AccountingQA Latest Questions

Bonnie
BonnieCurious
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  2. GautamSaxena Curious .

    Capitalize in Accounting The term 'capitalized' in accounting means to record an expenditure as an asset on the balance sheet. Capitalization takes place when a business buys an asset that has a useful life. The cost of the relevant asset is then allocated to expense over its useful life i.e charginRead more

    Capitalize in Accounting

    The term ‘capitalized’ in accounting means to record an expenditure as an asset on the balance sheet. Capitalization takes place when a business buys an asset that has a useful life. The cost of the relevant asset is then allocated to expense over its useful life i.e charging depreciation, etc. This means that the relevant expenditure will appear on the balance sheet instead of the income statement. The capitalizing of the expenses is a benefit for the company as the assets bought by them for the long-term are subjected to depreciation and capitalizing expenses can amortize or depreciate the costs. This process is called capitalization.

    In order to capitalize any expense, we’ll have to make sure it meets the criteria stated below.

    The assets exceeding the capitalization limit

    The companies set a capitalization limit, below which the expenses are considered too immaterial to be capitalized. Therefore, the limit is supposed to be followed and considered as it controls the capitalization of the expenses. Generally, the capitalization limit is $1,000.

    The assets have a useful life 

    The companies also seek to generate revenues for a long period of time. Thus, the asset should have a long and useful life at least a year or more. Thereby, the business can record it as an asset and depreciate it over its valuable life.

    Most of the important principles of capitalization in accounting are from the matching principle.

     

    Matching Principle

    The matching principle states that the expenses in the accounting should be recorded when they are incurred and not when the payment is made. This helps the business identify the amounts spent to generate revenue.

    For e.g, the company bought machinery for manufacturing goods with more efficiency. It is supposed to have a useful life for a period of over 10 years. Instead of expensing the entire cost of the machinery, the company will write off (depreciated) the cost of the asset over its useful life i.e 10 years. Therefore, the asset will be written off as it is used and these types of assets are automatically used as capitalized assets.

     

    Benefits of Capitalization

    Capitalization is of course recording expenses as an asset but this indeed has benefits.

    • This reduces the fluctuation of income over time as the fixed assets (long-term) are costly. For the small business owners or the small firms, it’s even greater.
    • The capitalization of expenditures increases the company’s asset balance, without changing the company’s liability balance. This improves the financial ratios like the current ratio.
    •  Small businesses have a provision for tax benefits related to the depreciation of capitalized assets. Section 179 of depreciation allows those business owners to depreciate certain assets quicker than others are allowed.

     

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A_Team
A_Team
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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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Atreya
AtreyaCurious
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  2. Ishika Pandey Curious ca aspirant

    Definition Goodwill is an intangible asset that places an enterprise in an advantageous position due to which the enterprise is able to earn higher profits without extra effort. For example, if the enterprise has rendered good services to its customers, it will be satisfied with the quality of its sRead more

    Definition

    Goodwill is an intangible asset that places an enterprise in an advantageous position due to which the enterprise is able to earn higher profits without extra effort.

    For example, if the enterprise has rendered good services to its customers, it will be satisfied with the quality of its services, which will bring them back to the enterprise.

    Features

    The value of goodwill is a subjective assessment of the valuer.
    • It helps in earning higher profits.
    • It is an intangible asset.
    • It is an attractive force that brings in customers to the business.
    • It has realizable value when the business is sold out.

    Need for goodwill valuation

    The need for the valuation of goodwill arises in the following circumstances :
    • When there is a change in profit sharing ratio.
    • When a new partner is admitted.
    • When partner retires or dies.
    • When a partnership firm is sold as a going concern.
    • When two or more firms amalgamate.

    Classification of goodwill

    Goodwill is classified into two categories:
    • Purchased goodwill
    • Self-generated goodwill

    Purchased goodwill :

    Is that goodwill acquired by the firm for consideration whether paid or kind?
    For example: when a business is purchased and purchase consideration is more than the value of net assets the difference amount is the value of purchase goodwill.

