Contra Accounts Examples & How They Work

An organization would rather record $100,000 as an asset and would amortize $10,000 depreciation each year for the next 10 years. In the balance sheet, the accounts receivable would be reflected after adjusting this allowance account. If it is the real estate bookkeeping first year of operation, there is no outstanding balance in the allowance account. Allowance for doubtful accounts is shown as a reduction from the gross accounts receivable. The net amount of accounts receivable is presented in a balance sheet.

For example, sales returns and allowance and sales discounts are contra revenues with respect to sales, as the balance of each contra is the opposite of sales . To understand the actual value of sales, one must net the contras against sales, which gives rise to the term net sales . Therefore, a contra asset account will show the opposite balance – the credit balance. A contra asset account includes allowance for doubtful debt accounts and accumulated depreciation accounts. An accumulated depreciation account is used to record depreciation of fixed assets of a company such as land, machinery, equipment and buildings.

What is a Contra Asset Account? Definition, Types, Example, and More

Unlike the three previously mentioned contra accounts, contra revenue accounts are not listed in the balance sheet but are written near the top of the income statement. Contra revenue accounts typically offset revenue accounts in a firm’s income statement. The outstanding balance of a contra asset account represents a credit figure. These accounts are maintained individually and are adjusted from the corresponding asset’s balance to show the net amount of the assets in financial statements.

The proper size of a contra asset account can be the subject of considerable discussion between a company controller and the company’s auditors. The auditors want to ensure that reserves are adequate, while the controller is more inclined to keep reserves low in order to increase the reported profit level. When accounting for assets, the difference between the asset’s account balance and the contra account balance is referred to as the book value. There are two major methods of determining what should be booked into a contra account. This type of account could be called the allowance for doubtful accounts or bad debt reserve.

Lease Purchase Options and More Intersections of Fixed Assets and Lease Accounting Explained with a Full Example

The accumulated depreciation account plays a vital role in representing the accurate value of an asset in the financial statements. This depreciation is saved in a contra asset account called accumulated depreciation. The accumulated https://time.news/how-can-retail-accounting-streamline-your-inventory-management/ depreciation account has a credit balance and is used to reduce the carrying value of the equipment. The balance sheet would report equipment at its historical cost and then subtract the accumulated depreciation.

• The discount on notes payable reduces the total amount of the note to reflect the discount given by the lender.
• For example, treasury stock for equity may last for a short time.
• Accounting EntryAccounting Entry is a summary of all the business transactions in the accounting books, including the debit & credit entry.
• The outstanding balance of a contra asset account represents a credit figure.
• This account appears next to the current asset Accounts Receivable.
• Because contra assets simply detract from the total value of the asset account, all one has to do is add up all the assets together first.

The two common contra liability accounts, discount on bonds payable and discount on notes payable, carry normal debit balances. The discount on bonds payable represents the difference between the amount of cash a company receives when issuing a bond and the value of the bond at maturity. Notes payable represents a liability created when a company signs a written agreement to borrow a specific amount of money. The lender may offer the company a discount if it repays the note early. The discount on notes payable reduces the total amount of the note to reflect the discount given by the lender.

Contra revenue account

A discount on bonds payable account is created to show the difference in the amount at which a company issues a bond and when the bond matures. Liabilities are the total of items that a company owes to others. Liability has a credit balance, whereas a contra liability account has an opposite balance that is debit balance. The allowance for doubtful accounts is a contra asset because it reduces the value of the accounts receivable account on the general ledger. Often when a company extends goods on credit, management expects some of those customers not to pay and so anticipates writing off bad debt.