Accounting Terminology Guide Over 1,000 Accounting and Finance Terms

Instead of collecting cash at the time of an agreement, it may give a customer trade credit terms such as net 30. Without accounting, a company may have a hard time keeping track of who owes it money and when that money is to be received. While it’s rarely used, the single-entry bookkeeping method can also be used for journal entries.

A comparison of the total ofDEBITand CREDIT balances in theLEDGERto check that they are equal. It may be held indefinitely, retired, issued upon exercise of STOCK OPTIONS or resold. The act of transacting, especially a business agreement or exchange; event or condition recognized by an entry in the bookACCOUNT. Buying or selling goods and services among companies, states, or countries, called commerce. Information passed by one person to another as a basis for buy or sell action in aSECURITY. The concept thatCASH FLOWSof equal dollar amounts separated by a time interval have different present values because of the effect of compoundINTEREST.

How Accounting Works

It is also an important figure in the basis of many other individual planning issues as well as a key line item on the IRS form 1040 and required state forms. Change in an accounting principle; an accounting estimate; or the reporting entity that necessitates DISCLOSURE and explanation in published financial reports.

Its function is to provide quantitative information, primarily in nature, about economic entities that is intended to be useful in making economic decisions, in making reasoned choices among alternative courses of action. Accounting includes several branches, for example, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting and Government Accounting. The United Kingdom saw the emergence of accountants as an organized profession in the 19th century. Local professional bodies in England merged to form the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1880.

Factory Overhead Costs

The term notional is used becauseswapcontracts generally do not involve exchangesofPRINCIPAL. An accelerated method ofDEPRECIATIONin which the depreciablevalueif anASSETis multiplied by a decreasing fraction each year of the asset’s useful life. A percentage used to determine the amount ofDEPRECIATIONto be recorded eachACCOUNTINGperiodfor the straight-line method. ACCOUNTINGmethod that reflects an equal amount of wear and tear during eachperiodof anASSET’S useful life. For instance, the annualSTRAIGHT-LINE DEPRECIATIONof a $2,500 asset expected to last five years is $500.

However, discounted options do not qualify as performance based compensation and therefore the deduction that the company would get may be partially or completely lost. In addition discounted stock options do not qualify for Incentive Stock option treatment. (ISO there is no payroll tax orwithholdingrequirements for ISO’s) – If company mistakenly treats backdated stock as an ISO the company my fail to meet payroll tax andincometax withholding requirements. Method ofACCOUNTINGfor SECURITIES whereby transactions are recorded on the date the securities settle by the delivery or receipt of securities and the receipt or payment ofcash. If you buy a building that will last for many years, you don’twrite offthe cost of that building all at once. Instead, you take depreciation deductions over the building’s estimated useful life. Thus, you’ve “matched” the expense, or cost, of the building with the benefits it produces, over the course of the years it will be in service.

Retail Method

Each state may also use a standard deduction format, but the amounts and computations differ from the federal and from state to state. Certain taxpayers may not be entitled to use the standard deduction. If one taxpayer itemizes then the other is required to by law even if the married filing separate taxpayer is unknowing of what is included on the spouses separatereturn. A reason for this might be the prevention of pooling and duplication of deductions. ABONDthat gives the bondholders a pledge of certaincompanyassets as a guarantee of repayment. In order to be considered aRICa CORPORATION must make an irrevocable electiontaxelection in order to be treated as one.

• An expense that has occurred but is not recognized in the accounts.
• General name for money, notes, BONDS, goods or services which represent amounts owed.
• It is concerned with recording of costs in the cost journal and the subsequent posting to the ledger.
• Equity is often called net assets because it shows the amount of assets that the owners actually own after the creditors have been paid off.
• Many say that accounting probably developed alongside our ability to write words, count numbers, and start using money.

To create an accounting journal, record the information about your financial transactions. The details of financial transactions can be derived from invoices, purchase orders, receipts, cash register tapes and other data fundamental accounting sources. Hello Universal teacher, i request for your Help about how you practically record, classify and summarise transactions of an entity while making use of documents and books well as financial statements used.