Prepaid Expense | Journal Entries & Accounting Record-Keeping Examples:

Prepaid expenses are expenses paid for in advance. You accrue a prepaid expense when you pay for something(example: Insurance) that you will receive in the near future. Any time you pay for something before using it, you must recognize it through prepaid expenses accounting.

So A prepaid expense is a kind of asset on the balance sheet that results from a business creating advanced payments for goods or services to be received in the future. Prepaid expenses are initially recorded as assets, but their value is expensed over time onto the Profit & Loss Account.

Example of Common Prepaid Expenses:

• Rent (paying for a commercial space before using it)
• Small business insurance policies
• Equipment you pay for before use
• Salaries (unless you run payroll in arrears)
• Estimated taxes
• Some utility bills
• Interest expenses

What kind of account is the prepaid expense?

• A prepaid expense is an asset. When you initially record a prepaid expense, record it as an asset. So, where are prepaid expenses recorded? Prepaid expenses in the balance sheet are listed as assets, too.
• Prepaid expenses only turn into expenses when you actually use them. As you use the item, decrease the value of the asset. The value of the asset is then replaced with an actual expense recorded on the income statement.

What are the prepaid expenses journal entry Concepts?

Before we diving into the journal entries, you need to understand how each main account is affected by debits and credits. So the main concepts are:

Based on Financial effects on Liabilities debits and credits will be:

How to record a prepaid expense Journal Entries?

The journal entry you make when you gain the prepaid expense will look like this: Example:

In November 2020 one-year insurance policy for your business costs $2100.

Solution: Expected Journal entries will be :

Adjusting Journal entries for prepaid expenses?

Adjusting entries help balance your books. To recognize prepaid expenses that become actual expenses, use adjusting entries.

As you use the prepaid item, decrease your Prepaid Expense account, and increase your actual Expense account. Each month, adjust the accounts by the amount of the policy you use. Since the policy lasts one year, divide the total cost of $2100 by 12. Adjust the accounts by $175 each month.

Is prepaid insurance an expense on the income statement?

A related account is Insurance Expense, which appears on the income statement. … The amount in the Insurance Expense account should report the amount of insurance expense expiring during the period indicated in the heading of the income statement.

How to record Prepaid expenses on a balance sheet?

Most prepaid expenses appear on the balance sheet as a current asset, unless the expense is not to be incurred until after 12 months. At the end of any accounting period, the amount of the insurance premiums that remain prepaid should be reported in the current asset account, Prepaid Insurance. The prepaid amount will be reported on the balance sheet after inventory and could part of an item described as prepaid expenses.

So, anything that you pay for before taken services or using is considered a prepaid expense. Thank you for your time.🙏