Chart of Accounts

income before taxes

An indicator of a company's profitability, calculated as revenue minus expenses, excluding tax and interest. EBIT is also referred to as "operating earnings", "operating profit" and "operating income", as you can re-arrange the formula to be calculated as follows: EBIT = Revenue - Operating Expenses Also known as Profit Before Interest & Taxes (PBIT), and equals Net Income with interest and taxes added back to it.

cash equivalents

An item on the balance sheet that reports the value of a company's assets that are cash or can be converted into cash immediately. Investopedia explains Cash And Cash Equivalents - CCE Examples of cash and cash equivalents are bank accounts, marketable securities and Treasury bills.

cost of sales

Cost of goods sold refers to the inventory costs of those goods a business has sold during a particular period. Costs are associated with particular goods using one of several formulas, including specific identification, first-in first-out (FIFO), or average cost.

general and administrative expenses

Expenditures related to the day-to-day operations of a business. General and administrative expenses pertain to operation expenses rather that to expenses that can be directly related to the production of any goods or services. General and administrative expenses include rent, utilities, insurance and managerial salaries.

statement of equity

Financial statement showing the beginning balance, additions to and deductions from, and the ending balance of the shareholders' equity account, for a specified period. Also called statement of shareholders equity.

interest paid

Interest paid is the amount of interest (subject to limitations) paid by the estate or trust on amounts borrowed by the estate or trust.

cash

Legal tender or coins that can be used in exchange goods, debt, or services. Sometimes also including the value of assets that can be converted into cash immediately, as reported by a company. Investopedia explains Cash This usually includes bank accounts and marketable securities, such as government bonds and banker's acceptances.

long term debt

Loans and financial obligations lasting over one year. In the U.K., long-term debts are known as "long-term loans." Investopedia explains Long-Term Debt For example, debts obligations such as bonds and notes, which have maturities greater than one year, would be considered long-term debt. Other securities such as T-bills and commercial papers would not be long-term debt because their maturities are typically shorter than one year

capital stock

The common and preferred stock a company is authorized to issue, according to their corporate charter.

liabilities

1. Finance: A claim against the assets, or legal obligations of a person or organization, arising out of past or current transactions or actions. Liabilities require mandatory transfer of assets, or provision of services, at specified dates or in determinable future. 2. Accounting: Accounts and wages payable, accrued rent and taxes, trade debt, and short and long-term loans. Owners' equity is also termed a liability because it is an obligation of the company to its owners. Liabilities are entered on the right-hand of the page in a double-entry bookkeeping system. 3. Law: (1) Responsibility for the consequences of one's acts or omissions, enforceable by civil remedy (damages) or criminal punishment. (2) An obligation to do or refrain from doing something.

total fixed assets

A balance sheet item which equals the sum of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, inventory, marketable securities, prepaid expenses, and other assets that could be converted to cash in less than one year. A company's creditors will often be interested in how much that company has in current assets, since these assets can be easily liquidated in case the company goes bankrupt. In addition, current assets are important to most companies as a source of funds for day-to-day operations.

current liabilities

A company's debts or obligations that are due within one year. Current liabilities appear on the company's balance sheet and include short term debt, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other debts.

gross profit

A company's revenue minus its cost of goods sold. Gross profit is a company's residual profit after selling a product or service and deducting the cost associated with its production and sale. To calculate gross profit: examine the income statement, take the revenue and subtract the cost of goods sold. Also called "gross margin" and "gross income".

dividends

A distribution of a portion of a company's earnings, decided by the board of directors, to a class of its shareholders. The dividend is most often quoted in terms of the dollar amount each share receives (dividends per share). It can also be quoted in terms of a percent of the current market price, referred to as dividend yield. Also referred to as "Dividend Per Share (DPS)." 2. Mandatory distributions of income and realized capital gains made to mutual fund investors.

profit

A financial benefit that is realized when the amount of revenue gained from a business activity exceeds the expenses, costs and taxes needed to sustain the activity. Any profit that is gained goes to the business's owners, who may or may not decide to spend it on the business. Calculated as

income statement

A financial statement that measures a company's financial performance over a specific accounting period. Financial performance is assessed by giving a summary of how the business incurs its revenues and expenses through both operating and non-operating activities. It also shows the net profit or loss incurred over a specific accounting period, typically over a fiscal quarter or year. Also known as the "profit and loss statement" or "statement of revenue and expense".

