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Vijay
VijayCurious
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Companies Act
  2. Naina@123 (B.COM and CMA-Final)
    This answer was edited.

    Simply explaining the meaning of the useful life of an asset, it is nothing but the number of years the asset would remain in the business for purpose of revenue generation, making it more simple, the amount of time an asset is expected to be functional and fit for use.  It is also called economic lRead more

    Simply explaining the meaning of the useful life of an asset, it is nothing but the number of years the asset would remain in the business for purpose of revenue generation, making it more simple, the amount of time an asset is expected to be functional and fit for use.  It is also called economic life or service life

    It is a useful concept in accounting as it is used to work out depreciation. By knowing this useful life of an asset an entity can easily analyze how to allot the initial cost of an asset across the relevant accounting period rather than doing it unfairly manner.

    How do we calculate the useful life of an asset?

    The useful life of an asset is not an accounting policy, but an accounting estimate. calculating useful life is not an exact phenomenon but an estimate that is done because it directly impacts how much an asset is to expense every year.

    Factors affecting “how long an asset is expected to be useful” depends on some stated points as below:

    1. Usage, the more the assets are used, the more quickly it will deteriorate.
    2. Whether the asset is new at the time of purchase or reused model.
    3. Change in technology.

    As per the companies act 2013, some of the useful life of assets are stated below

    To know more about the different categories of assets you can follow the given link useful life of assets.

    POINT TO BE NOTED:- There lies a huge difference in the useful life v/s the physical life of an asset. It is very important to note that amount of time an asset is used in a business is not always be same as an asset’s entire life span.

     

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Anushka Lalwani
Anushka Lalwani
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  2. Kajal

    All expenses whose benefits are received over the years or the expenses or losses that are to be written off over the years are classified as Deferred revenue expenses. It includes fictitious expenses like preliminary expenses, loss on issue of debentures, advertising expenses, loss due to unusual oRead more

    All expenses whose benefits are received over the years or the expenses or losses that are to be written off over the years are classified as Deferred revenue expenses. It includes fictitious expenses like preliminary expenses, loss on issue of debentures, advertising expenses, loss due to unusual occurrences like loss due to fire, theft, and research and development expenses, etc. 

     

    DEFERRED REVENUE EXPENSES

    There are certain expenses which are revenue in nature (i.e. expenses incurred to maintain the earning capacity of the firm and generate revenue) but whose benefits are received over a period of years generally between 3 to 7 years. It means its benefit is received not only in the current accounting period but over a few consecutive accounting periods.

    CHARACTERISTICS

    • Revenue in nature
    • Benefits received for more than one accounting period.
    • Huge expenditure (large amount is involved)
    • Affects the profitability of the business (since a large amount is involved if charged in the same accounting period, then it will decrease the profitability for the year)
    • Written off over the years either partially or entirely.
    • Fictitious asset It doesn’t result in the creation of any asset but is shown as an asset (fictitious asset) on the Balance Sheet till fully written off.

     

    EXAMPLES

     

    ADVERTISING EXPENSES refers to the expenses incurred for promoting the goods or services of the firm through various channels like TV, Social media, Hoardings, etc.

    As the benefit of advertising is not received not only in the period when such expenses were incurred but also in the coming few years, it is classified as Deferred revenue expense.

    For example – Suppose the company incurred $10 lakh on advertising to introduce a new product in the market and estimated that its benefit will last for 4 years. In this case, $250,000 will be written off every year, for 4 consecutive years.

     

    EXCEPTIONAL LOSSES are losses that are incurred because of some unusual event and don’t happen regularly like loss from fire, theft, earthquake, flood or any other natural disaster, confiscation of property, etc.

    Since these losses can’t be written off in the year they occurred they are also treated as Deferred revenue expenditure and are written off over the years.

     

    RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES are expenses incurred on researching and developing new products or improving the existing ones. Its benefits are received for many years and thus are classified as Deferred revenue expenses.

    For example – Expenses incurred on the creation of intangible assets like patents, copyrights, etc.

     

    PRELIMINARY EXPENSES are those expenses which are incurred before the incorporation and commencement of the business. It includes legal fees, registration fees, stamp duty, printing expenses, etc.

