When Preparing the Financial Statements, the Accountant Must Estimate the Balances

question 151

Short Answer

When preparing the financial statements, the accountant must estimate the balances of certain accounts. When two possible estimates are available and when these estimates are about equally likely, the accountant's prudent reaction is to select the least optimistic estimate in terms of the recorded amounts of assets or income statement accounts. This is referred to as the principle of ____________________.

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Definitions:

Petty Cash

A small amount of cash on hand used for covering minor expenses.

Cash Over and Short

An account that records the discrepancies between the expected cash count and the actual amount of cash received or paid out, indicating errors or theft.

Outstanding Checks

Checks that have been written and recorded in the checking account but have not yet been cashed or cleared by the bank.

Payee

The side in a financial exchange that is given the payment.