La Diferencia Entre Interest Expense y Interest Payable

1.Interest expense es una cuenta del income statement cual es usada para reportar una cantidad de intereses incurrdos o deuda durante un periodo de tiempo.

2.Interest payable es una cuenta de current liability que es usada para reportar la cantidad de intereses incurridos pero que no han sido pagados a la hora de crear el balance sheet.

Para illustrar la diferencia de interest expense y interest payable, Asumamos que una compania tiene $300,000 de deuda con un interest de 8% por ano. La compania paga los intereses mensualmente como manda, cada 15 dias despues que el mes termina. El Prestamo comenzo en Enero 2 de ano corriente. Si la contabilidad del ano termina en Diciembre 31, la cantidad de interest expense por el ano sera de $24,000 ($300,000 x 8%). La cantidad de interest payable a Diciembre 31 seran los intereses de Diciembre $2,000 ($30,000 x 8% x 1/12). Los  interest payable de $2,000 seran reportados como un current liability por que se vence dentro de los 15 days de la fecha del balance sheet .

La Diferencia Entre Debt y Liability

What is the difference between liability and debt?

 
Algunas veces  liability y debt  significan lo mismo. Por ejemplo en la debt-to-equity ratio, debt es la cantidad total de las obligaciones( liabilities). En este caso, debt no solo incluye  short-term and long-term loans y bonds payable, debt tambien incluye salarios acumulados y utilidades, income taxes payable, y otros liabilities.En otras palabras, algunas veces debt aplica para toda obligacion…todo lo que se debe…toda obligacion.
En otras ocasiones,la palabra debt es usada para lo normal para contractos financieros escritos tales como prestamos a pagar a corto plazo (short-term loans payable), prestamos a pagar a largo plazo(long-term loans payable), y Bonos a pagar(bonds payable).
Tu pregunta es un recordatorio que las personas tiene diferentes perpectivas por consiguiente tienen diferentes  entendimiento y definiciones de la terminologia.

Es la porcion corriente de una deuda a largo plazo ajustada mensualmente ?

 

Un ajuste mensual de la porcion corriente de la deuda a largo plazo ( long term debt) es necesaria cuando:
1. La compania emite  balance de hoja mensuales (balance sheets), y
2. la cantidad a pagar en el balance principal del prestamo durante los proximos  12 meses es diferente de la cantidad mostrada en las obligaciones corrientes ( current liability).
La cantidad reportada como una obligacion corriente (current liability )mas la cantidad reportadacomo una obligacion a largo plazo  long term liability  debe ser igual a la cantidad total de la deuda(debt).

Que Es Una Cuenta Temporera En Contabilidad

Que es una Cuenta Temporera (temporary account)?

Al finalizar el ano de contabilidad(accounting year ) cualquier balance en la cuenta sera transferido a otra cuenta. Esto se conoce como cerrar la cuenta o closing the account. Un Ejemplo de una cuenta temporera es la cuenta de Ventas( Sales account). La cuenta de ventas es usada  para mantener un registro de las ventas solo del corriente ano.
Despues que las ventas del ano son reportadas, el balance de la cuenta de ventassera transferido o cerrada a otra cuenta regresando el balance asi a cero.Las Cuentas Temporeras incluye todas las cuentas de el  Estado de Ingresos o income statement. Cuentas comos: revenues, expenses, gains, losses. Despues que las cantidades han sido reportadas en el income statement, los balances en las cuentas temporeras terminaran en una cuenta permanente tales como las ganancias retenidas  de la corporacion (corporation’s retained earnings )o en una cuenta capital del propietario( sole proprietor’s capital account). (En los sistemas manuales, los balances de las cuentas temporeras seran transferidos a una cuenta de resumen de ingresos o income summary account. La cuenta de resumen de ingresos( income summary account) sera transferida a la cuenta de ganancias retenidas( retained earnings )o la cuenta de capital del dueno.Por consiguiente ,  la cuenta de resumen de ingresos es tambien temporera.
Una cuenta temporera que no es de cuenta de ingresos( income statement account) es la cuenta de retiro del dueno o proprietor’s drawing account. El balance la cuenta de retiro es transferida directamente a la cuenta de capital del dueno  y no sera reportada en el estado de ingresos( income statement o en la cuenta de resumen de ingresos..
Las cuentas temporeras se les conoce tambien como  cuentas nominales.

  Que una cuenta nominal en contabilidad?

Las Cuentas Nominales en contabilidad son las cuentas temporales, tales como las cuentas del income statement . En otras palabras, las cuentas nominales son cuentas que reportan ingresos(revenues), gastos(expenses), ganancias(gains), y perdidas( losses). (La cuenta de retiro del dueno es tambien una cuenta temporal, aunque esta no es parte del income statement ) Las cuentas Nominal o temporary accounts se cierran al finalizar el periodo de contabilidad anual. Esto significa que los balances son transferidos a una cuenta permanente. Este proceso de cierre permite empezar el proxomo ano de contabilidad con los balances en cero
Los balances de la cuenta del income statement terminaran en la cuenta de capital del dueno , si la empresa o negocio es de un solo propietario. Si el negocio es una corporacion, los balances terminaran en la cuenta de ganancias retenidas o retained earnings account.

Es la Depreciacion una cuenta temporera?

Los gastos por depreciacion (Depreciation Expense) es una cuenta temporera dado el hecho que es una cuenta del income statement. Como cuenta temporera, Los gastos de depreciacion Depreciation Expense empezaran en nuevo anao de contabilidad en cero y se cerrara su balance a una cuenta de equidad (equity account) tal como la cuenta de ganancias retenidas o cuenta de capital del dueno..
Por otra parte ,la cuenta de balance sheet como Accumulated Depreciation no es una cuenta temporera . La depreciacion acumulada(Accumulated Depreciation) es una cuenta contra los activos  y su balance no es cerrado al final del periodo de contabilidad. Como resultado, la depreciacion acumulada (Accumulated Depreciation )es vista como una cuenta permanente.

Explanation of Cost Principle-Accounting

Componenets of the asset side of the Federal Reserve System balance sheet from January 4, 2007 to September 25, 2008. This is the assets of all 12 Federal Reserve Banks combined as reported by the Federal Reserve. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Que es el principio de conservatismo?

