In: Accounting
Effect of Doubtful Accounts on Net Income
During its first year of operations, Mack's Plumbing Supply Co. had sales of $480,000, wrote off $7,000 of accounts as uncollectible using the direct write-off method, and reported net income of $52,800.
Assume that during the second year of operations Mack's Plumbing Supply Co. had sales of $576,000, wrote off $8,400 of accounts as uncollectible using the direct write-off method, and reported net income of $57,600.
a. Determine what net income would have been in
the second year if the allowance method (using 1-1/2% of sales) had
been used in both the first and second years.
$
b. Determine what the balance of the allowance
for doubtful accounts would have been at the end of the second year
if the allowance method had been used in both the first and second
years.
$
(a)
Net income would have been in the second year if the allowance method (using 1½% of net sales) had been used in both the first and second years.
NET INCOME IN 2ND YEAR
Expense under direct write off :
$ 8400
Expense under Allowance: ($ 576000*1.5%) = $ 8640
which means expense is Understated by $ 240
so, the net income under allowance would be $ 57600 - $ 240
= $ 57360
Note: When using percentage of sales as a basis, the balance in the Allowance account is ignored and has no effect on net income.
(b)
Balance of the allowance for doubtful accounts would have been at the end of the second year if the allowance method had been used in both the first and second years.
1st year
4,800,00 x 0.015 = $7200 balance in Allowance account
72,00 - 7000 written off = $ 200 ending balance in Allowance
account
2nd year
5,76000 x 0.015 = $ 8640 added to Allowance account
$ 200 +240( 8640 - $8400) written off in 2nd year = $ 440
balance end of 2nd year