AccountingQA Latest Questions

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

    Definition Posting refers to moving the transaction entries from the journal to the ledger books of the company. It is an important part of the accounting cycle. Posting helps us to classify transactions in a better manner. A journal is used to record transactions in chronological order while ledgerRead more

    Definition

    Posting refers to moving the transaction entries from the journal to the ledger books of the company. It is an important part of the accounting cycle.

    Posting helps us to classify transactions in a better manner.

    A journal is used to record transactions in chronological order while ledger books are used to classify transactions into assets, liabilities, expenses, and incomes.

    Steps of Posting

    • Create and name ledger accounts for different items of trial balance

    • Identify those entries in the journal that relate to the relevant ledger book under consideration.

    • Post the entry on the debit or credit side of the ledger account.

    • For example, when salaries are paid a salary account is debited and a bank account is credited. When posting this transaction in the bank account we will debit the bank account and write “To salaries” under the head “particular”. This will indicate that salaries were paid from a bank account causing a reduction in the bank balance.

    • After all the journal entries relevant to a particular ledger account have been posted in it, we will tally the total of the debit and the credit side of the ledger account to ascertain any balance left.

    • Usually, asset accounts have the debit side exceeding the credit side. That is to say, they have a debit balance. Liability accounts usually have a credit balance.

    • It is not necessary that every ledger account may have a balance left at the end. The total of the amounts on the debit side may be equal to the total of the amounts on the credit side in some ledger accounts.

    • The last step is to recheck the ledger account to identify and correct any mistakes that may have occurred during the posting process.

    Importance of Posting

    • Posting helps us to classify transactions in a better and more efficient manner.

    • Posting makes the books of accounts more readable.

    • An accountant may choose to engage in posting once every month or even once every day as per the requirements of the business and the financial reporting norms.

    • Posting is necessary for the creation of financial statements. A trial balance cannot be drafted without determining the balance of each ledger account.

    • Posting helps us to know the balance of each account This helps to run the business smoothly by tracking balances timely and making up for any likely deficiency in advance.

    • Analysis of how balances of various ledger accounts have changed over time helps us to draw valuable conclusions for the business.

    Conclusion

    We can conclude by saying that the process of posting refers to transferring the entries from the journal to the ledger accounts.

    Posting is an essential step of the accounting cycle and without it, financial statements cannot be prepared. Any error while posting is bound to adversely affect the creation of the financial statements.

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Anushka Lalwani
Anushka Lalwani
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  2. Kajal
    This answer was edited.

    Yes, Accounts Payable can have a Debit balance. Accounts payable is a liability and thus, has a credit balance but can have a debit balance in case the creditor is overpaid or when there is purchase return (for already-paid goods)   ACCOUNTS PAYABLE Accounts payable refers to all short-term liaRead more

    Yes, Accounts Payable can have a Debit balance. Accounts payable is a liability and thus, has a credit balance but can have a debit balance in case the creditor is overpaid or when there is purchase return (for already-paid goods)

     

    ACCOUNTS PAYABLE

    Accounts payable refers to all short-term liabilities of the business that are to be paid. These are usually paid within a duration of  90 days. It includes both Trade payable (goods and services purchased on credit) as well as expenses payable (used but payment not made yet) like rent payable, electricity bill, etc.

    Businesses cannot make every payment on the spot. There can be cases when the business is facing a shortage of funds, can have funds but doesn’t have enough cash (or liquid funds) to make payment or simply doesn’t want to make payment on the spot to reduce its capital requirement.

    So, like us businessmen also purchase goods on credit or use services for which payment is to be made soon. All these are liabilities for the business.

    However, they must be related to the business to be considered as accounts payable.

     

    DEBIT BALANCE OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE 

    Debit balance of accounts payable means money owed by others. There is Debit balance when

    OVERPAYMENT is made to the creditors or the supplier. It happens when the wrong amount is paid or payment is made twice for the same transaction.

    Suppose you need to pay $10,000 as rent within 30 days. After 25 days you mistakenly made a payment of $12,000.

    In this case,

    • Firstly, you will record the transaction by crediting Accounts payable (as liability increased) by $10,000
    • When payment is made after 25 days, Accounts Payable is debited by $12,000 (as liability decreased)
    • So, there will be a debit balance of $2,000 (which means the creditor owes you) till the creditor returns the excess amount.

     

    PURCHASE RETURN of already paid goods also result in debit balance of Accounts Payable.

    Suppose you bought goods worth $50,000 from Mr A on credit and paid for the same. Later, you returned all the goods because they were defective. Now, there will be Debit balance of Accounts Payable till there is a full refund of $50,000 by Mr A.

