Financial Accounting, 4e Weygandt, Kieso, & Kimmel Prepared by Gregory K. Lowery Mercer University Marianne Bradford The University of Tennessee John Wiley & Sons, Inc. CHAPTER 2 THE RECORDING PROCESS After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1 Explain what an account is and how it helps in the recording process. 2 Define debits and credits and explain how they are used to record business transactions. 3 Identify the basic steps in the recording process. 4 Explain what a journal is and how it helps in the recording process. CHAPTER 2 THE RECORDING PROCESS After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 5 Explain what a ledger is and how it helps in the recording process. 6 Explain what posting is and how it helps in the recording process. 7 Prepare a trial balance and explain its purpose. Trial Balance PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 2 THE RECORDING PROCESS The Account Debits and credits Debit and credit procedures Stockholders’ equity relationships Expansion of basic equation Steps in the Recording Process Journal Ledger The Recording Process Illustrated Summary of illustrations of journalizing and posting The Trial Balance Limitations of a trial balance Locating errors Use of dollar signs THE ACCOUNT An account is an individual accounting record of increases and decreases in a specific asset, liability, or stockholders’ equity item. A company will have separate accounts for such items as cash, salaries expense, accounts payable, and so on. T ACCOUNT In its simplest form, an account consists of 1 the title of the account, 2 a left or debit side, and 3 a right or credit side. The alignment of these parts resembles the letter T, and therefore the account form is called a T account. Title of Account Left or debit side Right or credit side T Account DEBITS AND CREDITS The terms debit and credit mean left and right, respectively. The act of entering an amount on the left side of an account is called debiting the account and making an entry on the right side is crediting the account. When the debit amounts exceed the credits, an account has a debit balance; when the reverse is true, the account has a credit balance. DEBITING AN ACCOUNT Cash Debits 15,000 Credits Example: The owner (stockholder) invests $15,000 cash to start the business. Cash is debited and Common Stock is credited for $15,000. CREDITING AN ACCOUNT Cash Debits Credits 7,000 Example: Monthly rent of $7,000 is paid. Cash is credited as Rent Expense is debited. DEBITING AND CREDITING AN ACCOUNT Cash Debits 15,000 8,000 Credits 7,000 Example: Cash is debited for $15,000 and credited for $7,000, leaving a debit balance of $8,000. DOUBLE-ENTRY SYSTEM In a double-entry system, equal debits and credits are made in the accounts for each transaction. Total debits will always equal total credits and the accounting equation will always stay in balance. Assets Liabilities Equity ILLUSTRATION 2-3 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECTS - ASSETS AND LIABILITIES Debits Credits Increase assets Decrease liabilities Decrease assets Increase liabilities NORMAL BALANCE Normal balance is the side where an increase in the account is recorded. Every account has a normal balance, whether it is a debit or credit. The opposite side entries should not exceed the normal balance. ILLUSTRATION 2-4 NORMAL BALANCES - ASSETS AND LIABILITIES Assets Liabilities Increase Decrease Decrease Increase Debit Credit Debit Credit Normal Balance Normal Balance ILLUSTRATION 2-5 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECT - COMMON STOCK Debits Decrease common stock Credits Increase common stock ILLUSTRATION 2-6 NORMAL BALANCE - COMMON STOCK Common Stock Decrease Increase Debit Credit Normal Balance ILLUSTRATION 2-7 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECT AND NORMAL BALANCE - RETAINED EARNINGS Retained Earnings Decrease Increase Debit Credit Normal Balance ILLUSTRATION 2-8 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECT AND NORMAL BALANCE - DIVIDENDS Dividends Increase Decrease Debit Credit Normal Balance ILLUSTRATION 2-9 DEBIT AND CREDIT EFFECTS - REVENUES AND EXPENSES Debits Decrease revenues Increase expenses Credits Increase revenues Decrease expenses