    These expenses are fictitious assets and are written off over the years.

     

    TREATMENT

    It is debited to the P&L amount (amount written off that year) and the remaining amount on the Aeest side of the Balance Sheet.

    In the above example of advertising expenses, in Year 1, $250,000 will be debited in the P&L A/c and the remaining amount of $750,000 is shown on the Asset side of the Balance Sheet.

    In Year 2, $250,00 in P&L A/c and the remaining $500,000 in Balance Sheet.

    In Year 3, $250,000 in P&L A/c and the remaining $250,000 in the Balance Sheet and in the last Year 4, only the remaining amount of $250,000 in P&L A/c and nothing in the Balance Sheet.

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Astha
AsthaLeader
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  2. Simerpreet Helpful CMA Inter qualified

    Outstanding Income is the income that is due and is being earned but not yet received. The person/ firm has the legal rights to receive that part of the income which it has earned. Outstanding Income is an Asset Account for the business/ the person. According to the modern approach, for Asset AccounRead more

    Outstanding Income is the income that is due and is being earned but not yet received. The person/ firm has the legal rights to receive that part of the income which it has earned.

    Outstanding Income is an Asset Account for the business/ the person.

    According to the modern approach, for Asset Account:

    • When there is an increase in the Asset, it is Debited.
    • When there is a decrease in Asset, it is Credited.

    So the journal entry  will be-

     

    For Example, Mr. Rashid works as a laborer in a factory and he earns wages @Rs 500/day.

    So by the end of the week, he receives a payment of Rs 3000 of Rs 3500 i.e. he receives payment of 6 days instead of 7 days. So here Rs 500 would be an outstanding income of Mr. Rashid as he has earned that income but has not received it yet.

    Journal Entry –

     

    Another example, Yes Bank gave a loan of Rs 10,00,000 to company Ford @ 10% as interest payable monthly. The interest for one month i.e. Rs 1,00,000 has not been received by Yes Bank which is being due. So it will be outstanding income for Yes Bank since it is due but not yet received.

    Journal entry-

     

    Accounting Treatment for Outstanding Income-

    • Treatment in Income Statement

    The Outstanding Income is shown on the credit side of the income statement as the income is earned for the current year but not yet received.

    • Treatment in Balance Sheet

    Outstanding Income is an Asset for the business and hence shown on the Assets side of the balance sheet.

     

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AbhishekBatabyal
AbhishekBatabyalHelpful
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  2. Ayushi Curious Pursuing CA
    This answer was edited.

    The term ‘bad debt’ and ‘write off’ are often used together in a sentence but they have different meanings. First, we will discuss them in brief to understand the differences between them. Bad debts We know, debtors for a business are their assets because the business has the right to receive moneyRead more

    The term ‘bad debt’ and ‘write off’ are often used together in a sentence but they have different meanings. First, we will discuss them in brief to understand the differences between them.

    Bad debts

    We know, debtors for a business are their assets because the business has the right to receive money from the debtors due to the goods supplied to them.

    But if due to circumstances, there appears no probability that the amount due to one or more debtors will be realised to the business, then such debts are categorised as bad debts.

    In short, bad debts refer to the amount of money that will not be received from some debtors of the business due to some circumstances like insolvency of debtor etc.

    Bad debt is deducted from debtors account by the following journal entry:

    Bad debts A/c Dr. Amt
    To Debtors A/c Cr. Amt
    (Being bad debts written off from debtors)

    As bad debts are losses to a business, it is ultimately written off from the profit and loss account.

    Profit and loss A/c Dr. Amt
    To Bad debts A/c Cr. Amt
    (Being bad debts written off to profit and loss account)

    Write off

    In layman terms, write off means to deduct something out from something. In accounting, write off means to deduct or reduce value of assets by crediting it to a liability account which is usually a reserve account or the profit and loss account.

    It also refers to the elimination of an item from the books of accounts particularly losses and expenses.

    Generally, writing off is associated with the following:

    1. Bad debts.
    2. Damaged Inventories.
    3. Loss on issue or redemption of debentures.
    4. Preliminary expenses.
    5. Bad loans and advances.