balance sheet

A financial statement that summarizes a company's assets, liabilities and shareholders' equity at a specific point in time. These three balance sheet segments give investors an idea as to what the company owns and owes, as well as the amount invested by the shareholders. The balance sheet must follow the following formula: Assets = Liabilities + Shareholders' Equity Investopedia explains Balance Sheet It's called a balance sheet because the two sides balance out. This makes sense: a company has to pay for all the things it has (assets) by either borrowing money (liabilities) or getting it from shareholders (shareholders' equity). Each of the three segments of the balance sheet will have many accounts within it that document the value of each. Accounts such as cash, inventory and property are on the asset side of the balance sheet, while on the liability side there are accounts such as accounts payable or long-term debt. The exact accounts on a balance sheet will differ by company and by industry, as there is no one set template that accurately accommodates for the differences between different types of businesses.

finished goods

A good purchased as a "raw material" goes into the manufacture of a product. A good only partially completed during the manufacturing process is called "work in process". When the good is completed as to manufacturing but not yet sold or distributed to the end-user, it is called a "finished good". Finished goods is a relative term. In a Supply chain management flow, the finished goods of a supplier can constitute the raw material of a buyer.

fixed asset

A long-term tangible piece of property that a firm owns and uses in the production of its income and is not expected to be consumed or converted into cash any sooner than at least one year's time. Fixed assets are sometimes collectively referred to as "plant

income taxes

A tax that governments impose on financial income generated by all entities within their jurisdiction. By law, businesses and individuals must file an income tax return every year to determine whether they owe any taxes or are eligible for a tax refund. Income tax is a key source of funds that the government uses to fund its activities and serve the public.

other accrued liabilities

An accounting term for an expense that a business has incurred but has not yet paid. A company can accrue liability for any number of items, such as a pension account that will pay retirees in the future. Accrued liabilities can be recorded as either short or long-term liabilities on a company's balance sheet.

contributed capital

An entry on the shareholders' equity section of a company's balance sheet that summarizes the total value of stock that shareholders have directly purchased from the issuing company. Contributed capital is calculated by adding the par value of the shares to the value paid that was greater than par value. Investopedia explains Contributed Capital Shares that investors purchased from the secondary markets are not incorporated into the contributed capital. However, shares sold as a result of a secondary offering would count, as the proceeds of these shares go directly to the issuing company.

total assets

The final amount of all gross investments, cash and equivalents, receivables, and other assets as they are presented on the balance sheet.

financing activites

The initiatives, transactions, and events (such as issuing of stock/shares, bonds, promissory note, and arranging of loans and supplies) employed and undertaken by an organization in achieving its economic objectives

retained earnings

The percentage of net earnings not paid out as dividends, but retained by the company to be reinvested in its core business or to pay debt. It is recorded under shareholders' equity on the balance sheet. The formula calculates retained earnings by adding net income to (or subtracting any net losses from) beginning retained earnings and subtracting any dividends paid to shareholders: Also known as the "retention ratio" or "retained surplus".

net income

1. A company's total earnings (or profit). Net income is calculated by taking revenues and adjusting for the cost of doing business, depreciation, interest, taxes and other expenses. This number is found on a company's income statement and is an important measure of how profitable the company is over a period of time. The measure is also used to calculate earnings per share. Often referred to as "the bottom line" since net income is listed at the bottom of the income statement. In the U.K., net income is known as "profit attributable to shareholders". 2. An individual's income after deductions, credits and taxes are factored into gross income. Deductions and credits are subtracted from gross income to arrive at taxable income, which is used to calculate income tax. Net income is income tax subtracted from taxable income.

