AccountingQA Latest Questions

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

    Definition Bad debts are a debt owed to an enterprise that is considered to be irrecoverable or we can say that it is owed to the business that is written off because it is irrecoverable. Sometimes debtors are unable to pay the amount due either partially or fully. the amount that is not receivableRead more

    Definition

    Bad debts are a debt owed to an enterprise that is considered to be irrecoverable or we can say that it is owed to the business that is written off because it is irrecoverable.

    Sometimes debtors are unable to pay the amount due either partially or fully. the amount that is not receivable is a loss and is called bad debt.

    Bad debts are neither assets nor liabilities they are expenses that are debited to the profit and loss account and reduced from debtors in the balance sheet.

    For example loans from banks are declared as bad debt, sales made on credit and amounts not received from customers, etc.

     

    Related terms

    So there are a few related terms whose meanings you should know

    • Further bad debts :
      • It means the amount of sundry debtors in the trial balance is before the deduction of bad debts. in this situation, entry for further bad debts is also passed into the books of account.
      • That is bad debts are debited and the debtor’s account is credited. And the accounting treatment for them is the same as bad debts which I have shown you above.

     

    • Bad debts recovered :
      • It may happen that the amount written off as bad debts are recovered fully or partially.
      • In that case, the amount is not credited to the debtor’s (personal) account but is credited to the bad debts recovered account because the amount recovered had been earlier written off as a loss.
      • Thus amount recovered is a ‘gain’  and is credited to the profit and loss account.

     

    Accounting methods

    There are two methods for accounting for bad debts which are mentioned below:-

    • First, is the direct written-off method which states that bad debts will be directly treated as expenses and expensed to the income statement, which is called the profit and loss account.

     

    • Second, is the allowance method which means we create provisions for doubtful debts accounts and the debtor’s account remains as it is since the debtor’s account and provision for doubtful debts account are two separate accounts.

     

      • Debts that are doubtful of recovery are provided estimating the debts that may not be recovered .amount debited to the profit and loss account reduces the current year’s profit and the amount of provision is carried forward to the next year.
      • Next year, when debts actually become bad debts and are written off, the amount of bad debts is transferred ( debited ) to the provision for doubtful debts account.
      • The amount of bad debts is not debited to the profit and loss account since it was already debited in earlier years.
      • Provision for doubtful debts is shown in the debit side of the profit and loss account as well as shown as a deduction from sundry debtors in the assets side of the balance sheet. 

     

    Accounting treatment

    Now let me try to explain to you the accounting treatment for bad debts which is as follows :

    • Balance sheet

     

      • In the balance sheet either it can be shown on the asset side under the head, current assets by reducing from that specific assets.
      • For example, if credit sales are made to a customer who says it’s not recoverable or is partially recoverable then the amount is bad debt. It’s a loss for the business and credited to the personal account of debtors or we can say reduced from debtor those are current assets of the balance sheet.

     

    • Profit and loss account

     

      • Bad debts are treated as expenses and debited to the profit and loss account.
      • For example, as I have explained above, before transferring to the balance sheet, bad debt will be debited to the profit and loss account as an expense.

    Now let me show you the extract of the profit and loss account and balance sheet showing bad debts and bad debts recovered which are as follows:-

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Simerpreet
SimerpreetHelpful
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  2. Saurav
    This answer was edited.

    Debit balance means excess of credit side over debit side. For Example- At the beginning of the year the debit balance of trade receivables is 3,000 and there is a decrease(credit) of trade receivables of 1,000 during the year and an increase(debit) of trade receivables of 4,000 then at the end therRead more

    Debit balance means excess of credit side over debit side.

    For Example- At the beginning of the year the debit balance of trade receivables is 3,000 and there is a decrease(credit) of trade receivables of 1,000 during the year and an increase(debit) of trade receivables of 4,000 then at the end there will be a debit balance of 6,000 of trade receivables at the end

    A Debit balance basically signifies all expenses and losses and all positive balances of assets. The debit balance increases when any asset increases and decreases when any asset decreases.

    Assets

    All the assets that appear in the balance sheet always have a debit balance. The debit balance under it will increase as it debits. Some of these assets can be illustrated below -:

    •  Cash and Bank Balance: Cash and Bank Balance means the amount that is held by a person in physical form or in a current/savings account.
    • Property, Plant, and Equipment-  Property Plant, and Equipment means assets that are used for the production of goods and services.
    • Account Receivables– Account Receivables means the amount that is due from debtors to whom goods were sold at credit for a specified time period.
    • Inventory – Inventory means goods that are used in the normal course of business.
    • Investments– Investments are the amount invested in other companies from which they were expecting returns in future periods.

     

    Expenses and Losses

    All expenses that appear on the debit side of the P&L account have a debit balance in their accounts.