    Self-generated goodwill

    It is that goodwill that is not purchased for consideration but is earned by the management’s efforts.
    It is an internally generated goodwill that arises from a number of factors ( such as favorable location, efficient management, good quality of products, etc ) that a running business possesses due to which it is able to earn higher profits.

    Methods of valuation

    1. Average profit method
    2. Super profit method
    3. Capitalization method

    Average profit method: goodwill under the average profit method can be calculated either by :
    • Simple average profit method or
    • Weighted average profit method

     

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Simerpreet
SimerpreetHelpful
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Explain Business entity, money measurement concept, Going concern concept etc.

Accounting ConceptsGAAP
  2. AbhishekBatabyal Helpful Pursuing CA, BCOM (HONS)
    This answer was edited.

    Accounting Concepts Accounting concepts are the rules, assumptions and methods generally accepted by accountants in the preparation and presentation of financial statements of an entity. These concepts have been developed by the accounting profession for a long period. These concepts constitute theRead more

    Accounting Concepts

    Accounting concepts are the rules, assumptions and methods generally accepted by accountants in the preparation and presentation of financial statements of an entity. These concepts have been developed by the accounting profession for a long period.

    These concepts constitute the foundation of accounting and one has to be aware of them to maintain correct and uniform financial statements.

    I have listed and briefly explained the following accounting concepts.

    1. Entity Concept 
    2. Money Measurement concept 
    3. Going on concern 
    4. Periodicity concept 
    5. Accrual concept 
    6. Cost concept 
    7. Realisation concept 
    8. Matching concept 
    9. Dual aspect concept 
    10. Conservatism concept 
    11. Materiality concept 
    12. Consistency concept

     

    #1 Entity Concept 

    As per this concept, the business and its owner are separate entities from the point of view of accounting. It means the assets and liabilities of the business and owner are not the same. 

    However, in the eyes of law, the business and its owner may be a single entity.

     

    #2 Money measurement concept

    This concept states that the transaction which can be measured in terms of money shall only be recorded in the books of accounts.

    Any transaction which cannot be measured in terms of money shall not be recorded.

    #3 Going concern concept 

    Going concern concept is also a fundamental accounting assumption. It assumes that an enterprise will continue to be in business for the foreseeable future.

    It means its accounts will also be prepared to take such assumptions that the business will continue in future.

     

    #4 Periodicity concept 

    The periodicity concept states an entity needs to carry out accounting for a definite period, generally for a year known as the accounting period. The period can also be half-year or a quarter.

    The cycle of accounting restarts at the start of every accounting period.

     

    #5 Accrual concept 

    The word accrual comes from the word

    As per the accrual concept, the expense and incomes are recorded in the books of accounts in the period in which they are expected to incur whether payment in cash is made or cash is received or not.

    For example, the salary to be paid by a business is to be recorded as an expense in the year in which it is expected or liable to be paid.

     

    #6 Cost concept 

    It is concerned with the purchase of the assets of a business. As per the cost concept, a business shall record any asset in its books at the acquisition cost or purchase cost.

     

    #7 Realisation concept 

    This concept is concerned with the sale of assets. A business shall record the sale of the assets in its books only at the realised cost.

     

    #8 Matching concept 

    As per this concept, revenue earned during a period should be matched with the expenses incurred in that period. In short, an entity needs to record the income and the expenses of the same period.

     

    #9  Dual concept 

    This concept is the foundation of double-entry accounting. Dual concepts state that every transaction has two effects, debit and credit. 

    One or more accounts may be debited and other one or more accounts are credited so that the total amount of debit and credit equals.

     

    #10 Conservatism concept 

    The conservatism concept states that an entity has to account for expected losses and expenses but not for future expected profits and gains.

     

    #11 Materiality concept 

    As per this concept, only those items which are material should be shown in the financial statements of an entity. It says that items which are immaterial or insignificant in terms of value or importance to stakeholders can be ignored.

