Accounting

Loss Carryback: Offsetting Net Loss Against Previous Year's Net Income
Loss Carryback refers to a tax provision that allows businesses to offset current year's net losses against net income of prior years, resulting in tax refunds for previously paid taxes. This article explores the mechanics, advantages, and implications of loss carryback rules.
Loss Carryforward: Tax Implications and Reporting
Understanding loss carryforward, a tax strategy that allows businesses to offset current year's net operating loss against future years' net incomes, when loss carryback is not fully possible.
Lower of Cost or Market: Inventory Accounting Method
An asset is recorded at its historical cost but the amount is written down to market if this becomes lower than the original cost. Market value is determined by replacement cost but not greater than net realizable value (NRV) nor less than NRV minus a normal profit.
Lump-Sum Purchase: Acquisition of Multiple Assets for One Price
A lump-sum purchase is the acquisition of two or more assets for a single price. This article explains the allocation of the acquisition price based on the relative fair market values of the assets.
Luxury Automobile: Depreciation Limitations for Tax Purposes
An in-depth analysis of luxury automobiles and their depreciation limitations under tax regulations, including the criteria for listed property and tax implications.
Manufacturing Expense: Overview
An in-depth look at Manufacturing Expense, also known as Manufacturing Cost, which encompasses all costs involved in the production process in manufacturing.
Margin of Safety: Measure of Financial Position
Margin of Safety is the measure of the financial position of a company, indicating the amount by which present sales exceed the break-even sales.
Mark to Market: Financial Assessment and Valuation
Mark to Market (MTM) refers to the practice of valuing securities and assets to reflect current market prices, ensuring regulatory compliance and accurate net asset value reporting.
Matching Principle: Accounting Concept of Costs with Revenues
The Matching Principle is an accounting concept that pairs revenues with the costs incurred to generate those revenues. For example, wages and materials bought to construct a rental property are depreciated over the period the building generates income, not during the construction period.
Materiality in Accounting: Concept and Importance
Understanding the concept of materiality in accounting reports, illustrating how only important disclosures are necessary, and its significance for audits.
Merchandise Allowance: Financial Adjustments for Returned Goods
A comprehensive overview of merchandise allowance, offering detailed insights into the financial adjustments provided for goods returned due to poor quality or overstocking.
Mid-Month Convention: Tax Depreciation Method
A taxation convention used in depreciating residential and non-residential real property, where the property is considered placed in service or disposed of at the midpoint of the calendar month.
Minimum Lease Payments: Definition and Application
An in-depth look at minimum lease payments, their role in accounting for capital leases, and the financial implications for lessees and lessors.
Miscellaneous Income: Definition and Examples
Miscellaneous Income refers to revenue that is unrelated to the main business operation and usually represents a smaller proportion of total revenue. An example is revenue from vending machines in an apartment complex.
Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS): Modern Depreciation Method
The Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) is a method of depreciation introduced in 1986 to replace the Accelerated Cost Recovery System (ACRS). It provides for asset depreciation over prescribed periods using different methods such as the declining-balance for personal property and straight-line for real property.
Moving Expense Deduction: Overview and Guidelines
A comprehensive guide to moving expense deductions, including eligibility criteria, allowable expenses, examples, and historical context.
Net Asset Value (NAV): Definition & Significance in Investment
Net Asset Value (NAV) represents the value of a mutual fund or investment fund's assets minus its liabilities, typically expressed in per-share terms.
Net Contribution: Key Financial Metric
Net Contribution is the excess of the selling price over the variable costs per unit, representing the residual positive effect from an action taken.
Net Cost: Understanding the True Expense
Net cost refers to the gross costs of purchasing an asset, adjusted for any income received. This concept is crucial for accurately determining the financial impact of investments and purchases.
Net Earnings: Definition and Key Concepts
A comprehensive overview of net earnings, also known as net income, including its calculation, importance, and distinctions from other financial metrics.
Net Income: The Bottom Line in Financial Statements
A comprehensive guide on net income, its calculation, significance in business and tax contexts, and related terms.
Net Investment Income: A Comprehensive Overview
Net Investment Income represents the excess of investment income over investment expenses. Individuals are allowed to deduct for tax purposes the Investment Interest Expense to the extent of their net investment income.
Net Operating Loss (NOL): Comprehensive Guide and Insights
An in-depth exploration of Net Operating Loss (NOL), its definitions, applications, and implications in the context of individual taxpayers and corporations, including limitations, examples, historical context, and related terms.
Net Proceeds: Definition and Explanation
Net Proceeds refer to the amount received from the sale or disposition of property, from a loan, or the sale or issuance of securities after deduction of all costs incurred in the transaction.
