Chapter 11

Current Liabilities and Payroll

objectives

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After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

Describe and illustrate current liabilities

related to accounts payable, current portion of

long-term debt, and notes payable.

Determine employer liabilities for payroll,

including liabilities arising from employee

earnings and deductions from earnings.

Describe payroll accounting systems that use

a payroll register, employee earnings records,

and a general journal.

Journalize entries for employee fringe benefits,

including vacation pay and pensions.

Describe the accounting treatment for contin-

gent liabilities and journalize entries for

product warranties.

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Panera Bread

479

anks and other financial institutions provideloans or credit to buyers for purchases of var-ious items. Using credit to purchase items isprobably as old as commerce itself. In fact,

the Babylonians were lending money to supporttrade as early as 1300 B.C. The use of credit providesindividuals convenience and buying power. Creditcards provide individuals convenience over writingchecks and make purchasing over the Internet eas-ier. Credit cards also provide individuals controlover cash by providing documentation of their pur-chases through receipt of monthly credit card state-ments and by allowing them to avoid carrying largeamounts of cash and purchase items before they arepaid.

Short-term credit is also used by businesses toprovide convenience in purchasing items for manu-facture or resale. More importantly, short-termcredit gives a business control over the payment for

goods and services. For example, PaneraBread, a chain of bakery-cafés locatedthroughout the United States, uses short-term trade credit, or accounts payable, topurchase ingredients for making breadproducts in its bakeries. Short-term trade creditgives Panera control over cash payments by sepa-rating the purchase function from the payment func-tion. Thus, the employee responsible for purchasingthe bakery ingredients is separated from the em-ployee responsible for paying for the purchase. Thisseparation of duties can help prevent unauthorizedpurchases or payments.

In addition to accounts payable, a business likePanera Bread can also have current liabilities relatedto payroll, payroll taxes, employee benefits, short-term notes, unearned revenue, and contingencies.We will discuss each of these types of current liabil-ities in this chapter.

B

Current LiabilitiesWhen a business or a bank advances credit, it is making a loan. In these circumstances,it is called a creditor (or lender). Individuals or businesses that receive the credit arecalled debtors (or borrowers). Debt is an obligation that is recorded as a liability. Long-term liabilities are obligations due for a period of time greater than one year. Thus, a30-year mortgage taken out to purchase property would be an example of a long-termliability. In contrast, current liabilities are obligations that will be paid out of currentassets and are due within a short time, usually within one year.

Three types of current liabilities will be discussed in this section—accounts payable,current portion of long-term debt, and notes payable.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLEAccounts payable arise from purchasing goods or services for use in a company’soperations or for purchasing merchandise for resale. We have described and illus-trated accounts payable transactions in earlier chapters. For most businesses, this isoften the largest current liability. Exhibit 1 illustrates the size of the accounts payablebalance as a percent of total current liabilities for a number of different companies.The average percent of accounts payable to total current liabilities for large compa-nies is 35.7%.1

objective1

Describe andillustrate currentliabilities related toaccounts payable,current portion oflong-term debt,and notes payable.

1 Determined from analysis of public companies exceeding $10 billion in sales.


CURRENT PORTION OF LONG-TERM DEBTLong-term liabilities are often paid back in periodic payments, called installments, muchlike a car loan. Long-term liability installments that are due within the coming yearmust be classified as a current liability. The total amount of the installments due afterthe coming year is classified as a long-term liability. To illustrate, Starbucks Corpora-tion reported the following scheduled debt payments in the notes to its September 30,2005, annual report to shareholders:

The debt of $748,000 due in 2006 would be reported as a current liability on the Sep-tember 30, 2005, balance sheet. The remaining debt of $2,870,000 ($3,618,000 � $748,000)would be reported as a long-term liability on the balance sheet, which we will discussin a later chapter.

SHORT-TERM NOTES PAYABLENotes may be issued when merchandise or other assets are purchased. They may alsobe issued to creditors to temporarily satisfy an account payable created earlier. For ex-ample, assume that a business issues a 90-day, 12% note for $1,000, dated August 1,2007, to Murray Co. for a $1,000 overdue account. The entry to record the issuance ofthe note is as follows:

When the note matures, the entry to record the payment of $1,000 principal plus$30 interest ($1,000 � 12% � 90/360) is as follows:

1 0 0 0 00

3 0 00

30 Notes Payable

Interest Expense

Cash

Paid principal and interest due on note.

1 0 3 0 00

Oct.

1 0 0 0 001 Accounts Payable––Murray Co.

Notes Payable

Issued a 90-day, 12% note on account.

1 0 0 0 00

Aug.

Fiscal year ending

2006 $ 748,0002007 762,0002008 775,0002009 790,0002010 337,000Thereafter 206,000Total principal payments $3,618,000

480 Chapter 11 Current Liabilities and Payroll

Accounts Payable as aPercent of Total

Current Liabilities

EXHIBIT 1Accounts Payable as a

Percent of Total Company Current Liabilities

Alcoa Inc. 39%BellSouth Corp. 16Gap Inc. 47IBM 22Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. 25Rite Aid Corp. 51ChevronTexaco 54


The interest expense is reported in the Other expense section of the income state-ment for the year ended December 31, 2007. The interest expense account is closed atDecember 31.

The preceding entries for notes payable are similar to those we discussed in Chapter9 for notes receivable. Notes payable entries are presented from the viewpoint of theborrower, while notes receivable entries are presented from the viewpoint of thecreditor or lender. To illustrate, the following entries are journalized for a borrower(Bowden Co.), who issues a note payable to a creditor (Coker Co.):

Bowden Co. (Borrower) Coker Co. (Creditor)

May 1. Bowden Co. purchased Merchandise Inventory 10,000 Accounts Receivable 10,000merchandise on account Accounts Payable 10,000 Sales 10,000from Coker Co., $10,000, 2/10,n/30. The merchandise cost Cost of Merchandise Sold 7,500Coker Co. $7,500. Merchandise Inventory 7,500

May 31. Bowden Co. issued Accounts Payable 10,000 Notes Receivable 10,000a 60-day, 12% note for $10,000 Notes Payable 10,000 Accounts Receivable 10,000to Coker Co. on account.

July 30. Bowden Co. paid Notes Payable 10,000 Cash 10,200Coker Co. the amount due on Interest Expense 200 Interest Revenue 200the note of May 31. Interest: Cash 10,200 Notes Receivable 10,000$10,000 � 12% � 60/360.

Notes may also be issued when money is borrowed from banks. Although the termsmay vary, many banks would accept from the borrower an interest-bearing note forthe amount of the loan. For example, assume that on September 19 a firm borrows$4,000 from First National Bank by giving the bank a 90-day, 15% note. The entry torecord the receipt of cash and the issuance of the note is as follows:

On the due date of the note (December 18), the borrower owes $4,000, the princi-pal of the note, plus interest of $150 ($4,000 � 15% � 90/360). The entry to record thepayment of the note is as follows:

Sometimes a borrower will issue a discounted note rather than an interest-bearingnote. Although such a note does not specify an interest rate, the creditor sets a rate ofinterest and deducts the interest from the face amount of the note. This interest is calledthe discount. The rate used in computing the discount is called the discount rate. Theborrower is given the remainder, called the proceeds.

To illustrate, assume that on August 10, Cary Company issues a $20,000, 90-daynote to Rock Company in exchange for inventory. Rock discounts the note at a rate of15%. The amount of the discount, $750, is debited to Interest Expense. The proceeds,$19,250, are debited to Merchandise Inventory. Notes Payable is credited for the faceamount of the note, which is also its maturity value. The entry for Cary Company isshown at the top of the following page.

4 0 0 0 00

1 5 0 00

18 Notes Payable

Interest Expense

Cash

Paid principal and interest due on note.

4 1 5 0 00

Dec.

4 0 0 0 0019 Cash

Notes Payable

Issued a 90-day, 15% note to the bank.

4 0 0 0 00

Sept.

481Chapter 11 Current Liabilities and Payroll

The U.S. Treasury issues short-term treasury bills to investorsat a discount.

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When the note is paid, the following entry is recorded:2

Additional current liabilities include accrued expenses, unearned revenue, and in-terest payable, which we have discussed in previous chapters. We have also discussedwages and salaries payable earlier. However, the accounting for wages and salaries,termed payroll accounting, is important to every business. Thus, we will discuss payrollaccounting in detail in the next two sections.

20 0 0 0 008 Notes Payable

Cash

Paid note due.

20 0 0 0 00

Nov.

19 2 5 0 00

7 5 0 00

10 Merchandise Inventory

Interest Expense

Notes Payable

Issued a 90-day note to Rock Company,

discounted at 15%.

20 0 0 0 00

Aug.


2 If the accounting period ends before a discounted note is paid, an adjusting entry should record the pre-paid (deferred) interest that is not yet an expense. This deferred interest would be deducted from NotesPayable in the Current Liabilities section of the balance sheet.

On July 1, Bella Salon Company issued a 60-day note with a face amount of $60,000 to Delilah HairProducts Company for merchandise inventory.

a. Determine the proceeds of the note, assuming the note carries an interest rate of 6%.b. Determine the proceeds of the note, assuming the note is discounted at 6%.

a. $60,000.b. $59,400. [$60,000 � ($60,000 � 6% � 60/360)]

Example Exercise 11-1 1objective

Follow My Example 11-1

For Practice: PE 11-1A, PE 11-1B

Payroll and Payroll TaxesWe are all familiar with the term payroll. In accounting, the term payroll refers to theamount paid to employees for the services they provide during a period. A business’spayroll is usually significant for several reasons. First, employees are sensitive to pay-roll errors and irregularities. Maintaining good employee morale requires that the pay-roll be paid on a timely, accurate basis. Second, the payroll is subject to various federaland state regulations. Finally, the payroll and related payroll taxes have a significanteffect on the net income of most businesses. Although the amount of such expensesvaries widely, it is not unusual for a business’s payroll and payroll-related expenses toequal nearly one-third of its revenue.

objective2

Determineemployer liabilitiesfor payroll,including liabilitiesarising fromemployee earningsand deductionsfrom earnings.

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LIABILITY FOR EMPLOYEE EARNINGSSalaries and wages paid to employees are an employer’s labor expenses. The term salaryusually refers to payment for managerial, administrative, or similar services. The rateof salary is normally expressed in terms of a month or a year. The term wages usuallyrefers to payment for manual labor, both skilled and unskilled. The rate of wages is

normally stated on an hourly or a weekly basis. In practice, the termssalary and wages are often used interchangeably.

The basic salary or wage of an employee may be increased by com-missions, profit sharing, or cost-of-living adjustments. Many businessespay managers an annual bonus in addition to a basic salary. The amountof the bonus is often based on some measure of productivity, such asincome or profit of the business. Although payment is usually made bycheck or in cash, it may be in the form of securities, notes, lodging, or

other property or services. Generally, the form of payment has no effect on how salariesand wages are treated by either the employer or the employee.

Salary and wage rates are determined by agreement between the employer and theemployees. Businesses engaged in interstate commerce must follow the requirements ofthe Fair Labor Standards Act. Employers covered by this legislation, which is commonlycalled the Federal Wage and Hour Law, are required to pay a minimum rate of 11⁄2 timesthe regular rate for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. Exemptions areprovided for executive, administrative, and certain supervisory positions. Premium ratesfor overtime or for working at night, holidays, or other less desirable times are fairlycommon, even when not required by law. In some cases, the premium rates may be asmuch as twice the base rate.