El principio de conservatismo ayuda al contable ha decidir entre 2 alternativas .For example, if an item in inventory has a cost of $20, but it can be replaced for $15, the conservatism principle directs the account to report the item in inventory at $15 and to immediately report the loss of $5. For an asset such as inventory it means reporting the lower asset amount on the balance sheet and the lower net income amount on the income statement. From the conservatism principle comes the accountants’ the lower of cost or market rule for inventory valuation.The conservatism principle does not say that accountants are to be conservative. Accountants should be fair and objective. The conservatism principle is used to “break a tie” between two reasonable options. It is not intended to motivate accountants to beat down a company’s earnings and assets.

What is the cost principle?

The cost principle is one of the basic underlying guidelines in accounting. It is also known as the historical cost principle.
The cost principle requires that assets be recorded at the cash amount (or its equivalent) at the time that an asset is acquired. For example, if equipment is acquired for the cash amount of $50,000, the equipment will be recorded at $50,000. If the equipment will be useful for 10 years with no salvage value, the straight-line depreciation expense will be $5,000 per year (cost of $50,000 divided by 10 years). The equipment’s market value, replacement cost or inflation-adjusted cost will not affect the annual depreciation expense of $5,000. The company’s balance sheets will report the equipment’s historical cost minus the accumulated depreciation.

The cost principle also means that valuable brand names and logos that were developed through effective advertising will not be reported as assets on the balance sheet. This could result in a company’s most valuable assets not being included in the company’s asset amounts. (On the other hand, a brand name that is acquired through a transaction with another company will be reported on the balance sheet at its cost.)
If a company has an asset that has a ready market with quoted prices, the historical cost may be replaced with the current market value on each balance sheet. An example is an investment consisting of shares of common stock that are actively traded on a major stock exchange.

The Explanation Of Periodicity In Accounting

 

What is periodicity in accounting?

 Accounting, periodicity means that accountants will assume that a company’s complex and ongoing activities can be divided up and reported in annual, quarterly and monthly financial statements. For example, some earth-moving equipment may require two years to manufacture but the activities will be divided up and reported in quarterly financial statements. A similar situation occurs at a company that develops complex digital systems.

Even a company that manufactures small consumer products will have ongoing activities and costs that overlap two years or more. Again, the accountants will assume that the revenues and costs can be assigned or allocated to the appropriate accounting periods. Hence, the accountants will report the company’s net income and cash flows for each accounting period (year, quarter, month, etc.) and the company’s financial position at the end of each accounting period.
Periodicity is also known as the time period assumption.

Principles Of Accounting

 

What is the full disclosure principle?

 For a business, the full disclosure principle requires a company to provide the necessary information so that people who are accustomed to reading financial information can make informed decisions concerning the company.
The required disclosures can be found in a number of places including the following:
- the company’s financial statements including any supplementary schedules and notes (or footnotes).
- Management’s Discussion and Analysis that is included in a publicly-traded corporation’s annual report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Quarterly earnings reports, press releases and other communications.
The first note or footnote in a company’s financial statements will disclose the significant accounting policies such as how and when revenues are recognized, how property is depreciated, how inventory and income taxes are accounted for, and more.
Other disclosures in the notes to the financial statements include the effects of foreign currencies, contingent liabilities, leases, related-party transactions, stock options, and much more.
Judgement is used in deciding the amount of information that is disclosed. For example, in 1980 large U.S. corporations were required to report as supplementary information the effects of inflation and changing prices on its inventory and property (and cost of goods sold and depreciation expense). After several years, the disclosure became optional since the cost of providing the information exceeded the benefits.

What are the accounting principles, assumptions, and concepts?

The basic or fundamental principles in accounting are the cost principle, full disclosure principle, matching principle, revenue recognition principle, economic entity assumption, monetary unit assumption, time period assumption, going concern assumption, materiality, and conservatism. The last two are sometimes referred to as constraints. Rather than distinguishing between a principle or an assumption, I prefer to simply say that these ten items are the basic principles or the underlying guidelines of accounting. (My reason is that accounting principles also include the statements of financial accounting standards and the interpretations issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and its predecessors, as well as industry practices.)
There are also “qualities” of accounting information such as reliability, relevance, consistency, comparability, and cost/benefit. These are discussed in the Statement of Financial Accounting Concepts No. 2, which can be found on the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s website www.FASB.org/st.

What is principles of accounting?

Three meanings come to mind when you ask about principles of accounting…
1. Principles of Accounting was often the title of the introductory course in accounting. It was also common for the textbook used in the course to be entitled Principles of Accounting.
2. Principles of accounting can also refer to the basic or fundamental accounting principles: cost, matching, full disclosure, materiality, going concern, economic entity, and so on. In this context, principles of accounting refers to the broad underlying concepts which guide accountants when preparing financial statements.
3. Principles of accounting can also mean generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). When used in this context, principles of accounting will include both the underlying basic accounting principles and the official accounting pronouncements issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and its predecessor organizations. The official pronouncements are detailed rules or standards for specific topics.

Prepaid Expenses-Accounting

What are prepaid expenses?

Prepaid expenses are future expenses that have been paid in advance. You can think of prepaid expenses as costs that have been paid but have not yet been used up or have not yet expired. The amount of prepaid expenses that have not yet expired are reported on a company’s balance sheet as an asset. As the amount expires, the asset is reduced and an expense is recorded for the amount of the reduction. Hence, the balance sheet reports the unexpired costs and the income statement reports the expired costs. The amount reported on the income statement should be the amount that pertains to the time interval shown in the statement’s heading.

A common prepaid expense is the six-month premium for insurance on a company’s vehicles. Since the insurance company requires payment in advance, the amount paid is often recorded in the current asset account Prepaid Insurance. If the company issues monthly financial statements, its income statement will report Insurance Expense that is one-sixth of the amount paid. The balance in the account Prepaid Insurance will be reduced by the amount that was debited to Insurance Expense.

 

When do you adjust the amount of prepaid expenses?

The balance in the current asset account Prepaid Expenses should be adjusted prior to issuing a company’s financial statements. If the company issues financial statements for each calendar month, you will need to adjust the balance in Prepaid Expenses as of the end of each month. If your company issues only quarterly financial statements, you will need to adjust the balance at the end of each quarter.
The goal is to have the balance in Prepaid Expenses be equal to the amount of the unexpired costs as of the end of the accounting period (which is also the date appearing in the heading of the balance sheet).
Usually the adjusting entry for prepaid expenses will be a credit to Prepaid Expenses and a debit to the appropriate expense account(s). For instance, if Prepaid Expenses involve the prepayment of insurance premiums the adjusting entry will include a debit to Insurance Expenses.

