📌 Snapshot
- Accrual-based accounting forces year-end adjustments before the Trading and P&L Account and Balance Sheet can show a "true and fair view" of profit and financial position (NCERT §9.1, p. 318).
- Covers all eleven standard adjustments: closing stock, outstanding expenses, prepaid expenses, accrued income, income received in advance, depreciation, bad debts, provision for doubtful debts, provision for discount on debtors, manager's commission, and interest on capital (NCERT §9.1-§9.12, p. 319-339).
- The dual effect rule — every adjustment (when given as additional information) hits exactly two places: one in the Trading or P&L Account and one in the Balance Sheet (NCERT Fig. 9.2, p. 340).
- Numerical illustrations 1–10 work through combined adjustments including erection wages capitalisation (Illus. 7), apprenticeship premium received in advance (Illus. 8), sale on approval, goods withdrawn for personal use and manager's commission (Illus. 10) (NCERT p. 341-362).
- High-scoring CUET zone: formula-driven questions (commission, interest on capital, provision %) and treatment-driven questions (which side of which statement).
- Class XII specialises into partnership accounts (leac101-leac104) and company accounts (leac201-leac206).
📖 Detailed Notes
2.1 Core concepts
Adjustments are needed because the accrual concept (keac102, NCERT §2.4) requires revenues to be considered on an earned basis (not on receipt) and expenses on an incurred basis (not on payment). At year-end, the trial balance may reflect cash flows but not the full accrual position — some expenses are paid in advance, some are outstanding, some incomes are earned but unreceived, others are received in advance, and the value of fixed assets has declined through depreciation. Eleven categories of items must be adjusted before the final accounts can be drawn up (NCERT §9.1, p. 319): closing stock, outstanding expenses, prepaid/unexpired expenses, accrued income, income received in advance, depreciation, bad debts, provision for doubtful debts, provision for discount on debtors, manager's commission, and interest on capital.
The single most important rule is the dual effect of each adjustment — when an item appears only as additional information (outside the trial balance), it must be recorded in two places: once in the Trading or P&L Account and once in the Balance Sheet. When the item already appears in the trial balance, it has already been recorded once and is shown in one place only. NCERT's Fig. 9.2 (p. 340) is the master summary table of all eleven adjustments showing journal entry, P&L treatment and balance sheet treatment.
Closing Stock (§9.2, p. 320-321). Cost of unsold goods at year-end. The standard adjustment entry is Dr Closing Stock A/c, Cr Trading A/c — placing closing stock on the credit side of the Trading Account and on the asset side of the Balance Sheet. If closing stock is adjusted through purchases (Dr Closing Stock A/c, Cr Purchases A/c), it already appears in the trial balance and is shown only on the asset side of the balance sheet.
Outstanding Expenses (§9.3, p. 322-323). Expenses incurred but unpaid at year-end. Added to that expense on the debit side of P&L; shown on the liabilities side of the balance sheet as a current liability. Entry: Dr Concerned Expense A/c, Cr Outstanding Expense A/c.
Prepaid (Unexpired) Expenses (§9.4, p. 323-324). Paid in advance, benefit relating to next year. Deducted from the expense on the debit side of P&L; shown on the asset side of the balance sheet as a current asset. Entry: Dr Prepaid Expense A/c, Cr Concerned Expense A/c.
Accrued Income (§9.5, p. 325-326). Income earned in the current year but not yet received (commission receivable, interest receivable, rent receivable). Added to the income on the credit side of P&L; shown on the asset side of the balance sheet as a current asset. Entry: Dr Accrued Income A/c, Cr Concerned Income A/c.
Income Received in Advance / Unearned Income (§9.6, p. 327). Whole sum received but part relates to next year. Deducted from the income on the credit side of P&L; shown on the liabilities side as a current liability. Entry: Dr Concerned Income A/c, Cr Income Received in Advance A/c.
Depreciation (§9.7, p. 328-329). Decline in asset value due to wear, tear and passage of time; treated as an expense. Debited to P&L; deducted from the asset on the asset side of the balance sheet. Entry: Dr Depreciation A/c, Cr Concerned Asset A/c. (Class XI keac107 covers the SLM/WDV methods.)