To illustrate computing an employee’s earnings, assume that John T. McGrath is asalesperson employed by McDermott Supply Co. at the rate of $34 per hour. Any hoursin excess of 40 hours per week are paid at a rate of 11⁄2 times the normal rate, or $51($34 � $17) per hour. For the week ended December 27, McGrath’s time card indicatesthat he worked 42 hours. His earnings for that week are computed as follows:

DEDUCTIONS FROM EMPLOYEE EARNINGSThe total earnings of an employee for a payroll period, including bonuses and over-time pay, are called gross pay. From this amount is subtracted one or more deductionsto arrive at the net pay. Net pay is the amount the employer must pay the employee.The deductions for federal taxes are usually the largest deduction. Deductions mayalso be required for state or local income taxes. Other deductions may be made formedical insurance, contributions to pensions, and for items authorized by individualemployees.

Income Taxes Except for certain types of employment, all employers must withholda portion of employee earnings for payment of the employees’ federal income tax. Asa basis for determining the amount to be withheld, each employee completes and sub-mits to the employer an “Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate,” often calleda W-4. Exhibit 2 is an example of a completed W-4 form.

You may recall filling out a W-4 form. On the W-4, an employee indicates maritalstatus, the number of withholding allowances, and whether any additional withhold-ings are authorized. A single employee may claim one withholding allowance. A mar-ried employee may claim an additional allowance for a spouse. An employee may alsoclaim an allowance for each dependent other than a spouse. Each allowance claimedreduces the amount of federal income tax withheld from the employee’s check.

Earnings at base rate (40 � $34) $1,360Earnings at overtime rate (2 � $51) 102Total earnings $1,462


Employee salaries andwages are expenses to anemployer.

Information on averagesalaries for a variety of profes-sions can be found at the Economic Research Institute’sWeb site, which ishttp://www.erieri.com.

Professional athletes must paylocal taxes in each location inwhich they play their sport.


(a) SINGLE person (including head of household)—If the amount of wages(after subtractingwithholding allowances) is:

The amount of income taxto withhold is:

Not over $51

Over— But not over— of excess over—

$0

$51 —$192 10% —$51$192 —$620 $14.10 plus 15% —$192$620 —$1,409 $78.30 plus 25% —$620

$1,409 —$3,013 $275.55 plus 28% —$1,409$3,013 —$6,508 $724.67 plus 33% —$3,013$6,508 $1,878.02 plus 35% —$6,508

McGrath wage bracket

The amount that must be withheld for income tax differs, depending upon eachemployee’s gross pay and completed W-4. Most employers use wage bracket with-holding tables furnished by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to determine the amountto be withheld.

Exhibit 3 is an example of an IRS wage bracket withholding table for a single per-son who is paid weekly.3 Each row represents a person’s wages after subtracting a stan-dard IRS withholding allowance. The standard IRS withholding allowance is determinedannually by the IRS. For a single person paid weekly, we assume the standard with-holding allowance is $63.4

To illustrate, John T. McGrath made $1,462 for the week ended December 27. Thus,the wages used in determining McGrath’s withholding for the week are $1,399($1,462 � $63). If McGrath had declared two withholding allowances, the total amountdeducted would have been $126, and the wages used in determining McGrath’s with-holding for the week would have been $1,336 ($1,462 � $126).


Employee’sWithholding

Allowance Certificate(W-4 Form)

EXHIBIT 2

John T. McGrath 381 48 9120

John T. McGrath

1830 4th Street

Clinton, Iowa 52732-61421

June 2, 2006

X

2005

Cut here and give Form W-4 to your employer. Keep the top part for your records.

OMB No. 1545-0074Employee’s Withholding Allowance CertificateW-4Form

Department of the TreasuryInternal Revenue Service

Whether you are entitled to claim a certain number of allowances or exemption from withholding issubject to review by the IRS. Your employer may be required to send a copy of this form to the IRS.

Type or print your first name and middle initial.1 Last name 2 Your social security number

Home address (number and street or rural route) MarriedSingle3 Married, but withhold at higher Single rate.

City or town, state, and ZIP code

Note. If married, but legally separated, or spouse is a nonresident alien, check the “Single” box.

55 Total number of allowances you are claiming (from line H above or from the applicable worksheet on page 2)$66 Additional amount, if any, you want withheld from each paycheck

7 I claim exemption from withholding for 2006, and I certify that I meet both of the following conditions for exemption.● Last year I had a right to a refund of all federal income tax withheld because I had no tax liability and● This year I expect a refund of all federal income tax withheld because I expect to have no tax liability.

7If you meet both conditions, write “Exempt” here

8

Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this certificate and to the best of my knowledge and belief, it is true, correct, and complete.Employee’s signature(Form is not validunless you sign it.) Date

9 Employer identification number (EIN)Employer’s name and address (Employer: Complete lines 8 and 10 only if sending to the IRS.) Office code(optional)

10

4 If your last name differs from that shown on your social securitycard, check here. You must call 1-800-772-1213 for a new card.

Cat. No. 10220Q Form W-4 (2006)

2006

Wage BracketWithholding Table

EXHIBIT 3

3 IRS withholding tables are also available for married employees and for pay periods other than weekly.4 The actual IRS standard withholding allowance changes every year and was $63.46 for 2006.

Table for Percentage Method of WithholdingWEEKLY Payroll Period

After the person’s withholding wage bracket has been computed, the amount offederal income tax withheld is determined using Exhibit 3 as follows:

1. Locate the proper withholding wage bracket. Since McGrath’s wages after deduct-ing one standard IRS withholding allowance is $1,399, the proper wage bracket forMcGrath is $620 � $1,409.

Source: Publication 15, Employer’s Tax Guide, Internal Revenue Service, 2006.


2. Compute the withholding for the proper wage bracket using the directions in thetwo right-hand columns of Exhibit 3. For McGrath’s wage bracket, Exhibit 3 indi-cates that the withholding should be “$78.30 plus 25% of the excess over $620.” Thus,the withholding for McGrath is $273.05, as shown below.

In addition to the federal income tax, employees may also be required to pay astate income tax and a city income tax. State and city taxes are withheld from em-ployees’ earnings and paid to state and city governments.

Initial withholding from wage bracket in Exhibit 3 $ 78.30Plus additional withholding: 25% of excess over $620 194.75*Total withholding $273.05

*($1,399 � $620) � 25%


Karen Dunn’s weekly gross earnings for the present week were $2,250. Dunn has two exemptions. Usingthe wage bracket withholding table in Exhibit 3 with a $63 standard withholding allowance for eachexemption, what is Dunn’s federal income tax withholding?

Total wage payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,250One allowance (provided by IRS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $63Multiplied by allowances claimed on Form W-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � 2 126Amount subject to withholding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,124

Initial withholding from wage bracket in Exhibit 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $275.55Plus additional withholding: 28% of excess over $1,409 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200.20*Federal income tax withholding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $475.75*28% � ($2,124 � $1,409)




FICA Tax Most of us have FICA tax withheld from our payroll checks by our em-ployers. Employers are required by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) towithhold a portion of the earnings of each of the employees. The amount of FICA taxwithheld is the employees’ contribution to two federal programs. Tax is withheldseparately under each program. The first program, called social security, is for old age,survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI). The second program, called Medicare, ishealth insurance for senior citizens.

The amount of tax that employers are required to withhold from each employee isnormally based on the amount of earnings paid in the calendar year. Although both theschedule of future tax rates and the maximum amount subject to tax are revised oftenby Congress, such changes have little effect on the basic payroll system. In this text,we will use a social security rate of 6% on the first $100,000 of annual earnings and aMedicare rate of 1.5% on all annual earnings.

To illustrate, assume that John T. McGrath’s annual earnings prior to the currentpayroll period total $99,038. Assume also that the current period earnings are $1,462.The total FICA tax of $79.65 is determined as follows:

Earnings subject to 6% social security tax($100,000 � $99,038) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 962

Social security tax rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � 6%Social security tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $57.72

Earnings subject to 1.5% Medicare tax . . . . . . . . . . . $1,462Medicare tax rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � 1.5%

Medicare tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.93Total FICA tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $79.65


LIABILITY FOR EMPLOYER’S PAYROLL TAXESSo far, we have discussed the payroll taxes that are withheld from the employees’ earn-ings. Most employers are also subject to federal and state payroll taxes based on theamount paid their employees. Such taxes are an operating expense of the business.Exhibit 4 summarizes the responsibility for employee and employer payroll taxes.

FICA Tax Employers are required to contribute to the social security and Medicareprograms for each employee. The employer must match the employee’s contributionto each program.

Other Deductions Neither the employer nor the employee has any choice in deduct-ing taxes from gross earnings. However, employees may choose to have additionalamounts deducted for other purposes. For example, you as an employee may autho-rize deductions for retirement savings, for contributions to charitable organizations, orfor premiums on employee insurance. A union contract may also require the deduc-tion of union dues.

COMPUTING EMPLOYEE NET PAYGross earnings less payroll deductions equals the amount to be paid to an employeefor the payroll period. This amount is the net pay, which is often called the take-homepay. Assuming that John T. McGrath authorized deductions for retirement savingsand for a United Fund contribution, the amount to be paid McGrath for the week endedDecember 27 is $1,084.30, as shown below.

Gross earnings for the week $1,462.00Deductions:

Social security tax $ 57.72Medicare tax 21.93Federal income tax 273.05Retirement savings 20.00United Fund 5.00

Total deductions 377.70Net pay $1,084.30


Karen Dunn’s weekly gross earnings for the week ending December 3 were $2,250, and her federalincome tax withholding was $475.75. Prior to this week, Dunn had earned $98,000 for the year. Assumingthe social security rate is 6% on the first $100,000 of annual earnings and Medicare is 1.5% of allearnings, what is Dunn’s net pay?

Total wage payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,250.00Less: Federal income tax withholding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475.75

Earnings subject to social security tax ($100,000 � $98,000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,000Social security tax rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � 6%

Social security tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120.00Medicare tax ($2,250 � 1.5%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.75Net pay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,620.50






Federal Unemployment Compensation Tax The Federal Unemployment Tax Act(FUTA) provides for temporary payments to those who become unemployed as a re-sult of layoffs due to economic causes beyond their control. Types of employment sub-ject to this program are similar to those covered by FICA taxes. A tax of 6.2% is leviedon employers only, rather than on both employers and employees.5 It is applied to onlythe first $7,000 of the earnings of each covered employee during a calendar year. Con-gress often revises the rate and maximum earnings subject to federal unemploymentcompensation tax. The funds collected by the federal government are not paid directlyto the unemployed but are allocated among the states for use in state programs.

State Unemployment Compensation Tax State Unemployment Tax Acts (SUTA) alsoprovide for payments to unemployed workers. The amounts paid as benefits are ob-tained, for the most part, from a tax levied upon employers only. A few states requireemployee contributions also. The rates of tax and the tax bases vary. In most states,employers who provide stable employment for their employees are granted reducedrates. The employment experience and the status of each employer’s tax account arereviewed annually, and the tax rates are adjusted accordingly.6

5 This rate may be reduced to 0.8% for credits for state unemployment compensation tax.6 As of January 1, 2006, the maximum state rate credited against the federal unemployment rate was 5.4%of the first $7,000 of each employee’s earnings during a calendar year.

