AccountingQA Latest Questions

Mehak
Mehak
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  2. Mehak

    Everyone must have heard about the term “cooking the books”. This term is generally associated with Creative accounting. In simple words, Creative accounting is a method of accounting in which the management tries to show a better picture of the business than the reality. Let us now understand thisRead more

    Everyone must have heard about the term “cooking the books”. This term is generally associated with Creative accounting. In simple words, Creative accounting is a method of accounting in which the management tries to show a better picture of the business than the reality. Let us now understand this concept in detail.

    What is Creative accounting?

    Creative accounting is a method of accounting in which the management manipulates the books of accounts by finding loopholes to showcase a better image of the business.

    It is a practice of using accounting loopholes to make a company’s financial position look better than it really is. It is not exactly illegal but it is more of a gray area.

    For example, a business may delay reporting expenses to increase the profits to present a better short-term position.

    The goal of creative accounting is to impress the shareholders, investors, get loans or boost stock prices.

    However, this can also be very risky and have serious consequences. It can reduce the trust of the investors and customers. In some cases, like Enron and WorldCom the world has seen how creative accounting lead to legal consequences.

    Common Techniques of Creative Accounting

    Some of the common techniques used by the business to manipulate the financial position are as follows:

    1. Revenue Recognition: Techniques such as recognizing revenue before it is actually earned is a method of creative accounting.
    2. Expense manipulation: Delaying the recognition of expenses to show a better position of the business in a short-term.
    3. Undervaluing liabilities: Undervaluing the liabilities of the business by not recognizing any future costs such as insurance or warranty etc.
    4. Asset Valuation: Overstating the value of asses or high amount of depreciation can be some ways of manipulating the value of assets.
    5. Tax avoidance: This is a way of reducing the tax liability by manipulating the financial statements to lower the profits.
    6. Cookie jar accounting: This is a method in which profits in the good years are saved in excess to use in the years of difficulty.

    Ethical implications of Creative Accounting

    There are several ethical implications with respect to creative accounting. Some of these are discussed below:

    1. Misleading Stakeholders: Creative accounting is a method to mislead the stakeholders including the investors, creditors, government, etc. This can lead to loss of trust.
    2. Loss of trust: The shareholders will lose trust over the company if the manipulation is discovered. Creative accounting breaches the fundamental of honesty.
    3. Non – compliance: Creative accounting leads to the non-compliance of the rules and regulations of the country which requires the businesses to follow certain accounting and reporting standards.
    4. Unfair competition: Creative accounting can make a company look more profitable and stable than it actually is, misleading investors and customers. This can leave honest businesses, who follow the rules, at a disadvantage.
    5. Moral responsibility: Management and business has the moral responsibility of working in the best interest of the society and the stakeholders.

    Conclusion

    The key takeaways from the above discussion are as follows:

    1. Creative accounting is the practice of using accounting loopholes to make a company’s financial position look better than it really is.
    2. The goal of creative accounting is to impress the shareholders, and investors, get loans, or boost stock prices.
    3. Revenue recognition, expense manipulation, and asset valuation are some of the common techniques of Creative accounting.
    4. The ethical implications of creative accounting include misleading stakeholders, eroding trust, compromising regulatory compliance, promoting unfair competition, neglecting moral responsibility, etc.

     

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Manvi
Manvi
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External Users
  2. Karan B.com and Pursuing ACCA
    This answer was edited.

    External users are people outside the business or entity who use accounting information. They do not have a direct link with the organization but can influence or can be influenced by the organization's activities. For example - Tax Authorities, Banks, Customers, Trade Unions, Government, Investors,Read more

    External users are people outside the business or entity who use accounting information. They do not have a direct link with the organization but can influence or can be influenced by the organization’s activities.

    For example – Tax Authorities, Banks, Customers, Trade Unions, Government, Investors, or Creditors.

