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Companies may pay for expenses in advance like Prepaid Rent and Insurance.Ĭompanies may also incur an expense paid in the next accounting period. However, not all cash payments are for incurred expenses. As a result, Supplies expense will increase while cash will decrease. When companies pay for an expense in cash, the company records the transaction as a cash purchase that increases the corresponding expense while decreasing total cash.įor instance, if the business purchases supplies for $1,000, accounting records will show a debit to Office Supply Expense and a credit to the Cash account. Companies often make cash payments at the point of sale for small items like supplies. Companies Can Incur Expenses and Pay in the Same Reporting PeriodĪs mentioned above, companies incur expenses whether the business paid cash or not. This means that even without a supporting document like a purchase order or an invoice, the company can incur an expense. Interest expense is an example of an expense incurred over time. However, companies also incur an expense due to the passage of time or consumption. Like the example above, operating expenses like supplies would be on purchase. When Do Companies Incur an Expense?Ī business incurs an expense in two instances – upon purchase or when it consumes a resource. However, a company can incur an expense in other ways. The expenses incurred would then be part of the Cost of Goods or Services sold. When the grocery store needs to restock and order milk, it incurs an expense whether the order gets paid upon delivery or in net terms. When your business enters a transaction to procure goods or a service, it owes money to the supplier and therefore incurs an expense.įor instance, a grocery store needs to purchase milk from the manufacturer to sell to its customers. Incurred refers to being liable for a loss or an expense during the accounting period that would lead to actual or potential spending for your company.Ĭompanies need to purchase goods or services to produce a product or perform a service. Incurring an expense is part of running a business regardless of the industry. Companies Incur Expenses By Doing Business
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This post will focus on incurred and accrued expenses to better understand the accounting process. While incurred and accrued mean different things, some may confuse one for the other. In accounting, incurred refers to when the business owes money as a result of a transaction, while accrued refers to the practice of recording financial transactions as they happen – regardless of any cash exchange.
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