#accounting-basics
Accounting Basics
Foundational accounting concepts, terminology, and principles for small business owners
Obsolete Inventory Write-Downs: GAAP's Lower of Cost or Net Realizable Value Rule Explained
GAAP requires inventory to be reported at the lower of cost or net realizable value under ASC 330; here's how to identify obsolete and slow-moving stock, calculate the write-down, and record it while satisfying the IRS's stricter subnormal-goods test under Treasury Regulation §1.471-2(c).
Royalty Accounting for Licensors: The ASC 606 Sales- and Usage-Based Exception
Under ASC 606's sales- and usage-based royalty exception, licensors can't recognize royalty revenue until the licensee's underlying sale or usage actually occurs, regardless of invoice or payment date.
Cash vs. Accrual Accounting: How to Choose the Right Method (and When the IRS Forces Your Hand)
Cash accounting records revenue when money is received and expenses when paid; accrual accounting records revenue when earned and expenses when incurred. IRS Section 448 mandates the accrual method once a business's three-year average gross receipts exceed the $32 million threshold for 2026, and changing methods later requires Form 3115 plus a Section 481(a) adjustment.
Consignment Accounting: Who Owns the Goods, and Who Books the Sale
In a consignment arrangement the consignor owns the goods and reports the full retail sale plus the commission expense; the consignee is an agent and books only its commission as revenue. Goods stay on the consignor's balance sheet until the end customer buys them.
Undeposited Funds Explained: How the Holding Account Works and How to Clear a Stuck Balance
Undeposited funds is a temporary asset account that holds customer payments between receipt and bank deposit, letting individual receipts match a lump-sum bank line. This guide covers the three-step journal pattern, four common ways stuck balances accumulate, and three cleanup methods that preserve audit history.
Accrued Payroll: The Month-End Journal Entry for Wages Earned but Not Yet Paid
Accrued payroll records wages, taxes, and PTO employees earned before period-end but are paid after it. Learn how to calculate the accrual, post the month-end journal entry, and reverse it next month to avoid double-counting.
From Cash to Accrual Without a Tax Shock: Form 3115, Section 481(a), and the De Minimis Safe Harbor
A small-business guide to the forced cash-to-accrual switch: how Form 3115 works, how the Section 481(a) catch-up is calculated and spread over four years, and why the de minimis safe harbor is an annual election rather than a method change.
Gain or Loss on Asset Disposal: How to Record Selling, Scrapping, or Trading In Business Equipment
When a business sells, scraps, or trades in a fixed asset, gain or loss equals proceeds minus book value — both the asset cost and its accumulated depreciation must be cleared, and Section 1245 recapture taxes the gain as ordinary income on Form 4797.
Lower of Cost or Net Realizable Value: How to Write Down Obsolete Inventory
LCNRV requires reporting inventory at the lower of its cost or net realizable value (NRV = selling price − completion costs − selling costs). Once written down under U.S. GAAP, inventory cannot be written back up.
Lower of Cost or Net Realizable Value (LCNRV): How to Write Down Obsolete Inventory and Stop Overstating Your Balance Sheet
A practical walkthrough of the LCNRV rule under ASC 330 — how to calculate net realizable value, book the write-down, handle obsolete or damaged inventory, and avoid the phantom-profit trap of overstated inventory on the balance sheet.
Opening Balance Equity: How to Set Up Books Mid-Year and Zero It Out
Opening Balance Equity is a temporary holding account that must read $0.00 once setup is done. This guide explains why it appears, how to set up books mid-year from a trial balance, and the exact journal entry to move the residual into Retained Earnings or Owner's Equity.
Opening Balances Done Right: Mid-Year Setup and Clearing the OBE Account
Opening Balance Equity is the suspense account accounting software creates to keep the balance sheet in balance during migration. Build a supportable opening trial balance, reconcile every account at the cutover date, then journal OBE into Retained Earnings, Owner's Capital, or Common Stock and Additional Paid-in Capital based on entity type.