate payment in cash is not included in net credit sales.

    Formula

     The formula for net credit sales is as follows:

    Net credit sales  = Sales on credit – Sales returns – Sales allowances

    In the balance sheet, you can find credit sales in the “short-term assets “section. It can be calculated from account receivables, bills receivables, and debtors of the balance sheet.

    Credit sales = closing debtors + receipts – opening debtors

    Steps to calculate net credit sales

    • Calculate total sales for the period
    • Subtract the Sales Returns
    • Subtract the Sales Allowances
    • Subtract the Cash Sales ( if any )

     

    Terms relevant to understand before calculation

    Sales return:  A sales return is when a customer or client returns or sends a product back to the seller. And this can happen due to various reasons, including:

    • Excess quantity ordered
    • Not upto Customer expectations
    • Shipping delays ( product arrived late )
    • Accidentally ordered an item and there can be more such reasons.

    Sales allowance: A sales allowance is a discount that a seller offers a buyer as an alternative to the buyer for returning the product.

    Because of a problem or issue with the buyer’s order or we can say that he is not satisfied with the product.

    Cash sales: Cash sales are sales in which the payment is done at once or I can say that buyer has obligation to make payment to the seller.

    Cash sales are considered to include bills, checks, credit cards, and money orders as forms of payment.

    Example

    Now after understanding the terms used in the formula let me explain to you with an example which is as follows:-

      • First, we will calculate the Total Sales for the Period:- In the month of May, Flipkart company had cash sales of Rs 80,000. The total amount in Accounts Receivables is Rs 150,000, with Rs 30,000 as the carryover from April’s receivables.
      • Since you only want to know about credit sales in the current period (September), you subtract Rs 30,000 from the total. This means that for the month of September, Flipcart Company had sales totaling Rs 200,000 (80,000 + 120,000).

     

      • Second, we will subtract the Sales Returns:- During the month of September, Flipcart Company issued Rs 20,000 in refunds, because several items were damaged during shipment, so the customer could not use them.
      • This amount would reduce the total number of cash sales if the accounts receivable balance was from a credit customer. This reduces the total sales to Rs 180,000 (Rs 200,000 in total sales – Rs 20,000 in returns).

     

      • Thirdly we will subtract the Sales Allowances:- Sales allowances are discounts offered to customers for not asking for full refunds.
      • For example, an item that had been shipped to a customer was the wrong size, but the customer told that he will agree to keep the item if the price could be adjusted. Flipcart Company issued Rs 10,000 in allowances in May.
      • After this deduction, the total sales for May are Rs 170,000 (Rs 180,000 – Rs 10,000).

     

      • Then at last there are any cash sales then subtract:- After figuring out the total number of sales for September and then subtracting the sales returns and allowances, the cash sales are deducted since you are focusing on net credit sales for the period.
      • After deducting the Rs 60,000 in cash sales, Flipcart Company has Rs 110,000 as net credit sales.

     

    Why do we need net credit sales?

    • Net Credit sales help to calculate the accounts receivable turnover ratio.

     

    • Net credit sales also indicate the amount of credit you offer to your customer.

     

    •  Net credit sale is also used to calculate other financial analysis items like days sales outstanding.
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  2. SidharthBadlani CA Inter Student
    This answer was edited.

    Net credit sales can be defined as the total sales made by a business on credit over a given period of time less the sales returns and allowances and discounts such as trade discounts. Net Credit Sales = Gross Credit Sales – Returns – Discounts – Allowances. Credit sales can be calculated from the ARead more

    Net credit sales can be defined as the total sales made by a business on credit over a given period of time less the sales returns and allowances and discounts such as trade discounts.

    Net Credit Sales = Gross Credit Sales – Returns – Discounts – Allowances.

    Credit sales can be calculated from the Accounts receivable/ Bills Receivable/ Debtors figure in the Balance Sheet. It will be normally shown under the Current Assets head in the Balance Sheet.

    Credit sales = Closing debtors + Receipts – Opening debtors.

    Alternatively, you may observe the bills receivable ledger account to locate the figure of credit sales.

     

    Net Credit Sales and related terms

    Before we try to understand the concept of net credit sales with an example, let us discuss the term sales return. Sales return means the goods returned by the customer to the seller. It may be due to defects or any other reasons.

    Now let us take an example. John is a retail businessman. He sells smartphones. He buys 100 smartphones from Vivo on credit. The smartphones are worth ₹1.5 lahks. He then returns smartphones worth 20,000 rupees to Vivo. He also gets an allowance of rupees 5,000 from Vivo.

    In the above example, the credit sales of Vivo are of rupees 1.5 lakh. The net credit sales is of

    1.5 lakh – 20,000 – 5, 000 = 1.25 lakh rupees.

    Importance of Net Credit Sales

    • Net Credit Sales figure together with the accounts receivable figure acts as an indicator of the credit policy of the company.
    • It offers insights into the ability of the company to meet short-term cash obligations.
    • The credit policy also affects the total current assets that the company has in the manifestation of Accounts Receivable

    Advantages and Disadvantages of Credit Sales.

    Advantages 

    • Increased Sales – The credit Policy facilitates increased sales for the company. The company can attract more customers with a liberal credit policy. For example, Apple got more customers when it started to sell its products on an EMI basis.
    • Customer Loyalty / Retention- Regular customers can be retained and made to feel honored by offering them more liberal credit terms.

    Disadvantages 

    • Delay in Cash Collection – Credit Sales imply that the company would get cash on a delayed basis. This money could have otherwise been put to use for some other profitable venture or could have borne interest for the company
    • Collection Expenses– The company had to incur additional expenditures for collecting money from debtors.
    • Risk of Bad Debts – With credit sales, there is always the risk that the buyer may become bankrupt and may not be able to pay the money due to the seller.
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  2. Bonnie Curious MBA (Finance)
    This answer was edited.

    As per the Golden Rules As per the golden rules of accounting, a trading account is a nominal account. To ensure that financial statements accurately reflect a business's financial position and performance, the golden rules of accounting guide the preparation of financial statements. The point to noRead more

    As per the Golden Rules

    As per the golden rules of accounting, a trading account is a nominal account. To ensure that financial statements accurately reflect a business’s financial position and performance, the golden rules of accounting guide the preparation of financial statements.

    The point to note is that it is almost impossible to apply the rules of debit and credit with certain accounts such as Trading A/c, Profit & Loss A/c, etc.

     

    As per the Modern Rules

    The purpose of a trading account is to record transactions related to the purchase and sale of goods for a business. In other words, it serves as a recording and reporting mechanism for business income and expenses.

    An accounting period, like a month, quarter, or year, is the time when a trading account is prepared. It is used to calculate the business’s net profit or loss. Other financial statements, such as the balance sheet, are prepared using the information in a trading account.

    In summary, a trading account is a type of income statement account that is used to track and report on the income and expenses from a business’s buying and selling activities

     

    Rules of Debit and Credit

    There are three main types of accounts according to the legacy rules of debit and credit: personal accounts, real accounts, and nominal accounts. A personal account is one that is related to an individual or entity owing the business money (e.g. a customer), or owing the business money (e.g. a supplier).

    A real account is one that relates to assets such as cash, inventory, and property.

    Nominal accounts are accounts that relate to income and expenses, such as a “trading account”.

    To summarize, a trading account is a nominal account used to record and report the business’s income and expenses resulting from its buying and selling activities.

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