Cambridge IGCSE Accounting(0452)/O Level Principles of Accounts(7110) Notes: Introduction to Provision for Doubtful Debts
- As we have pointed out in our examination of bad debts the story does not end there
- In our discussion of bad debts we stated that bad debts are only written of in the period in which they occur
- Sometimes this happens many periods after the sale was made
- Prudence dictates that losses be written off as soon as their existence is known
- Similarly the matching concept requires that we match revenue against all costs incurred in generating that revenue
- There is always the risk that a portion of our current sales will become bad debts in the future
- Using its knowledge and mathematical fourmulae a business can try to estimate the portion of its current debts that are likely to become bad in the future
- This estimate is known sometimes known as Provision for Bad Debts
- While this spells out the logic and rationale for this estimate it creates a problem
- Businesses are not clairvoyant charlatans who can gaze into a crystal ball and tell what will happen in the future
- Just because we think a debt will go in future does not mean it will
- Some of the suspect debtors will turn out to be alright and pay their debts in time
- So a more apt description would be Provision for Doubtful Debts
- There is probable doubt that this portion of debts might become bad
- Hence the phrase “doubtful debts”, the provision is a numerical estimation of our doubts
Calculating Provision for Doubtful Debts
- It is entirely up to the business and it policies how to provide for doubtful debts
- Some businesses come up with an absolute figure to be considered a provision for doubtful debts
- Most likely and for practical purposes the provision for doubtful debts is expressed as a percentage of debtors
- When given as percentage the provision should be applied to the business’s outstanding debtors after debts that are known to be bad have been written off
- It would make little sense to calculate a provision on debts that we already know to be bad!
- Each year/trading period the provision is calculated on the total Accounts receivable (Debtors) as it stands during that period
- To be clear the provision is calculated on both the current period’s debts/accounts receivable as well as an outstanding amounts from previous periods
- It is not just applied on debts incurred in the current period
- There is the danger therefore that the business will end up charging a provision on the same debt twice
- To account for and prevent this Provision for Doubtful Debts makes use of cunning account entries
Accounting Treatment of Provision for Doubtful Debts
- During the first year the provision for doubtful debts is established
- Once the amount is known the following entries are made in the books:
- Dr Profit and Loss Account (Shown as an expense in the Income Statement) with the full amount of the provision
- Cr Provision for Doubtful Debts with the entire amount
- In subsequent years the amount for Provision for Doubtful Debts in the current period is calculated
- This amount is then compared to the one obtained in the previous period to determine if there is an increase or decrease
- If the amount in the current period compared to the last period it is deemed an increase and the following entries are used to record this:
- Dr Profit and Loss Account (Shown as an expense in the Income Statement) with the increase and the increase only
- Cr the Provision for Doubtful Debts with the increase and the increase only
- If the amount in the current period is less compared to one obtained in the last period this is deemed to be a decrease and the following entries need to be made:
- Dr Provision for Doubtful Debts with the amount of the decrease and the amount of the decrease only
- Cr Profit and Loss Account (Shown as an income in the Income Statement)
- When it comes to the Statement of Financial Position the entire amount of the provision for each period is deducted from the Debtors (Accounts Receivable) figure shown
- Since the Statement of Financial Position is a report that is not part of double entry this treatment has no effect on the debtors’s figure in subsequent years
- The accounting treatment of Provision for Doubtful Debts must not be confused with that for Bad Debts
- Nor is it the same with the treatment of Depreciation
- Keep this in mind or fail
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