Cash Basis Versus Accepted Accounting Principles

The cash basis of accounting records revenues when cash is received and expenses when cash is paid out. The accrual basis of accounting records revenues when they are earned and expenses when resources are used.

The statement of cash flow shows the amount of increase or decrease in cash that the company has on hand every quarter. This statement reports what a company pays out each quarter. Most of the time when a company has a major contract the money won’t be received until a later date.

g. On December 31, 2012, the company completed the work on a contract for an out-of-province company for $7,900 payable by the customer within 30 days. No cash has been collected and no journal entry has been made for this transaction.

The accrual basis of accounting uses the adjusting process to recognize revenues when earned and expenses when incurred. The cash basis of accounting recognizes revenues when cash is received and records expenses when cash is paid. An example of accrual basis of accounting is if a company is insuring a building. The insurance company bills the company $600 every six months. If each bill is for six months of coverage, then under the accrual method, the company would not record a $600 expense in January and a $600 expense in July. It would instead record a $100 expense each month for the whole year.

In this paper I have defined accrual and cash basis accounting. Also, I have answered the following questions: Explain the difference between the accrual basis of accounting and the cash basis of accounting. What are the major reasons for using accrual accounting? What are the purpose of a journal and a ledger? Give an example of a contra-asset, and explain how it is recorded on the ledger as a transaction. Explain what a “prepaid expense” is and how it is recorded on the ledger as a transaction. What are the major differences in recording transactions for a for-profit organization versus a not-for-profit, or are there any? List and record each transaction

4. The cash basis of accounting is commonly used by small businesses that are not publicly traded.

The statement of cash flows reports the cash receipts, cash payments, and net change in cash resulting from the operating, investing, and financing activities of a company during a period in a format that reconciles the beginning and ending cash balances

While net cash is critical to determine the ability of the organization to meet its immediate requirements, the non-cash factors that are included in the net income calculation portray a more accurate view of the long-term profitability. Also because of the timing differences between when revenue and expenses are recognized, the accrual method behind the net income model will produce visibility that is more accurate. For example, a month that produces low volume of sales and a high volume of receivable could produce a positive cash flow when in reality that low sales volume will negatively affect the subsequent months. This variance would be visible in the net income but would not be visible in net cash.

All businesses must account for their cash, as well as protect and manage any cash transactions. Safeguarding cash and assets correctly can lead to having a successful and long lasting business. Local merchants must account for their cash by doing daily bank runs and also using a control structure to ensure their assets are safe. Having an accounting system that follows control procedures and proper implementation of policies allows a company to account for cash. The two methods that can be used to account for cash include, cash accounting or accrual accounting. This is the process of recording receipts and expenses, but the difference between the two methods is simply the time in which expenses and receipts are recorded during each operating cycle.

Information based on accrual accounting has historically and empirically provided a better indication of a company’s ability to generate cash flows than information gathered under the cash method. If there is not inter-period allocation, then the information is not as meaningful and will result in a mismatching of economic benefits

Under GAAP, it is possible to use cash-basis or accrual basis accounting for revenue recognition. Under cash basis, revenue is recognized with payment is received. Under accrual basis, revenue is recognized when it becomes economically significant. GAAP has specific requirements for various industries on when an event qualifies to be recognized as revenue.

The major distinction between the accrual and the cash basis of accounting is when revenue and expenses are recognized. When the cash method is used, revenue is recorded when money is received. Expenses are recorded only when money is paid. The Accrual method accounts for revenue when it is earned. Expenses for goods and services are recorded when they are incurred. The

Net income is total revenues minus total expenses incurred to generate those revenues all within the same reporting period. Net income is calculated by the accrual accounting methodology meaning that the expenses incurred to generate revenues are reported at the same time the related revenues are reported. Both revenue recognition and expenses paid may not coincide with actual cash transactions. Net cash from operating activities, on the other hand, is not determined by accrual but by

Accrual accounting is an accounting method that is utilized to size the performance and of a company by recognizing circumstances regardless of when cash transactions occur. They are documented by matching revenues to expenses at the time in which the transaction occurs rather than when a payment is processed. This method allows the current cash credits and debits to be combined with future expected cash flows to give a more accurate picture of a company 's current financial state. It is ideal to use this method of accounting if an organization has a revenue of more than five million per year. While the accrual method shows the flow of business income and debts more accurately, the downside to this method of accounting is that financial advisers may be blindsided as to what cash reserves are available, which could ultimately result in some serious cash flow obstacles. A common example that I have seen used which helps me understand is when your income ledger may show thousands of dollars in sales, while in reality your bank account is empty because your customers haven 't paid you yet. Cash Basis accounting is when revenues are documented when cash is received and expenses are recognized when paid. The cash basis of accounting is usually utilized by small companies with a revenue of less than one million annually. The cash method provides a more accurate picture of how much actual cash your business has. Cash basis accounting is allowed for tax purposes only for smaller

      The Statement of Cash flows is a very useful financial statement that can benefit investors, managers and even auditors. The statement of cash flows has not been around as long as the other financial statements such as the balance sheet or income statement. It basically “illustrates the way accounting evolves to meet the requirements of users of financial statements.” (Marshall, 2003) The statement of cash flows is designed to provide important information about the cash that a company has received or has paid out during a certain time period. It provides a reason for the changes of cash received and paid by a company by taking into