Responsibility for Tax PaymentsEXHIBIT 4

THE MOST YOU WILL EVER PAY

In 1936, the Social Security Board described how the taxwas expected to affect a worker’s pay, as follows:

The taxes called for in this law will be paid both by youremployer and by you. For the next 3 years you will paymaybe 15 cents a week, maybe 25 cents a week, maybe30 cents or more, according to what you earn. That is tosay, during the next 3 years, beginning January 1, 1937,you will pay 1 cent for every dollar you earn, and at thesame time your employer will pay 1 cent for every dollaryou earn, up to $3,000 a year. . . .

. . . Beginning in 1940 you will pay, and your em-ployer will pay, 11/2 cents for each dollar you earn, up to$3,000 a year . . . and then beginning in 1943, you will

pay 2 cents, and so will your employer, for every dollaryou earn for the next three years. After that, you and youremployer will each pay half a cent more for 3 years, andfinally, beginning in 1949, . . . you and your employer willeach pay 3 cents on each dollar you earn, up to $3,000a year. That is the most you will ever pay.

The rate on January 1, 2006, was 7.65 cents per dollarearned (7.65%). The social security portion was 6.20%on the first $94,200 of earnings. The Medicare portionwas 1.45% on all earnings.Source: Arthur Lodge, “That Is the Most You Will Ever Pay,” Journal ofAccountancy, October 1985, p. 44.

Business Connections



RESUMÉ PADDINGMisrepresenting your accomplishments on your resumécould come back to haunt you. In one case, the chief fi-nancial officer (CFO) of Veritas Software was forced toresign his position when it was discovered that he had lied

about earning an MBA from Stanford University, when inactuality he had earned only an undergraduate degreefrom Idaho State University.Source: Reuters News Service, October 4, 2002.

Integrity, Objectiv ity, and Ethics in Business

Accounting Systems for Payroll and Payroll TaxesIn designing payroll systems, the requirements of various federal, state, and local agen-cies for payroll data are considered. Payroll data must also be maintained accurately foreach payroll period and for each employee. Periodic reports using payroll data must besubmitted to government agencies. The payroll data itself must be retained for possibleinspection by the various agencies.

Payroll systems must be designed to pay employees on a timely basis. Payrollsystems should also be designed to provide useful data for management decision-making needs. Such needs might include settling employee grievances and negotiat-ing retirement or other benefits with employees.

Although payroll systems differ among businesses, the major elements common tomost payroll systems are the payroll register, employee’s earnings record, and payrollchecks. We discuss and illustrate each of these elements next. We have kept the illus-trations relatively simple, and they may be modified in practice to meet the needs ofeach individual business.

PAYROLL REGISTERThe payroll register is a multicolumn report used for summarizing the data for eachpayroll period. Its design varies according to the number and classes of employees andthe extent to which computers are used. Exhibit 5 illustrates a payroll register suitablefor a small number of employees.

The nature of the data appearing in the payroll register is evident from the columnheadings. The number of hours worked and the earnings and deduction data are in-serted in their proper columns. The sum of the deductions for each employee is then

objective3

Describe payrollaccountingsystems that use a payroll register,employee earningsrecords, and ageneral journal.

24

25

26

27

28

24

25

26

27

28

Wilkes, Glenn K.

Zumpano, Michael W.

Total

480.00

600.00

13,902.00574.00

480.00

600.00

13,328.00

40

40

Earnings

1

2

3

4

5

TotalOvertimeRegularTotal HoursEmployee Name

1

2

3

4

5

Abrams, Julie S.

Elrod, Fred G.

Gomez, Jose C.

McGrath, John T.

500.00

450.80

840.00

1,462.00

58.80

102.00

500.00

392.00

840.00

1,360.00

40

44

40

42

Payroll Register

EXHIBIT 5


subtracted from the total earnings to yield the amount to be paid. The check numbersare recorded in the payroll register as evidence of payment.

The last two columns of the payroll register are used to accumulate the total wagesor salaries to be debited to the various expense accounts. This process is usually calledpayroll distribution.

Recording Employees’ Earnings The column totals of the payroll register support thejournal entry for payroll. The entry based on the payroll register in Exhibit 5 follows.

11 1 2 2 00

2 7 8 0 00

27 Sales Salaries Expense

Office Salaries Expense

Social Security Tax Payable

Medicare Tax Payable

Employees Federal Income Tax Payable

Retirement Savings Deductions Payable

United Fund Deductions Payable

Accounts Receivable––Fred G. Elrod (emp.)

Salaries Payable

Payroll for week ended December 27.

6 4 3 07

2 0 8 53

3 3 3 2 00

6 8 0 00

4 7 0 00

5 0 00

8 5 1 8 40

Dec.


NetAmount

30.00

27.05

50.40

57.72

7.50

6.76

12.60

21.93

74.00

62.00

131.00

273.05

20.00

25.00

20.00

10.00

50.00

10.00

5.00

141.50

145.81

229.00

377.70

UF

AR

UF

UF

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

Deductions

Misc.Retirement

Savings

FederalIncome

Tax

SocialSecurity

Tax TotalCheck

No.

SalesSalariesExpense

OfficeSalariesExpense

Paid Accounts Debited

500.00

840.00

1,462.00

450.80

358.50

304.99

611.00

1,084.30

6857

6858

6859

6860

MedicareTax

Miscellaneous Deductions: UF––United Fund; AR––Accounts Receivable

28.80

36.00

643.07

7.20

9.00

208.53

69.00

79.00

3,332.00

10.00

5.00

680.00

2.00

470.00

50.00

115.00

131.00

5,383.60

UF

UF

AR

24

25

26

27

28

24

25

26

27

28

480.00

11,122.00

600.00

2,780.00

365.00

469.00

8,518.40

6880

6881

(Concluded)EXHIBIT 5

The payroll register of Chen Engineering Services indicates $900 of social security withheld and $225 ofMedicare tax withheld on total salaries of $15,000 for the period. Federal withholding for the periodtotaled $2,925.

Provide the journal entry for the period’s payroll.

Salaries Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,000Social Security Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900Medicare Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Employees Federal Withholding Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,925Salaries Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,950






Recording and Paying Payroll Taxes The employer’s payroll taxes be-come liabilities when the related payroll is paid to employees. In addi-tion, employers are required to compute and report payroll taxes on acalendar-year basis, even if a different fiscal year is used for financialreporting and income tax purposes.

To illustrate, assume that Everson Company’s fiscal year ends onApril 30. Also, assume that Everson Company owes its employees

$26,000 of wages on December 31. The following portions of the $26,000 of wages aresubject to payroll taxes on December 31:

If the payroll is paid on December 31, the payroll taxes will be based on the pre-ceding amounts. If the payroll is paid on January 2, however, the entire $26,000 will besubject to all payroll taxes. This is because the maximum earnings limitation for deter-mining social security and unemployment taxes will not be exceeded at the beginningof the calendar year.

The payroll register for McDermott Supply Co. in Exhibit 5 indicates that theamount of social security tax withheld is $643.07 and Medicare tax withheld is $208.53.Since the employer must match the employees’ FICA contributions, the employer’ssocial security payroll tax will also be $643.07, and the Medicare tax will be $208.53.Further, assume that the earnings subject to state and federal unemployment compen-sation taxes are $2,710. Multiplying this amount by the state (5.4%) and federal (0.8%)rates yields the unemployment compensation taxes shown in the following payroll taxcomputation:

The entry to journalize the payroll tax expense for the week and the liability forthe taxes accrued is shown below.

1 0 1 9 6227 Payroll Tax Expense



State Unemployment Tax Payable

Federal Unemployment Tax Payable

Payroll taxes for week ended

December 27.

6 4 3 07

2 0 8 53

1 4 6 34

2 1 68

Dec.

Social security tax $ 643.07Medicare tax 208.53State unemployment compensation tax (5.4% � $2,710) 146.34Federal unemployment compensation tax (0.8% � $2,710) 21.68

Total payroll tax expense $1,019.62

Earnings Subjectto Payroll Taxes

Social security tax (6.0%) $18,000Medicare tax (1.5%) 26,000State and federal unemployment compensation tax 1,000

Payroll taxes become a liability to the employerwhen the payroll is paid.

The payroll register of Chen Engineering Services indicates $900 of social security withheld and $225 ofMedicare tax withheld on total salaries of $15,000 for the period. Assume earnings subject to state andfederal unemployment compensation taxes are $5,250, at the federal rate of 0.8% and the state rate of5.4%.

Provide the journal entry to record the payroll tax expense for the period.(continued)



EMPLOYEE’S EARNINGS RECORDThe amount of each employee’s earnings to date must be available at the end of eachpayroll period. This cumulative amount is required in order to compute each em-ployee’s social security and Medicare tax withholding and the employer’s payroll taxes.It is essential, therefore, that a detailed payroll record be maintained for each employee.This record is called an employee’s earnings record.

Exhibit 6, on the following pages, shows a portion of the employee’s earnings recordfor John T. McGrath. The relationship between this record and the payroll register canbe seen by tracing the amounts entered on McGrath’s earnings record for December 27back to its source—the fourth line of the payroll register in Exhibit 5.

In addition to spaces for recording data for each payroll period and the cumula-tive total of earnings, the employee’s earnings record has spaces for quarterly totalsand the yearly total. These totals are used in various reports for tax, insurance, andother purposes. One such report is the Wage and Tax Statement, commonly called aForm W-2. You may recall receiving a W-2 form for use in preparing your individualtax return. This form must be provided annually to each employee as well as to theSocial Security Administration. The amounts reported in the Form W-2 shown belowwere taken from McGrath’s employee’s earnings record.

PAYROLL CHECKSAt the end of each pay period, payroll checks are prepared. Each check includes a detach-able statement showing the details of how the net pay was computed. Exhibit 7, onpage 494, is a payroll check for John T. McGrath. Many businesses pay their employees

61-8436524

McDermott Supply Co.415 5th Ave. So.Dubuque, IA 52736-0142

381-48-9120

John T. McGrath

1830 4th St.Clinton, IA 52732-6142

IA Dubuque

100,500.00 21,387.65

100,000.00

100,500.00

6,000.00

1,507.50


Payroll Tax Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,450.50Social Security Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900.00Medicare Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225.00State Unemployment Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283.50*Federal Unemployment Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.00**

*$5,250 � 5.4%**$5,250 � 0.8%




electronically with direct deposits to employee checking accounts, rather than prepar-ing payroll checks. In this case, the employee will still receive a statement summariz-ing the details of how the pay was computed.

The amount paid to employees is normally recorded as a single amount, regard-less of the number of employees. There is no need to record each payroll check sepa-rately in the journal, since all of the details are available in the payroll register.

For paying their payroll, most employers use payroll checks drawn on a specialbank account. After the data for the payroll period have been recorded and summa-rized in the payroll register, a single check for the total amount to be paid is writtenon the firm’s regular bank account. This check is then deposited in the special payrollbank account. Individual payroll checks are written from the payroll account, and thenumbers of the payroll checks are inserted in the payroll register.

An advantage of using a separate payroll bank account is that the task of reconcil-ing the bank statements is simplified. In addition, a payroll bank account establishescontrol over payroll checks by preventing the theft or misuse of uncashed payroll checks.

PAYROLL SYSTEM DIAGRAMYou may find Exhibit 8, on page 494, useful in following the flow of data within thepayroll segment of an accounting system. The diagram indicates the relationshipsamong the primary components of the payroll system we described in this chapter.

