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Matching principle definition

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What is the Matching Principle? The matching principle requires that revenues and any related expenses be recognized together in the same reporting period. Matching Principle for Commissions A salesman earns a 5% commission on sales shipped and recorded in January. The bonus is paid in the following year.

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Capitalize in accounting definition

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The materiality principle applies to the capitalization concept. Asset Has a Useful Life of at Least One Year If an expenditure is expected to help the company generate revenues for a long period of time, then you should record it as an asset and then depreciate it over its useful life , which agrees with the matching principle.

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The difference between cost and expense

Accounting Tools

Related Courses Bookkeeping Guidebook Cost Accounting Fundamentals The difference between cost and expense is that cost identifies an expenditure , while expense refers to the consumption of the item acquired. These terms are frequently intermingled, which makes the difference difficult to understand for those people training to be accountants.

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Statement of financial position definition

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Format of the Statement of Financial Position The format of the statement of financial position follows the basic accounting equation , which states that: Assets = Liabilities + Equity This means that all asset line items are presented first, with a total that matches the totals for liabilities and equity, which are presented next.

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Deferred cost definition

Accounting Tools

You may also defer recognition of a cost in order to recognize it at the same time as related revenue is recognized, under the matching principle. A deferred cost is a cost that you have already incurred, but which will not be charged to expense until a later reporting period. In this case, the cost of the interest is a deferred cost.

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Bad debt definition

Accounting Tools

The direct write-off method is not the best approach, because the charge to expense may occur several months after you recorded the related revenue , so there is no matching of revenue and expense within the same period (the matching principle ). The second situation is caused by a customer intentionally engaging in fraud.

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Unit of revenue method

Accounting Tools

Advantages of the Unit of Revenue Method The main advantage of the unit of revenue method is that it directly links expense recognition to the revenue being generated, which is a good application of the matching principle. What is the Unit of Revenue Method?