    External Users:

    • Investors – Investors are interested in the past performance and future earnings of the business. They want to track the performance of their business whether it is giving them any benefit or not. A business’s past information helps investors in assessing their investments.
    • Creditors or Suppliers – Some suppliers provide goods and services on credit, and before providing any credit they check the company’s ability to pay. Creditors are interested in the company’s liquidity i.e to see if a company can fulfill short-term obligations.
    • Customers – Customers are more interested in a company’s financial statement as they rely on them for goods and services. They check the ability of the company whether it is providing them good quality goods and will continue to provide them in future.
    • Banks – Banks are most likely interested in the liquidity and profitability of the company. They keep track of whether the company can pay the debt when it is due along with interest.
    • Government – The company’s activities are central to the economy and must be met by them. The government controls a company’s actions if they break a law or damage the environment.
    • Environmental agencies – They keep an eye on organizations whether their activities are harming the environment or not.
    • Trade unions – They take an active part in the decision-making process. They want to see the financial statements of the company and want to decide the compensation of the employees they represent.
    • Tax authorities – They determine whether the business has declared the correct amount of tax in its tax returns. They conduct audits of the tax returns to verify them with the accounting records disclosed.

    Here is a summary of external users

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Aadil
AadilCurious
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RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT OF BHARTI CLUB for the year ended 31st March, 2019 Receipts Amount Payments Amount To Balance b/d           10,500 By Salary           25,000 To Subscriptions           70,500 By Travelling Expenses             4,000 To Donations             5,000 By Stationery           ...

  2. Vijay Curious M.Com
    This answer was edited.

    Here I have prepared the Income & Expenditure A/c and Balance Sheet of Bharti Club: Income & Expenditure A/c for the year ended 31st March 2019 Expenditure Amt Income Amt To Salary          25,000 By Subscriptions (WN 1)          69,900 To Travelling Expenses            4,000 By Donations   Read more

    Here I have prepared the Income & Expenditure A/c and Balance Sheet of Bharti Club:

    Income & Expenditure A/c for the year ended 31st March 2019

    Expenditure Amt Income Amt
    To Salary          25,000 By Subscriptions (WN 1)          69,900
    To Travelling Expenses            4,000 By Donations            5,000
    To Stationery          13,000 By Life Membership Fees          10,000
    To Rent          32,000 By Income from Investments            2,000
    To Surplus (Balancing figure)          12,900
             86,900          86,900

     

    Balance Sheet as on 31st March 2019

    Liabilities  Amt Assets  Amt
    Capital Fund (WN 2)     44,900 Cash         30,000
    Add: Surplus     12,900         57,800 9% Investments         25,000
    Advance Subscription           3,500 Books         12,000
    Life Membership Fees         10,000 Outstanding Subscription           4,300
            71,300         71,300

     

    Working Note 1: Calculation of Subscriptions

    Particulars Amt
    Total subscriptions received in 2018-19        70,500
    Add: Advance subscription for 2018-19          2,000
              Subscription outstanding for 2018-19          4,300          6,300
           76,800
    Less: Advance subscription for 2019-20          (3,500)
              Subscription outstanding for 2017-18          (3,400)          (6,900)
           69,900

    Working Note 2: Calculation of Capital Fund

    We prepare the previous year’s balance sheet of Bharti Club to identify the capital.

    Balance Sheet as on 31st March 2018

    Liabilities  Amount Assets  Amount
    Capital Fund (Balancing figure)    44,900 Cash    10,500
    Advance Subscription      2,000 9% Investments    25,000
    Books      8,000
    Outstanding Subscription      3,400
       46,900    46,900
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Aadil
AadilCurious
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  2. AbhishekBatabyal Helpful Pursuing CA, BCOM (HONS)
    This answer was edited.

    Before answering your question directly, let’s first understand the two terms, ‘Rent Outstanding’ and ‘Accounting Equation’. Accounting Equation Accounting Equation depicts the relationship between the following items of a business: Assets, Liabilities and Owner’s Equity ( Capital ) It is a simple fRead more

    Before answering your question directly, let’s first understand the two terms, ‘Rent Outstanding’ and ‘Accounting Equation’.

