Adjustments for Accrued & Prepaid Income (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Accounting)

Revision Note

Donna Simpson

Written by: Donna Simpson

Reviewed by: Dan Finlay

Adjustments for Accrued & Prepaid Income

How do I record accruals and prepayments of income on the financial statements?

  • Calculate the total amount that is due for the current year

    • See the revision note Accrued & Prepaid Income for more information

  • Accrued income is an amount which has not yet been received at the end of the accounting period

  • Prepaid income is an amount that is received in the current accounting period but relates to a future accounting period

  • The total amount due for the year is the value included on the income statement

    • If an income has an accrual then add that value to the balance of the account

    • If an income has a prepayment then subtract that value from the balance of the account

  • The amounts of the accruals or prepayments are stated on the statement of financial position

    • The amount of an income that is accrued is treated as a current asset

      • Label it as other receivables

    • The amount of an income that is prepaid is treated as a current liability

      • Label it as other payables

Examiner Tips and Tricks

To help remember whether an accrual or a prepayment of income is an asset or a liability, consider whether the business is still owed income. If it is then it is an asset.

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Where there are several accrued incomes, it is usual to show them all added as one figure on the statement of financial position called other receivables under current assets. Similarly, several prepaid incomes are added together as one figure called other payables under current liabilities.

Worked Example

Savio is a trader. His financial year ends 30 September 2023. 

On 1 January 2023, Savio rents out a part of his building to a trader who pays $2 400 upfront for 12 months of rent. 

Savio receives commission, $375, every three months. On 30 September 2023, Savio has not yet received commission for the previous three months.

Prepare extracts of the financial statements to show how the rent received and commission received are treated.

Answer

Rent:

Current financial period

O

N

D

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

$2 400 rent for the year

  • Calculate the rent per month

    • £2 400 ÷ 12 = $200

  • Calculate the amount due for the financial year

    • 9 months included (J-F-M-A-M-J-J-A-S)

    • 9 ✕ $200 = $1 800

    • This is the amount that will be stated on the income statement even though more has been received

  • Identify the amount received in advance

    • 3 months prepaid (O-N-D)

    • 3 ✕ $200 = $600

    • This will be listed as a current liability on the statement of financial position

Commission

  • Calculate the commission per month

    • £375 ÷ 3 = $125

  • Calculate the amount due for the financial year

    • 12 ✕ $125 = $1 500

    • This is the amount that will be stated on the income statement even though not all of it has been received

  • Identify the amount still owed

    • 3 months owing: $375

    • This will be listed as a current asset on the statement of financial position

Savio

Income Statement (extract) for the year ended 30 September 2023


Other income

$

$

Rent

1 800

Commission

1 500

3 300

Savio

Statement of Financial Position (extract) at 30 September 2023


$

Current assets

Other receivables

375

Current liabilities

Other payables

600

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Donna Simpson

Author: Donna Simpson

Expertise: Accounting Content Creator

Donna is a classroom practitioner with over 25 years experience in teaching accounting and business studies at GCSE A-Levels and undergraduate levels, both in the UK and abroad. She currently works for a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) as a teacher, instructional coach and mentor to other teachers. Donna is also an AQA A Level Accounting examiner as well as the content creator of resources used by all accounting teachers across the Trust. She enjoys designing and creating resources that provides students with deeper understanding of the subject content. Donna has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with major in Accounting and Finance (BSc Hons) and ACCA certified to Level 2.

Dan Finlay

Author: Dan Finlay

Expertise: Maths Lead

Dan graduated from the University of Oxford with a First class degree in mathematics. As well as teaching maths for over 8 years, Dan has marked a range of exams for Edexcel, tutored students and taught A Level Accounting. Dan has a keen interest in statistics and probability and their real-life applications.