AccountingQA Latest Questions

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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Jasmeet_Sethi
Jasmeet_SethiCurious
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To ascertain the debtors and creditors of the business To ascertain the financial position of the business To ascertain the profit or loss of the business To ascertain the collective effect of all ...

  2. Manvi Pursuing ACCA
    This answer was edited.

    The correct answer is 4. To ascertain the collective effect of all transactions pertaining to a particular account. The reason being is that in the ledger account all the effects are recorded for example,  how much money is spent on a particular type of expense or how much money is receivable from aRead more

    The correct answer is 4. To ascertain the collective effect of all transactions pertaining to a particular account. The reason being is that in the ledger account all the effects are recorded for example,  how much money is spent on a particular type of expense or how much money is receivable from a debtor. In ledger accounts, information can be obtained about a particular account.

    Ledger is the Principal book of accounts and also called the book of final entry. It summarises all types of accounts whether it is an Asset A/c, Liability A/c, Income A/c, or Expense A/c. The transactions recorded in the Journal/Subsidiary books are transferred to the respective ledger accounts opened.

     

    Importance of preparing ledger accounts:

    1. Ledger accounts get the ready results i.e. helps in identifying the amount payable or receivable.
    2. It is necessary for the preparation of the Trial Balance.
    3. The financial position of the business is easily available with the help of Assets A/c and Liabilities A/c.
    4. It helps in preparing various types of income statements on the basis of balances shown in ledger accounts.
    5. It can be used as a control tool as it shows balances of various accounts.
    6. It is useful for the management to forecast or plan for the future.
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A_Team
A_Team
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  2. Kajal
    This answer was edited.

    Yes, Goodwill is a fixed asset because it adds to the value of the business over a long period. Goodwill can never be calculated for a short period.   GOODWILL Basically, goodwill is a premium or you can say an additional price you are paying because of the reputation of a firm or a person. YouRead more

    Yes, Goodwill is a fixed asset because it adds to the value of the business over a long period. Goodwill can never be calculated for a short period.

     

    GOODWILL

    Basically, goodwill is a premium or you can say an additional price you are paying because of the reputation of a firm or a person.

    You may have seen some famous shop in your locality which usually charges a higher price as compared to the other local shops selling the same product.

    You may have also noticed that bigger brands like Bata, Titan, Zara, etc. charge higher prices for their products as compared to the same products available in the local market and people are even willing to pay for them. Ever wondered why?

    This is because of the goodwill created by them over the years by providing quality products and services, good employee relationships, a strong customer base, social service, a brand name and so on. Customers trust them and for this trust, they are even willing to pay higher prices.

    Goodwill is the quantitative value (i.e. in monetary terms) of the reputation of the firm in the market.

     

    FIXED ASSETS

    An asset is any possession or property of the business that enables the firm to get cash or any benefit in the future.

    Fixed Assets are assets which are purchased for long-term use. They are for continued use in the business for producing goods or services and are not meant for resale. For example- Plant, machinery, building, goodwill, patents etc.

    Fixed assets can be tangible or intangible.

    Tangible assets are those assets which can be seen and touched and have physical existence like Plant and machinery, building, stock, furniture etc.

    Intangible assets are those assets which cannot be seen or touched i.e. they don’t have any physical existence like goodwill, patent, trademark, prepaid expenses etc. Even though they can’t be seen or touched by they have value and are not fictitious assets.

     

    Goodwill as a Fixed Asset

    Goodwill is an intangible asset as it cannot be seen or touched but has value and adds value to the business over a long period. Thus, goodwill is a fixed asset.

    It is shown in the balance sheet as a Fixed asset under the head Intangible asset.

    Goodwill can be

    • Self-generated (Non-Purchased goodwill)
    • Purchased goodwill

    Self-generated goodwill is created over a period due to the good reputation of the business. It is the difference between the value of the firm and the fair value of the net tangible assets of the firm.

    Goodwill = Value of the firm – Fair value of net tangible assets

    Here, F.V of net tangible assets = Fair value of tangible assets- Fair value of tangible liabilities

    Purchased goodwill arises when one business purchases another business. It is the difference between the price paid for the purchased firm and the sum of the fair market value of the assets received and liabilities to be paid by them on behalf of the purchased firm.

    Goodwill = Purchase price – (F.V of assets received + F.V of liabilities to be paid)

    Only purchased goodwill is recorded in the books of accounts because it is difficult to correctly calculate the value of self-generated goodwill as the future is uncertain, also its valuation depends on the judgement of the person calculating it, which defers from person to person. Since there is no fixed standard to calculate self-generated goodwill only purchased goodwill is recorded as the price paid for it at the time of acquiring another business.