     

    How is Accounts Payable Treated Normally?

    Accounts Payable are the current liabilities of the firm and are shown under the head Current Liabilities in the Balance Sheet. Its liability, thus has a credit balance which represents the amount owed by the firm to others. It is credited when increases and debited when decreases.

    For example – Suppose you purchased goods worth $30,000 and agreed to pay after 30 days. So, Accounts payable will be credited by $30,000 and purchases will be debited by $30,000.

    Purchases A/c – $30,000 (debit)

    To Accounts Payable A/c – $30,000

    After 30 days payment is made in cash, which means the liability decreased. So, Accounts Payable A/c will be debited.

    Accounts Payable A/c – $30,00

    To Cash – $30,000

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A_Team
A_Team
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Final AccountsLoose Tools
  2. Vijay Curious M.Com
    This answer was edited.

    Let me begin by giving a small explanation of what loose tools are before we dive into their accounting treatment. Loose tools are assets that are used in various steps of the production process and therefore are vital for the conversion of raw materials into finished goods. They are considered as cRead more

    Let me begin by giving a small explanation of what loose tools are before we dive into their accounting treatment.

    Loose tools are assets that are used in various steps of the production process and therefore are vital for the conversion of raw materials into finished goods. They are considered as current assets of the business as their useful life is limited. They have a small monetary value (cost-efficient) and high turnover. Examples of loose tools include screwdrivers, hammers, etc.

    One may say loose tools like screwdrivers and hammers can be used for more than one year and therefore should be classified as non-current assets. But unlike fixed assets, these loose tools have a high probability of being misplaced or lost. Hence they are classified as current assets.

    Since loose tools are treated as an asset for the business, they are shown as a debit balance in the trial balance.

    The cost of loose tools consumed for the year will be shown on the debit side of the Profit & Loss A/c as an expense. In the balance sheet, loose tools are shown on the Assets side under the head Current Assets and sub-head Inventories. Since they aid the production process, loose tools are shown as a part of the inventory of the business.

    Let us take an example,

    XYZ Ltd. at the beginning of the year had loose tools worth 5,000. During the year they purchased loose tools worth 500. At the end of the year, the company valued its loose tools at 4,500.

    Now let us find the cost of loose tools consumed. The formula for finding the cost of loose tools consumed is as follows:

    Cost of loose tools consumed  = Opening inventory of loose tools + Purchases of loose tools – Closing inventory of loose tools

    Cost of loose tools consumed = 5,000 + 500 – 4,500 = 1,000

    So, the cost of loose tools consumed (1000) will be shown on the debit side of the P&L A/c as follows:

    The closing inventory of loose tools worth 4,500 will be shown on the assets side of the balance sheet under the head current assets and sub-head inventory in the following manner:

    One thing to remember here is there is an exception to loose tools. While calculating liquidity ratios like the Current ratio, Quick ratio, etc. loose tools are excluded from current assets. The reason for this is loose tools cannot be easily converted into cash i.e. they are less liquid. The purpose of calculating the current ratio is to check the liquidity of a company. Including loose tools (which cannot be easily converted into cash) in current assets defeats the purpose of calculating the ratio.

     

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prashant06
prashant06
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  2. Manvi Pursuing ACCA
    This answer was edited.

    Return inwards are the goods returned by the customer to the seller. The goods are returned for reasons like defects, excess delivery, and low quality. Return inwards are also known as Sales Returns. Sales returns are a contra account to sales revenue. The amount of sales returns is deducted from thRead more

    Return inwards are the goods returned by the customer to the seller. The goods are returned for reasons like defects, excess delivery, and low quality. Return inwards are also known as Sales Returns.

    Sales returns are a contra account to sales revenue. The amount of sales returns is deducted from the total sales in the Trading section of the Trading and Profit & Loss Account.

    In subsidiary books, return inwards are recorded only for those goods which are sold on credit to the customer.

    For example, On 1 August E Electronics sold 50 units of television to Hill Hotels on credit for Rs.25,000 each. Out of which 5 units were found to be defective and were returned back to E Electronics. In that accounting period, E Electronics made a total sales of Rs.20,00,000 (including the item sold to Hill Hotels).

    E Electronics in its Trading section of Trading and P&L A/c will account for a sales return of Rs.1,25,000 (Rs.25,000*5) and this amount will be deducted from the total sales. The same will be recorded in the subsidiary books as it accounts for sales made on credit.

    Extract of Profit & Loss Account:

    For a business, sales returns will either have a decrease in the sales revenue or it will increase the sales returns and allowances which is a contra account to sales revenue. An increase in sales returns will decrease gross profit.