     

    #12 Consistency concept 

    It says that an entity should follow consistent accounting policies every accounting period so that a comparison can be made among the financial statements of different accounting periods.

     

    GAAP 

    Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or GAAP is a combination of authoritative standards which are set by policy boards and commonly accepted methods of recording and presenting accounting information. 

    GAAP or US GAAP is formulated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or FASB  and almost state in the USA is compliant with GAAP. 

    The main goal of the GAAP is to ensure that the financial statements of an entity are complete, consistent and comparable.

    It can be said accounting concepts are part of GAAP.

     

    Ten key principles of GAAP

    #1 Principle of regularity

    It states that an accountant has to comply with GAAP regulations as a standard.

     

    #2 Principle of Consistency

    Accountants should be committed to applying the same set of standards throughout the accounting and reporting process, from one period to another. This is to be done to ensure comparability of financial statements between periods.  

    Also, the accountants have to fully disclose and explain the reason behind any changed or updated standards in the note of accounts of financial statements.

     

    #3 Principle of sincerity

    It states that the accountant should strive to provide an accurate and unbiased view of the financial situation of a company.

     

    #4 Principle of Permanence of Methods

    As per this principle, a company should be consistent in procedures used in financial statements so that it allows the comparison of the company’s financial information.

     

    #5 Principle of Non-Compensation

    Both negative and positive should be reported with full transparency. There should be no debt compensation i.e. debt should not be set off against any asset or expenses against revenue.

    #6 Principle of Prudence

    It states that financial data presentation should be fact-based. This principle is similar to the conservatism concept.

     

    #7 Principle of Continuity

    This is as same the going concern concept. It states that while valuing assets, it should assume that the business will continue for the foreseeable future.

     

    #8 Principle of Periodicity

    It is the same as the matching concept. It states that the revenue and expenses should be recorded in the period in which they occur.

     

    #9 Principle of Materiality

    Accountants should disclose all the financial information that is significant in the decision-making of the users of financial statements.

     

    #10 Principle of Utmost Good Faith

    It states that all parties to a transaction should act honestly and not mislead or hide crucial information from one another.

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Astha
AsthaLeader
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Capital ExpenditureRevenue Expenditure
  2. GautamSaxena Curious .
    This answer was edited.

    Capital Expenditure Capital expenditure refers to the money a business spends to buy, maintain, or improve the quality of its assets. Capital expenditures are the expenses incurred by an organization for long-term benefits, i.e on the long-term assets which help in improving the efficiency or capaciRead more

    Capital Expenditure

    Capital expenditure refers to the money a business spends to buy, maintain, or improve the quality of its assets. Capital expenditures are the expenses incurred by an organization for long-term benefits, i.e on the long-term assets which help in improving the efficiency or capacity of the company. These expenses are borne by the company to boost its earning capacity.

    The investment done by the companies on assets is capital in nature and through capital expenditure, the company may use it for acquiring new assets or may use it in the maintenance of previous ones. These expenditures are added to the asset side of the balance sheet.

    Example: Purchase of machinery, patents, copyrights, installation of equipment, etc.

    Revenue Expenditure

    Revenue expenditure refers to the routine expenditures incurred by the business to manage day-to-day expenses. They are incurred for a shorter duration and are mostly limited to an accounting year. These expenses are borne by a company to sustain its profitability. These expenditures are shown in the income statement.

    These expenditures do not increase the revenue but stay maintained. These expenses are not capitalized.

    They are divided into two sub-categories:

    1. Expenditures for generating revenue for a business- Those expenditures essential for meeting the operational cost of the business are further classified as operating expenses.
    2. Expenditures for maintaining revenue-generating assets- Those expenses incurred by the business for repairing and maintenance of the assets of an organization to keep them in a working state.

     

    Example: Wages, salary, insurance, rent, electricity, taxes, etc.