Net Profit Margin: Key Financial Metric
A comprehensive overview of Net Profit Margin, a crucial financial metric indicating the percentage of after-tax profit relative to sales.
Net Quick Assets: Definition and Importance
Net Quick Assets refer to cash, marketable securities, and accounts receivable minus current liabilities. This financial metric helps determine whether a business can meet current liabilities with readily convertible assets if sales were to cease.
Net Sales: Comprehensive Guide
In-depth explanation of Net Sales, covering definitions, formulas, applications, and examples
Nonnegotiable Instrument: Understanding its Definition and Context
A comprehensive guide to understanding nonnegotiable instruments, their types, historical context, and key differences from negotiable instruments.
Nonoperating Expense (Revenue): Income and Expenses Incidental to Core Business
A comprehensive guide to Nonoperating Expense (Revenue), outlining expenses and income that are incidental to a business's main activities, such as the sale of land by a mattress maker.
Nonrecognition Transaction: Understanding Tax Deferral Mechanisms
A comprehensive overview of nonrecognition transactions, including definitions, types, applications, and examples. Explore its significance in tax deferral, like-kind exchanges, and more.
Nonrecurring Charge: One-time Expense or Write-off in Financial Statements
A comprehensive guide to Nonrecurring Charge, an extraordinary charge appearing in a company's financial statement due to one-time events such as major fire, theft, or changes in accounting procedures.
Normal Operating Cycle: An Essential Financial Term
The Normal Operating Cycle is the period of time required to convert cash into raw materials, raw materials into inventory finished goods, finished goods inventory into sales and accounts receivable, and accounts receivable into cash.
Note Receivable: Detailed Definition and Explanation
Understand the concept of Note Receivable, including its definition, types, special considerations, examples, historical context, applicability, comparisons, related terms, FAQs, and more.
Observation Test: Physical and Visual Verification by Inspection of Financial Statement Items or Activities
An Observation Test involves external auditors evaluating how company employees conduct accounting tasks through visual and physical verification to ensure the accuracy, existence, and proper valuation of financial statement items.
Online Database: Comprehensive Source of Accessible Information
An Online Database facilitates access to various types of information transmitted via different technologies like telephone and microwaves. Critical for accountants, these databases include tax laws, accounting practices, financial data, and more.
Operating Income: Financial Performance Metric
Operating Income, also known as Operating Profit, measures a company's profitability from regular business operations, excluding costs associated with non-operating activities.
Operating Profit (Loss): Definition, Calculation, and Importance
Operating Profit (Loss) is the difference between the revenues of a business and the related costs and expenses, excluding income or expenses from sources other than its regular activities and before income taxes. It is synonymous with net operating profit (loss) and operating income (loss).
Operating Ratio: Comprehensive Financial Metric Analysis
A detailed exploration of Operating Ratio, including its definitions, types, formulas, examples, historical context, and applicability in Finance and Accounting.
Original Cost: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Asset Acquisition Costs
Detailed entry on Original Cost in accounting, including definitions, types, historical context, and practical applications within both general and public utilities accounting.
Other Income: Definition and Examples
An overview of other income on a profit and loss statement including examples such as interest on customers' notes, dividends from investments, and gain on foreign exchange.
Outstanding Balance: Definition and Explanation
The concept of an outstanding balance refers to the amount of money currently owed on a debt, illustrating both its utility in financial accounting and its significance in personal and corporate finance.
Over (Short): Explanation of Sales Discrepancies
Exploring the concept of Over (Short) in retail store sales, focusing on discrepancies between recorded and actual cash figures.
Over-and-Short: Inventory Discrepancy Term in Accounting
The term 'Over-and-Short' refers to discrepancies found in accounting where inventory or cash counts do not match recorded figures. These discrepancies are commonly categorized under 'Over' or 'Short'.
Overpayment: Excess Money Received from a Credit Buyer
Overpayment refers to money received from a credit buyer that exceeds the amount due. This entry covers the handling, types, special considerations, and related terms of overpayment in various contexts.
Owner's Equity: Portion of a Company Belonging to the Owners
Owner's Equity represents the portion of a company's assets that belong to the owners, including capital investments and accumulated earnings, less any dividends or other financial obligations, essential for understanding company value and financial health.
P&L: Understanding Profit and Loss Statement
Comprehensive understanding of P&L, also known as Profit and Loss Statement, including its importance, structure, examples, and related terms.
Padding: Adding Unnecessary Material or Expenses
Padding refers to the practice of adding unnecessary material or expenses for the purpose of increasing the size or volume, such as padding an expense account to increase the company's reimbursement.