Bad Debts (§9.8, p. 329-330). Amount irrecoverable from debtors; recorded as loss. Bad debts already in the trial balance plus further bad debts given as additional information are both debited to P&L; further bad debts also reduce debtors on the balance sheet. Entry: Dr Bad Debts A/c, Cr Debtors A/c.
Provision for Doubtful Debts (§9.9, p. 330-333). An estimated reserve against possible future bad debts. Created by debiting P&L. When an opening (old) provision exists, only the differential — new provision + bad debts + further bad debts − old provision — is charged to P&L. New provision is computed on debtors after deducting further bad debts. On the balance sheet the provision is shown as a deduction from debtors.
Provision for Discount on Debtors (§9.10, p. 333-335). Estimate of cash discount likely to be allowed for prompt payment; calculated on good debtors — debtors after deducting further bad debts and the new provision for doubtful debts. Debited to P&L; deducted from debtors on the balance sheet. Many students wrongly apply the rate on gross debtors — NTA's favourite trap.
Manager's Commission (§9.11, p. 335-337). Paid as a percentage of net profit. Two formulae:
- **% on profit before charging commission** = Profit × Rate ÷ 100.
- **% on profit after charging such commission = Profit × Rate ÷ (100 + Rate). Debited to P&L and shown as outstanding commission liability if unpaid. Interest on Capital (§9.12, p. 338-339). Charged at a given rate on the opening capital (and proportionately on additional capital introduced during the year). Treated as a business expense — debited to P&L and added to Capital on the balance sheet. Entry: Dr Interest on Capital A/c, Cr Capital A/c. The net effect on the balance sheet is zero — capital rises by exactly the amount profit falls. Special adjustment treatments** appearing in the worked illustrations include: (i) wages spent on the erection of machinery are capitalised to the Machinery A/c, deducted from Wages on the Trading A/c, and added to Machinery on the balance sheet (Illustration 7, p. 355); (ii) goods costing ₹X taken by the proprietor for personal use are deducted from Purchases (in Trading A/c) and added to Drawings (deducted from Capital) (Illustration 10, p. 361); (iii) sale on approval / return basis wrongly recorded as sale is reversed — deducted from sales and from debtors; the goods are added to closing stock at cost (Illustration 10, p. 361); (iv) apprenticeship premium received in advance is split between current-year income and a liability (Illustration 8, p. 357).
2.2 Definitions to memorise
| Term | Definition | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Expense | Expense of the period unpaid at year-end; current liability (NCERT §9.3). | 322 |
| Prepaid / Unexpired Expense | Portion of expense paid in advance whose benefit relates to next year; current asset (NCERT §9.4). | 323-324 |
| Accrued Income | Income earned during the year but not yet received; current asset (NCERT §9.5). | 325 |
| Income Received in Advance / Unearned Income | Income received but partly belonging to the next period; current liability (NCERT §9.6). | 327 |
| Depreciation | Decline in asset value due to wear and tear; debited to P&L, deducted from asset (NCERT §9.7). | 328 |
| Bad Debts | Amounts irrecoverable from debtors; debited to P&L; further bad debts also reduce debtors (NCERT §9.8). | 329 |
| Provision for Doubtful Debts | Estimated reserve against future bad debts; debited to P&L (only differential when old provision exists); deducted from debtors (NCERT §9.9). | 330-331 |
| Provision for Discount on Debtors | Estimated discount likely to be allowed to debtors for prompt payment; calculated on good debtors (NCERT §9.10). | 333-334 |
| Good Debtors | Debtors after deducting further bad debts and new provision for doubtful debts (NCERT §9.10). | 334 |
| Manager's Commission (before) | Commission = Profit × Rate / 100 (NCERT §9.11). | 335 |
| Manager's Commission (after) | Commission = Profit × Rate / (100 + Rate) (NCERT §9.11). | 336 |
| Interest on Capital | Interest computed on opening capital + proportional on additional capital; debited to P&L, credited to Capital (NCERT §9.12). | 338 |
| Closing Stock | Cost of unsold goods at year-end; current asset (NCERT §9.2). | 320 |
| Drawings | Goods or cash withdrawn by proprietor for personal use; deducted from capital (NCERT Illus. 10). | 361 |
| Erection Wages | Wages spent on erecting / installing a fixed asset; capitalised to the asset (NCERT Illus. 7). | 355 |
| Apprenticeship Premium | Lump-sum amount received by employer when an apprentice is taken on; if received in advance, split between current income and liability (NCERT Illus. 8). | 357 |
| Sale on Return / Approval | Goods sent to customers on approval; if not yet approved, reverse from sales and from debtors; add to closing stock at cost (NCERT Illus. 10). | 361 |
| Further Bad Debts | Additional bad debts disclosed outside the trial balance; debited to P&L and deducted from debtors (NCERT §9.8). | 330 |
| Old Provision | Opening balance of provision for doubtful debts brought forward from previous year (NCERT §9.9). | 331 |
| New Provision | Provision required at the end of the current year; computed on debtors after further bad debts (NCERT §9.9). | 332 |
| Apparent Profit | Profit shown by the trial balance before adjustments (NCERT §9.1). | 318 |
| Adjusted Profit | Profit after all eleven adjustments are passed (NCERT §9.1). | 319 |
2.3 Diagrams / processes to remember
Fig. 9.1 — Trial Balance of Ankit (NCERT p. 320). The running example used through every adjustment; the student should be able to redraw the trial balance from memory.
