In: Accounting
During 2018, WMC Corporation discovered that its ending
inventories reported on its financial statements were misstated by
the following amounts:
| 2016 | understated by | $ | 132,000 | |
| 2017 | overstated by | 174,000 | ||
WMC uses the periodic inventory system and the FIFO cost
method.
Required:
1-a. Determine the effect of 2016 errors on
retained earnings at January 1, 2018, before any adjustments.
(Ignore income taxes.)
1-b. Determine the effect of 2017 errors on
retained earnings at January 1, 2018, before any adjustments.
(Ignore income taxes.)
2. Prepare a journal entry to correct the error
made in 2017.
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| 2016 | If closing inventory is understated the Retained earnings are lower too. | |||||||||||||||
| The Effect will be like this: | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Closing Inventory is Understated, it means Cost of Goods Sold is Overstated, it means Retained Earnings of 2016 is Understated by $ 132,000. | |||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Opening Inventory is Under stated, it means Cost of Goods Sold is Understated, it means Retained Earnings of 2017 is Overstated by $ 132,000. | |||||||||||||||
| Conclusion | The effect is nullified. So Retained earnings is ok now. Because it was Understated by $ 132,000 in 2016 but automatically got overstated $ 132,000 in 2017.. | |||||||||||||||
| 2017 | If closing inventory is Overstated the Retained earnings are overstated too. | |||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Closing Inventory is Overstated, it means Cost of Goods Sold is Understated, it means Retained Earnings of 2017 is Overstated by $ 174,000. | |||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Retained Earnings is Overstated by $ 174,000. | |||||||||||||||
| Journal entry to correct the error made in 2017. | ||||||||||||||||
| Dr | Cr | |||||||||||||||
| Retained Earnings | 174,000.00 | |||||||||||||||
| Inventory | 174,000.00 | |||||||||||||||