ILLUSTRATION 2-10 NORMAL BALANCES - REVENUES AND EXPENSES Revenues Decrease Debit Expenses Increase Credit Increase Debit Normal Balance Normal Balance Decrease Credit ILLUSTRATION 2-11 STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY RELATIONSHIPS Balance Sheet Stockholders’ Equity Common Stock Retained Earnings (Investments by stockholders) (Net income retained in business) Dividends Net income or Net loss (Revenues less expenses) Income Statement Retained Earnings Statement ILLUSTRATION 2-12 EXPANDED BASIC EQUATION AND DEBIT/CREDIT RULES AND EFFECTS Basic Equation Assets Stockholders’ Equity = Liabilities + Expanded Basic Equation Assets Dr. + Cr. - = Liabilities + Common Stock Dr. - Cr. + Dr. - Cr. + + Retained Earnings Dr. - Cr. + + Revenues Dr. - Cr. + - Dividends - Expenses Dr. + Cr. - Dr. + Cr. - STEPS IN THE RECORDING PROCESS The basic steps in the recording process are: 1 Analyze each transaction in terms of its effect on the accounts. 2 Enter the transaction information in a journal (book of original entry). 3 Transfer the journal information to the appropriate accounts in the ledger (book of accounts). ILLUSTRATION 2-13 THE RECORDING PROCESS JOURNAL JOURNAL LEDGER 1 Analyze each transaction 2 Enter transaction in a journal 3 Transfer journal information to ledger accounts THE JOURNAL Transactions are initially recorded in chronological order in a journal before being transferred to the accounts. Every company has a general journal which contains: 1 spaces for dates, 2 account titles and explanations, 3 references, and 4 two amount columns. THE JOURNAL The journal makes several significant contributions to the recording process: 1 It discloses in one place the complete effect of a transaction. 2 It provides a chronological record of transactions. 3 It helps to prevent or locate errors because the debit and credit amounts for each entry can be readily compared. JOURNALIZING Entering transaction data in the journal is known as journalizing. Separate journal entries are made for each transaction. A complete entry consists of: 1 the date of the transaction, 2 the accounts and amounts to be debited and credited, and 3 a brief explanation of the transaction. ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING The date of the transaction is entered in the date column. J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000 ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING The debit account title is entered at the extreme left margin of the Account Titles and Explanation column. The credit account title is indented on the next line. J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000 ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING The amounts for the debits are recorded in the Debit column and the amounts for the credits are recorded in the Credit column. J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000 ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING A brief explanation of the transaction is given. J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000 ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING A space is left between journal entries. The blank space separates individual journal entries and makes the entire journal easier to read. J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Ref. Debit Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 15,000 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) 7,000 Credit 15,000 7,000 ILLUSTRATION 2-14 TECHNIQUE OF JOURNALIZING The Ref. column is left blank at the time journal entry is made and is used later when the journal entries are transferred to the ledger accounts. J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) 1 Computer Equipment Cash (Purchased equipment for cash) Ref. Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 7,000 7,000 SIMPLE AND COMPOUND JOURNAL ENTRIES • If an entry involves only two accounts, one debit and one credit, it is considered a simple entry. • When three or more accounts are required in one journal entry, the entry is referred to as a compound entry. ILLUSTRATION 2-15 COMPOUND JOURNAL ENTRY J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date Account Titles and Explanation 2002 July 1 1 2 Delivery Equipment Cash Accounts Payable (Purchased truck for cash with balance on account) Ref. Debit Credit 14,000 3 In a compound entry, the total debit and credit amounts must equal 8,000 6,000 COMPOUND JOURNAL ENTRY J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2001 July 1 Account Titles and Explanation Cash Delivery Equipment Accounts Payable (Purchased truck for cash with balance on account) Ref. Debit Credit 8,000 14,000 6,000 This is the wrong format; all debits must be listed before the credits are listed. THE LEDGER The entire group of accounts maintained by a company is referred to as the ledger. A general ledger contains all the assets, liabilities, and stockholder’s equity accounts. GENERAL LEDGER ILLUSTRATION 2-16 THE GENERAL LEDGER Individual Assets Equipment Land Supplies Cash Individual Liabilities Interest Payable Salaries Payable Accounts Payable Notes Payable Individual Stockholders’ Equity Salaries Expense Service Revenue Common Stock Retained Earnings ILLUSTRATION 2-18 POSTING A JOURNAL ENTRY J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Ref. Cash Common Stock ( issued shares of stock for cash) Debit 101 15,000 311 Credit 15,000 GENERAL LEDGER CASH Date 2002 Sept. 1 Explanation NO. 101 Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 NO. 311 COMMON STOCK COMMON STOCK Date 2002 Sept. 1 Explanation Balance Ref. J1 Debit Credit Balance 15,000 15,000 In the ledger, enter in the appropriate columns of the account (s) debited the date, journal page, and debit amount shown in the journal. ILLUSTRATION 2-18 POSTING A JOURNAL ENTRY J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Ref. Cash Common Stock (issued shares of stock for cash) Debit 101 15,000 311 Credit 15,000 GENERAL LEDGER CASH Date 2002 Sept 11 Sept. Explanation NO. 101 Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 NO. 311 COMMON COMMONSTOCK STOCK Date 2001 2002 1 Sept. Sept 1 Explanation Balance Ref. J1 Debit Credit Balance 15,000 15,000 In the reference column of the journal, write the account number to which the debit amount was posted. ILLUSTRATION 2-18 POSTING A JOURNAL ENTRY J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Ref. Cash Common Stock (issued shares of stock for cash) Debit 101 15,000 311 Credit 15,000 GENERAL LEDGER CASH Date 2002 Sept. 1 Explanation NO. 101 Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 NO. 311 COMMON STOCK Date 2002 Sept. 1 Explanation Balance Ref. J1 Debit Credit Balance 15,000 15,000 In the ledger, enter in the appropriate columns of the account(s) credited the date, journal page, and credit amount shown in the journal. ILLUSTRATION 2-18 POSTING A JOURNAL ENTRY J1 GENERAL JOURNAL Date 2002 Sept. 1 Account Titles and Explanation Ref. Cash Common Stock (issued shares of stock for cash) Debit 101 15,000 311 Credit 15,000 GENERAL LEDGER CASH Date 2002 Sept. 1 Explanation NO. 101 Ref. J1 Debit Credit 15,000 15,000 NO. 311 COMMON STOCK Date 2002 Sept. 1 Explanation Balance Ref. J1 Debit Credit Balance 15,000 15,000 In the reference column of the journal, write the account number to which the credit amount was posted. ILLUSTRATION 2-19 CHART OF ACCOUNTS Pioneer Advertising Agency Assets 101 112 129 130 157 158 200 201 209 212 230 Cash Accounts Receivable Advertising Supplies Prepaid Insurance Office Equipment Accumulated Depreciation — Office Equipment Liabilities Notes Payable Accounts Payable Unearned Revenue Salaries Payable Interest Payable 311 320 332 350 400 611 711 722 726 729 905 Stockholders' Equity Common Stock Retained Earnings Dividends Income Summary Revenues Service Revenue Expenses Advertising Supplies Expense Depreciation Expense Insurance Expense Salary Expense Rent Expense Interest Expense Most companies have a chart of accounts that lists the accounts and the account numbers which identify their location in the ledger. ILLUSTRATION 2-20 INVESTMENT OF CASH BY STOCKHOLDERS Transaction Basic Analysis Debit -Credit Analysis October 1, stockholders invest $10,000 cash in an advertising venture to be known as the Pioneer Advertising Agency Inc. The asset Cash is increased $10,000, and stockholders’ equity (specifically Common Stock) is increased $10,000. Debits increase assets: debit Cash $10,000. Credits increase stockholders’ equity: credit Common Stock $10,000. ILLUSTRATION 2-20 INVESTMENT OF CASH BY STOCKHOLDERS Journal Entry Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 1 Cash Common Stock (Issued shares of stock for cash) Cash Posting Oct. 1 10,000 101 Ref. Debit Credit 10, 000 101 311 Common Stock Oct. 10,000 311 1 10,000 ILLUSTRATION 2-21 PURCHASE OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT Transaction Basic Analysis Debit -Credit Analysis October 1, office equipment costing $5,000 is purchased by signing a 3-month, 12%, $5,000 note payable. The asset Office Equipment is increased $5,000, and the liability Notes Payable is increased $5,000. Debits increase assets: debit Office Equipment $5,000. Credits increase liabilities: credit Notes Payable $5,000. ILLUSTRATION 2-21 PURCHASE OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT Date Oct. 1 Journal Entry Posting Account Titles and Explanation Office Equipment Notes Payable (Issued 3-month, 12% note for office equipment) Office Equipment 157 Oct. 1 5,000 Ref. Debit 157 5,000 200 Credit 5,000 Notes Payable 200 Oct. 1 5,000 ILLUSTRATION 2-22 RECEIPT OF CASH FOR FUTURE SERVICE Transaction October 2, a $1,200 cash advance is received from R. Knox, a client, for advertising services that are expected to be completed by December 31. Basic Analysis The asset Cash is increased $1,200; the liability Unearned Revenue is increased $1,200 because the service has not been rendered yet. Note that although many liabilities have the word “payable” in their title, unearned revenues are considered a liability even though the word payable is not used. Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Cash $1,200. Credits increase liabilities: credit Unearned Revenues $1,200. ILLUSTRATION 2-22 RECEIPT OF CASH FOR FUTURE SERVICE Journal Entry Posting Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 2 Cash Unearned Revenues (Received advance from R. Knox for future services) Oct. 1 2 Cash 10,000 1,200 101 Ref. Debit Credit 101 1,200 209 1,200 Unearned Rev 209 Oct. 2 1,200 ILLUSTRATION 2-23 PAYMENT OF MONTHLY RENT Transaction October 3, office rent for October is paid in cash, $900. Basic Analysis The expense Rent is increased $900 because the payment pertains only to the current month; the asset Cash is decreased $900. Debit-Credit Analysis Debits increase expenses: debit Rent Expense $900. Credits decrease assets: credit Cash $900. ILLUSTRATION 2-23 PAYMENT OF MONTHLY RENT Journal Entry Posting Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 3 Rent Expense Cash (Paid October rent) Cash 101 Oct. 1 10,000 Oct. 3 2 1,200 900 Ref. Debit 729 900 101 Credit 900 Rent Expense Oct. 3 900 729 ILLUSTRATION 2-24 PAYMENT FOR INSURANCE Transaction October 4, $600 is paid for a one-year insurance policy that will expire next year on September 30. Basic Analysis The asset Prepaid Insurance is increased $600 because the payment extends to more than the current month; the asset Cash is decreased $600. Note that payments of expenses that will benefit more than one accounting period are identified as prepaid expenses or prepayments. When a payment is made, an asset account is debited in order to show the service or benefit that will be received in the future. Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Prepaid Insurance $600. Credits decrease assets: credit Cash $600. ILLUSTRATION 2-24 PAYMENT FOR INSURANCE Journal Entry Posting Date Oct. 4 Account Titles and Explanation Prepaid Insurance Cash (Paid one-year policy; effective date October 1) Cash Oct. 1 10,000 Oct. 3 2 1,200 4 101 900 600 Ref. Debit Credit 130 600 101 600 Prepaid Insurance 130 Oct. 4 600 ILLUSTRATION 2-25 PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES ON CREDIT Transaction October 5, an estimated 3-month supply of advertising materials is purchased on account from Aero Supply for $2,500. Basic Analysis The asset Advertising Supplies is increased $2,500; the liability Accounts Payable is increased $2,500. Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Advertising Supplies $2,500. Credits increase liabilities: credit Accounts Payable $2,500. ILLUSTRATION 2-25 PURCHASE OF SUPPLIES ON CREDIT Date Oct. 5 Journal Entry Posting Account Titles and Explanation Advertising Supplies Accounts Payable (Purchased supplies on account from Aero Supply) Adv. Supplies Oct. 5 2,500 129 Ref. Debit 129 2,500 201 Credit 2,500 Accounts Payable 201 Oct. 5 2,500 ILLUSTRATION 2-26 HIRING OF EMPLOYEES Transaction Basic Analysis Debit -Credit Analysis October 9, hire four employees to begin work on October 15. Each employee is to receive a weekly salary of $500 for a 5-day work week, payable every 2 weeks - first payment made on October 26. A business transaction has not occurred. There is only an agreement between the employer and the employees to enter into a business transaction beginning on October 15. A debit-credit analysis is not needed because there is no accounting entry. ILLUSTRATION 2-27 DECLARATION AND PAYMENT OF DIVIDEND BY CORPORATION Transaction October 20, the board of directors declares and pays a $500 cash dividend to stockholders. Basic Analysis The dividends account is increased $500; the asset Cash is decreased $500. Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase dividends: debit Dividends $500. Credits decrease assets: credit Cash $500. ILLUSTRATION 2-27 DECLARATION AND PAYMENT OF DIVIDEND BY CORPORATION Date Oct. 20 Journal Entry Posting Account Titles and Explanation Dividends Cash (Declared and paid a cash dividend) Oct. 1 2 Cash 101 10,000 Oct. 3 1,200 4 20 Ref. Debit Credit 332 500 101 500 Dividends 900 600 500 Oct. 20 500 332 ILLUSTRATION 2-28 PAYMENT OF SALARIES Transaction Basic Analysis Debit -Credit Analysis October 26, employee salaries of $4,000 are owed and paid in cash. (See October 9 transaction.) The expense account Salaries Expense is increased $4,000; the asset Cash is decreased $4,000. Debits increase expenses: debit Salaries Expense $4,000. Credits decrease assets: credit Cash $4,000. ILLUSTRATION 2-28 PAYMENT OF SALARIES Journal Entry Posting Date Account Titles and Explanation Oct. 26 Salaries Expense Cash (Paid salaries to date) Cash 101 Oct. 1 10,000 Oct. 3 900 2 1,200 4 600 20 500 26 4,000 Ref. Debit Credit 726 4,000 101 4,000 Salaries Expense Oct. 26 4,000 726 ILLUSTRATION 2-29 RECEIPT OF CASH FOR FEES EARNED Transaction October 31, received $10,000 in cash from Copa Company for advertising services rendered in October. Basic Analysis The asset Cash is increased $10,000; the revenue acct. Service Revenue is increased $10,000. Debit -Credit Analysis Debits increase assets: debit Cash $10,000. Credits increase revenues: credit Service Revenue $10,000. ILLUSTRATION 2-29 RECEIPT OF CASH FOR FEES EARNED Date Oct. 31 Journal Entry Posting Account Titles and Explanation Cash Service Revenue (Received cash for fees earned) Cash 101 Oct. 1 10,000 Oct. 3 900 2 1,200 4 600 3110.000 20 500 26 4,000 Ref. Debit Credit 101 10,000 400 10,000 Service Revenue Oct. 31 400 10,000 THE TRIAL BALANCE A trial balance is a list of accounts and their balances at a given time. The primary purpose of a trial balance is to prove the mathematical equality of debits and credits after posting. A trial balance also uncovers errors in journalizing and posting. The steps for preparing a trial balance are: 1 List the account titles and their balances. 2 Total the debit and credit columns. 3 Prove the equality of the two columns. ILLUSTRATION 2-32 A TRIAL BALANCE PIONEER ADVERTISING AGENCY Trial Balance October 31, 2002 Cash Advertising Supplies Prepaid Insurance Office Equipment Notes Payable Accounts Payable Unearned Revenue Common Stock Dividends Service Revenue Salaries Expense Rent Expense The total debits must equal the total credits. Debit $ 15,200 2,500 600 5,000 Credit $ 5,000 2,500 1,200 10,000 500 10,000 4,000 900 $ 28,700 $ 28,700 LIMITATIONS OF A TRIAL BALANCE A trial balance does not prove that all transactions have been recorded or that the ledger is correct. Numerous errors may exist even though the trial balance columns agree. The trial balance may balance even when: 1 a transaction is not journalized, 2 a correct journal entry is not posted, 3 a journal entry is posted twice, 4 incorrect accounts are used in journalizing or posting, 5 offsetting errors are made in recording the amount of the transaction. COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. 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