    Suppose Firm A acquired Firm B.

    Purchase price= $100,000

    Assets received=$60,000

    Liabilities (to be paid by Firm A on behalf of Firm B) = $10,000

    Goodwill = $100,000 – ($60,000 + $10,000) = $30,000

    This, goodwill of $30,000 will be recorded under the head Fixed Asset, subhead Intangible Assets in the balance sheet of Firm A (that is in the balance sheet of the acquiring firm)

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Anushka Lalwani
Anushka Lalwani
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ReservesRevenue Reserve
  2. Rahul_Jose Aspiring CA currently doing Bcom
    This answer was edited.

    A revenue reserve is a type of reserve where a portion of the net profit is set aside for future requirements. It serves as a great source of internal finance for the company to meet its short term requirements. The funds put into this reserve are earned from the daily operations of a company. RevenRead more

    A revenue reserve is a type of reserve where a portion of the net profit is set aside for future requirements. It serves as a great source of internal finance for the company to meet its short term requirements. The funds put into this reserve are earned from the daily operations of a company. Revenue reserves are shown on the liabilities side of a balance sheet under reserves and surplus. Some examples of revenue reserve are :

    • General Reserve: This reserve is used for no specific purpose, but the general financial growth of the company. It is a free reserve which means the company is not compelled to make one. It helps to curb future losses which may arise in the future.
    • Specific Reserve: These are those reserves that can only be used for specific purposes. This money cannot be used for any other requirement. It is not a free reserve. A reserve created to redeem debentures would be called a debenture redemption reserve.
    • Secret Reserve: This is a type of reserve whose existence is not disclosed in the balance sheet. This type of reserve cannot be created by joint-stock companies. However, banks and financial institutions are allowed to create such secret reserves.

    Retained Earnings is that part of the net profit which is left after the distribution of dividends to shareholders. This amount can be invested in the company to gain profits. It is not technically a reserve as it is held after distribution of dividends but it can still be used as one.

    On the other hand, a capital reserve is not a part of the revenue reserve. It is created from capital profits to finance long term projects of a company. It is used for specific purposes only.

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Simerpreet
SimerpreetHelpful
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Working Capital
  2. Astha Leader Pursuing CA, BCom (Hons.)
    This answer was edited.

    Let us first understand what working capital is. Working capital means the funds available for the day-to-day operations of an enterprise. It is a measure of a company’s liquidity and short term financial health. They are cash or mere cash resources of a business concern. It also represents the exceRead more

    Let us first understand what working capital is.

    Working capital means the funds available for the day-to-day operations of an enterprise. It is a measure of a company’s liquidity and short term financial health. They are cash or mere cash resources of a business concern.

    It also represents the excess of current assets, such as cash, accounts receivable and inventories, over current liabilities, such as accounts payable and bank overdraft.

    working capital formula

    Sources of Working Capital

    Any transaction that increases the amount of working capital for a company is a source of working capital.

    Suppose, Amazon sells its goods for $1,000 when the cost is only $700. Then, the difference of $300 is the source of working capital as the increase in cash is greater than the decrease in inventory.

    Sources of working capital can be classified as follows:

    short term and long term sources of working capital

    Short Term Sources

    • Trade credit: Credit given by one business firm to the other arising from credit sales. It is a spontaneous source of finance representing credit extended by the supplier of goods and services.
    • Bills/Note payable: The purchaser gives a written promise to pay the amount of bill or invoice either on-demand or at a fixed future date to the seller or the bearer of the note.
    • Accrued expenses: It refers to the services availed by the firm, but the payment for which is yet to be done. It represents an interest-free source of finance.
    • Tax/Dividend provisions: It is a provision made out of current profits to meet the tax/dividend obligation. The time gap between provision made and payment of actual payment serves as a source of short-term finance during the intermediate period.
    • Cash Credit/Overdraft: Under this arrangement, the bank specifies a pre-determined limit for borrowings. The borrower can withdraw as required up to the specified limits.
    • Public deposit: These are unsecured deposits invited by the company from the public for a period of six months to 3 years.
    • Bills discounting: It refers to an activity wherein a discounted amount is released by the bank to the seller on purchase of the bill drawn by the borrower on their customers.
    • Short term loans: These loans are granted for a period of less than a year to fulfil a short term liquidity crunch.
    • Inter-corporate loans/deposits: Organizations having surplus funds invest with other organizations for up to six months at rates higher than that of banks.
    • Commercial paper: These are short term unsecured promissory notes sold at discount and redeemed at face value. These are issued for periods ranging from 7 to 360 days.
    • Debt factoring: It is an arrangement between the firm (the client) and a financial institution (the factor) whereby the factor collects dues of his client for a certain fee. In other words, the factor purchases its client’s trade debts at a discount.

