What is a Contra Revenue Account?

As mentioned, contra asset accounts are usually listed below their matching asset accounts, and the net values of those assets are written next to the contra accounts. To oppose the revenue made by a company, contra revenue accounts must have a debit balance. Sometimes, both accounts can be written in a single line if they don’t represent a large portion of the assets. In case the contra asset account is not listed in the balance sheet, it must be listed in the footnotes of the financial statement for the users to be informed. Contra Asset Account – A contra asset account is an asset that carries a credit balance and is used to decrease the balance of another asset on the balance. A revenues account with a debit balance instead of the usual credit balance.

• Contra Asset Account – A contra asset account is an asset that carries a credit balance and is used to decrease the balance of another asset on the balance.
• A company creates allowances for doubtful accounts to record the portion of accounts receivable which it believes it will no longer be able to collect.
• Are you looking for a way to account for accumulated depreciation, returned merchandise, or damaged inventory?

This type of account can also be called the bad debt reserve or allowance for doubtful accounts. As mentioned, contra asset accounts usually have a negative value which is the same as a credit balance. That is to completely or partially offset the balance of their related asset accounts.

What is the Difference Between a Contra Account and an Adjunct Account?

You debit the contra revenue accounts and credit the corresponding revenue accounts. For example, when you debit the balance in sales returns account, make sure that you offset the sales revenue account with a credit balance. Contra equity is a general ledger account with a debit balance that reduces the normal credit balance of a standard equity account to present the net value of equity in a company’s financial statements. Examples of equity contra accounts are Owner Draws and Repurchased Treasury Stock Shares. Given that liabilities have a credit balance, ensure that all your contra liabilities accounts have debit balances.

• The auditors aim to keep the balances at their adequate levels, but the controller might want to keep them as low as possible to reduce expenses and maximize profit levels.
• As mentioned, contra asset accounts are usually listed below their matching asset accounts, and the net values of those assets are written next to the contra accounts.
• All such information is provided solely for convenience purposes only and all users thereof should be guided accordingly.
• Examples include accumulated depreciation, sales returns and allowances, and contra equity accounts like treasury stock.
• The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is used to track the estimated bad debts a company my incur without impacting the balance in its related account, Accounts Receivable.

If the asset account had a credit balance or the contra asset account had a debit balance, this would indicate an error in the journal entries. A contra revenue account is a revenue account that is expected to have a debit balance (instead of the usual credit balance). In other words, its expected balance is contrary to—or opposite of—the usual credit balance in a revenue account. The most common contra equity account is called “treasury stock.” This special account decreases the number of shares outstanding in the market because the company repurchases some of the shares from its buyers. Therefore, it reduces the value of shareholders’ equity by the amount paid for those repurchased stocks.

For the purpose of financial statement reporting, the amount on a contra account is subtracted from its parent account gross balance to present the net balance. The allowance for doubtful accounts – often called a “bad debt reserve” – would be considered a contra asset since it causes the accounts receivable (A/R) balance to decline. It is important to realize that unearned revenue is not a contra revenues account. The balance is held as a current liability (credit) on the balance sheet of the business. The balance in the allowance for doubtful accounts is used to find out the dollar value of the current accounts receivable balance that is deemed uncollectible. The balance sheet shows the amount in the asset section underneath the accounts receivable.

Balance sheet readers cannot only see the actual cost of the item; they can also see how much of the asset was written off as well as estimate the remaining useful life and value of the asset. Accountants use contra accounts rather than reduce the value of the original account directly to keep financial accounting records clean. If a contra account is not used, it can be difficult to determine historical costs, which can make tax preparation more difficult and time-consuming. The contra asset account of your equipment account is the accumulated depreciation of equipment. When the balance in the accumulated depreciation is $10,000 and your equipment account has a debit balance of $50,000, then the book value of your equipment is $40,000.

Recording Contra Accounts

A doubtful debts contra account allows for future write-offs of accounts receivable. Although you have not officially written off these debts yet, you show them to be a negative balance because you don’t believe the customer will pay you. Although the car is normally an asset because you can sell it for parts or use it for your business, when the car depreciates to a zero or negative balance, it is a contra asset on your balance sheet. Utilizing contra accounts in financial accounting has several significant advantages that enhance financial transparency and enable more effective financial management. By understanding the nature and function of contra accounts, businesses can accurately reflect their financial position, providing transparency to stakeholders such as investors, creditors, and internal management. For example, if the balance of accumulated depreciation increases from $20,000 to $50,000, this means that the depreciation expense amounts to $30,000, which will be listed in the income statement.

Unlike an asset which has a normal debit balance, a contra asset has a normal credit balance because it works opposite of the main account. In response, the firm should decrease its accounts receivable and revenue balances. That is done by crediting accounts receivable by $100 and debiting the contra revenue account sales returns and allowances for $100. Hence, the company will have gross revenue or net sales equal to $9,900. Contra revenue is a deduction from the gross revenue reported by a business, which results in net revenue.

What is Contra Revenue?

If a company has a high or fast-growing allowance as a percentage of accounts receivable, keep a close eye on it. The contra asset account Accumulated Depreciation is deducted from the related Capital Assets to present the net balance on the parent account in a company’s balance sheet. Contra equity reduces the total number of outstanding shares on the balance sheet. The key example of a contra equity account is Treasury stock, which represents the amount paid to buyback stock. Examples of contra accounts include allowance for doubtful accounts, reserve for obsolete inventory, and accrued liabilities.

Contra Asset Accounting & Examples

A contra asset account is an account in the balance sheet that offsets the balance of a regular asset account. Contra Equity Account – A contra equity account has a debit balance and decreases a standard equity account. Treasure stock is a good example as it carries a debit balance and decreases the overall stockholders’ equity. Home Depot reports net receivables and net property and equipment, implying that both are reduced by contra assets. We’ll need to dig into the footnotes to find out what the contra accounts are.

The account is normally a debit balance and in use is offset against the revenue account which is normally a credit balance. Consequently the net balance of the two accounts shows the net value of the sales after discounts. Contra Liability Account – A contra liability account is a liability that carries a debit balance and decreases other liabilities on the balance sheet. A contra filing an income tax extension liability is a general ledger account with a debit balance that reduces the normal credit balance of a standard liability account to present the net value on a balance sheet. Examples of contra liabilities are Discounts on Bonds and Notes Payable and Short-Term Portion of Long-Term Debt. A debit will be made to the bad debt expense for $4,000 to balance the journal entry.

What is Contra Account?

Any products that are sold at a discount or returns are deducted from gross revenue to produce net revenue as the top line on the income statement. You may use accounting software packages, such as QuickBooks Online to set up contra accounts. Simply hit Control + N under the Chart of Accounts or Edit, then click New (to create a new account). For example, when a line item on your balance sheet presents the balance of accounts receivable, report the value of allowance of uncollectible accounts below the accounts receivable line. Be sure to enter the contra account on the opposite column of the account they’re offsetting. If contra assets appear in the credit column, record contra liabilities on side.

Maybe more importantly, it shows investors and creditors what percentage of receivables the company is writing off. The contra liability account is less common than the contra asset account. An example of a contra liability account is the bond discount account, which offsets the bond payable account. A contra liability account is not classified as a liability, since it does not represent a future obligation. Revenue is an income statement account, but it flows through to the equity section of retained earnings as well.