What are the two methods for recording prepaid expenses?

The two methods for recording prepaid expenses have to do with the general ledger account that is initially debited at the time of the cash payment. The two methods or approaches are:
1. debit an asset account (such as Prepaid Insurance) which is the balance sheet method, or
2. debit an expense account (such as Insurance Expense) which is the income statement method.
The use of either method will almost always require an adjusting entry prior to issuing the company’s financial statements. However, the amount, the account that will be debited, and the account that will be credited in the adjusting entry will depend on the method used.
In short, either the balance sheet method or the income statement method for recording prepaid expenses may be used as long as the asset account balance is equal to the unexpired or unused cost as of the balance sheet date.

How should the cost of a yearly subscription for a newspaper be recorded?

In theory, the payment in advance for a one-year subscription should initially be recorded as a debit to Prepaid Expenses and a credit to Cash. During the subscription period, you would debit Subscription Expense and would credit Prepaid Expenses.
For example, if the annual subscription cost is $240 and it is paid in advance, you would initially debit Prepaid Expenses for $240 and credit Cash for $240. If your company issues monthly financial statements, then each month during the subscription period you would debit Subscription Expense for $20 and credit Prepaid Expenses for $20. This results in 1) the matching of $20 to expense on each of the monthly income statements, and 2) the balance sheet reporting the amount that is prepaid or not yet expired.
At a large company, the annual cost of $240 will usually be an immaterial amount. The materiality concept will allow you to violate the matching principle, and to avoid the monthly adjusting entry, by simply debiting Subscription Expense for the entire $240 at the beginning of the one-year subscription period.

Hoja de Balance y Cuenta de Resultados

CURSO DE CONTABILIDAD

 

Este curso de contabilidad es un curso gratuito, destinado a toda aquella persona interesada en conocer y dominar la Contabilidad y que no disponga del tiempo libre necesario para poder asistir a un curso presencial.

También, este curso va a ser de gran utilidad para el estudiante universitario que necesite de una herramienta de consulta y de apoyo en el seguimiento de esta asignatura.

Este curso tiene como objetivo que el estudiante alcance un dominio pleno de las técnicas contables, igual o superior al que podría obtener en cursos presenciales.



 1. BALANCE Y CUENTA DE RESULTADOS

La contabilidad es una herramienta que nos ayuda a conocer la situación financiera de una empresa. Se elaboran diversos documentos, pero inicialmente nos vamos a centrar en los dos principales: el Balance y la Cuenta de Resultados.


A. Balance

El Balance nos permite conocer la situación financiera de la empresa en un momento determinado: el Balance nos dice lo que tiene la empresa y lo que debe.

El Balance se compone de dos columnas: el Activo (columna de la izquierda) y el Pasivo (columna de la derecha).

En el Activo se recogen los destinos de los fondos y en el Pasivo los orígenes.

Vamos a explicarnos: si una empresa pide un crédito a un banco para comprar un camión, el crédito del banco irá en el Pasivo (es el origen de los fondos que entran en la empresa), mientras que el camión irá en el Activo (es el destino que se le ha dado al dinero que ha entrado en la empresa).

Las términos Activo y Pasivo pueden dar lugar a confusión, ya que pudiera pensarse que el Activo recoge lo que tiene la empresa y el Pasivo lo que debe. Esto no es correcto, ya que por ejemplo los fondos propios van en el Pasivo.

¿Y por qué van los fondos propios en el Pasivo?

La respuesta es porque son orígenes de fondos.

Si, por ejemplo, en el caso anterior se hubiera financiado la compra del camión con aportaciones de los socios: ¿cuál sería el origen de los fondos que entran en la empresa? los fondos propios aportados por los accionistas.

Vamos a distinguir entre varios Balances, según el momento en que se obtengan: Balance de apertura: al comienzo del ejercicio; nos permite conocer con que recuros cuenta la empresa para iniciar su ejercicio económico. Balances parciales: a cierre del mes, trimestre, semestre, o con la periodicidad que se quiera; nos permite conocer la situación de la empresa en esos momentos determinados. Balance final: al cierre del ejercicio; nos permite conocer como queda la situación financiera de la empresa una vez finalizado su ejercicio económico (normalmente el 31 de diciembre, aunque podría ser otra fecha del año).

Ejemplos de Transacciones de Contabilidad

Accounting Sample Transaction
The fourth transaction occurs on December 3, when a customer gives Direct Delivery a check for $10 to deliver two parcels on that day. Because of double entry, we know there must be a minimum of two accounts involved—one of the accounts must be debited, and one of the accounts must be credited.


Because Direct Delivery received $10, it must debit the account Cash. It must also credit a second account for $10. The second account will be Service Revenues, an income statement account. The reason Service Revenues is credited is because Direct Delivery must report that it earned $10 (not because it received $10). Recording revenues when they are earned results from a basic accounting principle known as the revenue recognition principle. The following tip reflects that principle.

Revenues accounts are credited when the company earns a fee (or sells merchandise) regardless of whether cash is received at the time.

Here are the two parts of the transaction as they would look in the general journal format:

Account Name

Debit

Credit

Cash

10

Service Revenues

10

Accounting Sample Transaction
Let's assume that on December 3 the company gets its second customer—a local company that needs to have 50 parcels delivered immediately. Joe's price of $250 is very appealing, so Joe's company is hired to deliver the parcels. The customer tells Joe to submit an invoice for the $250, and they will pay it within seven days.

Joe delivers the 50 parcels on December 3 as agreed, meaning that on December 3 Direct Delivery has earned $250. Hence the $250 is reported as revenues on December 3, even though the company did not receive any cash on that day. The effort needed to complete the job was done on December 3. (Depositing the check for $250 in the bank when it arrives seven days later is not considered to take any effort.)

Let's identify the two accounts involved and determine which needs a debit and which needs a credit.

Because Direct Delivery has earned the fees, one account will be a revenues account, such as Service Revenues. (If you refer back to the last TIP, you will read that revenue accounts —such as Service Revenues—are usually credited, meaning the second account will need to be debited.)