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Simerpreet
SimerpreetHelpful
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  2. Radha M.Com, NET
    This answer was edited.

    The journal entry for the closing stock is passed at the year-end as closing stock is the inventory held by a business at the end of its accounting period. However, the entry for recording closing stock depends on how it is treated in the books of accounts. The two types of the accounting treatmentRead more

    The journal entry for the closing stock is passed at the year-end as closing stock is the inventory held by a business at the end of its accounting period. However, the entry for recording closing stock depends on how it is treated in the books of accounts.

    The two types of the accounting treatment of closing stock are as follows:

    • Closing stock is not shown in the Trial Balance.
    • Closing stock is shown in the Trial Balance.

     

    Closing stock is not shown in the Trial Balance:

    As per this treatment, the closing stock is not shown in the Trial Balance because it is already a part of the purchases of the business. Showing it in the Trial Balance would lead to a double effect. This will not give us accurate profit/loss at the end of the year.

    The closing stock is transferred to Trading A/c by passing a closing entry.

    Closing stock is an asset. It is debited because there is an increase in the assets. Trading A/c is credited because of the Matching concept as the value of the closing stock is adjusted against the cost of goods sold.

    At the end of the year, it is shown on the Asset side of the Balance Sheet, under the head Current Assets and sub-head Inventory.

    For example,

    ABC Ltd. at the beginning of the year had an opening inventory of 20,000. During the year, purchases worth 5,000 were made and goods worth 10,000 were sold. At the end of the year, the value of the closing stock will be 15,000 (20,000 + 5,000 – 10,000).

    Now the closing stock worth 15,000 will be recorded through this journal entry:

    Closing Stock A/c  15,000
       To Trading A/c  15,000
    (Being closing stock worth 15,000 transferred to Trading A/c)

    Closing stock is shown in the Trial Balance:

    This scenario is possible only when the closing stock is adjusted against purchases. By adjusting against purchases, the double effect of showing both purchases and closing stock in Trial Balance is eliminated.

    The following entry is recorded to adjust closing stock against purchases.

    Closing Stock is debited as there is an increase in the asset. Purchase A/c is credited because of the Matching concept.

    After recording the adjustment entry, the closing stock is shown on the debit column of the Trial Balance. It is not shown in the Trading A/c as it is already adjusted against purchases. In the Balance Sheet, it is shown as a Current Asset.

     

     

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A_Team
A_Team
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  2. AbhishekBatabyal Helpful Pursuing CA, BCOM (HONS)
    This answer was edited.

    Fictitious assets are the expenses and losses which are yet to be written off, so they appear in the Asset side of the balance sheet of the relevant financial year because expenses and losses have a debit balance. They are not assets in substance. Examples: Business loss ( debit balance of Profit anRead more

    Fictitious assets are the expenses and losses which are yet to be written off, so they appear in the Asset side of the balance sheet of the relevant financial year because expenses and losses have a debit balance. They are not assets in substance.

    Examples:

    1. Business loss ( debit balance of Profit and loss A/c )*
    2. Prepaid expenses
    3. Discount on the issue of debentures.
    4. Huge promotional expenditure.

    *business loss is shown as a negative figure under the head Reserve and Surplus, when the balance sheet is prepared as per Schedule III of The Companies Act, 2013.

    Deferred revenue expenditures are the expenses incurred for which the benefits are expected to flow to the enterprise beyond the current year. Such expenses are huge and are not written off completely in a financial year. The part of the expenditure which is not written off is shown on the assets side of the balance sheet.

    Examples:

    1. Huge advertisement expense.

    As you can see, there is some similarity between the two. Deferred revenue expenditure can be called a type of fictitious asset as it is shown in the asset side of the balance sheet but it isn’t an asset.

     

    The term ‘fictitious asset’ has a broader meaning than deferred revenue expenditure and also includes the losses such as discounts on the issue of debenture and business loss.

