Contra Account Accounting Definition + Journal Entry Examples

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In other words, this account’s credit balance is contrary to (or opposite of) the usual debit balance for an expense account.
The credit balance in the account Allowance for Doubtful Accounts tells us how much of the debit balance in Accounts Receivable is unlikely to be collected.
Therefore, it reduces the value of shareholders’ equity by the amount paid for those repurchased stocks.
Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has worked as a university accounting instructor, accountant, and consultant for more than 25 years.
These three types of contra accounts are used to reduce liabilities, equity, and revenue which all have natural credit balances.
It might be important for a business to track the full cost of sales less contras to see the full picture.

Contra liability accounts are special accounts in the liabilities section of the balance sheet. They aim to reduce the balance of some related liability accounts. This would let users of the financial statements calculate the book value of the liability. A contra equity account is an account that is used to offset another equity account on the balance sheet. Contra equity accounts are typically used for a company to buy back its stock or shares. The company would then have a contra liability account for the bonds.

Contra Account Definition, Types, and Example

Company K’s income statement will report the gross Sales of $100,000 minus the sales returns and allowances of $500 and the resulting net sales of $99,500. The benefit of using the contra expense account is that the company’s managers can see in account 4210 the total amount that the company paid to the health insurance company. Then in account 4211 they can see the portion of the cost that was paid by the employees.

The balance sheet would show the piece of equipment at its historical cost, then subtract the accumulated depreciation to reflect the accurate value of the asset. Allowance for doubtful accounts is netted from the accounts receivable balance. The company predicts which accounts receivable won’t be paid by customers and writes those off. When the account receivable is written off, it is added to bad debt expense on the income statement and placed in the contra account. If a company has a high or fast-growing allowance as a percentage of accounts receivable, keep a close eye on it. It could be growing with bad accounts, and cash flow will be affected.

Unlike the three previously mentioned contra accounts, contra revenue accounts are not listed in the balance sheet but are written near the top of the income statement. Contra revenue accounts typically offset revenue accounts in a firm’s income statement. 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.

That’s what makes World Wide Wind (WWW)’s contra-rotating VAWT such a fascinating alternative.
The most important thing to remember is that contra payments require their own separate account to keep them separate from your usual invoices.
During bull markets, cyclical sectors such as technology and financials perform well and get more expensive in terms of price, while contra market sectors such as consumer staples and utilities underperform.
Machinery, physical space, equipment, vehicles, etc., are some examples of common fixed assets.

In 2018, while stocks experienced a correction, gold also fell, although it experienced a small rally prior to the stock market bottom. When the S&P 500 rose from 1995 to 2000, the price of gold declined and had a negative correlation. Gold started rising while stocks were falling, trading relatively flat and then picking up steam to the upside in mid-2001.

A final word about contra asset accounts

Both these aspects of the transaction are although entered in the same account, are mentioned in separate columns. This allows the financial analyst to evaluate the company inventory’s current market value. Businesses can also write off many expenses like these from the financial records even if the inventory has been phased out completely. If you’re using the wrong credit or debit card, it could be costing you serious money.

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 best hr payroll software systems and companies 2021 account. A less common example of a contra asset account is Discount on Notes Receivable. The credit balance in this account is amortized or allocated to Interest Income or Interest Revenue over the life of a note receivable.

How to Make a Contra Payment

The company’s income statement will report the combination of the amounts in accounts 4210 and 4211 in order to show the company’s actual expense of $8,000 ($10,000 minus $2,000). In accounting, assets are things of value that your business owns. Your bank account, the inventory you currently stock, the equipment you purchase, and your accounts receivable balance are all considered asset accounts. Therefore, it reduces the value of shareholders’ equity by the amount paid for those repurchased stocks. 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.

More meanings of contra-

Before we start talking about the finer details, it’s important to know what is a contra asset account. A second example of a contra asset account is Accumulated Depreciation. Companies that issue bonds are likely to use contra liability accounts. If the bond is sold at a discount, the company will record the cash received from the bond sale as «cash», and will offset the discount in the contra liability account. Most accountants choose to record the depreciation over the useful life of an item in the accumulated depreciation contra asset account, which is a credit account.

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For example, an asset was purchased by a company for $100,000 – that is, the historical cost of the asset was $100,000 – and its contra asset counterpart has a balance of $30,000. Therefore, the asset’s net value (or the book value) will be $70,000. Note that the asset account balance represents the purchase price of the asset in question, also known as its historical cost.

Likewise, when you pay a bill, your cash account is reduced (credited) because you’re lowering the balance. To offset this, the allowance for doubtful accounts balance is adjusted via a credit, while the bad debt account is debited to balance out the AR account. When combined, the AR account and the allowance for doubtful accounts contra assets offer a projection of how much net cash is expected to be received from outstanding accounts. Note that the contra liability account has a positive balance (a debit balance), and the liability account normally has a credit balance. Hence, the book value of the liability will be the credit balance of the liability account minus the debit balance of its contra liability counterpart. Both the asset and the corresponding contra asset accounts must be stated clearly in the balance sheet.

The Contra Equity Account

There are four key types of contra accounts—contra asset, contra liability, contra equity, and contra revenue. Contra assets decrease the balance of a fixed or capital asset, carrying a credit balance. Contra liabilities reduce liability accounts and carry a debit balance. Contra equity accounts carry a debit balance and reduce equity accounts. Contra revenue accounts reduce revenue accounts and have a debit balance.

This balance is used to offset the value of the asset being depreciated, so as of September 1, your $8,000 asset now has a book value of $7,866.67. Inventory obsolescence is an expense account, while the allowance for obsolete inventory is a contra asset account, which aims to reduce the inventory valuation on your balance sheet. Including contra revenue accounts is important in the income statement because it shows the original amount of sales the firm has made, along with any factor that has reduced that amount. Whenever the balance of a contra asset account increases (credit to the contra asset account), the increased amount is written off as an expense and is reported in the company’s income statement. Contra expense accounts have a natural credit balance, as opposed to the natural debit balance of a typical expense account.

In other words, the contra liability account is used to adjust the book value of an asset or liability. 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 equity accounts are accounts in the equity section of the balance sheet that reduce the amount of equity a company holds.