    Write off can be done in one of the following methods:

    1. Direct write-off: The write off is directly done by crediting asset account or loss account and debiting the reserve or P/L account.
    2. Indirect write-off: Here, an intermediate account is involved between the asset account and liabilities account. A common example is writing off of bad debts where the bad debts account is the intermediate account.

    Hence, the following differences can be observed between bad debts and write off or writing off:

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

    Definition Prepaid expenses are those expenses whose payments are done in advance which can be for the goods or services whose benefit will accrue in the subsequent accounting period. A prepaid expense is a current asset. prepaid expenses are classified under the head current assets in the balance sRead more

    Definition

    Prepaid expenses are those expenses whose payments are done in advance which can be for the goods or services whose benefit will accrue in the subsequent accounting period.

    A prepaid expense is a current asset. prepaid expenses are classified under the head current assets in the balance sheet.

    This is because they provide future economic benefits to the company. As such, they are assets that can be used to generate revenue in the future.

    For example prepaid rent, prepaid insurance, etc.

     

    Current assets are defined as cash and other assets that are expected to be converted into cash or consumed in the production of goods or rendering of services in the normal course of business.

    Or in other words, we can say that the expected realization period is less than the operating cycle period although it is more than the period of 12 months from the date of the balance sheet.

    For example, goods are purchased with the purpose to resell and earn a profit, debtors exist to convert them into cash i.e., receive the amount from them, bills receivable exist again for receiving cash against it, etc.

     

    Current liabilities are liabilities that are payable generally within 12 months from the end of the accounting period or in other words which fall due for payment in a relatively short period.

    For example bills payable, short-term loans, etc.

     

    Why current assets and not a  current liability?

    Now let me try to explain to you that prepaid expenses are classified as current assets  and not as a current liability which is as follows :

      • we can say that the expected realization period is less than the operating cycle period although it is more than the period of 12 months from the date of the balance sheet.
      • expected to be converted into cash or consumed in the production of goods or rendering of services in the normal course of business.
      • In the business prepaid expense are treated as an asset which we can see on the asset side of the balance sheet.
      • Or in other words, we can say that it is initially recorded as a prepaid expense as an asset in the balance sheet and subsequently its value is expensed over time in the profit and loss account.

     

    Example

    Now let us take an example for explaining prepaid expenses which are mentioned below.

    An insurance premium of Rs 50000 has been paid for one year beginning (previous year). The financial year ends on 31st  march YYYY.

    It means the premium for 6 months i.e., 1st April, YYYY(current year) to 30th September, YYYY(current year) amounting to Rs 25000 is paid in advance.

    Thus, of premium paid in advance (Rs 25000)  is a Prepaid Expense. It will be accounted as an expense in the financial year ending  31st  march next year. In the balance sheet as of 31st march YYYY ( current year ) it will be shown as Current Asset.

    Here is an extract of the profit /loss account and balance sheet of the above example:

     

    Key points

    There are a few things to keep in mind when dealing with prepaid expenses.

    • First, is that the expenses are actually prepaid. This means that the expenses were paid for before they were used.

     

    • Second, it is essential to track the number of prepaid expenses that have been used. That is to make sure that the prepaid expenses are not overstated on the company’s financial statements. This can happen if the company pays for more goods or services than it actually

     

    • Last but not least it is important to keep in mind that changes in the value of prepaid expenses can impact the company’s net income. For example, if the company’s prepaid insurance increases in value, this will increase the company’s net income.

     

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Aadil
AadilCurious
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  2. Manvi Pursuing ACCA
    This answer was edited.

    The sole proprietorship is a business that is unincorporated and owned by a single person. The owner of the business invests capital in the business in the form of cash, any asset or stock, or in any other form. In, sole proprietorship owner and business are inseparable. Interest on capital is the aRead more

    The sole proprietorship is a business that is unincorporated and owned by a single person. The owner of the business invests capital in the business in the form of cash, any asset or stock, or in any other form. In, sole proprietorship owner and business are inseparable.