In the general journal format, here's what we have identified so far:

Account Name

Debit

Credit

???

250

Service Revenues

250

We know that the unnamed account cannot be Cash.

Account Name

Debit

Credit

Accounts Receivable

250

Service Revenues

250

Again, reporting revenues when they are earned results from the basic accounting principle known as the revenue recognition principle.




Accounting Sample Transaction
For simplicity, let's assume that the only expense incurred by Direct Delivery so far was a fee to a temporary help agency for a person to help Joe deliver parcels on December 3. The temp agency fee is $80 and is due by December 12.

If a company does not pay cash immediately, you cannot credit Cash. But because the company owes someone the money for its purchase, we say it has an obligation or liability to pay. Most accounts involved with obligations have the word "payable" in their name, and one of the most frequently used accounts is Accounts Payable. Also keep in mind that expenses are almost always debited.

The accounts and amounts for the temporary help are:

Account Name

Debit

Credit

Temporary Help Expense

80

Accounts Payable

80

Expenses are (almost) always debited.

If a company does not pay cash right away for an expense or for an asset, you cannot credit Cash. Because the company owes someone the money for its purchase, we say it has an obligation or liability to pay. The most likely liability account involved in business obligations is Accounts Payable.

Revenues and expenses appear on the income statement as shown below:

Direct Delivery, Inc. Income Statement For the Three Days Ended December 3, 2011 Service Revenues $ 260 Temporary Help Expense      80 Net Income $ 180

After the entries through December 3 have been recorded, the balance sheet will look like this:

Direct Delivery, Inc. Balance Sheet December 3, 2011 Assets Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity Cash $   4,810 Liabilities Accounts Receivable 250 Accounts Payable $        80 Prepaid Insurance 1,200 Stockholders' Equity Vehicles 14,000 Common Stock 20,000 Retained Earnings         180 Total Stockholders' Equity 20,180 Total Assets $ 20,260 Total Liab. & Stockholders' Equity $ 20,260

Notice that the year-to-date net income (bottom line of the income statement) increased Stockholders' Equity by the same amount, $180. This connection between the income statement and balance sheet is important. For one, it keeps the balance sheet and the accounting equation in balance. Secondly, it demonstrates that revenues will cause the stockholders' equity to increase and expenses will cause stockholders' equity to decrease. After the end of the year financial statements are prepared, you will see that the income statement accounts (revenue accounts and expense accounts) will be closed or zeroed out and their balances will be transferred into the Retained Earnings account. This will mean the revenue and expense accounts will start the new year with zero balances—allowing the company "to keep score" for the new year.


Marilyn suggested that perhaps this introduction was enough material for their first meeting. She wrote out the following notes, summarizing for Joe the important points of their discussion:

1. When a company pays cash for something, the company will credit Cash and will have to debit a second account. Assuming that a company prepares monthly financial statements—
   
   
   • If the amount is used up or will expire in the current month, the account to be debited will be an expense account. (Advertising Expense, Rent Expense, Wages Expense are three examples.)
     
   • If the amount is not used up or does not expire in the current month, the account to be debited will be an asset account. (Examples are Prepaid Insurance, Supplies, Prepaid Rent, Prepaid Advertising, Prepaid Association Dues, Land, Buildings, and Equipment.)
     
   • If the amount reduces a company's obligations, the account to be debited will be a liability account. (Examples include Accounts Payable, Notes Payable, Wages Payable, and Interest Payable.)
     
2. When a company receives cash, the company will debit Cash and will have to credit another account. Assuming that a company will prepare monthly financial statements—
   
   
   • If the amount received is from a cash sale, or for a service that has just been performed but has not yet been recorded, the account to be credited is a revenue account such as Service Revenues or Fees Earned.
     
   • If the amount received is an advance payment for a service that has not yet been performed or earned, the account to be credited is Unearned Revenue.
     
   • If the amount received is a payment from a customer for a sale or service delivered earlier and has already been recorded as revenue, the account to be credited is Accounts Receivable.
     
   • If the amount received is the proceeds from the company signing a promissory note, the account to be credited is Notes Payable.
     
   • If the amount received is an investment of additional money by the owner of the corporation, a stockholders' equity account such as Common Stock is credited.
     
   
   
3. Revenues are recorded as Service Revenues or Sales when the service or sale has been performed, not when the cash is received. This reflects the basic accounting principle known as the revenue recognition principle.
4. Expenses are matched with revenues or with the period of time shown in the heading of the income statement, not in the period when the expenses were paid. This reflects the basic accounting principle known as the matching principle.
5. The financial statements also reflect the basic accounting principle known as the cost principle. This means assets are shown on the balance sheet at their original cost or less and not at their current value. The income statement expenses also reflect the cost principle. For example, the depreciation expense is based on the original cost of the asset being depreciated and not on the current replacement cost.

Samples of Acounting Transactions

Sample Transactions 

Sample Transaction
Marilyn illustrates for Joe a second transaction. On December 2, Direct Delivery purchases a used delivery van for $14,000 by writing a check for $14,000. The two accounts involved are Cash and Vehicles (or Delivery Equipment). When the check is written, the accounting software will automatically make the entry into these two accounts.

Marilyn explains to Joe what is happening within the software. Since the company pays $14,000, the Cash account is credited. (Accountants consider the checking account to be Cash, and the TIP you learned is that when cash is paid, you credit Cash.) So we know that the Cash account will be credited for $14,000 and we know the other account will have to be debited for $14,000. We need only identify the best account to debit. In this case we choose Vehicles (or Delivery Equipment) and the entry is:

Account Name

Debit

Credit

Vehicles

14,000

Cash

14,000

The balance sheet will look like this after the vehicle transaction is recorded:

Direct Delivery, Inc. Balance Sheet December 2, 2011 Assets Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity Cash $   6,000 Liabilities Vehicles 14,000 Stockholders' Equity                Common Stock $ 20,000 Total Assets $ 20,000 Total Liab. & Stockholders' Equity $ 20,000

The balance sheet and the accounting equation remain in balance:

Assets	=	Liabilities	+	Stockholders' (or Owner's) Equity
$20,000	=	$0	+		$20,000

As you can see in the balance sheet, the asset Cash decreased by $14,000 and another asset Vehicles increased by $14,000. Liabilities and stockholders' equity were not involved and did not change.