Our focus in the preceding discussion has been on the outputs of a payroll system:the payroll register, payroll checks, the employees’ earnings records, and tax and otherreports. As shown in the diagram in Exhibit 8, the inputs into a payroll system may beclassified as either constants or variables.


Earnings

CumulativeTotal

TotalEarnings

OvertimeEarnings

TotalHoursPeriod Ending

1

John T. McGrath1830 4th StreetClinton, IA 52732-6142 PHONE: 555-3148

SINGLE NUMBER OFWITHHOLDINGALLOWANCES: 1

PAYRATE: $1,360.00 Per Week

OCCUPATION: Salesperson EQUIVALENT HOURLY RATE: $34

RegularEarnings

141

42

43

44

45

41

42

43

44

45

SEP. 27

THIRD QUARTER

OCT. 4

53

51

1,360.00

17,680.00

1,360.00

663.00

7,605.00

561.00

2,023.00

25,285.00

1,921.00

75,565.00

77,486.0049

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

NOV. 15

NOV. 22

NOV. 29

DEC. 6

DEC.13

DEC. 20

DEC. 27

FOURTH QUARTER

YEARLY TOTAL

50

53

47

53

52

51

42

1,360.00

1,360.00

1,360.00

1,360.00

1,360.00

1,360.00

1,360.00

17,680.00

70,720.00

510.00

663.00

357.00

663.00

612.00

561.00

102.00

7,255.00

29,780.00

1,870.00

2,023.00

1,717.00

2,023.00

1,972.00

1,921.00

1,462.00

24,935.00

100,500.00

89,382.00

91,405.00

93,122.00

95,145.00

97,117.00

99,038.00

100,500.00

Employee’s Earnings RecordEXHIBIT 6


Constants are data that remain unchanged from payroll to payroll and thus do notneed to be entered into the system each pay period. Examples of constants include suchdata as each employee’s name and social security number, marital status, number ofincome tax withholding allowances, rate of pay, payroll category (office, sales, etc.),and department where employed. The FICA tax rates and various tax tables are alsoconstants that apply to all employees. In a computerized accounting system, constantsare stored within a payroll file.

Variables are data that change from payroll to payroll and thus must be enteredinto the system each pay period. Examples of variables include such data as the num-ber of hours or days worked for each employee during the payroll period, days of sickleave with pay, vacation credits, and cumulative earnings and taxes withheld. If sales-persons are paid commissions, the amount of their sales would also vary from periodto period.

Most companies use computerized payroll systems that maintain an electronic pay-roll register and employee earnings record, similar to those discussed in this section.Payroll system outputs, such as employee checks and tax records, are automaticallyproduced by the software.

INTERNAL CONTROLS FOR PAYROLL SYSTEMSPayroll processing, as we discussed above, requires the input of a large amount of data,along with numerous and sometimes complex computations. These factors, combinedwith the large dollar amounts involved, require controls to ensure that payroll pay-ments are timely and accurate. In addition, the system must also provide adequate safe-guards against theft or other misuse of funds.


Deductions

OtherRetirement

Savings

FederalIncome

TaxMedicare

Tax

SocialSecurity

Tax TotalNet

AmountCheck

No.

Paid

DATE EMPLOYMENT TERMINATED:

DATE OF BIRTH: February 15, 1982

SOC. SEC. NO.: 381-48-9120 EMPLOYEE NO.: 814

1 1

121.38

1,517.10

115.26

30.35

379.28

28.82

429.83

5,391.71

401.27

20.00

260.00

20.00

40.00

601.56

7,588.09

565.35

1,421.44

17,696.91

1,355.65

4

UF

6175

6225

41

42

43

44

41

42

43

44

112.20

121.38

103.02

121.38

118.32

115.26

57.72

1,466.10

6,000.00

28.05

30.35

25.76

30.35

29.58

28.82

21.93

374.03

1,507.50

386.99

429.83

344.15

429.83

415.55

401.27

273.05

5,293.71

21,387.65

20.00

20.00

20.00

20.00

20.00

20.00

20.00

260.00

1,040.00

5.00

5.00

15.00

100.00

547.24

601.56

492.93

606.56

583.45

565.35

377.70

7,408.84

30,035.15

1,322.76

1,421.44

1,224.07

1,416.44

1,388.55

1,355.65

1,084.30

17,526.16

70,464.85

UF

UF

UF

UF

6530

6582

6640

6688

6743

6801

6860

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

(Concluded)EXHIBIT 6

Many computerized payrollsystems are offered on the Internet for a monthly fee. Internet-based payroll systemshave the advantage of main-taining current federal andstate tax rates.



John T. McGrath1830 4th St.Clinton, IA 52732-6142

Check Number:Pay Period Ending:

686012/27/07

HOURS & EARNINGS TAXES & DEDUCTIONS

DESCRIPTION AMOUNTCURRENTAMOUNT

Y-T-DAMOUNTDESCRIPTION

3451402

1,084.30

1,462.00100,500.00

Rate of Pay Reg.Rate of Pay O.T.Hours Worked Reg.Hours Worked O.T.

Net Pay

Total Gross PayTotal Gross Y-T-D

STATEMENT OF EARNINGS. DETACH AND KEEP FOR YOUR RECORDS

Social Security TaxMedicare TaxFed. Income TaxU.S. Savings BondsUnited Fund

Total

57.7221.93

273.0520.005.00

377.70

6,000.001,507.50

21,387.651,040.00

100.00

30,035.15

LaGesse Savings & Loan33 Katie Avenue, Suite 33Clinton, IA 52736-3581

24-2/531

Pay Period Ending: 12/27/07 6860

PAY

To theOrder of

JOHN T. MCGRATH1830 4TH ST.CLINTON, IA 52732-6142

ONE THOUSAND EIGHTY-FOUR AND 30/100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . DOLLARS

$1,084.30

�6860� �153111123� �9385402�

McDermott Supply Co.

415 5th Ave. So.

Dubuque, IA 52736-0142S

McDermott Supply Co.

415 5th Ave. So.

Dubuque, IA 52736-0142S

Payroll Check

EXHIBIT 7

Flow of Data in a Payroll SystemEXHIBIT 8

The cash payment controls we discussed in the cash chapter also apply to pay-rolls. Thus, it is normally desirable to use a system that includes procedures for properauthorization and approval of payroll. When a check-signing machine is used, it is


important that blank payroll checks and access to the machine be carefully controlledto prevent the theft or misuse of payroll funds.

It is especially important to authorize and approve in writing employee additionsand deletions and changes in pay rates. For example, numerous payroll frauds haveinvolved a supervisor adding fictitious employees to the payroll. The supervisor thencashes the fictitious employees’ checks. Similar frauds have occurred where employ-ees have been fired but the Payroll Department is not notified. As a result, payrollchecks to the fired employees are prepared and cashed by a supervisor.

To prevent or detect frauds such as those we described above, employees’ atten-dance records should be controlled. For example, employee arrival and departure timesfor computing pay are often determined from a time clock stamp or from the scan ofan employee identification card or badge. A Payroll Department employee may bestationed near the time clock or scanning device to verify that authorized employeesare “clocking in” only once and only for themselves. When payroll checks are distrib-uted, employee identification cards may be used to deter one employee from pickingup another’s check.

Other controls include verifying and approving all payroll rate changes. In addi-tion, in a computerized system, all program changes should be properly approved andtested by employees who are independent of the payroll system. The use of a specialpayroll bank account, as we discussed earlier in this chapter, also enhances control overpayroll.


$8 MILLION FOR 18 MINUTES OF WORKComputer system controls can be very important in issu-ing payroll checks. In one case, a Detroit schoolteacherwas paid $4,015,625 after deducting $3,884,375 in pay-roll deductions for 18 minutes of overtime work. The er-ror was caused by a computer glitch when the teacher’semployee identification number was substituted incor-rectly in the “hourly wage” field and wasn’t caught by

the payroll software. After six days, the error was discov-ered and the money was returned. “One of the thingsthat came with (the software) is a fail-safe that preventsthat. It doesn’t work,” a financial officer said. The districthas since installed a program to flag any paycheck ex-ceeding $10,000.Source: Associated Press, September 27, 2002.


Employees’ Fringe BenefitsMany companies provide their employees a variety of benefits in addition to salaryand wages earned. Such fringe benefits may take many forms, including vacations,medical, and postretirement benefits, such as pension plans. The U.S. Chamber ofCommerce has estimated that fringe benefits, excluding FICA, average approximately33% of gross wages. Exhibit 9 shows the three major categories of fringe benefits as apercent of total payroll costs as reported from the same survey.7

When the employer pays part or all of the cost of the fringe benefits, these costsmust be recognized as expenses. To properly match revenues and expenses, the esti-mated cost of these benefits should be recorded as an expense during the period inwhich the employee earns the benefit, as we will illustrate in the next section for vaca-tion pay.

VACATION PAYMost employers grant vacation rights, sometimes called compensated absences, to theiremployees. Such rights give rise to a liability. The liability for employees’ vacation

objective4

Journalize entriesfor employeefringe benefits,including vacationpay and pensions.

7 2005 Employee Benefits Study, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2006.


pay should be accrued as a liability as the vacation rights are earned. Theentry to accrue vacation pay may be recorded in total at the end of eachfiscal year, or it may be recorded at the end of each pay period. To illus-trate this latter case, assume that employees earn one day of vacation foreach month worked during the year. Assume also that the estimated vaca-tion pay for the payroll period ending May 5 is $2,000. The entry to recordthe accrued vacation pay for this pay period is shown as follows:

If employees are required to take all their vacation time within one year, the vaca-tion pay payable is reported on the balance sheet as a current liability. If employeesare allowed to accumulate their vacation time, the estimated vacation pay liability thatis applicable to time that will not be taken within one year is a long-term liability.

When payroll is prepared for the period in which employees have taken vacations,the vacation pay payable is reduced. The entry debits Vacation Pay Payable and creditsSalaries Payable and the other related accounts for taxes and withholdings.

PENSIONSA pension represents a cash payment to retired employees. Rights to pension paymentsare earned by employees during their working years, based on the pension plan es-tablished by the employer. One of the fundamental characteristics of such a plan iswhether it is a defined contribution plan or a defined benefit plan.

Defined Contribution Plan In a defined contribution plan, a fixed amount of moneyis invested on the employee’s behalf during the employee’s working years. It is com-mon for the employee and employer to make contributions. There is no promise offuture pension benefit payments. The amount of the final pension depends on thetotal contributions and investment returns earned on those contributions over theemployee’s working years. The employee bears the investment risk under definedcontribution plans.

One of the more popular defined contribution plans is the 401k plan. Under this plan,employees may contribute a limited part of their income to investments, such as mutualfunds. A 401k plan offers employees two advantages: (1) the contribution is deducted,before taxes, from current period income, and (2) the contributions and future invest-ment earnings are tax deferred until withdrawn at retirement. In addition, in 90% of the

2 0 0 0 005 Vacation Pay Expense

Vacation Pay Payable

Vacation pay for week ended May 5.

2 0 0 0 00

May


Investment professionals adviseemployees to diversify their401k investments and avoidconcentrating investments intheir employer’s common stockso that they won’t risk losingtheir retirement savings if theiremployer enters bankruptcy.

