A deferred expense is a cost that has been incurred but not yet recognized as an expense in the financial statements. Instead, it is recorded as an asset on the balance sheet until the expense is recognized in the period in which it will be used or consumed.
For example, if a company pays for a year of insurance upfront, the payment is initially recorded as a deferred expense. Each month, a portion of that payment is recognized as an expense, reducing the deferred expense asset and reflecting the cost in the income statement.
Deferred expenses help align costs with the revenue they help generate, following the matching principle in accounting.
To create a deferred expense document
Step 1-Enable the setting
Go to Administration > General settings > Enable Deferred expense
Step 2-Create Invoice Received
Go to Purchasing module > Invoice received
Fill in all the required details in the main tab i.e. company, contract, and type of transaction.
In the expense tab, add the expense Item, price, and amount.
Click on the Create/Cancel Deferral option to open the dialog box. Fill in the Deferred Expense Dialog as follows:
Deferred From/To: Specify the time frame for deferring the expense.
Calculation Method: Select how to calculate the deferral:
- Evenly by Month: Splits the amount evenly across the deferral months.
- By Calendar Day: Splits the amount based on the number of days in each month.
- Manually: Allows you to enter specific amounts for each month.
GL Account: Choose the account for deferred expenses.
Expense GL Account: Select the account to transfer the balance to the profit and loss statement at the end of the month.
Expense Item: Choose the relevant expense item.
The icon below helps you identify whether these expenses are being deferred for the specified period or not.
To manage deferred expenses automatically, perform the month-end closing and then review the expense values in the deferred expense report within the Accounting Module.
For this example, after completing the month-end closing for September, ensure you select Calculate Current Expense for Deferrals before clicking Execute Month-End Closing.
Once it is successfully executed, Expense Recognition documents are generated, they list the deferred expenses that needs to be recognized as actual expenses.
AED 10,000 was equally divided over 3 months, resulting in a monthly amount of AED 3,333.33.
You can view this data in the report as well.
To adjust amounts, check the Manual Processing box. Note that edited amounts won’t be auto-updated by the month-closing process, requiring manual posting.
For expenses with the Manual calculation method, check the Manual Processing box and click Fill in the Document to add relevant expenses. You can remove unneeded lines and enter current expense amounts.
Key columns include:
- Initial Deferred Amount: Original deferred amount.
- Remaining Deferred Amount: Amount deferred at the start of the current period.
- Current Expense Amount: Amount recognized as expenses this period.
- Department, Project, and Project Task: Associated department and project/task.
- Expense GL Account: Account used for recording recognized expenses.
Use the Fill in the Current Line button to reset changes to a selected line. Remember to save and post the document.
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