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What are closing entries and why are they necessary?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Closing entries are the journal entries prepared at the end of a financial period to carry forward balances from a temporary account to a permanent one. The objective of the closing entry is to initialize the temporary account balances to zero, all set to commence another financial period.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Closing Entry

Closing entries are prepared to shift the nominal account balances to capital, that is, retained earnings, after taking into account adjusting entries and preparing the financial statements.

02

Importance of closing entries

The motive for preparing closing entries is as follows:

  • Closing entries are essential because it helps the firm to evaluate the piled-up income of an accounting period and check the accuracy of the data figures present on the adjusted trial balance.
  • It also helps us to ascertain the net income of the present accounting period.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Give an example of a transaction that result in:

  1. A decrease in asset and a decrease in a liability.
  2. A decrease in one asset and an increase in another asset.
  3. A decrease in one liability and an increase in another liability.

The financial statements of (M&S) are presented in Appendix E. The company's complete annual report, including the notes to the financial statements, is available online.

Instructions

Refer to M&Sโ€™s financial statements and the accompanying notes to answer the following questions.

(a) What were M&Sโ€™s total assets at 28 March 2015? At 29 March 2014?

(b) How much cash (and cash equivalents) did M&S have on 28 March 2015?

(c) What were M&Sโ€™s selling and marketing expenses in 2015? In 2014?

(d) What were M&Sโ€™s revenues in 2015? In 2014?

(e) Using M&Sโ€™s fi nancial statements and related notes, identify items that may result in adjusting entries for prepaymentsand accruals.

(f) What were the amounts of M&Sโ€™s depreciation and amortization expense in 2014 and 2015?

Question: The Amato Theater is nearing the end of the year and is preparing for a meeting with its bankers to discuss the renewal of a loan. The accounts listed below appeared in the December 31, 2017, trial balance.

Debit

Credit

Prepaid advertising

\(6,000

Equipment

192,000

Accumulated depreciation

\)60,000

Note payable

90,000

Unearned service revenue

17,500

Ticket revenue

360,000

Advertising expenses

18,680

Salaries and wages expenses

67,600

Interest expenses

1,400

Additional information is available as follows.

1. The equipment has an estimated useful life of 16 years and a salvage value of \(40,000 at the end of that time. Amato uses the straight-line method for depreciation.

2. The note payable is a one-year note given to the bank January 31 and bearing interest at 10%. Interest is calculated on a monthly basis.

3. Late in December 2017, the theater sold 350 coupon ticket books at \)50 each. Two hundred of these ticket books have been used by year-end. The cash received was recorded as Unearned Service Revenue.

4. Advertising paid in advance was \(6,000 and was debited to Prepaid Advertising. The company has used \)2,500 of the advertising as of December 31, 2017.

5. Salaries and wages accrued but unpaid at December 31, 2017, were $3,500.

Accounting

Prepare any adjusting journal entries necessary for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Analysis

Determine Amatoโ€™s income before and after recording the adjusting entries. Use your analysis to explain why Amatoโ€™s bankers should be willing to wait for Amato to complete its year-end adjustment process before making a decision on the loan renewal.

Principles

Although Amatoโ€™s bankers are willing to wait for the adjustment process to be completed before they receive financial information, they would like to receive financial reports more frequently than annually or even quarterly. What trade-offs, in terms of relevance and faithful representation, are inherent in preparing financial statements for shorter accounting time periods?

Which statement is correct regarding IFRS?

(a) IFRS reverses the rules of debits and credits, that is, debits are on the right and credits are on the left.

(b) IFRS uses the same process for recording transactions as GAAP.

(c) The chart of accounts under IFRS is different because revenues follow assets.

(d) None of the above statements are correct.

EXCEL (Adjusting Entries) The ledger of Duggan Rental Agency on March 31 of the current year includes the following selected accounts before adjusting entries have been prepared.

Debit Credit

Prepaid Insurance \(3,600

Supplies \)2,800

Equipment \(25,000

Accumulated Depreciation- Equipment \)8,400

Notes Payable \(20,000

Unearned Rent Revenue \)9,300

Rent Revenue \(60,000

Interest Expenses -0-

Salaries and Wages Expenses \)14,000

An analysis of accounts shows the following.

  1. The equipment depreciates \(250 per month.

  2. One-third of the unearned rent was recognized as revenue during the quarter.

  3. Interest of \)500 is accrued on the notes payable.

  4. Supplies on hand total \(850

  5. Insurance expires at the rate of \)300 per month.

Instructions

Prepare the adjusting entries at March 31, assuming that adjusting entries are made quarterly. Additional accounts are Depreciation Expenses, Insurance Expenses, Interest Payable, and Supplies expenses. (Omit Explanations)

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