Benefit Dollars as aPercent of Payroll

Costs

EXHIBIT 9

Vacationand

Sick Pay

Retirement

Perc

ent

of

Payr

oll

Co

sts

Medical0

5

10

15%

Vacation pay becomes theemployer’s liability as theemployee earns vacationrights.


401k plans, the employer matches some portion of the employee’s contribution. Theseadvantages are why nearly 70% of eligible employees elect to enroll in a 401k.8

The employer’s cost of a defined contribution plan is debited to Pension Expense.To illustrate, assume that the pension plan of Heaven Scent Perfumes Company re-quires an employer contribution of 10% of employee monthly salaries, paid at the endof the month to the employee’s plan administrator. The journal entry to record thetransaction, assuming $500,000 of monthly salaries, is as follows:

Defined Benefit Plan Employers may choose to promise employees a fixed annualpension benefit at retirement, based on years of service and compensation levels. Anexample would be a promise to pay an annual pension based on a formula, such asthe following:

1.5% � Years of Service � Average Salary for Most Recent 3 Years Prior to Retirement

Pension benefits based on a formula are termed a defined benefit plan. Unlike adefined contribution plan, the employer bears the investment risk in funding a futureretirement income benefit. As a result, many companies are replacing their defined ben-efit plans with defined contribution plans.

The accounting for defined benefit plans is usually very complex due to the un-certainties of projecting future pension obligations. These obligations depend upon suchfactors as employee life expectancies, employee turnover, expected employee com-pensation levels, and investment income on pension contributions.

The pension cost of a defined benefit plan is debited to Pension Expense. The amountfunded is credited to Cash. Any unfunded amount is credited to Unfunded Pension Li-ability. For example, assume that the pension plan of Hinkle Co. requires an annualpension cost of $80,000, based on an estimate of the future benefit obligation. Furtherassume that Hinkle Co. pays $60,000 to the pension fund. The entry to record this trans-action is as follows:

If the unfunded pension liability is to be paid within one year, it will be classifiedas a current liability. That portion of the liability to be paid beyond one year is a long-term liability.

80 0 0 0 0031 Pension Expense

Cash

Unfunded Pension Liability

To record annual pension cost and

contribution to pension plan.

60 0 0 0 00

20 0 0 0 00

Dec.

50 0 0 0 0031 Pension Expense

Cash

Contributed 10% of monthly salaries to

pension plan.

50 0 0 0 00

Dec.


8 “Employees Sluggish in Interacting with 401k Plans,” Hewitt Associates, December 26, 2005.

Manfield Services Company provides its employees vacation benefits and a defined contribution pensionplan. Employees earned vacation pay of $44,000 for the period. The pension plan requires a contributionto the plan administrator equal to 8% of employee salaries. Salaries were $450,000 during the period.

Provide the journal entry for the (a) vacation pay and (b) pension benefit.(continued)



POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS OTHER THAN PENSIONSIn addition to the pension benefits described above, employees may earn rights to otherpostretirement benefits from their employer. Such benefits may include dental care, eyecare, medical care, life insurance, tuition assistance, tax services, and legal services foremployees or their dependents. The amount of the annual benefits expense is basedupon health statistics of the workforce. This amount is recorded by debiting Postre-tirement Benefits Expense. Cash is credited for the same amount if the benefits are fullyfunded. If the benefits are not fully funded, a postretirement benefits plan liability ac-count is credited. Thus, the accounting for postretirement health benefits is very simi-lar to that of defined benefit pension plans.

A business’s financial statements should fully disclose the nature of its postretire-ment benefit obligations. These disclosures are usually included as notes to the finan-cial statements. The complex nature of accounting for postretirement benefits isdescribed in more advanced accounting courses.

Contingent LiabilitiesSome past transactions will result in liabilities if certain events occur in the future. Thesepotential obligations are called contingent liabilities. For example, Ford Motor Companywould have a contingent liability for the estimated costs associated with warranty workon new car sales. The obligation is contingent upon a future event, namely, a customerrequiring warranty work on a vehicle. The obligation is the result of a past transaction,which is the original sale of the vehicle.

If a contingent liability is probable and the amount of the liability can be reasonablyestimated, it should be recorded in the accounts. Ford Motor Company’s vehicle war-ranty costs are an example of a recordable contingent liability. The warranty costs areprobable because it is known that warranty repairs will be required on some vehicles.In addition, the costs can be estimated from past warranty experience.

To illustrate, assume that during June a company sells a product for $60,000 onwhich there is a 36-month warranty for repairing defects. Past experience indicates thatthe average cost to repair defects is 5% of the sales price over the warranty period. Theentry to record the estimated product warranty expense for June is as follows:

This transaction matches revenues and expenses properly by recording warrantycosts in the same period in which the sale is recorded. When the defective product is

3 0 0 0 0030 Product Warranty Expense

Product Warranty Payable

Warranty expense for June, 5% � $60,000.

3 0 0 0 00

June


a. Vacation Pay Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44,000Vacation Pay Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44,000

Vacation pay accrued for the period.

b. Pension Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,000Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,000

Pension contribution, 8% of $450,000 salary.



Twenty-one percent of privateindustry uses defined benefitplans, while 42% uses definedcontribution plans.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics,“Employee Benefits in PrivateIndustry,” 2005.

objective5

Describe theaccountingtreatment forcontingentliabilities andjournalize entriesfor productwarranties.


repaired, the repair costs are recorded by debiting Product Warranty Payable and cred-iting Cash, Supplies, Wages Payable, or other appropriate accounts. Thus, if a customerrequired a $200 part replacement on August 16, the entry would be as follows:

If a contingent liability is probable but cannot be reasonably estimated or is only pos-sible, then the nature of the contingent liability should be disclosed in the notes to thefinancial statements. Professional judgment is required in distinguishing between con-tingent liabilities that are probable versus those that are only possible.

Common examples of contingent liabilities disclosed in notes to the financial state-ments are litigation, environmental matters, guarantees, and contingencies from thesale of receivables. The following is an example of a contingency disclosure related tolitigation from a recent annual report of Google Inc., the popular Internet search en-gine provider:

Certain entities have also filed copyright claims against us, alleging that certain of ourproducts, including Google Web Search, Google News, Google Image Search, and GoogleBook Search, infringe their rights. Adverse results in these lawsuits may include awardsof damages and may also result in, or even compel, a change in our business practices,which could result in a loss of revenue for us or otherwise harm our business.

Although the results of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, we believethat the final outcome of the matters discussed above will not have a material adverseeffect on our business. . . .

The accounting treatment of contingent liabilities is summarized in Exhibit 10.

2 0 0 0016 Product Warranty Payable

Supplies

Replaced defective part under warranty.

2 0 0 00

Aug.


DO YOU WANT TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?

A recent survey foundthat 66% of individualsbelieve that their standardof living at retirement willbe the same or higherthan during their current

working years. Yet, nearly 30% of these respondents don’thave a formal savings plan for retirement. One-fourth ofthese respondents believe that they will need to save only$100,000 in order to maintain their lifestyle in retirement.However, experts believe that today’s 25-year-old willneed savings of $750,000 to $1 million to support a basicretirement, given increased life expectancies and inflation.How do you save this much money? The two keys to sav-ings success are (1) save regularly, such as monthly or quar-terly, even if it’s a small amount, and (2) start early. For

example, to have the same retirement income as a 25-year-old saving $100 per month, a 30-year-old would needto save $200 per month. Waiting until you are 35 yearsold would require saving $400 per month. Every five yearsof delay requires doubling the necessary contribution. Thisis the power of compound interest. Therefore, the worststrategy is to begin retirement saving at middle age.

So how much would a 25-year-old need to savemonthly to reach the $1 million mark? There are manyassumptions that go into such a calculation. Let’s assumethat an individual begins saving $150 per month at theage of 25, earns 8% on these savings, increases theamount contributed by 5% per year (to match salary in-creases), and retires at the age of 65. Under these as-sumptions, the individual would accumulate $975,000by age 65.

© V

IRG

INIA

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Y/P

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Accounting Treatment of Contingent LiabilitiesEXHIBIT 10

Disclose Liability

Likelihood of Occurring Measurement

Accounting Treatment

Disclose Liability

Record and Disclose Liability

Not Estimable

Estimable

Possible

Probable

Contingency

Cook-Rite Co. sold $140,000 of kitchen appliances during August under a six-month warranty. The cost torepair defects under the warranty is estimated at 6% of the sales price. On September 11, a customerrequired a $200 part replacement, plus $90 of labor under the warranty.

Provide the journal entry for (a) the estimated warranty expense on August 31 and (b) the September 11warranty work.

a. Product Warranty Expense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,400Product Warranty Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,400

To record warranty expense for August, 6% � $140,000.

b. Product Warranty Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200Wages Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Replaced defective part under warranty.




TODAY’S MISTAKES CAN BE TOMORROW’S LIABILITYEnvironmental and public health claims are quickly grow-ing into some of the largest contingent liabilities facingcompanies. For example, tobacco, asbestos, and environ-mental cleanup claims have reached billions of dollars and

have led to a number of corporate bankruptcies. Man-agers must be careful that today’s decisions do not be-come tomorrow’s nightmare.




Financial Analysis and InterpretationThe Current Assets and Current Liabilities sections of the balance sheet for Noble Co. and Hart Co. areillustrated as follows:

We can use this information to evaluate Noble’s and Hart’s ability to pay their current liabilitieswithin a short period of time, using the quick ratio or acid-test ratio. The quick ratio is computed asfollows:

Quick Ratio =

The quick ratio measures the “instant” debt-paying ability of a company, using quick assets. Quickassets are cash, receivables, and other current assets that can quickly be converted into cash. It is oftenconsidered desirable to have a quick ratio exceeding 1.0. A ratio less than 1.0 would indicate that cur-rent liabilities cannot be covered by cash and “near cash” assets.

To illustrate, the quick ratios for both companies would be:

Noble Co: � 1.05

Hart Co: � 0.80

As you can see, Noble Co. has quick assets in excess of current liabilities, or a quick ratio of 1.05.The ratio exceeds 1.0, indicating that the quick assets should be sufficient to meet current liabilities.Hart Co., however, has a quick ratio of 0.8. Its quick assets will not be sufficient to cover the currentliabilities. Hart could solve this problem by working with a bank to convert its short-term debt of$320,000 into a long-term obligation. This would remove the notes payable from current liabilities. IfHart did this, then its quick ratio would improve to 1.4 ($592,000/$420,000), which would be sufficientfor quick assets to cover current liabilities.

$120,000 � $472,000��

$740,000

$147,000 � $84,000��

$220,000

Quick Assets��Current Liabilities

Noble Co. Hart Co.

Current assets:Cash $147,000 $120,000Accounts receivable (net) 84,000 472,000Inventory 150,000 200,000

Total $381,000 $792,000

Current liabilities:Accounts payable $ 75,000 $227,000Wages payable 30,000 193,000Notes payable 115,000 320,000

Total $220,000 $740,000



Current liabilities are obligations that are tobe paid out of current assets and are duewithin a short time, usually within one year.The three primary types of current liabilitiesare accounts payable, notes payable, and cur-rent portion of long-term debt.

• Identify and define the mostfrequently reported current liabilities on the balance sheet.

• Determine the interest frominterest-bearing and dis-counted notes payable.

11-1 11-1A, 11-1B

1. Describe and illustrate current liabilities related to accounts payable, current portion of long-term debt,and notes payable.