Sample Transaction
The third sample transaction also occurs on December 2 when Joe contacts an insurance agent regarding insurance coverage for the vehicle Direct Delivery just purchased. The agent informs him that $1,200 will provide insurance protection for the next six months. Joe immediately writes a check for $1,200 and mails it in.

Let's consider this transaction. Using double entry, we know there must be a minimum of two accounts involved—one (or more) of the accounts must be debited, and one (or more) must be credited.

Since a check is written, we know that one of the accounts involved is Cash. Since cash was paid, the Cash account will be credited. (Take another look at the last TIP.) While we have not yet identified the second account, what we do know for certain is that the second account will have to be debited.

At this point we have most of the entry—all we are missing is the name of the account to be debited:

Account Name

Debit

Credit

whats the name

1,200

Cash

1,200

We know the transaction involves insurance, and a quick look through the chart of accounts reveals two possibilities:

Prepaid Insurance (an asset account reported on the balance sheet) and Insurance Expense (an expense account reported on the income statement)

Assets include costs that are not yet expired (not yet used up), while expenses are costs that have expired (have been used up). Since the $1,200 payment is for an expense that will not expire in its entirety within the current month, it would be logical to debit the account Prepaid Insurance. (At the end of each month, when $200 has expired, $200 will be moved from Prepaid Insurance to Insurance Expense.)

The entry in the general journal format is:

Account Name

Debit

Credit

Prepaid Insurance

1,200

Cash

1,200

After the first three transactions have been recorded, the balance sheet will look like this:

Direct Delivery, Inc. Balance Sheet December 2, 2011 Assets Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity Cash $   4,800 Liabilities Prepaid Insurance 1,200 Stockholders' Equity Vehicles    14,000 Common Stock $ 20,000 Total Assets $ 20,000 Total Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity $ 20,000

Again, the balance sheet and the accounting equation are in balance and all of the changes occurred on the asset/left/debit side of the accounting equation. Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity were not affected by the insurance transaction.

Statement of Cash Flow

English: Statement of Cash Flows of San Narciso, Zambales (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Statement of Cash Flows

The third financial statement that Joe needs to understand is the Statement of Cash Flows. This statement shows how a company cash amount has changed during the time interval shown in the heading of the statement. Joe will be able to see at a glance the cash generated and used by his company's operating activities, its investing activities, and its financing activities. Much of the information on this financial statement will come from Direct Delivery's balance sheets and income statements.


The three financial reports that Marilyn introduced to Joe—the income statement, the balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows—represent one segment of the valuable output that good accounting software can generate for business owners.
Marilyn now explains to Joe the basics of getting started with recording his transactions.

Whats the Double Entry System

The field of accounting—both the older manual systems and today's basic accounting software—is based on the 500-year-old accounting procedure known as double entry. Double entry is a simple yet powerful concept: each and every one of a company's transactions will result in an amount recorded into at least two of the accounts in the accounting system.

The Chart of Accounts
To begin the process of setting up Joe's accounting system, he will need to make a detailed listing of all the names of the accounts that Direct Delivery, Inc. might find useful for reporting transactions. This detailed listing is referred to as a chart of accounts. (Accounting software often provides sample charts of accounts for various types of businesses.)

As he enters his transactions, Joe will find that the chart of accounts will help him select the two (or more) accounts that are involved. Once Joe's business begins, he may find that he needs to add more account names to the chart of accounts, or delete account names that are never used. Joe can tailor his chart of accounts so that it best sorts and reports the transactions of his business.

Because of the double entry system all of Direct Delivery's transactions will involve a combination of two or more accounts from the balance sheet and/or the income statement. Marilyn lists out some sample accounts that Joe will probably need to include on his chart of accounts:

Balance Sheet accounts:

• Asset accounts (Examples: Cash, Accounts Receivable, Supplies, Equipment)
• Liability accounts (Examples: Notes Payable, Accounts Payable, Wages Payable)
• Stockholders' Equity accounts (Examples: Common Stock, Retained Earnings)

Income Statement accounts:

• Revenue accounts (Examples: Service Revenues, Investment Revenues)
• Expense accounts (Examples: Wages Expense, Rent Expense, Depreciation Expense)

To help Joe really understand how this works, Marilyn illustrates the double entry with some sample transactions that Joe will likely encounter.

Sample Transactions #1

On December 1, 2011 Joe starts his business Direct Delivery, Inc. The first transaction that Joe will record for his company is his personal investment of $20,000 in exchange for 5,000 shares of Direct Delivery's common stock. Direct Delivery's accounting system will show an increase in its account Cash from zero to $20,000, and an increase in its stockholders' equity account Common Stock by $20,000. Both of these accounts are balance sheet accounts. There are no revenues because no delivery fees were earned by the company, and there were no expenses.

After Joe enters this transaction, Direct Delivery's balance sheet will look like this:

Direct Delivery, Inc. Balance Sheet December 1, 2011 Assets Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity Cash $ 20,000 Liabilities Stockholders' Equity                Common Stock $ 20,000 Total Assets $ 20,000 Total Liab. & Stockholders' Equity $ 20,000

Marilyn asks Joe if he can see that the balance sheet is just that—in balance. Joe looks at the total of $20,000 on the asset side, and looks at the $20,000 on the right side, and says yes, of course, he can see that it is indeed in balance.

Marilyn shows Joe something called the basic accounting equation, which, she explains, is really the same concept as the balance sheet, it's just presented in an equation format:

Assets	=	Liabilities	+	Stockholders' (or Owner's) Equity
$20,000	=	$0	+		$20,000

The accounting equation (and the balance sheet) should always be in balance.



Debits and Credits
Did the first sample transaction follow the double entry system and affect two or more accounts? Joe looks at the balance sheet again and answers yes, both Cash and Common Stock were affected by the transaction.

Marilyn introduces the next basic accounting concept: the double entry system requires that the same dollar amount of the transaction must be entered on both the left side of one account, and on the right side of another account. Instead of the word left, accountants use the word debit; and instead of the word right, accountants use the word credit. (The terms debit and credit are derived from Latin terms used 500 years ago.)

Debit means left.
Credit means right.