    Accounting Equation

    Accounting Equation depicts the relationship between the following items of a business:

    • Assets,
    • Liabilities and
    • Owner’s Equity ( Capital )

    It is a simple formula that implies that the total assets of a business are always equal to the sum of its liabilities and Owner’s Equity (Capital).

    ASSETS = LIABILITIES + CAPITAL   OR   A = L + E

    It is also known as the balance sheet equation.

    This equation always holds good due to the double-entry system of accounting i.e. every event has a dual effect on items of the balance sheet.

    Outstanding Rent

    We know rent is an expense for a business and rent outstanding means that rent is due, not paid which implies it is a liability which the business has to settle.

    Hence Rent Outstanding is subtracted from the capital balance and added to liabilities.

    Let’s take an example to see how rent outstanding affects the accounting equation. Suppose a business has the following figures:

    Assets – Rs: 3,00,000

    Capital – Rs: 2,00,000

    Liabilities – Rs: 1,00,000

    Assets = Liabilities + Capital

    3,00,000 = 1,00,000 + 2,00,000

    Now if Rent outstanding of Rs: 20,000 arises, this will happen:-

    Assets – Rs: 3,00,000

    Capital – Rs: 2,00,000 – Rs: 20,000 = Rs: 2,80,000

    Liabilities – Rs: 1,00,000 + Rs: 20,000 = Rs: 1,20,000

    Assets = Liabilities + Capital

    3,00,000 = 1,20,000 + 2,80,000.

    Hence, when rent outstanding arises, it increases the liability and decreases the Capital by the same amount. Therefore both the sides tally and the accounting equations holds good.

    Rent Outstanding is shown on the liabilities side of the balance sheet. Also, the rent outstanding of the current year is shown in the debit side profit and loss account and we know the balance of the P/L account if profit, is added to Capital and in case of loss it is subtracted from Capital. Hence, the rent outstanding is subtracted from the capital.

    I hope my answer was useful to you.

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Nistha
Nistha
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Journal Entry
  2. Radhika
    This answer was edited.

    When a company earns profit, it distributes a proportion of its income to its shareholders, and such distribution is called the dividend. The dividend is allocated as a fixed amount per share and shareholders receive dividends proportional to their shareholdings. However, a company can only pay diviRead more

    When a company earns profit, it distributes a proportion of its income to its shareholders, and such distribution is called the dividend. The dividend is allocated as a fixed amount per share and shareholders receive dividends proportional to their shareholdings.

    However, a company can only pay dividends out of its current year profits or retained earnings (profits of the company that are not distributed as dividend and retained in the business is called retained earnings) of previous years but not out of capital.

    Dividends can be paid to shareholders in the form of

    • Cash
    • dividend re-investing plan of the company
    • future shares
    • share repurchase.

    For companies, payment of regular dividends boosts the morale of the shareholders, investors trust the companies more and it reflects positively on the share price of the company.

    For example, Nestle in India paid an interim dividend of 1100.00% to its shareholders in 2021.

    The journal entry for dividend paid is

    Particulars Debit Credit
    Retained Earnings A/c                                                          Dr. Amt  
    To Cash A/c   Amt

     

    According to the golden rules of accounting-

    • Retained earnings is a credit account by nature and since dividends are paid from retained earnings resulting in a deduction of the account, we debit
    • Cash is credited because the account is debit in nature and since dividends are paid in cash it’s credited to present the deduction in the account.

    According to modern rules of accounting-

    • Since cash is decreasing, we credit
    • Since retained earnings are decreasing and it is a part of capital it should be

    For example-

    A company paid a dividend of 25 crores to its shareholders in cash, the journal entry according to golden rules will be-

    Particulars Debit

    (in crores)

    		 Credit

    (in crores)
    Retained Earnings A/c  (Dr.) 25  
    To Cash A/c   25

     

     

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Manvi
Manvi
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  2. Karan B.com and Pursuing ACCA
    This answer was edited.