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

    As you know all transactions occurring in a business are recorded in the journal (book of original entry) in chronological order. After recording them in the journal, they are posted to their respective ledger accounts. Here I've explained the steps involved in posting a journal entry to the ledger.Read more

    As you know all transactions occurring in a business are recorded in the journal (book of original entry) in chronological order. After recording them in the journal, they are posted to their respective ledger accounts.

    Here I’ve explained the steps involved in posting a journal entry to the ledger.

    Posting of an account debited in the journal entry:

    Step 1: Identify the account which has to be debited in the ledger.

    Step 2: Write the date of the transaction under the ‘Date Column’ of the debit side of the ledger account.

    Step 3: Write the name of the account which has been credited in the journal entry in the ‘Particulars Column’ on the debit side of the account as “To (name of the account)”.

    Step 4: Write the page number of the journal where the entry exists in the ‘Journal Folio (JF) Column’.

    Step 5: Enter the amount in the ‘Amount Column’ on the debit side of the ledger account.

    Posting of an account credited in the journal entry:

    Step 1: Identify the account which has to be credited in the ledger.

    Step 2: Write the date of the transaction under the ‘Date Column’ of the credit side of the ledger account.

    Step 3: Write the name of the account which has been debited in the journal entry in the ‘Particulars Column’ on the credit side of the account as “By (name of the account)”.

    Step 4: Write the page number of the journal where the entry exists in the ‘Journal Folio (JF) Column’.

    Step 5: Enter the amount in the ‘Amount Column’ on the credit side of the ledger account.

    I’ll explain the process of preparing a ledger A/c with a simple transaction.

    On 1st May ABC Ltd. purchased machinery for 5,00,000. In the Journal the following entry will be made.

    Machinery A/c   5,00,000
       To Bank A/c   5,00,000
    (Being machinery purchased for 5,00,000)

    Let’s assume that this entry appears on page no. 32 of the journal. Now we will open Machinery A/c and Bank A/c in the Ledger.

    On the debit side of the Machinery A/c “To Bank A/c” will be written. In the Bank A/c “By Machinery A/c” will be written on the credit side.

    An extract of both the accounts are as follows:

    Machinery A/c

    Date Particulars J.F. Amt. Date Particulars J.F. Amt.
    May-01 To Bank A/c 32   5,00,000

     

    Bank A/c

    Date Particulars J.F. Amt. Date Particulars J.F. Amt.
    May-01 By Machinery A/c 32   5,00,000
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AbhishekBatabyal
AbhishekBatabyalHelpful
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  2. Samar Sparsh

    The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a firm’s ability to pay off its short-term liabilities with its current assets. The current ratio is important because short-term liabilities are due within a period of twelve months. The current ratio is calculated using two standard figures thatRead more

    The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a firm’s ability to pay off its short-term liabilities with its current assets. The current ratio is important because short-term liabilities are due within a period of twelve months.

    The current ratio is calculated using two standard figures that are shown in the company’s balance sheet: current assets and current liabilities. The formula for the same goes as:

    Current ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities

    A current ratio of 2:1 is considered ideal. Generally, a ratio between 1.5 to 2 is considered beneficial for the business, which means that the company has more financial resources (Current Assets) to cover its short-term debt (Current Liabilities).

    A high current ratio may indicate that the business is having difficulties managing its capital efficiently to generate profits.

    On the other hand, a lower current ratio (especially lower than 1) would signify that the company’s current liabilities exceed its current assets and the business may have difficulty covering its short-term debt. Although the definition of a good current ratio may vary in the different industry groups.

    Example- Where,

    1) CR is 2:1, the company is in a good situation as it has double the Current Assets in order to cover the short-term debt.

    2) CR is 0.5:1, the company is not in a good situation as it has only half the Current Assets in order to cover the short-term debt.

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

    The debts that have a higher chance of not being paid are called doubtful debts. They are a part of the regular dealing of the company and may arise due to disputes or treachery on the part of debtors. Bad debts refer to the doubtful debts that no longer seem to be recoverable from the business. WriRead more

    The debts that have a higher chance of not being paid are called doubtful debts. They are a part of the regular dealing of the company and may arise due to disputes or treachery on the part of debtors.

    Bad debts refer to the doubtful debts that no longer seem to be recoverable from the business.

    Written off means an expense, income, asset, liability is no more recorded in the books of accounts because they no longer hold relevance for the business.

    When doubtful debts turn into bad debt, they are written off from the books after a stipulated time as they no longer seem recoverable.

    If any cash is received against such bad debts that were written off, it is known as cash received against bad debts written off. Cash is received against bad debts usually when the debtor is declared insolvent and money is recovered from its estate.