Fig. 9.2 — Master Adjustments Table (NCERT p. 340). The single most exam-relevant page — eleven adjustments with their journal entry, Trading/P&L treatment and Balance Sheet treatment in one table. Memorise this table.
Successive P&L and Balance Sheets of Ankit (NCERT p. 321-339). Each adjustment is added one at a time so the student can see how net profit changes step by step.
Illustrations 1–10 (NCERT p. 341-362). Graded worked problems combining four to ten adjustments per question, culminating in Illustration 10 with manager's commission and proprietor's drawings of goods.
Process — Recording an adjustment. (i) Read the item — is it inside the trial balance or outside (additional information)? (ii) If outside, apply the dual-effect rule. (iii) Identify the Trading/P&L side (add to expense or subtract from expense; add to income or subtract from income). (iv) Identify the Balance Sheet side (current asset or current liability or deduction from asset). (v) Pass the adjusting journal entry.
Process — Provision for doubtful debts calculation (NCERT §9.9, p. 332). (i) Deduct further bad debts from gross debtors. (ii) Compute new provision = % × (gross debtors − further bad debts). (iii) Sum charged to P&L = Bad Debts (in TB) + Further Bad Debts + New Provision − Old Provision. (iv) On balance sheet, show gross debtors − further bad debts − new provision.
Process — Provision for discount on debtors (NCERT §9.10, p. 334). (i) Compute good debtors = gross debtors − further bad debts − new provision. (ii) Apply the discount % on good debtors. (iii) Charge to P&L; deduct from debtors on balance sheet.
Process — Manager's commission (NCERT §9.11, p. 336). (i) Compute profit before commission. (ii) If "before charging", multiply by rate/100. (iii) If "after charging", multiply by rate/(100 + rate). (iv) Debit P&L; show as outstanding liability if unpaid.
Process — Interest on capital with addition (NCERT §9.12, p. 339). (i) Interest on opening capital for full year. (ii) Interest on each additional/withdrawn capital for the period it stayed in the firm. (iii) Total interest charged to P&L; credit to Capital A/c.
2.4 Common confusions / NTA trap points
- Adjustment given inside vs outside trial balance. Inside → recorded once; outside → recorded twice (dual effect). The classic NTA distractor (NCERT Fig. 9.2, p. 340).
- **Provision for discount on debtors is computed on good debtors.** Not gross debtors. Apply the rate after deducting further bad debts and new provision for doubtful debts (NCERT §9.10, p. 334).
- Manager's commission before vs after charging. Before = Profit × Rate/100; After = Profit × Rate/(100 + Rate). The "after" formula is the standard CUET trap (NCERT §9.11, p. 336).
- Interest on capital does not change Balance Sheet total. Net profit falls by the interest amount and Capital rises by exactly the same amount, so total of balance sheet is unaffected (NCERT §9.12, p. 339).
- Erection wages are capitalised. Wages spent on installation of machinery are removed from Wages (Trading) and added to Machinery (Balance Sheet) (NCERT Illustration 7, p. 355).