    The difference between fictitious assets and deferred revenue expenditure are as follows:

    Fictitious Assets Deferred Revenue Expenditure
    1 These are no real assets but expenses and losses that are not completely written off in an F.Y. These are expenses incurred from which benefits are expected to flow for more than one accounting period.
    2 It has a broader meaning. It has a narrower meaning.
    3 Examples:- business loss, discount on issue of debentures, prepaid expenses etc. Examples:- huge promotional expenditure etc.
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Radha
Radha
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Sacrificing Ratio
  2. Rahul_Jose Aspiring CA currently doing Bcom
    This answer was edited.

    When a partnership firm consisting of some partners, decide to admit a new partner into their firm, they have to forego a part of their share for the new partner. Therefore, sacrificing Ratio is the proportion in which the existing partners of a company give up a part of their share to give to the nRead more

    When a partnership firm consisting of some partners, decide to admit a new partner into their firm, they have to forego a part of their share for the new partner. Therefore, sacrificing Ratio is the proportion in which the existing partners of a company give up a part of their share to give to the new partner. The partners can choose to forego their shares equally or in an agreed proportion.

    Before admission of the new partner, the existing partners would be sharing their profits in the old ratio. Upon admission, the profit-sharing ratio would change to accommodate the new partner. This would give rise to the new ratio. Hence Sacrificing ratio can be calculated as:

    Sacrificing Ratio = Old Ratio – New Ratio

    For example, Tony and Steve are partners in a firm, sharing profits in the ratio of 3:2. They decide to admit Bruce into the partnership such that the new profit-sharing ratio is 2:1:2. Now, to calculate the sacrificing ratio of Tony and Steve, we subtract their new share from their old share.

    Tony’s Sacrifice = 3/5 – 2/5 = 1/5

    Steve’s Sacrifice = 2/5 – 1/5 = 1/5

    Therefore, the Sacrificing ratio of Tony and Steve is 1:1. This shows that Tony gave up 1/5th of his share while Steve also sacrificed 1/5th of his share.

    Calculation of sacrificing ratio is important in a partnership as it helps in measuring that portion of the share of existing partners that have to be sacrificed. This ensures a smooth reconstitution of the partnership. Since the old partners are foregoing a part of their share in profits, the new partner has to bring in some amount as goodwill to compensate for their loss.

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Jayesh Gupta
Jayesh GuptaCurious
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  2. Pooja_Parikh Aspiring Chartered Accountant
    This answer was edited.

    A cash flow statement presents the changes in the cash and cash equivalents of a business. It classifies the cash flow items into either operating, investing, or financing activities. Unlike a balance sheet that provides information about the company on a particular date, a cash flow statement proviRead more

    A cash flow statement presents the changes in the cash and cash equivalents of a business. It classifies the cash flow items into either operating, investing, or financing activities. Unlike a balance sheet that provides information about the company on a particular date, a cash flow statement provides information about the flow of cash over a period of time.

    OBJECTIVE

    Information obtained through cash flow statements is aimed to assess the ability of a business to generate cash and at the same time, maintain liquidity. Therefore, important economic decisions can be made by evaluating these cash flow statements.

    Cash Flow statements are categorized into

    • Operating Activities: These activities refer to the main activities of the business during an accounting period. They involve revenue-generating activities. As per the indirect method, profit before tax is taken as the starting point and all non-cash expenses are added while non-cash incomes are deducted. Whereas in direct method, cash receipts and cash expenses are added and subtracted respectively. Eg: sale of goods.
    • Investing Activities: These activities involve the sale and purchase of non-current assets and investments. Eg: cash payment for machinery.
    • Financing Activities: These activities result in a change in capital or borrowings. Eg: cash proceeds from the issue of equity shares.

    Importance of Cash Flow

    A cash flow statement gives us knowledge about the liquidity and solvency of the company. These are necessary for the survival and expansion of the company. It also helps in predicting future cash flows by using information from previous cash flows. It also helps in comparison between companies which shows the actual cash profits.

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