The term ‘contra’ means 'opposite'. Therefore, a contra revenue account is an account that is opposite of the revenue accounts of a business i.e. sales account. It has the opposite balance of the revenue account i.e. debit balance. The purpose of the contra revenue account is to ascertain the actuaRead more
The term ‘contra’ means ‘opposite’. Therefore, a contra revenue account is an account that is opposite of the revenue accounts of a business i.e. sales account. It has the opposite balance of the revenue account i.e. debit balance.
The purpose of the contra revenue account is to ascertain the actual amount of sales and record the items which have reduced the sales.
These are the contra revenue accounts commonly seen in businesses:
- Sales return account: This account records the amount of goods sold returned by customers. The journal entry for recording sale return is as follow:

The total sales return is deducted from the sales in the balance sheet. Though being opposite of the sales account, the sale return account is not an expense account. It is considered an indirect loss as it reduces sales.
- Sale Discount account: This account records the amount of discount allowed to customers. The journal entry for recording sale discounts is as follows:

Sales discount is an expense hence it is debited to the profit and loss account.
Sales returns and sales discounts are shown in the trading and profit and loss account in the following manner:






A statutory reserve is any reserve that has to be maintained by an Act or law. When it comes to insurance, a statutory reserve is a reserve that an insurance company is legally bound to maintain to ensure that the company is able to meet its policy obligations. In India, as per the Banking RegulatioRead more
A statutory reserve is any reserve that has to be maintained by an Act or law. When it comes to insurance, a statutory reserve is a reserve that an insurance company is legally bound to maintain to ensure that the company is able to meet its policy obligations. In India, as per the Banking Regulations Act, every banking company has to maintain at least 25% of its net profits as statutory reserves.
The companies are required to maintain such reserves to guarantee the availability of cash when it is required by the customer. Common examples of statutory reserves are Cash reserve ratio (CSR), Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR).
Treatment
Method
Rule-Based Approach – The company calculates the amount required by using standard formulas. However, since they are pre-determined formulas, it does not cover all risk determining factors.
Principle-based approach – This method is used to protect customers and ensure that the company stays solvent. They hold a higher amount of reserves than required after predicting all possible risks.
Statutory reserves are different from general reserves as general reserves are maintained voluntarily by the company. A company that does not follow statutory requirements will face financial penalties. These reserves are mostly maintained in the form of cash.
Maintenance of reserves gives confidence to investors that their money is secure. However, funds from these reserves can be used only for specific purposes. They should also maintain such reserves whether or not they earn profits.
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