What is a contra asset account?

The company’s yearly depreciation expense would be $10,000 for the construction equipment. Depreciation is an expense that spreads the cost of an asset over its useful life. Depreciation expense is calculated by estimating the useful life of an asset and then spreading the asset’s cost over that period. The useful life is the length of time a company expects an asset to remain in use. However, if the billing office stopped there, you would overstate your assets and net income. You must also report the amount that you can reasonably expect will not be paid, if it is estimable and probable.

• The credit will be to the asset account or allowance for doubtful accounts.
• The first time a contra asset account is recorded in a journal entry, it is to be deducted from the expense.
• Purchases Returns account which is maintained against Purchases account is contra-expense account.
• Examples of revenue contra accounts are Sales Discounts, Returns and Allowances.
• Contra accounts are used to reduce the original account directly, keeping financial accounting records clean.

Accumulated depreciation is a contra asset account used to record the amount of depreciation to date on a fixed asset. Examples of fixed assets include buildings, machinery, office equipment, furniture, vehicles, etc. The accumulated depreciation account appears on the balance sheet and reduces the gross amount of fixed assets.

Contra Account-Meaning,Example,Recording Contra Account (Commerce Achiever)

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. Theallowance method of accounting allows a company to estimate what amount is reasonable to book into the contra account. The percentage of sales method assumes that the company cannot collect payment for a fixed percentage of goods or services that it has sold. Note that the contra liability account has a positive balance , and the liability account normally has a credit balance.

Purchases of oil and gas wells, timber, and fossil and mineral deposits are recorded on a company’s balance sheet as natural resources. These are physically extracted and only replaced by a natural process. Accumulated depletion accounts for the reduction of value in a natural resource. For example, as a company extracts oil from an oil well over a period of time, the value of the oil well declines. The amount of the decline is recorded in the accumulated depletion account.

Contra Asset Accounting & Examples

When a contra asset transaction is created, the offset is a charge to the income statement, which reduces profits. A liability that is recorded as a debit balance is used to decrease the balance of a liability. Contra Liability a/c is not used as frequently as contra asset accounts. It is not classified as a liability since it does not represent a future obligation. Contra liabilities are not seen on a balance sheet as often as contra assets. Discount on bonds payable is a result of a bond issued for less than the face value of the bond.

Key examples of contra asset accounts include allowance for doubtful accounts and accumulated depreciation. Allowance for doubtful accounts reduce accounts receivable, while accumulated deprecation is used to reduce the value of a fixed asset. In order to balance the journal entry, a debit will be made to the bad debt expense for $4,000. Although the accounts receivable is not due in September, contra assets examples 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. A contra liability is an account in which activity is recorded as a debit balance is used to decrease the balance of a liability.

Definition Of a Contra Account?

The balance of the contra account will offset its parent account while still preserving the value of the transactions recognized in the relating account. Likewise, when you pay a bill, your cash account is reduced because you’re lowering the balance. This type of reporting allows anyone analyzing the balance sheet to understand much more about the company and its assets than if they were to simply look at the net value of the depreciated asset. By reflecting both accounts on the balance sheet, analysts can understand both the original price and the total decrease in value of a certain asset over time. A contra asset is a negative account used in double-entry accounting to reduce the balance of a paired asset account in the general ledger.

• Contra equity accounts are accounts in the equity section of the balance sheet that reduce the amount of equity a company holds.
• The allowance for doubtful accounts appears on the balance sheet and reduces the amount of receivables.
• Therefore, contra accounts, though they represent a positive amount, are used to net reduce a gross amount.
• When a company sells its products or services to customers on credit, the company records the amount sold in its accounts receivable account.

There are various methods of depreciating an assets, such as the declining balance and straight-line method. The straight-line form of depreciation divides the depreciable amount over the number of years of an asset’s useful life. The straight-line method allows a company to record the same amount of depreciation each year.

Expense Contra Account

A contra account is an account that lowers the value of the asset with which it is paired. Contra accounts are used to ensure accurate financial recordkeeping. They adjust an asset’s historical value to reflect its true value, also known as book value.