    Long Term Sources

    • Retained profits: These are profits earned by a business in a financial year and set aside for further usage and investments.
    • Share Capital: It is the money invested by the shareholders in the company via purchase of shares floated by the company in the market.
    • Long term loans: These loans are disbursed for a period greater than 1 year to the borrower in his account in cash. Interest is charged on the full amount irrespective of the amount in use. These shareholders receive annual dividends against the money invested.
    • Debentures: These are issued by companies to obtain funds from the public in form of debt. They are not backed by any collateral but carry a fixed rate of interest to be paid by the company to the debenture holders.

    Another point I would like to add is that, although depreciation is recorded in expense and fixed assets accounts and does not affect working capital, it still needs to be accounted for when calculating working capital.

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Jasmeet_Sethi
Jasmeet_SethiCurious
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  2. GautamSaxena Curious .
    This answer was edited.

    Fluctuating Capital Fluctuating capital is a capital that is unstable and keeps changing frequently. In the fluctuating capital, the capital of each partner changes from time to time. In partnership firms, each partner will have a separate capital account. Any additional capital introduced during thRead more

    Fluctuating Capital

    Fluctuating capital is a capital that is unstable and keeps changing frequently. In the fluctuating capital, the capital of each partner changes from time to time. In partnership firms, each partner will have a separate capital account. Any additional capital introduced during the year will also be credited to their capital account. In the fluctuating capital method, only one capital a/c is maintained i.e no current accounts like in the fixed capital a/c method. Therefore, all the adjustments like interest on capital, drawings, etc. are completed in the capital a/c itself.

    It is most commonly seen in partnership firms and it is not essential to mention the Fluctuating Account Method in the partnership deed.

    • All the adjustments resulting in a decrease in the capital will be debited to the partner’s capital, such as drawings made by each partner, interest on drawings, and share of loss.
    • Similarly, the activities or adjustments that lead to an increase in the capital are credited to the partner’s capital account, such as interest on capital, salary, the share of profit, and so on.

    Fluctuating Capital Account Format

     

     

     

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Anushka Lalwani
Anushka Lalwani
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  2. Akash Kumar AK
    This answer was edited.

    Depreciation is an accounting process of allocating the value of an asset over its estimated useful life. When a company purchases an asset, depreciation will be calculated at the end of every financial year on the asset. The company records the amount of depreciation in a separate ledger, i.e., AccRead more

    Depreciation is an accounting process of allocating the value of an asset over its estimated useful life.

    When a company purchases an asset, depreciation will be calculated at the end of every financial year on the asset. The company records the amount of depreciation in a separate ledger, i.e., Accumulated Depreciation. This expense will be debited instead of depreciation in the Asset ledger.

     

    Accumulated Depreciation

    Accumulated depreciation is the accumulated reduction in the cost of an asset over time.

    Depreciation is the reduction in the value of an asset over a specific timeframe, whereas accumulated depreciation is the sum of total depreciation on an asset since we bought it.

    we will understand this concept with a simple example.

    suppose machinery depreciates as follows

    Year 1 – Depreciation is 5,000

    Year 2 – Depreciation is 5,000

    Year 3 – Depreciation is 5,000

    Accumulated Depreciation in Year 3 = 5,000 + 5,000 + 5,000

    Therefore, overall 3 years of depreciation are accumulated at the last year-end.

     

    Journal entry for accumulated depreciation

    Example: Excellence Co. has purchased a new motor vehicle which costs $8,000 for their cab business. The motor vehicle is depreciated at @20% per annum. At the end of the year, Excellence Co. will record this accumulated depreciation journal entry.

    Year 1

    Depreciation A/c Dr. – $1600

    To Accumulated depreciation A/c – $1600

    Year 2

    Depreciation A/c Dr. – $1600

    To Accumulated Depreciation A/c – $1600

    Therefore, the Accumulated depreciation for the 2nd year end is $3200.

    At the time of the sale of the motor vehicle, the amount of accumulated depreciation will be reduced from the total value of the asset.

     

    Provision for depreciation

    Provision for depreciation is very similar to accumulated depreciation. Instead of reducing the amount of depreciation from the value of an asset, a separate provision A/C will be created, and the depreciation amount will be credited to the provision account, i.e., Provision for Depreciation account every year, and the asset will be shown the same value without reducing the depreciation from it.

