Lesson: 35

Topic: The Closing Entries - A General Journal Perspective

Objectives:

Students will come to understand how the closing entries do not actually change the value of the Owner's Equity. Rather, the closing entries allow us to erase the balances of the revenue, expense, and drawings accounts so that we can start each new accounting period with fresh Owner's Equity accounts that will therefore reflect only the activities of a single accounting period.

If we compare a Pre-Closing Trial Balance with a Post-Closing Trial Balance we will clearly see that, although the revenue, expense, and drawings accounts do not appear on the Post-Closing Trial Balance, the value of owner's equity has not changed. This is because the value of the the revenue, expense, and drawings accounts has simply been moved into the Capital account. At the moment of closing, the value of the capital account becomes identical to total owner's equity.

By the end of this class, the student should be able to complete a set of closing entries and then prepare a Post-Closing Trial Balance.




Pre-Closing Trial Balance

AccountAccount #DebitCredit
Cash101$4,000.00 
Supplies on Hand1052000.00 
Equipment1071,700.00 
Automobile11012,200.00 
Bank Loan201 8,000.00
Capital301 5,000.00
Drawings302100.00 
Fees Earned401 10,000.00
Rent Expense5012,000.00 
Hydro Expense5051,000.00 
  ____________________
Totals $23,000.00$23,000.00





Closing Entries
    Date
    Account
    Debit
    Credit
    Dec. 31Fees Earned10,000.00
      Revenue & Expense Summary
    10,000.00
    Dec. 31Revenue and Expense Summary3,000.00
      Rent Expense
    2,000.00
      Hydro Expense
    1,000.00
    Dec. 31Revenue and Expense Summary7,000.00
      Capital
    7,000.00
    Dec. 31Capital100.00
      Drawings
    100.00




Post-Closing Trial Balance

AccountAccount #DebitCredit
Cash101$4,000.00 
Supplies on Hand1052,000.00 
Equipment1071,700.00 
Automobile11012,200.00 
Bank Loan201 8,000.00
Capital301 11,900.00
  ____________________
Totals $19,900.00$19,900.00





Method of Instruction and Evaluation:

Exercise #1, page 334 in your text.

After a Socratic lecture on the topics outlined above, students will complete the Accrued Expense Excel Exercise.

Expectations Addressed:

 

The "Fundamental Accounting Practices" strand of the BAF3M Ministry of Education Curriculum Guidelines outlines all of the following specific expectations. The expectations addressed by this lesson have been highlighted below.

 

References:


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