    Interest on capital is the amount paid by the entity/business to the owners. It is an expense to the business and income for the proprietor, and interest is adjusted in the owner’s capital account. It is calculated on an agreed percentage and for a certain period. It is paid before calculating net profit.

    If there is a loss, no interest will be paid on capital.

    Journal Entry for Interest on Capital in Sole Proprietorship:

    1. Interest on capital entry
    Interest on Capital A/c Debit Debit the increase in expense.
        To Owner’s Capital A/c Credit Credit the increase in income.

     

    2. Closing interest on capital account

    Profit and Loss A/c Debit Debit the increase in expense.
        To Interest on Capital A/c Credit Credit the increase in income.

    In sole proprietor’s Profit and Loss A/c interest will be recorded as an expense on the debit side and will be added to the owner’s capital in the Balance Sheet is considered as an adjustment to the capital account.

    For example, A invested Rs 1,00,000 in a business. He wants to adjust 5% interest on his capital, then the entry will be:

    1. Interest on capital entry
    Interest on Capital A/c 5,000
        To Owner’s Capital A/c 5,000

     

    2. Closing interest on capital account

    Profit and Loss A/c 5,000
        To Interest on Capital A/c 5,000

    In the case of a partnership, the treatment is the same as done in a sole proprietorship. The interest rate is agreed upon by the partners and is mentioned in the partnership deed. No interest is provided on the capitals of the partners if not mentioned in the deed.

    If in a particular period, the partnership firm incurs a loss, then no interest will be provided to the partners.

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Karan
Karan
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  2. PriyanshiGupta Graduated, B.Com
    This answer was edited.

    The profits earned by a company are mainly divided into two parts: Dividend, and Retained Earnings The part of profit distributed to its shareholders is called a dividend. The part of the profit that the company holds for future expansion or diversification plans is called retained earnings. As theRead more

    The profits earned by a company are mainly divided into two parts:

    • Dividend, and
    • Retained Earnings

    The part of profit distributed to its shareholders is called a dividend. The part of the profit that the company holds for future expansion or diversification plans is called retained earnings.

    As the name suggests, retained earnings are the profit that is retained in the company. Retained earnings can be used for various purposes:

    • To distribute as dividends to shareholders
    • Expansion of business
    • Diversification
    • For an expected merger or acquisition

    As the profits of the company belong to shareholders, retained earnings are considered as profits re-invested in the company by the shareholders.

    The formula to calculate the cost of retained earnings is:

    (Expected dividend per share / Net proceeds) + growth rate

    • Expected dividend is the dividend an investor expects for his investment in the company’s shares based on the last year’s dividend, trends in the markets, and financial statements presented by the company.
    • Net proceeds is the market value of a share, that is, how much an investor would get if he sells his shares today.
    • Growth rate represents growth of company’s revenue, dividend from previous years in the form of a percentage.

    The expected dividend per share is divided by net proceeds or the current selling price of the share, to find out the market value of retained earnings.

    The growth rate is then added to the formula. It’s the rate at which the dividend grows in the company.

    For example:

    The net proceeds from share is Rs 100, expected dividend growth rate is 2% and expected dividend is 5.

    Cost of retained earnings

    = (Expected dividend per share / Net proceeds) + Growth rate

    = (5 / 100) + 0.02

    = 0.07 or 7%

     

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

    Fictitious assets are not actually assets. They are expenses/losses not written off in the year in which they are incurred. They do not have any physical presence. Their expense is spread over more than one accounting period. A part of the expense is amortized/written off every year against the compRead more

    Fictitious assets are not actually assets. They are expenses/losses not written off in the year in which they are incurred. They do not have any physical presence. Their expense is spread over more than one accounting period.

    A part of the expense is amortized/written off every year against the company’s earnings. The remaining part (which is yet to be written off) is shown as an asset in the balance sheet. They are shown as assets because these expenses are expected to give returns to the company over a period of time.

    Here are some examples of fictitious assets:

    • Preliminary expenses.
    • Promotional expenses.
    • Loss incurred on the issue of debentures.
    • Underwriting commission.
    • Discount on issue of shares.

     

    To make it simple I’ll explain the accounting treatment of preliminary expenses with an example.

