Accounting for Cash and Equivalents
Accounting for Cash and Equivalents
SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY
MODULE 2
CASH
OVERVIEW:
This module will serve as an introduction to the accounting standards for cash and cash equivalents. This
module shall give you the basic knowledge in the accounting and proper classification of accounts related
to or within the description of cash.
KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED:
This module requires knowledge in the fundamentals of accounting, including analyzing, journalizing and
preparation of adjusting entries.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this module, you should be able to:
1. Identify whether an account may be considered as part of cash or not.
2. Prepare adjusting entries to correct wrong classification and use of different cash accounts.
INTRODUCTION
Cash includes money and other negotiable instrument that is payable in money and acceptable by bank for
deposit or immediate encashment. These negotiable instruments include checks, bank drafts and money
orders.
Persons receiving money order and bank drafts have less worries in terms of availability of funds because
these negotiable instruments represent an amount of money guaranteed by bank or other financial
institution.
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LESSON 2: CLASSIFICATIONS
Cash may be grouped into two:
2.1 Restricted – cash that the company already has set a purpose aside from using it in normal
operations
Example 1: Money in a bank that the company saved and has set aside for the purpose of
purchasing a building.
- It should be noted that restricted cash is different from normal cash in a way that it is
not free to be used for anything else.
Restricted cash is classified in other line item, within current or noncurrent, depending on purpose.
In our previous example, the restricted cash is under noncurrent asset because it will be used for
purchase of noncurrent asset.
2.2 Unrestricted – cash with no other purpose, only for normal operations
- Under this group, cash may be classified as:
o Cash on Hand – in possession, or awaiting deposit
o Cash in Bank – well, obviously, cash that is in the possession of banks
o Cash Fund – cash set aside for current purposes (e.g. petty cash fund, payroll
fund, dividend fund)
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The bank will tell us that the check may only be turned into cash (encashed) starting January 15. So, for
reporting purposes, the postdated check is still a receivable.
If on December 29, 2019, due to confusion, you have journalized the receipt as follows,
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
Dec 29 Cash 1 0 0 0 0
Accounts Receivable 1 0 0 0 0
To record receipt of payment from customer
If on December 20, 2019, you have entered the following entry upon issuing a check:
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
Dec 20 Accounts Payable 2 0 0 0 0
Cash 2 0 0 0 0
To record receipt of payment from customer
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We have to contact the customer and inform them about the stale check, and request for a new check to
be issued.
If the check is only for an immaterial amount, and not related to receivables, we may prepare an adjusting
entry like this:
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
Dec 31 Miscellaneous Expense 3 0 0 0 0
Cash 3 0 0 0 0
To adjust for a check received that has become
stale
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If the check is only for an immaterial amount, and not related to liabilities, we may prepare an adjusting
entry like this:
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
Dec 31 Cash 4 0 0 0 0
Miscellaneous Income 4 0 0 0 0
To adjust previous payment of accounts payable
due to check becoming stale
You must prepare an adjusting entry, as follows, because the company cash has not been reduced by the
transaction and the liability is not yet settled because N. Lustre has not yet received the cash
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
Dec 31 Cash 5 0 0 0 0
Accounts Payable 5 0 0 0 0
To record payment of accounts payable to N.
Lustre
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7.1 Informal Agreement – The balance is not restricted as to withdrawal, meaning the company
may withdraw the balance when they want to. In this case, the compensating balance is part of
company’s cash.
Note: Compensating balance is already included in the total cash balance in an account
7.2 Formal Agreement - The bank restricts the use of compensating balance because it serves like
a collateral for a loan to the company by the bank. Due to this restriction, the compensating balance
may not be included as part of cash. This restricted cash, like what we have discussed earlier, will
be classified as current or noncurrent, depending on the corresponding liability.
REFERENCES:
Valix, Financial Accounting and Reporting Volume 1, 2017
[Link]
ADDITIONAL READINGS:
Financial Accounting 1, Volume 1 Part 1, by Christian Valix, Jose Peralta, and Chrsitian Valix, Chapter 7
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ACTIVITY SECTION
ACTIVITY 1:
PROVIDE ADJUSTING ENTRIES. (ASSUME FS DATE: DECEMBER 31, 2019)
1. On November 30, 2019, you have received a check from Baby Blue Company for a service that you
have already done on account. The check was dated February 13, 2020. Upon checking, you have
only journalized the recognition of receivable and income, but not the payment transaction. What
adjusting entry should you make?
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
2. On October 5, 2019, you have paid a supplier P50,000 through issuance of a check dated December
20, 2019, for an equipment purchased on the same date. You failed to record any transaction.
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
3. On October 5, 2019, you have paid a supplier P50,000 through issuance of a check dated February
20, 2019, for an equipment purchased on the same date. You failed to record any transaction.
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
4. On November 2, 2019, you have drawn and recorded a check amounting to P20,000 to pay J. Reid
Company for a Land purchased on that day. On December 31, 2019, the reporting date, the check
was still in the company’s premises, because J. Reid have forgotten to claim it.
Date Account Titles Debit Credit
ACTIVITY 2
Determine whether the following is included or excluded from cash:
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EVALUATION
Which part of the discussion did you Which part of the discussion did you
find most enjoyable to learn? find most difficult?
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Cash accounts should exclude postdated checks, stale checks, and unreleased checks, as they have not been encashed or delivered. Instruments like money orders, traveler’s checks, and issued but uncashed checks are included as they are equivalent to cash .
Compensating balances under informal agreements are unrestricted and included in cash balances, whereas formal agreements restrict their use and classify them as either current or noncurrent assets dependent on associated liabilities. Disclosures are required in financial statement notes .
Undelivered checks should not be recorded as cash disbursements as they have not reduced the company’s available cash or settled any liabilities. An adjusting journal entry is required to debit Cash and credit Accounts Payable to reverse the initial disbursement entry .
Foreign currency cash balances must be converted to the reporting currency using the current exchange rate at the reporting date. For instance, if a company holds $1,000 and the rate is P50:$1, the converted amount reported as cash is P50,000 .
Postdated checks should not be considered as cash until they are encashable. Initially misclassified entries must be adjusted to reflect that these checks represent receivables. For example, if a check is received on December 29 but dated January 15, it remains a receivable at year-end and requires an adjusting entry to debit Accounts Receivable and credit Cash .
Stale checks must be adjusted since they reflect outstanding amounts that have not yet impacted the cash account despite being recorded as paid. Unclaimed checks shift the obligation back to a receivable or payable, requiring adjustments in records to account for unpaid receivables (debit Accounts Receivable and credit Cash) or unfulfilled liabilities (debit Cash and credit Accounts Payable).
Restricted cash is set aside for specific purposes, such as purchasing a building or paying a liability, and is classified as current or noncurrent based on the timing of its intended use. In contrast, unrestricted cash is used for normal operations with no specified purpose .
Bank overdrafts should be reported as current liabilities. Overdrafts from accounts within the same bank may be offset against accounts with debit balances; however, overdrafts from different banks cannot be offset and must be reported separately .
Adjusting for stale checks ensures financial statements accurately reflect the company's actual cash position and unsettled obligations or collections, preventing overstatement of cash balances and understatement of liabilities or receivables. This adjustment preserves the integrity and accuracy of financial reports .
Compensating balances are legally restricted when they serve as collateral in formal bank agreements for loans. These restrictions necessitate disclosure in the notes to financial statements and classification as non-cash based on the associated liability terms .