Example PracticeKey Points Key Learning Outcomes Exercises Exercises

At a Glance

An employer’s liability for payroll is deter-mined from employee total earnings, includingovertime pay. From this amount, employeedeductions are subtracted to arrive at thenet pay to be paid to each employee. Mostemployers also incur liabilities for payrolltaxes, such as social security tax, Medicaretax, federal unemployment compensation tax,and state unemployment compensation tax.

• Calculate the federal with-holding tax from a wagebracket withholding table.

• Compute employee net pay,including deductions for socialsecurity and Medicare tax.

11-2

11-3

11-2A, 11-2B

11-3A, 11-3B

2. Determine employer liabilities for payroll, including liabilities arising from employee earnings and deduc-tions from earnings.


The payroll register is used in assembling andsummarizing the data needed for each payrollperiod. The payroll register is supported by adetailed payroll record for each employee,called an employee’s earnings record.

• Journalize the employee’searnings, net pay, and payrollliabilities from the payrollregister.

• Journalize the payroll tax expense.

• Describe elements of a pay-roll system, including the employee’s earnings record,payroll checks, and internalcontrols.

11-4

11-5

11-4A, 11-4B

11-5A, 11-5B

3. Describe payroll accounting systems that use a payroll register, employee earnings records, and a generaljournal.


Fringe benefits are expenses of the period inwhich the employees earn the benefits. Fringebenefits are recorded by debiting an expenseaccount and crediting a liability account.

• Journalize vacation pay.• Distinguish and journalize

defined contribution and defined benefit pension plans.

11-6

11-6

11-6A, 11-6B

11-6A, 11-6B

4. Journalize entries for employee fringe benefits, including vacation pay and pensions.




A contingent liability is a potential obliga-tion that results from a past transaction butdepends on a future event. If the contingentliability is both probable and estimable, theliability should be recorded.

• Describe the accounting forcontingent liabilities.

• Journalize estimated warrantyobligations and servicesgranted under warranty.

11-7 11-7A, 11-7B

5. Describe the accounting treatment for contingent liabilities and journalize entries for product warranties.


Key Terms

defined benefit plan (497)defined contribution plan (496)discount (481)discount rate (481)employee’s earnings record (491)

FICA tax (485)fringe benefits (495)gross pay (483)net pay (483)payroll (482)

payroll register (488)proceeds (481)quick assets (501)quick ratio (501)

Illustrative Problem

Selected transactions of Taylor Company, completed during the fiscal year endedDecember 31, are as follows:

Mar. 1. Purchased merchandise on account from Kelvin Co., $20,000.Apr. 10. Issued a 60-day, 12% note for $20,000 to Kelvin Co. on account.June 9. Paid Kelvin Co. the amount owed on the note of April 10.Aug. 1. Issued a $50,000, 90-day note to Harold Co. in exchange for a building. Harold

Co. discounted the note at 15%.Oct. 30. Paid Harold Co. the amount due on the note of August 1.Dec. 27. Journalized the entry to record the biweekly payroll. A summary of the pay-

roll record follows:

27. Journalized the entry to record payroll taxes for social security and Medicarefrom the biweekly payroll.

30. Issued a check in payment of liabilities for employees’ federal income tax of$17,600, social security tax of $10,100, and Medicare tax of $3,300.

31. Issued a check for $9,500 to the pension fund trustee to fully fund the pen-sion cost for December.

Salary distribution:Sales $63,400Officers 36,600Office 10,000 $110,000

Deductions:Social security tax $ 5,050Medicare tax 1,650Federal income tax withheld 17,600State income tax withheld 4,950Savings bond deductions 850Medical insurance deductions 1,120 31,220

Net amount $ 78,780

(continued)


Dec. 31. Journalized an entry to record the employees’ accrued vacation pay, $36,100.31. Journalized an entry to record the estimated accrued product warranty lia-

bility, $37,240.

InstructionsJournalize the preceding transactions.

Solution

20 0 0 0 00

20 0 0 0 00

20 0 0 0 00

4 0 0 00

48 1 2 5 00

1 8 7 5 00

50 0 0 0 00

63 4 0 0 00

36 6 0 0 00

10 0 0 0 00

6 7 0 0 00

17 6 0 0 00

10 1 0 0 00

3 3 0 0 00

9 5 0 0 00

36 1 0 0 00

37 2 4 0 00

1

10

9

1

30

27

27

30

31

31

31

Merchandise Inventory

Accounts Payable––Kelvin Co.

Accounts Payable––Kelvin Co.

Notes Payable

Notes Payable

Interest Expense

Cash

Building

Interest Expense

Notes Payable

Notes Payable

Cash

Sales Salaries Expense

Officers Salaries Expense

Office Salaries Expense




Employees State Income Tax Payable

Bond Deductions Payable

Medical Insurance Payable

Salaries Payable

Payroll Tax Expense






Cash

Pension Expense

Cash

Vacation Pay Expense

Vacation Pay Payable

Product Warranty Expense

Product Warranty Payable

20 0 0 0 00

20 0 0 0 00

20 4 0 0 00

50 0 0 0 00

50 0 0 0 00

5 0 5 0 00

1 6 5 0 00

17 6 0 0 00

4 9 5 0 00

8 5 0 00

1 1 2 0 00

78 7 8 0 00

5 0 5 0 00

1 6 5 0 00

31 0 0 0 00

9 5 0 0 00

36 1 0 0 00

37 2 4 0 00

Mar.

Apr.

June

Aug.

Oct.

Dec.




Self-Examination Questions (Answers at End of Chapter)

$100,000 of annual earnings, and the Medicare rate is1.5% on all earnings. The following additional data areavailable:

Hours worked during current week 45Year’s cumulative earnings prior to current week $99,400Federal income tax withheld $450

Based on these data, the amount of the employee’s netpay for the current week is:A. $1,307.50. C. $1,450.00.B. $1,405.00. D. $1,385.50.

5. Within limitations on the maximum earnings subjectto the tax, employers do not incur an expense for whichof the following payroll taxes?A. Social security taxB. Federal unemployment compensation taxC. State unemployment compensation taxD. Employees’ federal income tax

1. A business issued a $5,000, 60-day, 12% note to thebank. The amount due at maturity is:A. $4,900. C. $5,100.B. $5,000. D. $5,600.

2. A business issued a $5,000, 60-day note to a supplier,which discounted the note at 12%. The proceeds are:A. $4,400. C. $5,000.B. $4,900. D. $5,100.

3. Which of the following taxes are employers usually notrequired to withhold from employees?A. Federal income taxB. Federal unemployment compensation taxC. Medicare taxD. State and local income tax

4. An employee’s rate of pay is $40 per hour, with timeand a half for all hours worked in excess of 40 duringa week. The social security rate is 6.0% on the first

Eye Openers

1. Does a discounted note payable provide credit without interest? Discuss.2. Employees are subject to taxes withheld from their paychecks.

a. List the federal taxes withheld from most employee paychecks.b. Give the title of the accounts credited by amounts withheld.

3. For each of the following payroll-related taxes, indicate whether there is a ceiling on theannual earnings subject to the tax: (a) federal income tax, (b) Medicare tax, (c) socialsecurity tax, (d) federal unemployment compensation tax.

4. Why are deductions from employees’ earnings classified as liabilities for the employer?5. Taylor Company, with 20 employees, is expanding operations. It is trying to decide

whether to hire one full-time employee for $25,000 or two part-time employees for atotal of $25,000. Would any of the employer’s payroll taxes discussed in this chapterhave a bearing on this decision? Explain.

6. For each of the following payroll-related taxes, indicate whether they generally applyto (a) employees only, (b) employers only, or (c) both employees and employers:1. Federal income tax2. Medicare tax3. Social security tax4. Federal unemployment compensation tax5. State unemployment compensation tax

7. What are the principal reasons for using a special payroll checking account?8. In a payroll system, what types of input data are referred to as (a) constants and (b)

variables?9. Explain how a payroll system that is properly designed and operated tends to ensure

that (a) wages paid are based on hours actually worked and (b) payroll checks are notissued to fictitious employees.

10. To match revenues and expenses properly, should the expense for employee vacationpay be recorded in the period during which the vacation privilege is earned or duringthe period in which the vacation is taken? Discuss.

11. Identify several factors that influence the future pension obligation of an employerunder a defined benefit pension plan.


PE 11-4AJournalize period payroll

obj. 3

PE 11-3BCalculate employee net pay

obj. 2

PE 11-3ACalculate employee net pay

obj. 2

PE 11-2BCalculate federal income tax withholding

obj. 2

PE 11-2ACalculate federal income tax withholding

obj. 2

PE 11-1BCalculate proceeds from notes payable

obj. 1

12. When should the liability associated with a product warranty be recorded? Discuss.13. General Motors Corporation reported $8.8 billion of product warranties in the Current

Liabilities section of a recent balance sheet. How would costs of repairing a defectiveproduct be recorded?

14. The “Questions and Answers Technical Hotline” in the Journal of Accountancy includedthe following question:

Several years ago, Company B instituted legal action against Company A. Under a memoran-dum of settlement and agreement, Company A agreed to pay Company B a total of $17,500in three installments—$5,000 on March 1, $7,500 on July 1, and the remaining $5,000 onDecember 31. Company A paid the first two installments during its fiscal year ended September30. Should the unpaid amount of $5,000 be presented as a current liability at September 30?

How would you answer this question?


On September 1, Klondike Co. issued a 90-day note with a face amount of $120,000 toArctic Apparel Co. for merchandise inventory.


On February 1, Electronic Warehouse Co. issued a 30-day note with a face amount of $50,000to Yamura Products Co. for cash.


Don Truett’s weekly gross earnings for the present week were $1,680. Truett has threeexemptions. Using the wage bracket withholding table in Exhibit 3 with a $63 standard with-holding allowance for each exemption, what is Truett’s federal income tax withholding?

Leah Wilson’s weekly gross earnings for the present week were $600. Wilson has oneexemption. Using the wage bracket withholding table in Exhibit 3 with a $63 standard with-holding allowance for each exemption, what is Wilson’s federal income tax withholding?

Don Truett’s weekly gross earnings for the week ending December 18 were $1,680, and hisfederal income tax withholding was $298.51. Prior to this week, Truett had earned $99,000for the year. Assuming the social security rate is 6% on the first $100,000 of annual earn-ings and Medicare is 1.5% of all earnings, what is Truett’s net pay?

Leah Wilson’s weekly gross earnings for the week ending September 5 were $600, and herfederal income tax withholding was $65.85. Prior to this week, Wilson had earned $21,500for the year. Assuming the social security rate is 6% on the first $100,000 of annual earn-ings and Medicare is 1.5% of all earnings, what is Wilson’s net pay?

The payroll register of Lowry Landscaping Co. indicates $1,260 of social security withheldand $315 of Medicare tax withheld on total salaries of $21,000 for the period. Federal with-holding for the period totaled $3,822.


PE 11-1ACalculate proceeds fromnotes payable

obj. 1

Practice Exercises


PE 11-4BJournalize period payroll

obj. 3

PE 11-7BJournalize estimated warranty liability

obj. 5

PE 11-7AJournalize estimated warranty liability

obj. 5

PE 11-6BJournalize vacation pay and pension benefits

obj. 4

PE 11-6AJournalize vacation pay and pension benefits

obj. 4

PE 11-5BJournalize period payroll tax

obj. 3

PE 11-5AJournalize period payroll tax

obj. 3

The payroll register of Tri-State Construction Co. indicates $25,650 of social security with-held and $6,750 of Medicare tax withheld on total salaries of $450,000 for the period. Re-tirement savings withheld from employee paychecks were $27,000 for the period. Federalwithholding for the period totaled $89,100.