    The provision for doubtful debts is the estimated amount of bad debts which will be uncollectible in the future. It is usually calculated as a percentage of debtors. The provision for a doubtful debt account has a credit balance and is shown in the balance sheet as a deduction from debtors. It is aRead more

    The provision for doubtful debts is the estimated amount of bad debts which will be uncollectible in the future. It is usually calculated as a percentage of debtors. The provision for a doubtful debt account has a credit balance and is shown in the balance sheet as a deduction from debtors. It is a contra asset account which means an account with a credit balance.

    When a business first sets up a provision for doubtful debts, the full amount of the provision should be debited to bad debts expense as follows.

    Bad Debts A/c Debit Debit the increase in expense.
          To Provision for Doubtful Debts A/c Credit Credit the increase in liability.

    In subsequent years, when provision is increased the account is credited, and when provision is decreased the account is debited. This is so because provision for doubtful debts is a contra account to debtors and has a credit balance, and is treated as a liability.

    Effects of Provision for Doubtful Debts in financial statements:

    1. Trading A/c: No effect.
    2. Profit and Loss A/c: Debited to P&L A/c and charged as an expense.
    3. Balance Sheet: Deducted from Debtors.

    For example, ABC Ltd had debtors amounting to Rs 50,000. It creates a provision of 5% on debtors.

    Provision for Doubtful Debts = 50,000*5%

    = 2,500

    Journal entry for provision will be:

    Bad Debts A/c 2,500
          To Provision for Doubtful Debts A/c 2,500

    Effect on financial statements will be:

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Pooja_Parikh
Pooja_Parikh
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  2. Rahul_Jose Aspiring CA currently doing Bcom
    This answer was edited.

    Depreciation is an accounting method that is used to write off the cost of an asset. The company must record depreciation in the profit and loss account. It is done so that the cost of an asset can be realised over the years rather than one single year. Furniture is an important asset for a businessRead more

    Depreciation is an accounting method that is used to write off the cost of an asset. The company must record depreciation in the profit and loss account. It is done so that the cost of an asset can be realised over the years rather than one single year.

    Furniture is an important asset for a business. As per the Income Tax Act, the rate of depreciation for furniture and fittings is 10%. However, for accounting purposes, the company is free to set its own rate.

    JOURNAL ENTRY

    Journal entry for depreciation of furniture is:

    Here, depreciation is debited since it is an expense and as per the rules of accounting, “increase in expenses are debited”. Furniture is credited because a “ decrease in assets is credited”, and the value of furniture is reducing.

    TYPES OF DEPRECIATION

    Furniture can be depreciated in any of the following ways:

    • Straight-Line Method – It is calculated by finding the difference between the cost of the asset and its expected salvage value, and the result is divided by the number of years the asset is expected to be used.
    • Diminishing Value Method – It is calculated by charging a fixed percentage on the book value of the asset. Since the book value keeps on reducing, it is called the diminishing value method.
    • Units of Production

    For accounting purposes, the two many methods used for depreciating furniture is the straight-line method and the diminishing value method. However, for tax purposes, they are combined into a block of furniture, where the purchase of new furniture is added and the sale of furniture is subtracted and the resulting amount is depreciated by 10% based on the written downvalue method.

    EXAMPLE

    If a company buys furniture worth Rs 30,000 and charges depreciation of 10%, then by straight-line method, Rs 3,000 would be depreciated every year for 10 years.

    Now if the company decided to use the diminishing value method (or written down value method), then Rs 3,000 (30,000 x 10%) would be depreciated in the first year, and in the second year, the book value of the furniture would be Rs 27,000 (30,000-3,000). Hence depreciation for the second year would be Rs 2,700 (27,000 x 10%) and so on.