Assets

1. A resource with economic value that an individual, corporation or country owns or controls with the expectation that it will provide future benefit. 2. A balance sheet item representing what a firm owns. Investopedia explains Asset 1. Assets are bought to increase the value of a firm or benefit the firm's operations. You can think of an asset as something that can generate cash flow, regardless of whether it's a company's manufacturing equipment or an individual's rental apartment. 2. In the context of accounting, assets are either current or fixed (non-current). Current means that the asset will be consumed within one year. Generally, this includes things like cash, accounts receivable and inventory. Fixed assets are those that are expected to keep providing benefit for more than one year, such as equipment, buildings and real estate.

loss

1. The act or an instance of losing: nine losses during the football season. 2. a. One that is lost: wrote their flooded house off as a loss. b. The condition of being deprived or bereaved of something or someone: mourning their loss. c. The amount of something lost: selling at a 50 percent loss. 3. The harm or suffering caused by losing or being lost. 4. losses People lost in wartime; casualties. 5. Destruction: The war caused incalculable loss. 6. Electricity The power decrease caused by resistance in a circuit, circuit element, or device. 7. The amount of a claim on an insurer by an insured.

expenses

1. The economic costs that a business incurs through its operations to earn revenue. In order to maximize profits, businesses must attempt to reduce expenses without also cutting into revenues. Because expenses are such an important indicator of a business's operations, there are specific accounting rules on expense recognition. 2. Money spent or costs incurred that are tax-deductible and reduce taxable income.

current assets

A balance sheet account that represents the value of all assets that are reasonably expected to be converted into cash within one year in the normal course of business. Current assets include cash, accounts receivable, inventory, marketable securities, prepaid expenses and other liquid assets that can be readily converted to cash. 2. In personal finance, current assets are all assets that a person can readily convert to cash to pay outstanding debts and cover liabilities without having to sell fixed assets. In the United Kingdom, current assets are also known as "current accounts".

operating expenses

A category of expenditure that a business incurs as a result of performing its normal business operations. One of the typical responsibilities that management must contend with is determining how low operating expenses can be reduced without significantly affecting the firm's ability to compete with its competitors.

Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share

A performance metric used to gauge the quality of a company's earnings per share (EPS) if all convertible securities were exercised. Convertible securities refers to all outstanding convertible preferred shares, convertible debentures, stock options (primarily employee based) and warrants. Unless the company has no additional potential shares outstanding (a relatively rare circumstance) the diluted EPS will always be lower than the simple EPS

common stock

A security that represents ownership in a corporation. Holders of common stock exercise control by electing a board of directors and voting on corporate policy. Common stockholders are on the bottom of the priority ladder for ownership structure. In the event of liquidation, common shareholders have rights to a company's assets only after bondholders, preferred shareholders and other debtholders have been paid in full. In the U.K., these are called "ordinary shares". Investopedia explains Common Stock If the company goes bankrupt, the common stockholders will not receive their money until the creditors and preferred shareholders have received their respective share of the leftover assets. This makes common stock riskier than debt or preferred shares. The upside to common shares is that they usually outperform bonds and preferred shares in the long run.

investing activities

Deals or transactions involving sale or purchase of equipment, plants, properties, securities, or other assets generally not held for immediate resale

total liabilities

In financial accounting, a liability is defined as an obligation of an entity arising from past transactions or events, the settlement of which may result in the transfer or use of assets, provision of services or other yielding of economic benefits in the future.

revenue

The amount of money that a company actually receives during a specific period, including discounts and deductions for returned merchandise. It is the "top line" or "gross income" figure from which costs are subtracted to determine net income. Revenue is calculated by multiplying the price at which goods or services are sold by the number of units or amount sold. Revenue is also known as "REVs".

cost of goods sold

The direct costs attributable to the production of the goods sold by a company. This amount includes the cost of the materials used in creating the good along with the direct labor costs used to produce the good. It excludes indirect expenses such as distribution costs and sales force costs. COGS appears on the income statement and can be deducted from revenue to calculate a company's gross margin. Also referred to as "cost of sales". Investopedia explains Cost Of Goods Sold - COGS COGS is the costs that go into creating the products that a company sells; therefore, the only costs included in the measure are those that are directly tied to the production of the products. For example, the COGS for an automaker would include the material costs for the parts that go into making the car along with the labor costs used to put the car together. The cost of sending the cars to dealerships and the cost of the labor used to sell the car would be excluded. The exact costs included in the COGS calculation will differ from one type of business to another. The cost of goods attributed to a company's products are expensed as the company sells these goods. There are several ways to calculate COGS but one of the more basic ways is to start with the beginning inventory for the period and add the total amount of purchases made during the period then deducting the ending inventory. This calculation gives the total amount of inventory or, more specifically, the cost of this inventory, sold by the company during the period. Therefore, if a company starts with $10 million in inventory, makes $2 million in purchases and ends the period with $9 million in inventory, the company's cost of goods for the period would be $3 million ($10 million + $2 million - $9 million).

