Introduction
To account for profit, businesses have an option of choosing between two methods of record keeping; that is the accrual basis method and the accounting basis method. Using one method throughout accounting period and then changing it at the end while determining profit, might introduce a form of biasness and hence resulting in inaccurate figures. The two methods are completely different in terms of how revenue and expenses are recognized and recorded. As a result, the accounting for profit between the two is also poles apart. In the accrual based method, revenues and expenses are recorded once they are earned or incurred regardless of whether a cash transaction has been conducted or not (Mills, Call & Drew 2000). This therefore implies that for the profit of a specific accounting period to be determined or measured, the revenue earned during that period has to be matched with the expenses or the cost incurred while striving to earn that revenue (Anderson 2002). Cash basis accounting diverts from this statement in a number of ways.
Accrual and Cash-based Accounting
As already hinted, how profit for the period is accounted for, spells out the major difference in the two methods. During record keeping, a process that eventually leads to determining the accounting profit, accrual basis of accounting follows to the letter the revenue recognition principle and matching principle. The revenue recognition principle must be in line with accounting period convection. This convection dictates that the life of a business entity can be divided into equal period; along with this the revenue recognition principle directs for revenue to be accounted for in the period which they are earned. At the end of each period, the financial...
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... Similarly expenses cannot be recorded until they are paid for. On the other hand, to fully adhere to the matching principle, revenue and expenses are recorded regardless of whether or not cash transaction is conducted.
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The Commissioner of Internal Revenue (Commissioner) argued that Jim Turin & Sons, Inc. should have used the accrual method of accounting. By using the accrual method of accounting “you generally report income in the year earned and deduct or capitalize expenses in the year incurred. The purpose of an accrual method of accounting is to match income and expenses in the correct year.” (IRS, 2017).
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The amount of the sales should also be fixed and determinable. The principle of revenue recognition also assumes that cash will be collected in a timely manner. This means that upon receiving payment for goods or service revenue should be recorded and in the case of prepaid expense revenue is recognized when it is earned. For example you have a year prepayment of rent each month and when the rent becomes due you will debit your rent account and credit your prepaid rent account, because then the rental payment would be earned/
Management accounting in organisation is very important for decision-making and to make the business more efficient and therefore increasing its profits. Is the process of preparing accounts that can help managers to make day-to-day and short-term decisions, by providing them with accurate and timely key financial and statistical information...
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Every small business must make a choice between two accounting methods, the cash method or the accrual method. The difference between the two is how and when you record income and expenses. In the cash vs accrual accounting debate, most experts recommend the accrual method for businesses, however, there are pros and cons to both and ultimately it 's up to you to decide which is right for your business.
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For example, the Revenue and Expense Recognition Principle, in which companies recognize revenues and expenses in the period of time when these are earned, these are the basis of Accrual Accounting. Another important concept considered is the Cash-Basis in Accounting, in which companies should recognize revenue once cash is taken and expense when cash is paid, but this is not always accepted. After analyzing both sides (the owners and the players), and considering the two versions of Income Statement we can realize that they agree in many points but the dispute is fundamentally in the following
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This paper will discuss these steps in detail. Because I work at home, I am not currently involved in any of the steps of the accounting cycle. The examples I give in this paper will be from various jobs I have held in the past.
Transactional Processing The accounting software packages developed and distributed by Sage and Microsoft, respectively, each use their own methods for recording accounting information. Sage 50. There are three different areas that must be discussed. These are the revenue, expenditure, and financing cycles. These areas are written about from the author's own knowledge from using the software, as learned from the book by Carol Yacht (2013).
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The accounting cycle is a series of steps starting with recording business transactions and leading up to the preparation of financial statements. This financial process demonstrates the purpose of financial accounting–to create useful financial information in the form of general-purpose financial statements. In other words, the sole purpose of recording transactions and keeping track of expenses and revenues is turn this data into meaning financial information by presenting it in the form of a balance sheet, income statement, statement of owner’s equity, and statement of cash flows.