Question

Assume that Simple Co. had credit sales of $258,000 and cost of goods sold of $158,000 for the period. Simple uses the aging method and estimates that the appropriate ending balance in the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is $3,800. Before the end-of-period adjustment is made, the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts has a credit balance of $330. What amount of Bad Debt Expense would the company record as an end-of-period adjustment?

Answer 1

Answer: The amount of bad debt expense the company would record would be $3,470.

Explanation: Bad debt expense is an estimate of accounts receivable that is deemed as uncollectible while allowance for doubtful accounts is a balance sheet allowance account that warehouses the total balance of accounts receivable that is deemed irrecoverable.

In this scenario, Simple Co. estimated, using the aging method, that the allowance for doubtful accounts is $3,800. However, it had a credit balance of $330 in the same account. The reinstate the allowance account to $3,800, $3,470 has to be adjusted for by debiting bad debt expense and crediting allowance for doubtful account.