Joe asks Marilyn how he will know which accounts he should debit—meaning he should enter the numbers on the left side of one account—and which accounts he should credit—meaning he should enter the numbers on the right side of another account. Marilyn points back to the basic accounting equation and tells Joe that if he memorizes this simple equation, it will be easier to understand the debits and credits.

Memorizing the simple accounting equation will
help you learn the debit and credit rules for
entering amounts into the accounting records.

Let's take a look at the accounting equation again:

Assets

=

Liabilities

+

Stockholders' (or Owner's) Equity

Just as assets are on the left side (or debit side) of the accounting equation, the asset accounts in the general ledger have their balances on the left side. To increase an asset account's balance, you put more on the left side of the asset account. In accounting jargon, you debit the asset account. To decrease an asset account balance you credit the account, that is, you enter the amount on the right side.

Just as liabilities and stockholders' equity are on the right side (or credit side) of the accounting equation, the liability and equity accounts in the general ledger have their balances on the right side. To increase the balance in a liability or stockholders' equity account, you put more on the right side of the account. In accounting jargon, you credit the liability or the equity account. To decrease a liability or equity, you debit the account, that is, you enter the amount on the left side of the account.

As with all rules, there are exceptions, but Marilyn's reference to the accounting equation may help you to learn whether an account should be debited or credited.

Since many transactions involve cash, Marilyn suggests that Joe memorize how the Cash account is affected when a transaction involves cash: if Direct Delivery receives cash, the Cash account is debited; when Direct Delivery pays cash, the Cash account is credited.

When a company receives cash, the Cash account is debited.

When the company pays cash, the Cash account is credited.

Marilyn refers to the example of December 1. Since Direct Delivery received $20,000 in cash from Joe in exchange for 5,000 shares of common stock, one of the accounts for this transaction is Cash. Since cash was received, the Cash account will be debited.

In keeping with double entry, two (or more) accounts need to be involved. Because the first account (Cash) was debited, the second account needs to be credited. All Joe needs to do is find the right account to credit. In this case, the second account is Common Stock. Common stock is part of stockholders' equity, which is on the right side of the accounting equation. As a result, it should have a credit balance, and to increase its balance the account needs to be credited.

Accountants indicate accounts and amounts using the following format:

Account Name

Debit

Credit

Cash

20,000

Common Stock

20,000

Accountants usually first show the account and amount to be debited. On the next line, the account to be credited is indented and the amount appears further to the right than the debit amount shown in the line above. This entry format is referred to as a general journal entry.

(With the decrease in the price of computers and accounting software, it is rare to find a small business still using a manual system and making entries by hand. Accounting software has made the process of recording transactions so much easier that the general journal is rarely needed. In fact, entries are often generated automatically when a check or sales invoice is prepared.)

What are Liabilities and Stockshares Equity

 

Balance Sheet – Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

 What are Liabilities Liabilities are obligations of the company; they are amounts owed to others as of the balance sheet date. Marilyn gives Joe some examples of liabilities: the loan he received from his aunt (Notes Payable or Loan Payable), the interest on the loan he owes to his aunt (Interest Payable), the amount he owes to the supply store for items purchased on credit (Accounts Payable), the wages he owes an employee but hasn't yet paid to him (Wages Payable).

Another liability is money received in advance of actually earning the money.

 For example, suppose that Direct Delivery enters into an agreement with one of its customers stipulating that the customer prepays $600 in return for the delivery of 30 parcels every month for 6 months. Assume Direct Delivery receives that $600 payment on December 1 for deliveries to be made between December 1 and May 31. Direct Delivery has a cash receipt of $600 on December 1, but it does not have revenues of $600 at this point. It will have revenues only when it earns them by delivering the parcels. On December 1, Direct Delivery will show that its asset Cash increased by $600, but it will also have to show that it has a liability of $600. (It has the liability to deliver $600 of parcels within 6 months, or return the money.)

The liability account involved in the $600 received on December 1 is Unearned Revenue. Each month, as the 30 parcels are delivered, Direct Delivery will be earning $100, and as a result, each month $100 moves from the account Unearned Revenue to Service Revenues. Each month Direct Delivery's liability decreases by $100 as it fulfills the agreement by delivering parcels and each month its revenues on the income statement increase by $100.



What is a Stockholders' Equity
If the company is a corporation, the third section of a corporation's balance sheet is Stockholders' Equity. (If the company is a sole proprietorship, it is referred to as Owner's Equity.) The amount of Stockholders' Equity is exactly the difference between the asset amounts and the liability amounts. As a result accountants often refer to Stockholders' Equity as the difference (or residual) of assets minus liabilities. Stockholders' Equity is also the "book value" of the corporation.

Since the corporation's assets are shown at cost or lower (and not at their market values) it is important that you do not associate the reported amount of Stockholders' Equity with the market value of the corporation. (Hence, it is a poor choice of words to refer to Stockholders' Equity as the corporation's "net worth".) To find the market value of a corporation, you should obtain the services of a professional familiar with valuing businesses.

Within the Stockholders' Equity section you may see accounts such as Common Stock, Paid-in Capital in Excess of Par Value-Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Retained Earnings, and Current Year's Net Income.

The account Common Stock will be increased when the corporation issues shares of stock in exchange for cash (or some other asset). Another account Retained Earnings will increase when the corporation earns a profit. There will be a decrease when the corporation has a net loss. This means that revenues will automatically cause an increase in Stockholders' Equity and expenses will automatically cause a decrease in Stockholders' Equity. This illustrates a link between a company's balance sheet and income statement.

Que Es El Balance Sheet y Que Incluye

Balance - Activos

Marilyn pasa a explicar el balance general,(balance sheet) un estado financiero que reporta la cantidad de (a) los activos de una empresa, los pasivos (B) y (C) de los accionistas (o propietario) equidad en un punto específico en el tiempo. Debido a que el balance refleja un punto específico en el tiempo en lugar de un período de tiempo, Marilyn le gusta referirse a la hoja de balance como una "instantánea" de la situación financiera de una empresa en un momento dado. Por ejemplo, si el balance es de fecha 31 de diciembre de los importes que figuran en el balance de situación son los saldos de las cuentas, después de todas las transacciones relacionadas al 31 de diciembre se han registrado.


