Provision for Bad Debt
The provision for bad debts has to do with making room in the balance sheet account for instances when a client is unable to redeem their debt. Also known as Allowance for Bad Debts, it makes provision for Bad Debts as a contra asset account (i.e., an asset account with a credit balance). It is used along with the account Accounts Receivable in order to report the net realizable value of the accounts receivable. Provision for Bad Debts might also be an the income statement account also known as Bad Debt Expense or Uncollectible Account Expense. In this situation, the Provision for Bad Debts reports the credit losses that pertain to the period shown on the income statement.
An entity may not be able to recover its balances outstanding in respect of certain receivables. In accountancy we refer to such receivables as Irrecoverable Debts or Bad Debts. Bad debts could arise for a number of reasons such as customer going bankrupt, trade dispute or fraud. Every time an entity realizes that it unlikely to recover its debt from a receivable, it must ‘write off’ the bad debt from its books. This ensures that the entity’s assets (i.e. receivables) are not stated above the amount it can reasonably expect to recover which is in line with the concept of prudence.
Provision for Discount Allowed and Received
This is the provision created to cover the expense of discount that may be allowed to the debtors during the coming year when they pay their debt on time. The increase in the provision for discount on debtors is also shown as an expense in the profit & loss account and the new provision for discount on debtors is deducted from the debtors in the balance sheet. In other words, provision for discount allowed can also be mean to solicit for prompt payment from the company’s trade debtors, cash discount which is an allowance given when payment is made within the stipulated period given…
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