PAID STATUS: Customer Order Payment Status
PAID STATUS refers to the customer order status that indicates whether and how an order was paid. Status types include CASH ORDER, CREDIT ORDER, claims-paid complaint, unpaid credit order, and complimentary subscription.
Paid-In Capital Surplus: Detailed Description
Comprehensive overview of Paid-In Capital Surplus, distinguishing capital received from investors in exchange for stock from capital generated from earnings or donations.
Partner's Drawing: An In-Depth Look at Drawing Accounts in Partnership
A comprehensive overview of Partner's Drawing accounts, focusing on their definition, types, considerations, examples, and related terms, with historical context and practical applications in partnership businesses.
Pass-Through Entity: Understanding Nontaxable Entities
A detailed exploration of pass-through entities, including partnerships, S corporations, limited liability companies, and their tax implications.
Payable: Amount Owing
A comprehensive overview of the term 'Payable,' its different types, examples, historical context, and its relevance in various sectors.
Payables: Accounts, Rates, and Mortgages Owed by a Business or Person
A comprehensive understanding of payables, focusing on accounts, rates, mortgages owed by businesses or individuals, and their categorization as current liabilities.
Payback Period: Capital Budgeting Metric
An overview of the Payback Period method in capital budgeting, its calculation, benefits, limitations, and comparison with other methods like NPV and IRR.
Payee Statement: Comprehensive Guide
Detailed explanation of payee statements, their types, applicability, and significance in financial reporting and compliance.
Payroll: Aggregate Periodic Amount a Business Pays Its Workers; List of Employees and Their Compensation
Payroll refers to the total amount a business pays its employees during a specific period, as well as the list of employees and their respective compensation. It includes salaries, wages, bonuses, and deductions.
Payroll Period: An Overview
Detailed explanation of payroll periods, including definitions, types, applicability, and related terms in employment and tax contexts.
Payroll Withholding: Essential Guide to Understanding Payroll Deductions
Comprehensive guide to Payroll Withholding, covering types, legal aspects, examples, and the significance in corporate and individual finance.
Percentage Depletion Method: Tax Deduction for Mineral Deposits
A tax deduction method that allows taxpayers with economic interests in mineral deposits to deduct a specified percentage of gross income from the deposit.
Percentage-of-Completion Method: An In-Depth Overview
A detailed explanation of the percentage-of-completion method, an accounting method utilized to report income from long-term contracts.
Period Expense: Costs Based on Time Passage
Period expenses are costs that are recognized over time, typically within specific accounting periods, such as rent or salaries.
Periodic Inventory Method: A Comprehensive Overview
The Periodic Inventory Method is an accounting process used to determine the cost of inventory sold or put into production by using data on beginning inventory, purchases, and ending inventory. This method calculates the cost of withdrawals from inventory.
Personal Allowances: Exemptions from Withholding
Personal allowances are exemptions from withholding for the taxpayer, spouse, and dependents, used in calculating the amount of income tax to be withheld from periodic wage payments.
Personal Financial Statement: A Comprehensive Guide
A Personal Financial Statement is a document prepared for an individual, often using the accrual basis of accounting rather than the cash basis. It shows assets at estimated current values listed by order of liquidity and maturity without classification as current and noncurrent.
Placed in Service: Understanding the Date Property Becomes Available for Use
The term 'Placed in Service' refers to the date when property is in a state of readiness and is available for a specific use, typically within the contexts of finance, accounting, and taxation.
Plant Assets: Comprehensive Definition and Context
An in-depth exploration of Plant Assets, which include land, buildings, machinery, and more, within the realm of fixed assets, and their importance in accounting and finance.
Pooling of Interests: Combining Financial Statements in Mergers
The Pooling of Interests method is a historical accounting practice for mergers where the balance sheets of the two companies are combined without revaluing the assets and liabilities.
Positive Cash Flow: Understanding Before-Tax Cash Flow
An in-depth exploration of Positive Cash Flow and its relationship with Before-Tax Cash Flow, including examples, significance, and related financial concepts.
Preclosing Trial Balance: An Intermediate Financial Step
The Preclosing Trial Balance is an essential financial step in accounting, reflecting all balances prior to final year-end adjustments. It ensures accuracy before generating financial statements.
Preference Item: Understanding Tax Preference Items
Detailed explanation of tax preference items, their types, historical context, and impact on tax calculations.
Preferred Dividend Coverage: Financial Metric Definition and Calculation
Preferred Dividend Coverage explains how well a firm can meet its preferred dividend obligations using its net income after interest and taxes, but before common stock dividends.

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