(A) los activos

Los activos son cosas que una empresa posee y se refieren a veces como los recursos de la empresa. Joe fácilmente entiende esto-de la parte superior de la cabeza, los nombres de las cosas, como vehículo de la empresa, su dinero en el banco, todos los suministros que tiene a la mano, y la plataforma que utiliza para ayudar a mover los paquetes más pesados. Marilyn asiente y muestra cómo éstos Joe se registran en cuentas denominado Los vehículos, dinero en efectivo, suministros y equipos. Ella menciona un activo Joe no había considerado Cuentas por Cobrar. Si Joe ofrece parcelas, pero no se paga inmediatamente por la entrega, el monto adeudado a la entrega directa es un activo conocido como cuentas por cobrar.


Prepaids

Marilyn trae a colación otro activo-la menos obvia período restante de gastos anticipados. Supongamos Entrega Directa paga $ 1,200 en 1 de diciembre para una prima de seguro de seis meses en su vehículo de reparto. Que divide a ser de $ 200 por mes ($ 1.200 ÷ 6 meses). Entre el 1 de diciembre y el 31 de diciembre por valor de $ 200 de prima de seguro está "agotado" o "caduca". La cantidad vencida se reportarán como gastos en la cuenta de resultados de Seguro de diciembre. Joe pide a Marilyn en los restantes $ 1,000 de prima de seguro vigente se informó. En el balance general al 31 de diciembre Marilyn le dice, en una cuenta de activo denominada Seguros y fianzas.

Otros ejemplos de cosas que pueden ser pagados antes de ser utilizados incluyen suministros y cuotas anuales para una asociación comercial. La parte que vence en el período contable actual se muestra como un gasto en la cuenta de resultados, la parte que no ha transcurrido aún se muestra como un activo en el balance.

Marilyn Joe asegura que pronto verá un vínculo significativo entre la cuenta de resultados y balance, pero por ahora, continúa con su explicación de los activos.


Costo Principio y el conservadurismo

Joe se entera de que cada uno de los activos de su empresa se encuentra registrada a su costo original, e incluso si el valor justo de mercado de un producto aumenta, un contador no va a aumentar el monto registrado de dicho activo en el balance. Este es el resultado de otro de los principios básicos de contabilidad conocido como el principio de los costos.

Aunque los contadores generalmente no aumentan el valor de un activo, que podría disminuir su valor como resultado de un concepto conocido como conservadurismo. Por ejemplo, después de unos meses en la empresa, Juan puede decidir que puede ayudar a algunos clientes, así como obtener ingresos adicionales por la realización de un inventario de cajas de embalaje para la venta. Digamos que entrega directa comprado 100 cajas al por mayor por $ 1.00 cada uno. Desde el momento en que Joe los rescató, sin embargo, el precio al por mayor de las cajas se ha reducido en un 40% y al precio de hoy se podría comprar para $ 0,60 cada una. Debido a que el costo de reposición de su inventario ($ 60) es menor que el costo original grabada ($ 100), el principio de conservadurismo dirige el contador para reportar la cantidad más baja ($ 60) como el valor del activo en el balance.

En resumen, el principio de costos generalmente evita que los activos se anoten en más del costo, mientras que el conservadurismo podría requerir activos  se informó a menos de su costo.



Depreciación

Joe también necesita saber que los importes registrados en su balance los activos como equipos, vehículos y edificios son sistemáticamente reducido por depreciación. La depreciación se exige el principio contable básico conocido como el principio de congruencia. La depreciación se aplica a los activos cuya vida no es indefinida o equipo se desgasta, los vehículos se vuelven demasiado viejo y costoso de mantener, edad edificios, y algunos activos (como los ordenadores) se vuelven obsoletos. Depreciación es la distribución del costo del activo a la depreciación de la cuenta de resultados durante su vida útil.

A modo de ejemplo, supongamos que la van de la compania Entrega Directa tiene una vida útil de cinco años y fue adquirida a un costo de $ 20.000. El contador coincida con $ 4,000 ($ 20,000 ÷ 5 años) de los gastos de depreciación con unos ingresos cada año durante cinco años. Cada año, el importe en libros de la furgoneta se redujo en $ 4.000. (La cantidad o carga "valor en libros", se informó en el balance general y es el costo de la camioneta menos la depreciación total desde la camioneta fue adquirida.) Esto significa que después de un año, el balance informará el valor en libros de la furgoneta de reparto como $ 16.000, después de dos años, el valor en libros es de $ 12.000, etc Después de cinco años de espera al final de la furgoneta de su vida útil importe en libros es cero.

Joe quiere estar seguro de que entiende lo que Marilyn le está diciendo con respecto a los activos en el balance general, por lo que pide a Marilyn si el balance es, en efecto, que muestra lo que los activos de la empresa valen. Él se sorprende al escuchar Marilyn decir que los activos no se registran en el balance por su valor (valor de mercado). Activos a largo plazo (tales como edificios, equipos y mobiliario) se registran por su coste menos las cantidades ya enviados a la cuenta de resultados como gasto de depreciación. El resultado es que el valor de un inmueble en el mercado en realidad puede haber aumentado desde que fue adquirida, pero la cantidad en el balance se ha reducido consistentemente que el contador se trasladó parte de su costo de depreciación en la cuenta de resultados con el fin de alcanzar el principio de congruencia .

Otro de los activos, equipos de oficina, puede tener un valor justo de mercado es mucho menor que el monto contabilizado registrado en el balance general. (Ver Contadores depreciación como una asignación de procesos distribución del coste a los gastos con el fin de igualar los costos con los ingresos generados por el activo. Contadores no tienen en cuenta la depreciación de ser un proceso de valoración.) El Estado federado de activos no se amortizan, por lo que se aparecer a su costo original, incluso si la tierra es ahora un valor cien veces más de su costo.

A corto plazo (actual) los importes de los activos tienden a estar cerca de sus valores de mercado, ya que tienden a "entregar" en períodos de tiempo relativamente cortos.

Marilyn Joe advierte que el balance informa sólo de los activos adquiridos y sólo a costa reportado en la transacción. Esto significa que una compañía la reputación como excelente, ya que podría ser-no ser catalogado como un activo. También significa que Jeff Bezos no aparecerá como un activo en el balance de Amazon.com 's; logo de Nike no aparecerá como un activo en su balance general; etc Joe se sorprende al escuchar esto, ya que en su opinión, estos artículos son tal vez la cosas más valiosas que las empresas tienen. Marilyn le dice a Joe que él ha aprendido una lección importante que debe recordar al leer un balance.