    Bad debts recovered are considered an income for the company as they were previously written off as a loss and any cash received against it is considered as income.

    Journal entry for such situation is:

    Cash or Bank A/c (Dr.)

    To Bad Debts Recovered A/c

    We debit the increase in assets, and since cash is coming into the business it is debited.

    We credit the income, and since bad debts recovered is an income to the business it is credited.

     

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

    Sales return shows the sale price of goods returned by customers. It is deducted from sales or gross sales in the income statement. It is a contra revenue account that represents returns from the customers and deductions to the original selling price, in case of any defective product received by theRead more

    Sales return shows the sale price of goods returned by customers. It is deducted from sales or gross sales in the income statement.

    It is a contra revenue account that represents returns from the customers and deductions to the original selling price, in case of any defective product received by the customer or any other manufacturing default.

    Sales allowances arise when any customer accepts the product at a lower price than the original price or, in other words, a reduction in the price charged by a seller, due to any problem related to the sold product like a quality issue, an incorrect price charged or shipment issue.

    Sales allowances are created before the final billing is paid by the buyer.

    Journal entry for sales return and allowances:

    Dr. Sales return and allowances Amt  
    Cr. Accounts receivable   Amt
    • Sales Return Account is debited because it is reverse of Sales Account which is credited at the time of sale.
    • Account Receivable Account is credited to reverse the debtors debited at the time of sale.
    • Hence Sales Return entry is just reverse of the entry recorded at the time of sale.

     

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AbhishekBatabyal
AbhishekBatabyalHelpful
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  2. Ayushi Curious Pursuing CA

    Introduction A capital reduction account is an account used to pass entries related to the internal reconstruction of a company. During reconstruction, paid-up capital reduced is credited to this account; hence its name is capital reduction account. It is also known as the reconstruction account. TyRead more

    Introduction

    A capital reduction account is an account used to pass entries related to the internal reconstruction of a company. During reconstruction, paid-up capital reduced is credited to this account; hence its name is capital reduction account. It is also known as the reconstruction account.

    Type of account

    A capital reduction account is a temporary account open just to carry out internal reconstruction. It represents the sacrifices made by the shareholders, debenture holders and creditors. Also, any appreciation in the value of assets is credited to this account. It is closed to capital reduction when internal reconstruction is completed.

    Entries passed through capital reduction account

    When paid-up capital is cancelled.

    When paid-up capital is cancelled, the share capital account is debited and the capital reduction account is debited as share capital is getting reduced.

    Share Capital A/c Dr. Amt
    To Capital Reduction A/c Cr. Amt

    When assets and liabilities are revalued

    At the time of internal reconstruction, the gain or loss on revaluation is transferred to the capital reduction account instead of the revaluation reserve.

    Writing off of accumulated losses and intangible assets

    The credit balance of the capital reduction account is used to write off the accumulated losses and intangible assets like goodwill, patents etc which are unrepresented by capital. The capital reduction account is debited and profit and loss account and intangible assets accounts are credited.

    Capital Reduction A/c Dr. Amt
    To Profit and loss A/c Cr. Amt
    To Goodwill/ Patents A/c Cr. Amt

    Treatment in books of account

    The balance in the capital reduction account, whether debit or credit, it is transferred to the capital reduction account. Hence, it doesn’t appear on the balance sheet.

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

    Fixed Working Capital Permanent working capital is also known as fixed working capital. Working capital is the excess of the current assets over the current liability and further, it is classified on the basis of periodicity, into two categories, permanent working capital, and variable working capitRead more

    Fixed Working Capital

    Permanent working capital is also known as fixed working capital.

    Working capital is the excess of the current assets over the current liability and further, it is classified on the basis of periodicity, into two categories, permanent working capital, and variable working capital.

    Permanent working capital means the part of working capital that is permanently locked up in current assets to carry business smoothly and effortlessly. Thus, it’s also known as fixed working capital.

    The minimum amount of current assets which is required to conduct a business smoothly during the year is called permanent working capital. The amount of permanent working capital depends upon the nature, growth, and size of the business.

    Fixed working capital can further be divided into two categories:

    • Regular working capital: It is the minimum amount of capital required by a business to fund its day-to-day operations of a business. E.g. payment of wages, salary, overhead expenses, etc.
    • Reserve margin working capital: Apart from day-to-day activities, additional working capital may also be required for contingencies that may arise at any time like strike, business depression, etc.

     

    Whereas, on the other hand, variable working capital, also known as temporary working capital refers to the level of working capital that is temporary and keeps fluctuating.

     

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