earnings per share

The portion of a company's profit allocated to each outstanding share of common stock. Earnings per share serves as an indicator of a company's profitability. Calculated as: When calculating, it is more accurate to use a weighted average number of shares outstanding over the reporting term, because the number of shares outstanding can change over time. However, data sources sometimes simplify the calculation by using the number of shares outstanding at the end of the period. Diluted EPS expands on basic EPS by including the shares of convertibles or warrants outstanding in the outstanding shares number

inventory

The raw materials, work-in-process goods and completely finished goods that are considered to be the portion of a business's assets that are ready or will be ready for sale. Inventory represents one of the most important assets that most businesses possess, because the turnover of inventory represents one of the primary sources of revenue generation and subsequent earnings for the company's shareholders/owners.

interest payable

This is the interest that is due to be paid within one year and as such falls within current liabilities on the company balance sheet. A liability account reflecting the amount of interest owed by the state. In governmental funds, interest is to be recognized as an expenditure in the accounting period in which it becomes due and payable and the liability is to be recorded as interest payable at that time

Account Payable

What Does Accounts Payable - AP Mean? An accounting entry that represents an entity's obligation to pay off a short-term debt to its creditors. The accounts payable entry is found on a balance sheet under the heading current liabilities. Accounts payable are often referred to as "payables". Another common usage of AP refers to a business department or division that is responsible for making payments owed by the company to suppliers and other creditors. Investopedia explains Accounts Payable - AP Accounts payable are debts that must be paid off within a given period of time in order to avoid default. For example, at the corporate level, AP refers to short-term debt payments to suppliers and banks. Payables are not limited to corporations. At the household level, people are also subject to bill payment for goods or services provided to them by creditors. For example, the phone company, the gas company and the cable company are types of creditors. Each one of these creditors provide a service first and then bills the customer after the fact. The payable is essentially a short-term IOU from a customer to the creditor. Each demands payment for goods or services rendered and must be paid accordingly. If people or companies don't pay their bills, they are considered to be in default.

Accounts Receivable

What Does Accounts Receivable - AR Mean? Money owed by customers (individuals or corporations) to another entity in exchange for goods or services that have been delivered or used, but not yet paid for. Receivables usually come in the form of operating lines of credit and are usually due within a relatively short time period, ranging from a few days to a year. On a public company's balance sheet, accounts receivable is often recorded as an asset because this represents a legal obligation for the customer to remit cash for its short-term debts Investopedia explains Accounts Receivable - AR If a company has receivables, this means it has made a sale but has yet to collect the money from the purchaser. Most companies operate by allowing some portion of their sales to be on credit. These type of sales are usually made to frequent or special customers who are invoiced periodically, and allows them to avoid the hassle of physically making payments as each transaction occurs. In other words, this is when a customer gives a company an IOU for goods or services already received or rendered. Accounts receivable are not limited to businesses - individuals have them as well. People get receivables from their employers in the form of a monthly or bi-weekly paycheck. They are legally owed this money for services (work) already provided. When a company owes debts to its suppliers or other parties, these are known as accounts payable.

Accumulated Depreciation

What Does Accumulated Depreciation Mean? The cumulative depreciation of an asset up to a single point in its life. Regardless of the method used to calculate it, the depreciation of an asset during a single period is added to the previous period's accumulated depreciation to get the current accumulated depreciation. An asset's carrying value on the balance sheet is the difference between its purchase price and accumulated depreciation. Investopedia explains Accumulated Depreciation A company buys an asset for $5,000 that has a five-year lifespan and zero salvage value. The company uses straight-line depreciation, and the asset depreciates at a rate of $1,000 per year. In year one, depreciation will be $1,000, as will accumulated depreciation, and carrying value of the asset will be $4,000. In year two, depreciation will be $1,000, accumulated depreciation will be $2,000 ($1,000 from the current year + $1,000 accumulated from previous years) and carrying value will be $3,000. Each subsequent year will follow the same process.

notes payable

Written promises to pay stated sums of money at future dates, classified as current (if due within 12 months) or non-current (if due after 12 months) of the balance sheet date.