- Goods withdrawn for personal use. Deducted from Purchases on Trading and added to Drawings, which is then deducted from Capital (NCERT Illustration 10, p. 361).
- Sale on Approval / Return. If not yet approved, reverse from Sales and from Debtors; add the cost of those goods to Closing Stock (NCERT Illustration 10, p. 361).
- Apprenticeship Premium received in advance. Split between current-year income (P&L Cr) and a liability (Balance Sheet) (NCERT Illustration 8, p. 357).
- Outstanding expenses, accrued income, prepaid expenses, income received in advance. Mnemonic — outstanding & received-in-advance are liabilities; prepaid & accrued are assets (NCERT §9.3-§9.6).
- Provision differential. When old provision exists, charge only the differential — students often charge the full new provision (NCERT §9.9, p. 332-333).
- Bad debts already in TB. Recorded once; further bad debts (additional info) recorded twice (NCERT §9.8, p. 330).
- Depreciation reduces asset, not capital. Many students wrongly subtract depreciation from capital — it reduces the asset on the balance sheet (NCERT §9.7, p. 328).
2.5 Journal entry templates
(a) Outstanding wages (NCERT §9.3, p. 322)
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Dr. (₹) | Cr. (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Wages A/c .................................Dr. | 500 | ||
| To Outstanding Wages A/c | 500 | |||
| (Being wages of ₹500 outstanding at year-end) |
(b) Prepaid insurance (NCERT §9.4, p. 324)
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Dr. (₹) | Cr. (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Prepaid Insurance A/c .....................Dr. | 300 | ||
| To Insurance A/c | 300 | |||
| (Being insurance prepaid; expense reduced by ₹300) |
(c) Accrued commission (NCERT §9.5, p. 326)
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Dr. (₹) | Cr. (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Accrued Commission A/c ....................Dr. | 1,500 | ||
| To Commission A/c | 1,500 | |||
| (Being commission earned but not received recorded) |
(d) Income received in advance (NCERT §9.6, p. 327)
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Dr. (₹) | Cr. (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Rent A/c ..................................Dr. | 4,000 | ||
| To Rent Received in Advance A/c | 4,000 | |||
| (Being rent of next year received in advance — liability created) |
(e) Provision for doubtful debts with differential (NCERT §9.9, p. 332)
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Dr. (₹) | Cr. (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Profit and Loss A/c .......................Dr. | 1,050 | ||
| To Provision for Doubtful Debts A/c | 1,050 | |||
| (Being differential: bad debts 2,000 + further bad debts 1,000 + new provision 1,550 − old provision 3,500 = ₹1,050) |
(f) Manager's commission — after charging (NCERT §9.11, p. 336)
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Dr. (₹) | Cr. (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Profit and Loss A/c .......................Dr. | 2,000 | ||
| To Outstanding Commission A/c | 2,000 | |||
| (Being 10% commission on profit after charging — 22,000 × 10/110) |
(g) Interest on capital with mid-year addition (NCERT §9.12, p. 339)
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Dr. (₹) | Cr. (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Interest on Capital A/c ...................Dr. | 5,250 | ||
| To Capital A/c | 5,250 | |||
| (Being interest on opening capital ₹50,000 for full year + interest on additional ₹10,000 for 3 months @ 10% p.a.) |
(h) Wages capitalised for erection of machinery (NCERT Illustration 7, p. 355)
| Date | Particulars | L.F. | Dr. (₹) | Cr. (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31 | Machinery A/c .............................Dr. | 5,000 | ||
| To Wages A/c | 5,000 | |||
| (Being wages of ₹5,000 spent on erection of machinery wrongly debited to Wages — now capitalised) |
🎯 Practice MCQs
First 3 questions free · create a free account to unlock the rest — answers & explanations included, no payment needed
Q1. Which of the following is the correct adjusting journal entry for outstanding wages of ₹500 at the end of the accounting year?
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Outstanding expenses are brought into the books by debiting the concerned expense and crediting the new "Outstanding Expense" account, which appears as a current liability.
Q2. A provision for discount on debtors is created on:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: C
Discount is allowed only on good (paying) debtors, so both further bad debts and the new provision for doubtful debts must be deducted first.