The payroll register of Lowry Landscaping Co. indicates $1,260 of social security withheldand $315 of Medicare tax withheld on total salaries of $21,000 for the period. Assume earn-ings subject to state and federal unemployment compensation taxes are $6,540, at the fed-eral rate of 0.8% and the state rate of 5.4%.

Provide the journal entry to record the payroll tax expense for the period.

The payroll register of Tri-State Construction Co. indicates $25,650 of social security with-held and $6,750 of Medicare tax withheld on total salaries of $450,000 for the period. As-sume earnings subject to state and federal unemployment compensation taxes are $12,550,at the federal rate of 0.8% and the state rate of 5.4%.

Provide the journal entry to record the payroll tax expense for the period.

Kirby Company provides its employees with vacation benefits and a defined contributionpension plan. Employees earned vacation pay of $17,500 for the period. The pension planrequires a contribution to the plan administrator equal to 7% of employee salaries. Salarieswere $180,000 during the period.

Provide the journal entry for the (a) vacation pay and (b) pension benefit.

Lyon Capital Company provides its employees vacation benefits and a defined benefit pen-sion plan. Employees earned vacation pay of $52,300 for the period. The pension formulacalculated a pension cost of $123,000. Only $100,000 was contributed to the pension planadministrator.

Provide the journal entry for the (a) vacation pay and (b) pension benefit.

EZ Equipment Co. sold $870,000 of equipment during March under a one-year warranty.The cost to repair defects under the warranty is estimated at 4.5% of the sales price. On Oc-tober 4, a customer required a $420 part replacement, plus $100 of labor under the war-ranty.

Provide the journal entry for (a) the estimated warranty expense on March 31 and (b)the October 4 warranty work.

Tower Electronics sold $480,000 of consumer electronics during June under a nine-monthwarranty. The cost to repair defects under the warranty is estimated at 5% of the sales price.On August 16, a customer was given $90 cash under terms of the warranty.

Provide the journal entry for (a) the estimated warranty expense on June 30 and (b) theAugust 16 cash payment.


Exercises

Rock On Magazine Co. sold 11,400 annual subscriptions of Rock On for $35 during December2008. These new subscribers will receive monthly issues, beginning in January 2009. In ad-dition, the business had taxable income of $140,000 during the first calendar quarter of 2009.The federal tax rate is 35%. A quarterly tax payment will be made on April 7, 2009.

Prepare the Current Liabilities section of the balance sheet for Rock On Magazine Co.on March 31, 2009.

EX 11-1Current liabilities

obj. 1Total current liabilities,

$348,250


EX 11-8Calculate payroll

obj. 2

EX 11-7Current portion of long-term debt

obj. 1

EX 11-6Fixed asset purchases with note

obj. 1

EX 11-5Entries for discounted note payable

obj. 1

EX 11-4Entries for notes payable

obj. 1

EX 11-3Evaluate alternative notes

obj. 1

EX 11-2Entries for discounting notes payable

obj. 1

Home Center Warehouse issues a 90-day note for $250,000 to Gem Lighting Co. for mer-chandise inventory. Gem Lighting Co. discounts the note at 5%.

a. Journalize Home Center Warehouse’s entries to record:1. the issuance of the note.2. the payment of the note at maturity.

b. Journalize Gem Lighting Co.’s entries to record:1. the receipt of the note.2. the receipt of the payment of the note at maturity.

A borrower has two alternatives for a loan: (1) issue a $120,000, 90-day, 6% note or (2) issuea $120,000, 90-day note that the creditor discounts at 6%.

a. Calculate the amount of the interest expense for each option.b. Determine the proceeds received by the borrower in each situation.c. Which alternative is more favorable to the borrower? Explain.

A business issued a 60-day, 7% note for $15,000 to a creditor on account. Journalize theentries to record (a) the issuance of the note and (b) the payment of the note at maturity,including interest.

A business issued a 90-day note for $80,000 to a creditor on account. The note was dis-counted at 8%. Journalize the entries to record (a) the issuance of the note and (b) the pay-ment of the note at maturity.

On June 30, Mystic Mountain Game Company purchased land for $250,000 and a buildingfor $690,000, paying $240,000 cash and issuing an 8% note for the balance, secured by amortgage on the property. The terms of the note provide for 20 semiannual payments of$35,000 on the principal plus the interest accrued from the date of the preceding payment.Journalize the entry to record (a) the transaction on June 30, (b) the payment of the firstinstallment on December 31, and (c) the payment of the second installment the followingJune 30.

WD-40 Company, the manufacturer and marketer of WD-40® lubricant, reported the fol-lowing information about its long-term debt in the notes to a recent financial statement:

a. How much of the notes payable was disclosed as a current liability on the August 31,2005, balance sheet?

b. How much did the total current liabilities change between 2004 and 2005 as a result ofthe current portion of long-term debt?

c. If WD-40 did not issue additional notes payable during 2006, what would be the totalnotes payable on August 31, 2006?

An employee earns $22 per hour and 11/2 times that rate for all hours in excess of 40 hoursper week. Assume that the employee worked 50 hours during the week, and that the grosspay prior to the current week totaled $42,710. Assume further that the social security tax

Long-term debt is comprised of the following:

August 31,

2005 2004

Notes payable $75,000,000 $85,000,000Less current portion (10,714,000) (10,000,000)

Long-term debt $64,286,000 $75,000,000



EX 11-11Payroll tax entries

obj. 3

EX 11-9Calculate payroll

obj. 2Administrator net pay,

$829.32

EX 11-10Summary payroll data

objs. 2, 3a. (3) Total earnings,

$260,000

rate was 6.0% (on earnings up to $100,000), the Medicare tax rate was 1.5%, and federal in-come tax to be withheld was $236.

a. Determine the gross pay for the week.b. Determine the net pay for the week.

Strategem Business Consultants has three employees—a consultant, a computer programmer,and an administrator. The following payroll information is available for each employee:

For the current pay period, the computer programmer worked 48 hours and the ad-ministrator worked 45 hours. The federal income tax withheld for all three employees, whoare single, can be determined from the wage bracket withholding table in Exhibit 3 in thechapter. Assume further that the social security tax rate was 6.0% on the first $100,000 ofannual earnings, the Medicare tax rate was 1.5%, and one withholding allowance is $63.

Determine the gross pay and the net pay for each of the three employees for the cur-rent pay period.

In the following summary of data for a payroll period, some amounts have been inten-tionally omitted:

Earnings:1. At regular rate ?2. At overtime rate $ 39,4803. Total earnings ?

Deductions:4. Social security tax 15,2505. Medicare tax 3,9006. Income tax withheld 46,5907. Medical insurance 7,7758. Union dues ?9. Total deductions 76,000

10. Net amount paid 184,000Accounts debited:

11. Factory Wages 138,90012. Sales Salaries ?13. Office Salaries 59,200

a. Calculate the amounts omitted in lines (1), (3), (8), and (12).b. Journalize the entry to record the payroll accrual.c. Journalize the entry to record the payment of the payroll.d. From the data given in this exercise and your answer to (a), would you con-

clude that this payroll was paid sometime during the first few weeks of the calendaryear? Explain.

According to a summary of the payroll of Glitz Publishing Co., $350,000 was subject to the6.0% social security tax and $420,000 was subject to the 1.5% Medicare tax. Also, $14,000was subject to state and federal unemployment taxes.

a. Calculate the employer’s payroll taxes, using the following rates: state unemployment,4.3%; federal unemployment, 0.8%.

b. Journalize the entry to record the accrual of payroll taxes.

ComputerConsultant Programmer Administrator

Regular earnings rate $2,400 per week $40 per hour $22 per hourOvertime earnings rate Not applicable 11/2 times hourly rate 11/2 times hourly rateGross pay prior to current

pay period $115,200 $98,600 $43,100Number of withholding

allowances 1 0 3


b. Net pay, $883.25


EX 11-15Internal control procedures

obj. 3

EX 11-14Payroll internal control procedures

obj. 3

EX 11-13Payroll entries

obj. 3

EX 11-12Payroll entries

obj. 3

The payroll register for Hillsdale Company for the week ended December 14 indicated thefollowing:

Salaries $690,000Social security tax withheld 32,700Medicare tax withheld 10,350Federal income tax withheld 138,700

In addition, state and federal unemployment taxes were calculated at the rate of 0.8% and5.2%, respectively, on $26,000 of salaries.

a. Journalize the entry to record the payroll for the week of December 14.b. Journalize the entry to record the payroll tax expense incurred for the week of Decem-

ber 14.

Dowling Company had gross wages of $356,000 during the week ended December 6. Theamount of wages subject to social security tax was $285,000, while the amount of wagessubject to federal and state unemployment taxes was $18,000. Tax rates are as follows:

Social security 6.0%Medicare 1.5%State unemployment 5.4%Federal unemployment 0.8%

The total amount withheld from employee wages for federal taxes was $66,900.

a. Journalize the entry to record the payroll for the week of December 6.b. Journalize the entry to record the payroll tax expense incurred for the week of Decem-

ber 6.

Nashville Sounds is a retail store specializing in the sale of country music. The storeemploys 3 full-time and 10 part-time workers. The store’s weekly payroll averages $2,500for all 13 workers.

Nashville Sounds uses a personal computer to assist in preparing paychecks. Eachweek, the store’s accountant collects employee time cards and enters the hours workedinto the payroll program. The payroll program calculates each employee’s pay and printsa paycheck. The accountant uses a check-signing machine to sign the paychecks. Next,the store’s owner authorizes the transfer of funds from the store’s regular bank accountto the payroll account.

For the week of May 10, the accountant accidentally recorded 400 hours worked in-stead of 40 hours for one of the full-time employees.

Does Nashville Sounds have internal controls in place to catch this error? If so, howwill this error be detected?

Handyman’s Helper is a small manufacturer of home workshop power tools. The companyemploys 30 production workers and 10 administrative persons. The following proceduresare used to process the company’s weekly payroll:

a. All employees are required to record their hours worked by clocking in and out on atime clock. Employees must clock out for lunch break. Due to congestion around thetime clock area at lunch time, management has not objected to having one employeeclock in and out for an entire department.

b. Whenever a salaried employee is terminated, Personnel authorizes Payroll to remove theemployee from the payroll system. However, this procedure is not required when anhourly worker is terminated. Hourly employees only receive a paycheck if their timecards show hours worked. The computer automatically drops an employee from the pay-roll system when that employee has six consecutive weeks with no hours worked.

c. Whenever an employee receives a pay raise, the supervisor must fill out a wage adjust-ment form, which is signed by the company president. This form is used to change theemployee’s wage rate in the payroll system.



EX 11-16Payroll procedures

obj. 3

EX 11-20Accrued product warranty

obj. 5

EX 11-19Defined benefit pension plan terms

obj. 4

EX 11-21Accrued product warranty

obj. 5

EX 11-18Pension plan entries

obj. 4

EX 11-17Accrued vacation pay

obj. 4

d. Handyman’s Helper maintains a separate checking account for payroll checks. Eachweek, the total net pay for all employees is transferred from the company’s regular bankaccount to the payroll account.

e. Paychecks are signed by using a check-signing machine. This machine is located in themain office so that it can be easily accessed by anyone needing a check signed.