     

    Journal entry for provision for depreciation

    Example: Yesman Co. purchased Machinery worth $40000 at the beginning of the current year for their production. The machinery will be depreciated at @10% per annum. At the end of the year, Yesman Co. will record this provision for depreciation journal entry.

    Year 1

    Depreciation A/c Dr. – $4000

    To Provision for Depreciation A/c – $4,000

    Year 2

    Depreciation A/c Dr. – $4000

    To Provision for Depreciation A/c –  $4000

    Therefore, the Provision for depreciation balance will be $8000 at the 2nd year-end.

    At the time of sale of the machinery, the amount of provision for depreciation created till the date will be reduced from the asset’s value.

     

    Conclusion

     

     

    Provision for depreciation and accumulated depreciation refers to the amount of depreciation accumulated over the useful life of an asset.

    The terms accumulated depreciation and provision for depreciation are different in hearing, but these are similar from the financial perspective.

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Jasmeet_Sethi
Jasmeet_SethiCurious
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  2. GautamSaxena Curious .
    This answer was edited.

    Sundry Debtors in Trial Balance The debtor is a company's asset, and assets are always debited in the trial balance. The trial balance is a statement maintained at the end of an accounting period, listing the ending balances in each general ledger account. There are two sides to this account, debit,Read more

    Sundry Debtors in Trial Balance

    The debtor is a company’s asset, and assets are always debited in the trial balance.

    • The trial balance is a statement maintained at the end of an accounting period, listing the ending balances in each general ledger account.
    • There are two sides to this account, debit, and credit and they include all the transactions done in the business over a particular accounting period.

     

    As we know, assets, expenses, and drawings are always debited. That applies not only in journals but here as well, hence, all of your assets are to be debited.

    Trial Balance Statement

     

    As we can see here, the sundry debtors (on the 4th) are debited like all the other assets, expenses, and losses. In the end, if the basic accounting equation i.e. assets=capital+liability is violated, a mismatch arises which in the balancing figure is shown under the name of suspense account. Such errors must not be found and corrected to avoid any mismatch in the balance sheet of the company.

    Total Assets = Capital + Other Liabilities.

    Therefore, this is how the sundry debtors are treated in the Trial Balance.

     

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Sandy
Sandy
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Fictitious AssetsFinancial Statements
  2. Nistha Pursuing B.COM H (B&F) and CMA
    This answer was edited.

    Fictitious assets can be defined as those fake assets which save revenue for the company. These do not exist physically but also do not qualify as intangible assets. These are merely the expenses or losses that are not fully written off in the accounting period in which they are incurred. These expeRead more

    Fictitious assets can be defined as those fake assets which save revenue for the company. These do not exist physically but also do not qualify as intangible assets. These are merely the expenses or losses that are not fully written off in the accounting period in which they are incurred. These expenses are amortized over a period of time.

    These assets do not have any realizable value except for the cash outflow. These are created to delay the recognition of the expense and defer it to future periods.

    Fictitious assets actually qualify as an expense but are treated as assets only for the fact that they are expected to give returns over a course of more than one year. Examples are Advertisement expenses, preliminary expense, etc.

    Treatment

    Fictitious assets are shown on the assets side of the balance sheet under the head miscellaneous expenditure. A part of these expenses are shown in the profit and loss statement and the remaining amount is carried forward to the following years.

    For example, a company Timber Ltd. incurs expenses relating to advertisement of its products worth 8,000,000 and this advertisement campaign can earn revenue for the company for around 10 years. Hence, such expense of 8,000,000 would be amortized over a period of 10 years.

    For the first year, an amount of 800,000 (8,000,000/10) would appear in the profit and loss statement as expense and the rest 7,200,000 would appear as advertisement expense under the Miscellaneous expenditure on the assets side of the balance sheet.

    For the second year, an amount of 800,000 (8,000,000/10) would appear in the profit and loss statement as expense and the rest 6,400,000 would appear as advertisement expense under the Miscellaneous expenditure on the assets side of the balance sheet. And so on.

    We can say that fictitious assets are deferred revenue expenditures as well as intangible assets. But goodwill, etc are not fictitious assets. Hence, all fictitious assets are intangible assets but all intangible assets are not fictitious assets.

    Common fictitious assets that could generally be seen are:

    • Advertisement expenses
    • Preliminary expenses
    • Discount allowed on the issue of shares
    • Loss incurred on issue of debentures
    • Underwriting Commission
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