Q3. If the net profit before charging manager's commission is ₹22,000 and the manager is entitled to 10% commission on profit *after* charging such commission, the commission is:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
22,000 × 10/110 = ₹2,000. Option A is the "before charging" answer — the canonical trap.
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Q4. **Assertion (A):** Interest on capital is debited to the Profit and Loss Account and credited to the Capital Account. **Reason (R):** Interest on capital is treated as an expense for the business but a gain for the proprietor, so it ultimately leaves the total of the balance sheet unchanged.
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
The reduction in profit caused by interest on capital is neutralised when the same amount is added back to capital — both A and R are true and R explains A.
Q5. Sundry debtors ₹32,000; Bad debts ₹2,000; Provision for doubtful debts (opening) ₹3,500. Further bad debts of ₹1,000 to be written off and a new provision @ 5% to be created on debtors. The amount to be debited to P&L will be:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
New provision = 5% × (32,000 − 1,000) = ₹1,550. Total = bad debts 2,000 + further bad debts 1,000 + new provision 1,550 = ₹4,550. Differential = 4,550 − old provision 3,500 = ₹1,050.
Q6. Match the following adjustments with their treatment in the balance sheet: | Adjustment | Treatment in Balance Sheet | |---|---| | (i) Closing stock | (1) Shown on liabilities side | | (ii) Accrued income | (2) Deducted from the asset | | (iii) Depreciation | (3) Shown on assets side | | (iv) Income received in advance | (4) Shown on assets side |
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
Closing stock and accrued income are assets; depreciation is deducted from the concerned asset; income received in advance is a liability.
Q7. Insurance premium paid during the year is ₹1,000 and prepaid insurance at year-end is ₹300. The insurance shown in the P&L will be:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: D
1,000 − 300 (prepaid) = ₹700 expense in P&L; ₹300 is on the asset side.
Q8. The opening capital is ₹50,000 on April 1, 2016 and an additional ₹10,000 is introduced on January 1, 2017. Interest on capital at 10% p.a. for the year ended March 31, 2017 is:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
50,000 × 10% × 12/12 = 5,000 + 10,000 × 10% × 3/12 = 250. Total = ₹5,250.
Q9. Wages of ₹4,000 paid for erection of a new machine were debited to Wages A/c. The rectifying treatment is:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Erection wages are capital expenditure — remove from Trading A/c (Wages) and add to Machinery (asset).
Q10. **Assertion (A):** Goods costing ₹5,000 withdrawn by the proprietor for personal use are deducted from Purchases on the Trading A/c. **Reason (R):** The same amount is added to Drawings, which is then deducted from Capital on the balance sheet.
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Both statements are true, but R is a separate, parallel treatment rather than the cause of A — the deduction from Purchases happens because the goods did not leave as a sale, and the addition to Drawings happens because the owner consumed them.
Q11. Sales of ₹10,000 sent on approval basis appeared as sales at end of year, with cost ₹7,500. Customer has not yet approved. The adjustment is:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
Sale on approval not yet confirmed must be reversed — sales reduced by ₹10,000, debtors reduced by ₹10,000, closing stock increased by cost ₹7,500.
Q12. Apprenticeship premium received ₹6,000 of which ₹2,000 relates to next year. The current-year P&L treatment is:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Current-year income = 6,000 − 2,000 (received in advance) = ₹4,000; the ₹2,000 is a current liability.
Q13. From sundry debtors ₹50,000 in the trial balance, further bad debts ₹5,000 are to be written off. A new provision for doubtful debts @ 10% is to be created. The new provision charged to P&L is:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: B
Good debtors = 50,000 − 5,000 = 45,000. New provision = 10% × 45,000 = ₹4,500.
Q14. **Assertion (A):** Provisions are charges against profit, while reserves are appropriations. **Reason (R):** A provision must be created even when the firm has a loss, because it is a known liability of uncertain amount.
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
Provisions are mandatory charges against profit; reserves are discretionary appropriations from profits.
Q15. Outstanding salary ₹3,000 has been wrongly omitted from final accounts. The correct adjustment is:
▸ Show answer & explanation
Answer: A
Outstanding salary is added to salary (expense increase) on the P&L debit side; on the balance sheet liabilities side as a current liability.
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