    The promoters of KL Ltd. paid 50,000 as consultation fees for incorporating the company. The consultation fee is a preliminary expense as they are incurred for the formation of the company. The company agreed to write off this expense over a period of 5 years.

    At the end of every year, the company will write off 10,000 (50,000/5) as an expense in the Profit & Loss A/c.

    The remaining portion i.e. 40,000 (50,000 – 10,000) will be shown on the Assets side of the Balance Sheet under the head Non – Current Assets and sub-head Other Non – Current Assets. 

    Here are the financial statements of KL Ltd.,

    Note: As per AS 26 preliminary expenses are fully written off in the year they are incurred. This is because such expenses do not meet the definition of assets and must be written off in the year of incurring.

    Source: Some fictitious assets examples are from Accountingcapital.com & others from Wikipedia.

     

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Astha
AsthaLeader
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  2. Naina@123 (B.COM and CMA-Final)
    This answer was edited.

    Return inwards in simple terms means sending back goods by the customer to the seller. Simply speaking when your customer purchases items from your business but is not satisfied with the items so received they return those items back to you. Some of the reasons for sending back the items are statedRead more

    Return inwards in simple terms means sending back goods by the customer to the seller. Simply speaking when your customer purchases items from your business but is not satisfied with the items so received they return those items back to you. Some of the reasons for sending back the items are stated below:

    • Incorrect items delivered by the seller
    • The excess amount delivered to the buyer
    • Return of expired/ spoiled good

     

    In such a case, the return is initiated by the buyer and a credit note is issued to the buyer, and the same is recorded in the books of accounts. Also, this return inward is deducted from the total sales.

    Example: M/s Pest ltd sold 4 units of fertilizers spraying tools of Rs 10,000 each to Mr. Zen. On inspection, he found 1 unit worth Rs 10,000 so received to be defective. Therefore the return of Rs 10,000 was initiated and goods were returned to the seller. A credit note of Rs 10,000 will be raised by the seller (M/s Pest ltd) to the buyer (Mr. Zen). The following adjustment will be shown in the trading account.

     

    Return outwards means returning the goods by the buyer to the supplier. In layman language, when you purchase items for your business and you are not happy with the items then you may decide to return them.

    In this case, a debit note is issued to the seller and is recorded in the books of accounts, and the same is reduced from the total purchases in the trading account so prepared.

    Example: Suppose you are dealing in a business of clothing. You purchased 20 shirts for Rs.10,000 from a wholesale market. When you sold these shirts, you found 10 shirts worth Rs 5,000 to be defective which were returned by your customer. Therefore you will return these shirts to the wholesale market from where you purchased them. The following adjustment will be shown in the trading account.

     

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AbhishekBatabyal
AbhishekBatabyalHelpful
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  2. Ayushi Curious Pursuing CA

    Introduction Internal reconstruction refers to the process of restructuring a sick company’s balance sheet by certain methods to turn it financially healthy, thus saving it from potential liquidation. Explanation When a company has been making losses for many years, it has a huge amount of accumulatRead more

    Introduction

    Internal reconstruction refers to the process of restructuring a sick company’s balance sheet by certain methods to turn it financially healthy, thus saving it from potential liquidation.

    Explanation

    When a company has been making losses for many years, it has a huge amount of accumulated losses due to which the reserve and surplus appear at a very low or negative amount in the balance sheet.

    Also, such a company is said to be overcapitalised as it is not able to generate enough returns to its capital.

    As the company is overcapitalised, the assets are also overvalued. The balance sheet also contains many fictitious assets and unrepresented intangible assets.

    The balance sheet of such a ‘sick’ company looks like the following:

    Hence, to save the company from liquidation,

    • its assets and liabilities are revalued and reassessed,
    • its capital is reduced by paying off part of paid-up capital to shareholders or cancelling the paid-up capital.
    • the right of shareholders related to preference dividends is altered,
    • agreements are made with creditors to reduce their claims and
    • fictitious assets and accumulated losses are written off.

    In this way, its balance sheet gets rid of all undesirable elements and the company gets a new life without being liquidated.  This process is known as internal reconstruction.

    Legal compliance

    The internal reconstruction of a company is governed by the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013.

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