Question

After the issuance of its year 1 financial statements, Serenity Inc. discovered a computational error of $150,000 in the calculation of December 31, year 1 inventory. The error resulted in a $150,000 overstated in the cost of goods sold for the year ended December 31, year 1. In October, year 2, Serenity paid $500,000 to settle litigation initiated it during year 1. In the financial statements for year 2, the year 1 retained earnings balance, as previously reported, should be adjusted by (ignore income taxes):_________-
a. $350,000 debit
b. $500,000 debit
c. $150,000 credit
d. $650,000 credit

Answer 1

Answer: C. $150,000 credit

Explanation:

In the financial statements for year 2, it should be noted that the year 1 retained earnings balance, should be adjusted by $150,000 credit.

The corrections of errors should be treated as the period adjustments before. In this case, the $150,000 overstatement for the cost of goods that was sold in the previous year, will then be credited to the beginning balance of the retained earnings.

Therefore, the correct option is C.