Question

In July of this year, Stephen started a proprietorship called ECR (which stands for electric car repair). Stephen has produced the following financial information for this year.

ECR collected $81,000 in cash for repairs completed during the year and an additional $3,200 in cash for repairs that will commence after yearend.

Customers owe ECR $14,300 for repairs completed this year, and while Stephen isn’t sure which bills will eventually be paid, he expects to collect all but about $1,900 of these revenues next year.

          ECR has made the following expenditures:

Interest expense			$ 1,250
Shop rent	$1,500	per month	27,000
Utilities			1,075
Contract labor			8,250
Compensation			21,100
Liability insurance premiums	$350	per month	4,200
Term life insurance premiums	$150	per month	1,800

The interest paid relates to interest accrued on a $54,000 loan made to Stephen in July of this year. Stephen used half of the loan to pay for 18 months of shop rent and the remainder he used to upgrade his personal wardrobe. In July, Stephen purchased 12 months of liability insurance to protect against liability should anyone be injured in the shop. ECR has only one employee (the remaining workers are contract labor), and this employee thoroughly understands how to repair an electric propulsion system. On November 1 of this year, Stephen purchased a 12-month term-life policy that insures the life of this “key” employee. Stephen paid Gecko Insurance Company $1,800, and in return, Gecko promises to pay Stephen a $40,000 death benefit if this employee dies any time during the next 12 months.

Prepare an Excel worksheet to calculate taxable income for ECR for Year 1 using:

Accrual method of accounting

Answer 1

Under the cash method, revenues are recorded as value is received whether the revenues are earned or not. Revenues are not, however, recorded for accounts receivable. Hence, ERC will only recognize $84,200 of revenue in the first six months of this year.

Regarding deductions, ERC can only deduct $625 of the interest expense (the portion of the loan proceeds used for business purposes). Likewise, ERC can only deduct $9,000 of the shop rent relating to this year because the lease extends over 24 months (it does not qualify for the 12-month rule). There are no apparent problems with deducting the payments for contract labor, utilities, or compensation. The liability insurance payment relates to the last 6 months of this year and the first 6 months of next year. However, this entire payment is deductible under the 12-month rule. The premiums paid on the life insurance policy of the key employee are not deductible. Deductions are not allowed for premiums on policies that cover the lives of officers or other key employees andcompensate the business for the disruption and lost income they may experience dueto the death of a key employee.

Revenue		$84,200
Less Deduction
Interest expense	$625
Shop rent ($1,500 per month)	$9000
Utilities	$1,075
Contract labor	$8,250
Compensation	$21,100
Liability insurance premiums	$4,200
Term life insurance premiums	$0
Total Deductions		($44,250)
Net Schedule C Income		$39,950