    For eg-: A rent of 10,000 is given to the landlord under which the work has been done by the entity.

    For eg-: A depreciation of 10% is there on an asset of 12,000 will result in a debit balance under depreciation in the P&L Account.

    Some of the following expenses can be illustrated below

    • Rent- Rent means a property that an entity takes on lease for business purpose and pay a certain amount to the landlord for such lease.
    • Depreciation– Depreciation means a fall in the value of an asset due to its usage every year
    • Loss on Sale of an asset- Loss on the Sale of an Asset means the sale amount of the asset is less than its WDV
    • Printing and stationery– Printing and Stationery means the paperwork or anything related to stationery used for business purposes
    • Audit fees– Audit fees are the amount which is given to an auditor for auditing the financials of an entity
    • Salaries and Wages– Salaries and Wages are the amount given to employees for the work they have done for the entity
    • Insurance– Insurance means a premium given by an entity for insurance done by them
    • Advertising– Advertising means any promotion that a company does of its product to increase its revenue

    So after seeing all the above points we can conclude that the debit balance includes all the expenses that are in the P&L account and all the assets that are there in the Balance sheet. So its balance increases when there is an increase in its account.

     

    CREDIT BALANCE

    Credit balance means excess of credit side over debit side.

    For example, At the beginning of the year, the credit balance of trade payable is 3,000 and there is a debit of trade payable of 1,000 during the year and an increase(credit) of trade payable of 4,000 then at end there will be a credit balance of 6,000 for trade payable at the end

    .A Credit balance signifies all income and gains and all liabilities and capital that is there in business.

    Liabilities

    • Account Payables
    • Bank Overdraft
    • Bonds
    • Income Tax Payables
    • Notes Payable
    • Deferred Tax Liability

     

    Income and Gains

    • Interest Received
    • Dividend Received
    • Rent Received
    • Gains on Sale of Capital Gains

     

     

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Astha
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CreditDebitOpening Balance
  2. Simerpreet Helpful CMA Inter qualified
    This answer was edited.

    Let us begin with a short explanation of what opening balance is: The opening balance is the amount of funds that are bought forward from the end of one accounting period to the beginning of a new accounting period. In a firm’s account, the first entry done is of the opening balance. It can either hRead more

    Let us begin with a short explanation of what opening balance is:

    The opening balance is the amount of funds that are bought forward from the end of one accounting period to the beginning of a new accounting period.

    In a firm’s account, the first entry done is of the opening balance. It can either have a debit balance or a credit balance depending upon whether the firm has a negative or positive balance.

    Opening balance of a ledger

    Opening balance is the first entry of the ledger account at the beginning of an accounting period.

    In the case of a newly started business, there will be no closing balances and as such there will be no balances to be carried forward. In such a case, the investment and capital of the business will be entered as an opening balance for the current accounting period.

    So the first and foremost part is to identify on which side of the ledger i.e. the debit side or the credit side the opening balance is to be entered.

    For Example, A trial balance is given which represents the debit and credit balances, accordingly, I will prepare different ledger accounts to make it simpler.

    The trial balance shows the opening balance of various accounts. Now posting them in ledger accounts.

    As the Furniture is an Asset account, the opening balance will be on the debit side of the ledger account.

    As Sundry creditor is a credit account,  we put the opening balance on the credit side.

    As the Capital is a credit account,  we put the opening balance on the credit side.

    As Wages is a debit account,  we put the opening balance on the debit side.

    As the Discount received is a credit account,  we put the opening balance on the credit side.

    Exception

    Drawing Account.

    Drawing account is an exception to this topic. It is considered a contra account to the owner’s capital account because it reduces the value of the owner’s equity. Drawings, therefore, have no opening balance.

    Contra Entry.

    Contra entry involves transactions of cash and bank. Any entry which involves both the cash and bank is contra entry.

    For example, we deposit cash 5000 into the bank.

    Accounting entry for this transaction would be

    In this case, the ledger entry would be

    As the bank account has a debit balance, the opening balance would come on the debit side.

    As the cash account has a credit balance, the opening balance would come on the credit side.

    Alternatively, If we withdraw cash 5000 from the bank.

    Accounting entry would be

    In this case, the ledger entry would be

    As the Cash account has a debit balance, the opening balance would come on the debit side.

    As the Bank account has a credit balance, the opening balance would come on the credit side.

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A_Team
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Bank statement and bank column of cash book Bank statement and cash column of cash book Bank column of cash book and cash column of cash book None of the above

Bank Reconciliation Statement
  2. Karan B.com and Pursuing ACCA
    This answer was edited.

    The correct answer is the 1. Bank statement and bank column of the cash book, because it will help the business to verify whether amounts entered and entries recorded are correct or not. It will also help in verifying the balances of bank statements and cash books whether they tally or not. What isRead more

    The correct answer is the 1. Bank statement and bank column of the cash book, because it will help the business to verify whether amounts entered and entries recorded are correct or not. It will also help in verifying the balances of bank statements and cash books whether they tally or not.

    What is Reconciliation?

    Reconciliation is an accounting procedure that compares two sets of records to check figures are correct and in agreement. Reconciliation can also be used for personal purposes.

    What is a Bank Reconciliation Statement?

    A statement showing causes of disagreement between the balance of bank statement and bank column of the cash book at the end of a specific period is called a Bank Reconciliation Statement.

    Steps in preparation of Bank Reconciliation Statement

    Step 1: Comparing items appearing on the debit and credit sides of the bank statement and bank column of the cash book.

    Step 2: Make a list of missed entries.

    Step 3: Analyse the causes of differences.

    Step 4: Select the date for the preparation of the Bank Reconciliation Statement.

    Step 5: Choose the starting point i.e balance as per cash book or balance as per bank statement.

    Step 6: Adjust the starting point by adding or subtracting the missed entries.

    Step 7: Bank Statement must match with the cash book.

    To prepare a bank reconciliation statement a business will need a bank statement from its bank and cash book which it prepares to record entries.

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Bonnie
BonnieCurious
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  2. Simerpreet Helpful CMA Inter qualified
    This answer was edited.

    To start with let me first explain the difference between receipts and income & payment and expenditure. Although Receipts and Income may look similar terms, there are some differences. Receipts have their relation with both cash and cheques received on account of various items of the organizatiRead more

    To start with let me first explain the difference between receipts and income & payment and expenditure.

    Although Receipts and Income may look similar terms, there are some differences.

    Receipts have their relation with both cash and cheques received on account of various items of the organization. Whereas, income is considered as a revenue item for finding surplus or deficit of the organization. All the receipts collected during the year may not be considered as income.

    For Example, if an organization sale of its assets that is of a capital nature, it would not be considered as an item of income and hence would be treated in the balance sheet.

    Similarly, Payment and Expenditure are two different terms. Payments are those that have their relation with cash and cheques given for various activities of the organization. Whereas, Expenditure is considered as revenue expenditure for ascertainment of surplus or deficit in the case of a not-for-profit organization. All payments made during the year may not be considered as expenditures.

    Differences

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Jayesh Gupta
Jayesh GuptaCurious
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  2. prashant06 B.com, CMA pursuing
    This answer was edited.

    Unfavorable balance as per cash book generally means credit balance in the cash book. This is also known as bank overdraft. Making the above definition more clear, unfavorable balance or bank overdraft means an excessive amount of cash withdrawn than what is deposited in the bank. Simply it is the lRead more

    Unfavorable balance as per cash book generally means credit balance in the cash book. This is also known as bank overdraft.

    Making the above definition more clear, unfavorable balance or bank overdraft means an excessive amount of cash withdrawn than what is deposited in the bank. Simply it is the loan taken from the bank. When there is an overdraft balance the treatment is just the opposite of that of favorable balance.

    Generally for business overdraft occurs when there is immediate or emergency funding for the short term. This can be seen for small and medium-sized businesses. This is considered to be convenient for these businesses because there is no requirement to pay interest on the lump-sum loan, only have to pay interest on the fund you use. Generally linked to an existing transaction account.

    To reconcile this we need to prepare a Bank reconciliation statement. The procedure of preparing BRS under unfavorable conditions is as follows

    • If we start from the cash book balance then “ADD” all the transactions resulting in an increase in the passbook. “DEDUCT” all the transactions that resulted in a decrease in the balance of the passbook. Then the net overdraft balance should be the same as in the passbook.
    • If we start from the balance as per the passbook then “ADD” all the transactions resulting in an increase in the balance of the cashbook and “DEDUCT” all the transactions related to a decrease in the balance of the cash book. The net overdraft balance as per the passbook should reconcile with the cash book.

     

    Let us take one example considering one of the above conditions.

    The cash book of M/s Alfa ltd shows a credit balance of Rs 6,500.

    • A Cheque of Rs 3,500 was deposited but not collected by the bank.
    • The firm issued a cheque of Rs 1,000 but was not presented for payment.
    • There was a debit balance in the passbook of Rs 200 and Rs 400 for interest and bank charges.

     

    Bank Reconciliation Statement

    Particulars Add Deduct
    1. Balance as per cash book 6,500
    2. Cheque issued but not yet presented 1,000
    3. cheque deposited but not yet credited by the bank 3,500
    4. bank and interest charges 600
    Balance as per passbook (overdraft) 9,600
    10,600 10,600
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