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Anushka Lalwani
Anushka Lalwani
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  2. GautamSaxena Curious .
    This answer was edited.

    Interest on drawings Drawings refer to the money withdrawn by owners/partners for personal use from the business. The drawings, in accounting terms, can be of any type. It can be cash withdrawn from business or furniture or car etc. Drawings are money or assets that are withdrawn from a company by iRead more

    Interest on drawings

    Drawings refer to the money withdrawn by owners/partners for personal use from the business. The drawings, in accounting terms, can be of any type. It can be cash withdrawn from business or furniture or car etc. Drawings are money or assets that are withdrawn from a company by its owners for personal use and must be recorded as a reduction of assets. It’s paid back to the business with some interest.

    Interest on drawings is an income for the business and reduces the capital of the owner. Interest on drawings is the amount of interest paid by the partners, calculated concerning the period for which the money was withdrawn.

    • It’s an income for the business. Hence, credited to P&L Appropriation A/c.
    • It’s an expense for the owner/partner. Therefore, debited to owner’s/partner’s capital a/c
    • Interest on drawings is charged to the partners only when there is an agreement made among the partners in this regard or if it is mentioned in the Partnership Deed.

    Formulae for Interest on drawings

    There are three formulae used for calculating the interest on drawings. They are:

    1. Simple Method: In this method, as the name suggests, the amount of interest on drawings is calculated simply for the time the amount has been utilized.

    Interest on Drawings = Amount of drawings × Rate/100 × No. of Months/12 

    2. Product Method: This method is used when-

    • Drawings are made of unequal amounts at irregular intervals of time. Then this formula is used-

    Interest on Drawings = Total of Products × Rate/100 × 1/12

    • When drawings are made of equal amounts at regular/equal intervals of time. Then interest on drawings can be calculated on the total of the amount drawn, for the average of the period applicable to the first and last installment.

    Interest on Drawings= Total amount of drawings × Rate/ 100 × Average Period/12

    Also, note-

    Average Period = (No. of months left after first drawings+ No. of months left after last drawings)/2

    Example:

    Harish withdrew equal amounts at the beginning of every month for 9 months. Total drawings amounted to ₹6,000. Calculate the interest on drawings charged if the rate was 6% p.a.

    Solution:

    Average period = (No. of months left after first drawings+ No. of months left after last drawings)/2 = (9+1)/2 = 5 months 

    Interest on Drawings = Total of drawings × Rate/100 × 5/12

                                            = ₹ 6,000 × 6/100 × 5/12
                                            = ₹ 150.

    Journal entry for interest on drawings: 

    Interest transferred to Profit & Loss A/c:

     

     

     

     

     

     

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ShreyaSharma
ShreyaSharma
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  2. GautamSaxena Curious .
    This answer was edited.

    Subsidiary Books Introduction & Definition In large business organizations, it is practically impossible to keep a record of every single business affair, while neglecting them and not recording them wouldn't be an ideal choice, this is where subsidiary books come into the role. As we were introRead more

    Subsidiary Books

    Introduction & Definition

    In large business organizations, it is practically impossible to keep a record of every single business affair, while neglecting them and not recording them wouldn’t be an ideal choice, this is where subsidiary books come into the role. As we were introduced to the basics of accounting in the 11th standard, we learned about different elements like journals, ledgers, trial balances, etc. It is practically impossible for a business to keep track of every single affair just through only those elements. Thus, the Subsidiary book is the next step here.

    Subsidiary books are the books of original entry. They are a dedicated form of books that maintains an analysis of a specific account. It records financial transactions of a similar nature. They are sub-division of a journal.

    In big business organizations, it’s very hard for a bookkeeper or accountant to record all the transactions in one journal and post them into various accounts.  This is where special purpose books or subsidiary books may be required for more efficient bookkeeping. They are a subdivision of journals and for every type of transaction, there is a separate book.

