Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable

Account receivable is an asset where as account payable is a liability. Account receivable represents money that customers owe you and on the other hands money that you owe for being a customer of somebody else is account payable.

Both account receivable and account payable do not affect the cash balance but it affect to the net income of the company. These allow you to put money into the income statement without cash actually moving.

When invoices are sent or received, then transactions are recognized.
Example
Assume: You get an invoice from the phone company.
Book the amount as a debit to Telephone Expense and the credit to Accounts Payable.
When you finally get around to paying the bill, book the debit to Accounts Payable instead of Telephone Expense. You don’t want the same bill expenses twice!

GAAP requires that an allowance must be made for bad debts. An estimate must be made on some kind of percentage basis. Credit a contra account"Allowance for Bad Debts" on the Balance Sheet, Debit Bad Debts Expenses.

A contra-account is a balance sheet account whose purpose is to reduce the amount of another account. That is why asset contra-account have credit balances while liability contra-accounts have debit balances. "Contra" is a latin word that means "against".

Professional firms like Law Firms or even us Accounting firms may use an account called "Unbilled Accounts Receivable". This is for work they've racked up but aren't ready to bill the clients yet. The offset account is a liability account "Unearned Revenue".


Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable

Account receivable is an asset where as account payable is a liability. Account receivable represents money that customers owe you and on the other hands money that you owe for being a customer of somebody else is account payable.



Both account receivable and account payable do not affect the cash balance but it affect to the net income of the company. These allow you to put money into the income statement without cash actually moving.



When invoices are sent or received, then transactions are recognized.

Example

Assume: You get an invoice from the phone company.

Book the amount as a debit to Telephone Expense and the credit to Accounts Payable.

When you finally get around to paying the bill, book the debit to Accounts Payable instead of Telephone Expense. You don’t want the same bill expenses twice!




GAAP requires that an allowance must be made for bad debts. An estimate must be made on some kind of percentage basis. Credit a contra account"Allowance for Bad Debts" on the Balance Sheet, Debit Bad Debts Expenses.



A contra-account is a balance sheet account whose purpose is to reduce the amount of another account. That is why asset contra-account have credit balances while liability contra-accounts have debit balances. "Contra" is a latin word that means "against".



Professional firms like Law Firms or even us Accounting firms may use an account called "Unbilled Accounts Receivable". This is for work they've racked up but aren't ready to bill the clients yet. The offset account is a liability account "Unearned Revenue".


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Double Entry Book-keeping System

Every debit must have a credit and vice versa.

Example
Assume you write a check for your monthly rent.
You reduce cash and increase expenses. Credit cash; debit rent expense.

Every transaction has to be analyzed with its impact on at least two accounts.

Sometimes a transaction involves more than two accounts.

Example
You make a loan payment.
Part of any loan payment is for interest and part is for principle. So one part of your check is debited to interest expense and the principal reduction is debited to loans payable. The two amounts added together equals the amount of your check which is credited to your asset account for cash in bank.

None of this will make sense unless you understand the basic concept of debits and credits.

What if you can only see just one account that would relate to a transaction?

For every entry, for every credit there is a debit – ALWAYS!


Rules for Debit and Credit

Debits are on the LEFT. Credits are on the RIGHT.

Welcome to the obstacle course. Here’s where we’re going to put this concept to work.


Assets are on the left. Got that? Debits are on the left.


Whenever you code an entry to an asset account that increases the amount, you put the amount in the debit column.


And yes, you over there, those assets include cash. If money is received, cash is debited. Not credited, DEBITED!


Why? Because cash is an asset. Assets are on the left. Debits are on the left. Increases to assets are debited.


For liabilities and the equity, it goes on the right side or credits are on the right.


If you take out a loan, you will credit your liability. That is because loans increase liabilities. Liabilities are on the right. Credits are on the right.


Now what about the reverse? What about when assets or other stuff goes down? Well, the reverse is the reverse!


If the value of assets goes down then it is Credited and if the value of liabilities and equity go down then it is debited.


When you write a check, you credit cash. Checks reduce cash. Cash is an asset. Assets are on the left. Credits are on the right. Credits make assets go down. They are the reverse of debits.


When you pay off a loan, you debit liabilities. Liabilities are on the right. Debits are on the left. Debits make liabilities go down. They are the reverse of credits.


Assets are on the left. Liabilities and Equities are on the right! I will say this again. Debits are on the left. Credits are on the right.


Equity consists of (1) money owners have invested in the company and (2) the results of operations. That’s net income to you.


Net income comes from where? The Income Statement. Revenues minus expenses are net income. And as I just said, net income is an item in Equity.


Equity is on the Right. The Income Statement accounts all result in net income. Net income is in equity. Which is on the right.


This means that anything that increases net income will increase equity. Which is on the right.


Revenues increase net income. They are credited. Because they are on the right!


Expenses decrease net income. They are debited. Because they are on the left!