Prepaid Expenses, Incomes received in Advance

Prepaid Expenses

Prepaid expenses are future expenses that have been paid in advance. In other words, prepaid expenses are costs that have been paid but are not yet used up or have not yet expired.

Generally, the amount of prepaid expenses that will be used up within one year are reported on a company’s balance sheet as a current asset. As the amount expires, the current asset is reduced and the amount of the reduction is reported as an expense on the income statement.

Prepaid expenses represent expenditures that have not yet been recorded by a company as an expense, but have been paid for in advance. In other words, prepaid expenses are expenditures paid in one accounting period, but will not be recognized until a later accounting period. Prepaid expenses are initially recorded as assets, because they have future economic benefits, and are expensed at the time when the benefits are realized (the matching principle).

In the normal course of business, some of the expenses may be paid in advance. However, the organization may not receive the benefits from these expenses by the end of the current accounting year. We call these expenses as prepaid expenses.

The Prepaid Expense A/c appears on the assets side of the Balance Sheet. While preparing the Trading and Profit and Loss A/c we need to deduct the amount of prepaid expense from that particular expense.

The Journal entry to record prepaid expenses is:

Incomes received in Advance

In the ordinary course of a business, it may receive some incomes in advance in spite of not rendering the services. Such incomes are incomes received in advance.

Thus, these are not pertaining to the current accounting year. Therefore, these are current liabilities.

The Income Received in Advance A/c appears on the liabilities side of the Balance Sheet. While preparing the Trading and Profit and Loss A/c we need to deduct the amount of income received in advance from that particular income.

Sometimes earned revenue that belongs to a future accounting period is received in the current accounting period, such income is considered as income received in advance. It is also known as Unearned Income and is received before the related benefits are provided.

Under the accrual method of accounting, when a company receives money from a customer prior to earning it, the company will have to make the following entry:

• Debit Cash
• Credit a liability account such as Deferred Revenue, Deferred Income, Unearned Revenue

The credit to the liability account is made because the company has not yet earned the money and the company has an obligation to deliver the goods or services (or to return the money) to the customer. Accountants will state that the company is deferring the revenue until it is earned. Once the money is earned, the liability will be decreased and a revenue account will be increased.

The Journal entry to record income received in advance is: