Module 4 - The Account and The Rules of Debit and Credit
Module 4 - The Account and The Rules of Debit and Credit
Module 4
1. Overview
This learning material provides a discussion of the account and the typical account
titles used. It also explains the double-entry system and the rules of debit and credit, as
well as the normal balances of accounts. Illustrative transactions and how their effects
are recorded in the T-accounts are also included.
You should read clearly and understand well the topics explained herein. Please
continue reading Ch. 2 of your textbook. It is also expected that you answer the assigned
problems and exercises.
3. Content/Discussion
Lesson 1 – The Account
The basic summary device used in accounting to record increases and
decreases in a particular asset, liability or owner’s equity item is the account. A separate
account is maintained for each element that appears in the statement of financial position
(assets, liabilities and equity) and in the income statement (income and expenses). Thus,
an account may be defined as a detailed record of the increases, decreases and balance of
each element that appears in an entity’s financial statements. The simplest form of the
account is the “T” account, so called because it is similar to the letter “T”. The account
has three parts:
Account Title
The first part is the account title – this is the name of a particular asset, liability,
owner’s equity, income or expense item. Ex: Cash, Supplies, Taxes Payable, Rent Income,
Salaries Expense
The other two parts are the left side or debit side and the right side or the credit side.
It is on these sides where the increases and decreases in the account are recorded.
Assets
Debit Credit
for for
increases decreases
Liabilities
Debit Credit
for for
decreases increases
Owner's Equity
Debit Credit
for for
decreases increases
(expenses, (investment,
drawings, losses) income, gains)
Observe: In the accounting equation, assets are on the left side; the left side of the account is the
debit side; liabilities and owner’s equity are on the right side of the equation; the right side of the
account is the credit side.
Using the same illustrative transactions in Module 2, let us learn how to record the transactions
in the T-accounts.
How are the entity’s transactions recorded in the T-accounts? First, we have to determine
what account titles will be needed in recording the transactions. We can do that by going over the
transactions to be recorded. In the real world of accounting, you have to refer to the chart of
accounts of the entity. This chart contains a list of all the accounts used by the business in
recording its transactions. The accounts are arranged in proper order; that is, from Cash down to
the last expense account.
In the problem, the account titles needed are: Cash, Accounts Receivable, Laundry
Supplies, Laundry Equipment, Accounts Payable, Abot, Capital; Abot, Drawing; Service Income,
Rent Expense, Utilities Expense, and Laundry Supplies Expense. We need 11 accounts, so we open
these accounts. How do we open these accounts? By drawing as many capital letter “Ts” as the
number of accounts needed. Then we write the account title above at the center of the letter T. It
is only after you have opened the accounts needed that you can record the transactions.
Ms. Dina Abot decided to open a laundry shop and had it registered as “Labango
Laundromat” on June 01, 2020. During the month various financial transactions occurred. The
effects of these transactions in terms of debit and credit are recorded in the T-accounts.
Jun 1 – Ms. Abot started her new business by investing P300,000 cash in Labango
Laundromat.
Cash
Jun 1 300,000
Abot, Capital
Jun 1 300,000
Jun 2 – Three washing machine units costing P90,000 were bought at Home Appliance
Center. The business paid P45,000 and promised to pay the balance in twenty days.
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45, 000
Laundry Equipment
Jun 2 90,000
Accounts Payable
Jun 2 45,000
Laundry Supplies
Jun 3 10,000
Cash
3 10,000
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45,000
6 15,000 3 10,000
Service Income
Jun 6 15,000
Jun 10- Rendered laundry services to a customer who promised to pay within five days,
P3,500.
Accounts Receivable
Jun 10 3,500
Service Income
Jun 6 15,000
10 3,500
Jun 15 – Received cash from the customer in the Jun 10 transaction because he paid his
account.
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45,000
6 15,000 3 10,000
15 3,500
Accounts Receivable
Jun 10 3,500 Jun 15 3,500
Jun 17 – Bought another washing machine on credit, P30,000, from Home Appliance
Center, and promised to pay within thirty days.
Laundry Equipment
Jun 2 90,000
17 30,000
Accounts Payable
Jun 2 45,000
17 30,000
Jun 20 – A customer paid P4,000 for laundry services rendered by the business.
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45,000
6 15,000 3 10,000
15 3,500
20 4,000
Service Income
Jun 6
15,000
10 3,500
20 4,000
Accounts Payable
Jun 22 45,000 Jun 2 45,000
17 30,000
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45,000
6 15,000 3 10,000
15 3,500 22 45,000
20 4,000
Jun 25 – A customer promised to pay after a week for laundry services rendered by the
business, P5,000.
Accounts Receivable
Jun 10 3,500 Jun 15 3,500
25 5,000
Service Income
Jun 6 15,000
10 3,500
20 4,000
25 5,000
Jun 28 – Paid water and electric bills for the month, P2,500.
Utilities Expense
Jun 28 2,500
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45,000
6 15,000 3 10,000
15 3,500 22 45,000
20 4,000 28 2,500
Rent Expense
Jun 29 3,000
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45,000
6 15,000 3 10,000
15 3,500 22 45,000
20 4,000 28 2,500
29 3,000
Jun 30 – The owner, Ms. Abot, withdrew P2,000 cash from the business for her personal
use.
Abot, Drawing
Jun 30 2,000
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45,000
6 15,000 3 10,000
15 3,500 22 45,000
20 4,000 28 2,500
29 3,000
30 2,000
Jun 30 – Of the laundry supplies bought, P4,000 was used in rendering laundry services
for the month.
Laundry Supplies Expense
Jun 30 4,000
Laundry Supplies
Jun 3 10,000 Jun 30 4,000
After all the transactions have been recorded in the T-accounts, the next step is to determine the
balance of each account. How is this done? First, add all the debits and the credits to each account;
then get the difference between the total debits and the total credits to each account. The
difference is the balance of the account, which at any one time may either be any of the following:
a) Debit balance – when the total debits to the account exceed its total credits
b) Credit balance – when the total credits to the account exceed its total debits
c) Zero balance – when the total debits and the total credits to the account are equal
Faculty: SISINIA T. QUIZON 9 | Page
COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY
C-AE13: Financial Accounting and Reporting
First Semester | AY 2020-2021
Normal Balance of an Account – refers to the side of the account – debit or credit – where increases
are recorded. Asset, owner’s drawing and expense accounts normally have debit balances, because
increases in these accounts are debits. On the other hand, liability, the capital and income accounts
normally have credit balances, because increases in these accounts are credits.
Take a look at the following accounts where the above transactions were recorded and their
balances:
Cash
Jun 1 300,000 Jun 2 45,000
6 15,000 3 10,000
15 3,500 22 45,000
20 4,000 28 2,500
322,500 29 3,000
30 2,000
bal 215,000 107,500
Accounts Receivable
Jun 10 3,500 Jun 15 3,500
25 5,000
8,500
bal 5,000
Laundry Supplies
Jun 3 10,000 Jun 30 4,000
bal 6,000
Laundry Equipment
Jun 2 90,000
17 30,000
bal 120,000
Accounts Payable
Jun 22 45,000 Jun 2 45,000
17 30,000
75,000
bal 30,000
Abot, Capital
Jun 1 300,000
bal 300,000
Abot, Drawing
Jun 30 2,000
bal 2,000
Service Income
Jun 6 15,000
10 3,500
20 4,000
25 5,000
27,500
bal 27,500
Utilities Expense
Jun 28 2,500
bal 2,500
Rent Expense
Jun 29 3,000
bal 3,000
After you have determined the account balances, you have to prove the equality of the debits and
the credits by preparing a summary report called the Trial Balance. This financial report contains
a list of all the accounts together with their debit or credit balances. The order of presentation of
the accounts is as follows: Cash and other current assets, non-current assets, current liabilities,
non-current liabilities, capital, drawing, revenue, and expenses.
Labango Laundromat
Trial Balance
June 30, 2020
6. If the total debits do not equal the total credits, an error/s must have been committed, which
should be located first before ruling and double-ruling the totals. It is possible that any of the
following errors may have been committed:
a) Recording on the wrong side of the account (Cash debit recorded as Cash credit)
b) Recording a wrong amount (Cash debit of P400,000 posted as P40,000)
c) Debit or Credit footing or total of an account is not correct
d) The account balance/s copied from the accounts may not be correct.
1. A difference of ten would indicate probably an error in addition. Add the debit and credit
columns of the trial balance again. If the error is not there, go further and re-add the debit and
credit columns of the accounts.
2. If the difference is divisible by two, then the error probably is in recording on the wrong side. (a
debit to an account recorded on its credit side).
3. If the difference is divisible by 9 or a multiple of 9, the error is probably in transposition, that is,
the order of the digits of an amount are interchanged (an amount of P29,560 was copied as
P25,960), or an error in transplacement where the decimal point of the amount is misplaced
(P28,500 recorded or written as P285,000).
Even if the trial balance proves the equality of the debits and credits, it does not necessarily follow
that no error/s was/were committed. The following errors could have been made which the trial
balance would not be able to identify:
Note: You must therefore exercise care in recording the transactions so as not to waste precious
time and effort when you have to go back to what you have done in order to locate the error.
Labango Laundromat
Income Statement
For the month ended June 30, 2020
Labango Laundromat
Statement of Changes in Owner’s Equity
For the month ended June 30, 2020
Labango Laundromat
Statement of Financial Position
As of June 30, 2020
Assets
Cash P215,000
Accounts Receivable 5,000
Laundry Supplies 6,000
Laundry Equipment 120,000
Total Assets P 346,000
Labango Laundromat
Statement of Cash Flows
For the month ended June 30, 2020
4. Progress Check
a) Discuss the account and its main parts.
b) Discuss the rules of debit and credit.
c) Cite the different groups of accounts and their normal balances.
d) Describe the trial balance and its purpose.
5. Assignment (Optional)
Answer end-of- Chapter 2 problems 18 & 19
6. Assessment
On May 1 of the current year, Mike Jordan established Luzon Bus Lines. The following
are the transactions for the month:
Required:
a) Analyze the given transactions and record their effects in the T-accounts. Use the
following account titles: Cash; Accounts Receivable; Office Supplies; Furniture
and Fixtures; Office Equipment; Transportation Equipment; Accounts Payable;
Notes Payable; Jordan, Capital; Jordan, Drawing; Passenger Fares Income; Taxes
and Licenses; Advertising Expense; Salaries Expense; Gas and Oil Expense; Rent
Expense; Utilities Expense.
b) Determine the balances of all the accounts after the last transaction.
c) Prepare the Trial Balance as of May 31, 2020.
d) Try your best to prepare the financial statements.
e) Submit the requirements within 2 hours.
7. References
Manuel, Zenaida Vera-Cruz (2018) 21st Century Accounting Process, Basic Concepts and
Procedures, Manila, Philippines: Zenaida Vera-Cruz Manuel.
Ballada, Win. (2020) Basic Financial Accounting and Reporting, Cavite, Philippines:
Dom Dane Publishers & Made Easy Books.
Cabrera, Ma. Elenita B. & Cabrera, Gilbert Anthony B. (2018) Financial Accounting and
Reporting,Manila, Philippines: GIC Enterprises & Co., Inc.
Warren, Carl S., Reeve, James M., & Duchac, Jonathan E. ((2015) Accounting 25th
Edition, Pasig City, Philippines: Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd (Philippine Branch).
Gilbertson, Claudia B., Lehman, Mark W., & Gentene, Debra H. (2017) Century 21
Accounting Multi-column Journal 10th Edition, Boston, MA 02210 USA: Cengage
Learning.
Wild, John; Kwok, Winston; Venkatesh, Sundar; Shaw, Ken W. & Chiappetta,
Barbara. (2016) Fundamental Accounting Principles 2nd Edition, 2 Penn Plaza, New York:
McGraw-Hill Education.