Que es el Income Statement

Estado de Resultados(Income Statement)

Marilyn señala que un estado de resultados( Income Statement) mostrará la rentabilidad del negocio de entrega directa  durante el intervalo de tiempo que se muestra en la partida de la declaración. Este período de tiempo puede ser una semana, un mes, tres meses, cinco semanas o un año-Joe puede elegir cualquier período de tiempo que considere más útiles.

La presentación de informes de rentabilidad(Income Statement) implica dos cosas: la cantidad que fue ganado (ingresos) y los gastos necesarios para obtener los ingresos. Como veremos a continuación, los ingresos a largo plazo no es lo mismo que los ingresos y los gastos a largo plazo implica más que simplemente escribir un cheque para pagar una factura.


A. Ingresos

Los principales ingresos de la empresa de entrega directa son las tarifas que obtiene por la entrega de los paquetes. Bajo el criterio de lo devengado (en comparación con el método de efectivo menos preferido de contabilidad), los ingresos se reconocen cuando se devengan y no cuando la empresa recibe el dinero. Anotar de los ingresos cuando se devengan es el resultado de uno de los principios básicos de contabilidad conocido como el principio de reconocimiento de ingresos.

Por ejemplo, si Joe ofrece 1.000 paquetes en diciembre por $ 4 por entrega, ha ganado técnicamente honorarios por un total de $ 4,000 para ese mes. Él envía las facturas a sus clientes por  estas tarifas y sus condiciones requieren que sus clientes deben pagar el 10 de enero. A pesar de que sus clientes no tendrán que pagar la entrega directa hasta el 10, la base de lo devengado requiere que los $ 4,000 se registran como ingresos en diciembre, ya que es cuando el trabajo se realizó. Después de los gastos que corresponden con estos ingresos, el estado de resultadosIncome Statement) para diciembre muestran lo rentable de la empresa se encontraba en la entrega de paquetes en diciembre.

Cuando Joe recibe el pago de $ 4.000  de sus clientes el 10 de enero, se hará un asiento contable(entrada al jornal) para demostrar que el dinero fue recibido. Estos $ 4.000 de ingresos no se considerarán como ingresos de enero, ya que los ingresos fueron reportados como ingresos  en diciembre, cuando se devengan. Estos $ 4.000 de ingresos se registraron en enero como una reducción en cuentas por cobrar.(Account Receivables) (En diciembre de Joe había hecho una entrada en las cuentas por cobrar y las ventas.)



B. Gastos

Ahora Marilyn vuelve a la segunda parte de la declaración de ingresos-gastos. La cuenta de resultados debe mostrar diciembre los gastos incurridos durante diciembre, independientemente de que la empresa haya pagado por los gastos. Por ejemplo, si Joe contrata a alguien para que le ayude con las entregas de diciembre y Joe se compromete a pagarle $ 500 el 3 de enero de ese gasto de $ 500 necesita que deberá aparecer en la cuenta de resultados de diciembre. La fecha real en que los $ 500 se paga no importa, lo que importa es que el trabajo se hizo, cuando el gasto se contrajo-y en este caso, el trabajo se llevó a cabo en diciembre. El gasto de $ 500 se cuenta como un gasto diciembre a pesar de que el dinero no se pagará hasta 3 de enero. El registro de los gastos con los ingresos correspondientes se asocia con otro principio contable básico conocido como el principio de congruencia.

Marilyn explica Joe mostrando que los $ 500 de gastos de salario en la cuenta de pérdidas diciembre dará lugar a una adecuación de los costos de la mano de obra utilizada para entregar los paquetes de diciembre con los ingresos provenientes de la entrega de los paquetes de diciembre. Este principio de congruencia es muy importante para medir qué tan rentable es una empresa durante un período de tiempo determinado.

Marilyn está encantado de ver que Joe ya tiene una comprensión intuitiva de este principio contable básico. Con el fin de obtener ingresos en diciembre, la empresa tuvo que incurrir en algunos gastos del negocio en diciembre, aunque los gastos no se pagarán hasta enero. Otros gastos que se emparejaron con los ingresos de diciembre sería de cosas tales como el gas para la furgoneta de reparto y los anuncios publicitarios en la radio.

Joe pide a Marilyn para proporcionar otro ejemplo de un costo que no se pagaría en diciembre, pero tendría que ser mostrado / emparejado como un gasto en la cuenta de resultados de diciembre. Marilyn utiliza el gasto de intereses sobre el dinero prestado como un ejemplo. Ella le pide a Joe que asumir que el 1 de diciembre de entrega directa préstamo de $ 20,000 de la tía de Joe y la empresa se compromete a pagar su tía 6% al año en intereses, o $ 1,200 por año. Este interés se abonará en un solo pago cada 1 de diciembre de cada año.

Ahora, a pesar de que el interés se paga a su tía sólo una vez al año en forma de capital, Joe puede ver que, en realidad, un poco de ese gasto por intereses se incurre cada día está en el negocio. Si Joe se está preparando estados de cuenta mensuales de renta, Joe debe informar de un mes de gastos financieros de la cuenta de resultados de cada mes. La cantidad que entrega directa incurrirá como gastos por intereses será de $ 100 por mes durante todo el año ($ 20.000 x 6% ÷ 12). En otras palabras, Joe debe coincidir con $ 100 de gastos de intereses con los ingresos de cada mes. El gasto de intereses se considera un costo que sea necesario para ganar los ingresos que aparecen en las cuentas de resultados.

Marilyn explica a Joe que la cuenta de resultados es un poco más complicado que lo que acabo de explicar, pero por ahora sólo quiere a Joe a aprender algunos conceptos básicos de contabilidad y algunos de la terminología contable. Marilyn se asegura, sin embargo, que Joe entiende un punto simple pero importante: la cuenta de resultados, no informa sobre el dinero que entra-más bien, su propósito es (1) informar de los ingresos obtenidos por los esfuerzos de la compañía durante el período, y (2) Informe de los gastos realizados por la empresa durante el mismo período. El propósito de la cuenta de resultados es demostrar la rentabilidad de una empresa durante un período específico de tiempo. La diferencia (o "net") entre los ingresos y gastos por entrega directa se refiere a menudo como la línea de fondo y se etiqueta como cualquier ingreso neto o pérdida neta.