Question

A law firm received $2,000 cash for legal services to be rendered in the future. The full amount was credited to the liability account Unearned Service Revenue. If the legal services have been rendered at the end of the accounting period and no adjusting entry is made, this would cause:

Answer 1

Answer:

Revenues to be understated.

Explanation:

The accrual basis says that revenues are recognized when earned and expenses are recognized when incurred.

In this case, if the legal services have been rendered at the end of the accounting period and no adjusting entry is made there is a situation of understated revenue.

When an accountant says that an amount is understated, it means two things: The amount is not the correct amount, and  the amount is less than the true amount.

The adjusting entry that should be done is:

Debit to the liability account Unearned Service Revenue, and a credit to the revenue account Service Revenue.