Compare Two Methods of Accounting for Uncollectible Receivables
Call Systems Company, a telephone service and supply company, has just completed its fourth year of operations. The direct write-off method of recording bad debt expense has been used during the entire period. Because of substantial increases in sales volume and the amount of uncollectible accounts, the company is considering changing to the allowance method. Information is requested as to the effect that an annual provision of ½% of sales would have had on the amount of bad debt expense reported for each of the past four years. It is also considered desirable to know what the balance of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts would have been at the end of each year. The following data have been obtained from the accounts:
Year of Origin of Accounts Receivable Written Off as Uncollectible | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Sales | Uncollectible Accounts Written Off | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | ||||||
1st | $1,320,000 | $1,200 | $1,200 | |||||||||
2nd | 1,820,000 | 3,100 | 1,450 | $1,650 | ||||||||
3rd | 2,670,000 | 11,600 | 3,350 | 2,650 | $5,600 | |||||||
4th | 3,140,000 | 15,400 | 3,550 | 5,250 | $6,600 |
Required:
1. Assemble the desired data. Enter a decrease in the amount of expense as a negative number and all other amounts as positive numbers.
Call Systems Company | ||||
Bad Debt Expense | ||||
Year | Expense Actually Reported | Expense Based on Estimate | Increase (Decrease) in Amount of Expense | Balance of Allowance Account, End of Year |
1st | $ | $ | $ | $ |
2nd | ||||
3rd | ||||
4th |
2. Experience during the first four years of
operations indicated that the receivables were either collected
within two years or had to be written off as uncollectible. Does
the estimate of ½% of sales appear to be reasonably close to the
actual experience with uncollectible accounts originating during
the first two years?
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