How do I set up a contra account or control the natural balance of a GL account in Quickbooks Online?

A contra liability account is not classified as a liability, since it does not represent a future obligation. You may use accounting software packages, such as QuickBooks Online to set up contra accounts. Simply hit Control + N under the Chart of Accounts or Edit, then click New (to create a new account). For example, when a line item on your balance sheet presents the balance of accounts receivable, report the value of allowance of uncollectible accounts below the accounts receivable line.

Revenues are presented at the top part of the income statement, followed by the expenses. When the company pays the cost of having the flyer printed, a journal entry is done. ABC Computers makes sales of 90,000; unfortunately, due to a fault in a product, they received returns of 2,500. The sales will still show a sales credit on the profit and loss of 90,000, but there is also a contra returns account with a debit of 2,500.

What is Accumulated Depreciation?

In other words, contra accounts are used to reduce normal accounts on the balance sheet. An allowance for doubtful accounts is a contra asset account that is used to offset Accounts Receivable on the balance sheet. This account https://accounting-services.net/accounting-for-startups-the-ultimate-startup/ is used to estimate the amount of money that is not likely to be collected from customers. In double entry bookkeeping terms, a contra expense account refers to an account which is offset against an expense account.

At this point, it isn’t known which accounts will become uncollectible so the Accounts Receivable balance isn’t adjusted. Instead, an adjusting journal entry is done to record the estimated amount of bad debt. Treasury stock differs from other stocks in that it has no voting rights, and no dividends are paid to the treasury stock.

Sales Returns Account

Consequently the net balance of the two accounts shows the net value of the sales after discounts. For example, GAAP accounting (or generally accepted accounting principles) requires fixed assets to be reported at cost on the balance sheet, but, over time, that value depreciates as the assets are used. The balance sheet will show a gross How to get accounting help for startup fixed assets value, a contra account value for accumulated depreciation, and a net value. All three values can be useful for investors depending on what they’re looking for. In case the contra asset account is not listed in the balance sheet, it must be listed in the footnotes of the financial statement for the users to be informed.

• There are three commonly used contra revenue accounts, which are noted below.
• Instead, an adjusting journal entry is done to record the estimated amount of bad debt.
• For example, accumulated depreciation is a contra asset that reduces the value of a company’s fixed assets, resulting in net assets.
• Although the accounts receivable is not due in September, the company still has to report credit losses of $4,000 as bad debts expense in its income statement for the month.
• The sales discounts contra revenue account records the discounts given to customers on sales made to them, normally a cash or settlement discount.
• The reason you show a contra asset on a balance sheet is so you can see the overall net balance of a particular asset and to give investors a more accurate look into your company’s financial activity.

A debit will be made to the bad debt expense for $4,000 to balance the journal entry. Although the accounts receivable is not due in September, the company still has to report credit losses of $4,000 as bad debts expense in its income statement for the month. If accounts receivable is $40,000 and allowance for doubtful accounts is $4,000, the net book value reported on the balance sheet will be $36,000.

What is a Contra Liability?

The contra account will be a sub account of the expense account, and I will be manually entering the correcting journal entries. I’ll have to do it this way because the reimbursements were originally mis-catagorized as income, which violates GAAP. QB itself isn’t set up to handle something like this on its own, so manual entries is the only way I know of to Donations for Nonprofits and Institutions take care of it. I strongly suggest having a trained Accountant do this (or something in a similar vein) if you need it done for your business. The company estimates that it will not be able to collect 1,000 from its customers. The allowance for doubtful accounts is a contra asset account that is used to offset Accounts Receivable on the balance sheet.

The amount is reported on the balance sheet in the asset section immediately below accounts receivable. The net of these two figures is typically reported on a third line. A contra revenue account is a revenue account that is expected to have a debit balance (instead of the usual credit balance).