     

    Types of Subsidiary Books

    There are eight types of subsidiary books that are required for recording transactions. The list of various subsidiary books is as follows:

    1. Cash Book
    2. Purchase Book
    3. Sales Book
    4. Purchase Return Book
    5. Sales Return Book
    6. Journal Proper
    7. Bills Receivable Book
    8. Bills Payable Book

     

    Types of Subsidiary Books

    Now, we’ll be taking a closer look at each and every subsidiary book.

     

    Cash Book

     The cash book is the most important subsidiary book, it’s a book of a prime entry recording all the cash spent or received by the business, either in cash form or from the bank. In simple words, recording all the transactions made by the business.

    It is of three types i.e single-column cash book, double-column cash book, and triple-column cash book. As the name indicates, the column of cash, bank, and discount increases/decreases as per the column of the cash book stated.

    Format 

     

    Note: this is a triple-column cash book format, for the double-column cash book format, we remove the discount column from both sides, and for the single column, we may remove the bank column as well.

    Purchase Book

    A purchase book is a subsidiary book that records all the transactions related to the credit purchase in a business. Thereby, the normal purchasing of assets is never recorded in the purchase book.

    The credit purchases are directly recorded in the purchase book from the journals or the source documents. The source document indicates bills payable, invoices, etc.

    Format

     

    Sales Book

    A sales book, similar to a purchase book, is a special book where all the credit sales are recorded. The sales book doesn’t record the transactions related to the normal sale of assets and hence, is a special type of book, just like the purchase book.

    Format

     

    Purchase Return Book

    The purchase return book, also known as the return outwards book, is that book that records the goods that were returned by us to the supplier. Thereby, called purchase return book.

    When the goods are returned, a debit note is issued against every return and hence, recorded in the purchase return book.

    Format

     

     

    Sales Return Book

    The sales return book, also known as the return inwards book, refers to that subsidiary book that records the goods which were returned to us by the customer.

    For every good returned to us, a credit note is issued to the customer. And thus, it is recorded in the sales return book.

    Format

     

     

    Journal Proper

    Just like we recently learned in class 11th about what a journal entry is and how it is made, it’s a little different from the journal proper. Journal proper is a subsidiary book that records all the transactions which are not recorded in other subsidiary books.

    A journal is an original book of entries that records all the business transactions, while a journal proper is a subsidiary book in which all types of miscellaneous credit business transactions are recorded that do not fit anywhere in the other subsidiary books. Its format is the same as the journal entries’ format. Therefore, it’s also known as a miscellaneous journal.

    Format

     

     

     Bills Receivable Book

    The bills receivable book is the book that draws the bills favorable to the business i.e when the goods or services are provided to any customer on credit, they become a debtor, and bills receivable is a written note received from the customer indicating that they formally agree to pay the sum of money owed.

    Therefore, it helps in recording these types of transactions. The sum total of the bills receivable book is posted to the bills receivable account.

    Format

     

     

    Bills Payable Book

    The bills payable book is the subsidiary book that records all the bills that are drawn on the company. The bills payable is drawn on the company when we buy a good/service on credit and agrees to pay the amount to the supplier by signing a written note with the date we agree to pay.

    It’s a liability of the business and the total of the bills payable book is posted on the credit side of the bills payable account.

    Format

     

     

     

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Simerpreet
SimerpreetHelpful
In: >

  2. Razeen_Nakhwa

    Accrual accounting is an accounting method where revenue or expenses are recorded when a transaction occurs vs. when payment is received or made.  The most common accrual accounting examples are sales on credit, purchases on credit, rent paid, electricity expense, depreciation, audit fees, and otherRead more

    Accrual accounting is an accounting method where revenue or expenses are recorded when a transaction occurs vs. when payment is received or made.  The most common accrual accounting examples are sales on credit, purchases on credit, rent paid, electricity expense, depreciation, audit fees, and other such things.

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