State whether each of the procedures is appropriate or inappropriate after consid-ering the principles of internal control. If a procedure is inappropriate, describe the appro-priate procedure.

The fiscal year for Super Sale Stores Co. ends on June 30. In addition, the company com-putes and reports payroll taxes on a fiscal-year basis. Thus, it applies social security andFUTA maximum earnings limitations to the fiscal-year payroll.

What is wrong with these procedures for accounting for payroll taxes?

A business provides its employees with varying amounts of vacation per year, dependingon the length of employment. The estimated amount of the current year’s vacation pay is$54,960. Journalize the adjusting entry required on January 31, the end of the first monthof the current year, to record the accrued vacation pay.

Precious Images Co. operates a chain of photography stores. The company maintains a de-fined contribution pension plan for its employees. The plan requires quarterly installmentsto be paid to the funding agent, Safeguard Funds, by the fifteenth of the month followingthe end of each quarter. Assuming that the pension cost is $87,500 for the quarter endedDecember 31, journalize entries to record (a) the accrued pension liability on December 31and (b) the payment to the funding agent on January 15.

In a recent year’s financial statements, Procter & Gamble showed an unfunded pension li-ability of $2,096 million and a periodic pension cost of $268 million.

Explain the meaning of the $2,096 million unfunded pension liability and the $268 mil-lion periodic pension cost.

Audio-Wave Company warrants its products for one year. The estimated product warrantyis 2% of sales. Assume that sales were $85,000 for January. In February, a customer receivedwarranty repairs requiring $210 of parts and $135 of labor.

a. Journalize the adjusting entry required at January 31, the end of the first month of thecurrent year, to record the accrued product warranty.

b. Journalize the entry to record the warranty work provided in February.

Ford Motor Company disclosed estimated product warranty payable for comparative yearsas follows.

Ford’s sales were $147,128 million in 2004 and increased to $153,503 million in 2005. Assumethat the total paid on warranty claims during 2005 was $12,000 million.

a. Why are short- and long-term estimated warranty liabilities separately disclosed?b. Provide the journal entry for the 2005 product warranty expense.

(in millions)12/31/05 12/31/04

Current estimated product warranty payable $12,953 $14,082Noncurrent estimated product warranty payable 7,359 7,728Total $20,312 $21,810



EX 11-22Contingent liabilities

obj. 5

EX 11-23Quick ratio

a. 2008: 1.0

EX 11-24Quick ratio

Several months ago, Rainbow Paint Company experienced a hazardous materials spillat one of its plants. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fined the com-pany $560,000. The company is contesting the fine. In addition, an employee is seeking$275,000 damages related to the spill. Lastly, a homeowner has sued the company for$190,000. The homeowner lives 25 miles from the plant, but believes that the incident hasreduced the home’s resale value by $190,000.

Rainbow’s legal counsel believes that it is probable that the EPA fine will stand. Inaddition, counsel indicates that an out-of-court settlement of $150,000 has recently beenreached with the employee. The final papers will be signed next week. Counsel believesthat the homeowner’s case is much weaker and will be decided in favor of Rainbow. Otherlitigation related to the spill is possible, but the damage amounts are uncertain.

a. Journalize the contingent liabilities associated with the hazardous materials spill. Use theaccount “Damage Awards and Fines” to recognize the expense for the period.

b. Prepare a note disclosure relating to this incident.

Urban-Wear Clothes Co. had the following current assets and liabilities for two compara-tive years:

a. Determine the quick ratio for December 31, 2008 and 2007.b. Interpret the change in the quick ratio between the two balance sheet dates.

The current assets and current liabilities for Apple Computer, Inc., and Dell Inc. are shownas follows at the end of a recent fiscal period:

a. Determine the quick ratio for both companies.b. Interpret the quick ratio difference between the two companies.

Apple Computer, Inc. Dell Inc.(In millions) (In millions)

Sept. 24, 2005 Feb. 3, 2006

Current assets:Cash and cash equivalents $ 3,491 $ 7,042Short-term investments 4,770 2,016Accounts receivable 895 4,089Inventories 165 576Other current assets* 979 3,983

Total current assets $10,300 $17,706

Current liabilities:Accounts payable $ 1,779 $ 9,840Accrued and other current liabilities 1,705 6,087

Total current liabilities $ 3,484 $15,927

*These represent prepaid expense and other nonquick current assets.

Dec. 31, 2008 Dec. 31, 2007

Current assets:Cash $140,000 $205,000Accounts receivable 250,000 245,000Inventory 300,000 180,000

Total current assets $690,000 $630,000

Current liabilities:Current portion of long-term debt $ 50,000 $ 50,000Accounts payable 200,000 190,000Accrued expenses payable 140,000 135,000

Total current liabilities $390,000 $375,000



PR 11-2AEntries for payroll and payroll taxes

objs. 2, 3

1. (b) Dr. Payroll Tax Expense, $37,650


The following items were selected from among the transactions completed by Sounds andSight Stores during the current year:

Apr. 7. Borrowed $36,000 from First Financial Company, issuing a 60-day, 8% note forthat amount.

May 10. Purchased equipment by issuing a $125,000, 120-day note to Milford EquipmentCo., which discounted the note at the rate of 6%.

June 6. Paid First Financial Company the interest due on the note of April 7 and renewed the loan by issuing a new 30-day, 9% note for $36,000. (Record boththe debit and credit to the notes payable account.)

July 6. Paid First Financial Company the amount due on the note of June 6.Aug. 3. Purchased merchandise on account from Hamilton Co., $15,000, terms, n/30.Sept. 2. Issued a 60-day, 6% note for $15,000 to Hamilton Co., on account.

7. Paid Milford Equipment Co. the amount due on the note of May 10.Nov. 1. Paid Hamilton Co. the amount owed on the note of September 2.

15. Purchased store equipment from Merchandising Systems Co. for $150,000,paying $55,500 and issuing a series of seven 8% notes for $13,500 each, comingdue at 30-day intervals.

Dec. 15. Paid the amount due Merchandising Systems Co. on the first note in the seriesissued on November 15.

21. Settled a personal injury lawsuit with a customer for $30,000, to be paid in January.Sounds and Sight Stores accrued the loss in a litigation claims payable account.

Instructions1. Journalize the transactions.2. Journalize the adjusting entry for each of the following accrued expenses at the end of

the current year:a. Product warranty cost, $8,400.b. Interest on the six remaining notes owed to Merchandising Systems Co.

The following information about the payroll for the week ended December 30 was obtainedfrom the records of Greenfield Co.:

Instructions1. Assuming that the payroll for the last week of the year is to be paid on December 31,

journalize the following entries:a. December 30, to record the payroll.b. December 30, to record the employer’s payroll taxes on the payroll to be paid on

December 31. Of the total payroll for the last week of the year, $15,000 is subject tounemployment compensation taxes.

2. Assuming that the payroll for the last week of the year is to be paid on January 4 of thefollowing fiscal year, journalize the following entries:a. December 30, to record the payroll.b. January 4, to record the employer’s payroll taxes on the payroll to be paid on January 4.

Salaries: Deductions:Sales salaries $320,000 Income tax withheld $109,760Warehouse salaries 84,500 Social security tax withheld 28,560Office salaries 155,500 Medicare tax withheld 8,400

$560,000 U.S. savings bonds 16,400Group insurance 24,690

$187,810

Tax rates assumed:Social security, 6% on first $100,000 of employee annual earningsMedicare, 1.5%State unemployment (employer only), 3.8%Federal unemployment (employer only), 0.8%

Problems Series A

PR 11-1ALiability transactions

objs. 1, 5


PR 11-3AWage and tax statement data and employer FICA tax

objs. 2, 3

2. (e) $30,987.60

PR 11-5APayroll register

objs. 2, 3

PR 11-4APayroll register

objs. 2, 33. Dr. Payroll Tax

Expense, $664.92

Bristol Distribution Company began business on January 2, 2007. Salaries were paid toemployees on the last day of each month, and social security tax, Medicare tax, and federalincome tax were withheld in the required amounts. An employee who is hired in the mid-dle of the month receives half the monthly salary for that month. All required payroll taxreports were filed, and the correct amount of payroll taxes was remitted by the companyfor the calendar year. Early in 2008, before the Wage and Tax Statements (Form W-2) couldbe prepared for distribution to employees and for filing with the Social Security Adminis-tration, the employees’ earnings records were inadvertently destroyed.

None of the employees resigned or were discharged during the year, and there wereno changes in salary rates. The social security tax was withheld at the rate of 6.0% on thefirst $100,000 of salary and Medicare tax at the rate of 1.5% on salary. Data on dates ofemployment, salary rates, and employees’ income taxes withheld, which are summarizedas follows, were obtained from personnel records and payroll records.

Instructions1. Calculate the amounts to be reported on each employee’s Wage and Tax Statement (Form

W-2) for 2007, arranging the data in the following form:

2. Calculate the following employer payroll taxes for the year: (a) social security; (b) Medicare;(c) state unemployment compensation at 3.8% on the first $9,000 of each employee’s earn-ings; (d) federal unemployment compensation at 0.8% on the first $9,000 of each em-ployee’s earnings; (e) total.

If the working papers correlating with this textbook are not used, omit Problem 11-4A.

The payroll register for Govi Guitar Co. for the week ended December 12, 2008, is presentedin the working papers.

Instructions1. Journalize the entry to record the payroll for the week.2. Journalize the entry to record the issuance of the checks to employees.3. Journalize the entry to record the employer’s payroll taxes for the week. Assume the fol-

lowing tax rates: state unemployment, 3.2%; federal unemployment, 0.8%. Of the earn-ings, $1,200 is subject to unemployment taxes.

4. Journalize the entry to record a check issued on December 15 to Second National Bankin payment of employees’ income taxes, $1,402.06, social security taxes, $987.06, andMedicare taxes, $246.78.

The following data for Iris Publishing Co. relate to the payroll for the week ended Decem-ber 7, 2008:

Gross Federal Income Social Security Medicare TaxEmployee Earnings Tax Withheld Tax Withheld Withheld

MonthlyDate First Monthly Income Tax

Employee Employed Salary Withheld

Arnold June 2 $6,400 $1,408Charles Jan. 2 8,600 2,064Gillam Mar. 1 5,000 950Nelson Jan. 2 3,800 684Quinn Nov. 15 4,400 814Ramirez Apr. 15 3,200 560Wu Jan. 16 9,200 2,300



AccumulatedHours Hourly Weekly Federal U.S. Savings Earnings,

Employee Worked Rate Salary Income Tax Bonds Nov. 30

A 38 $16 $109.44 $ 29,184B 44 25 241.50 $20 47,400C 46 30 338.10 20 70,800D 40 12 81.60 35 30,700E 30 10 36.00 10 14,400F $1,100.00 242.00 4,400G 41 24 199.20 41,500H 2,200.00 550.00 90 105,600I 48 18 187.20 10 43,200

Employees F and H are office staff, and all of the other employees are sales personnel. Allsales personnel are paid 11⁄2 times the regular rate for all hours in excess of 40 hours perweek. The social security tax rate is 6.0% on the first $100,000 of each employee’s annualearnings, and Medicare tax is 1.5% of each employee’s annual earnings. The next payrollcheck to be used is No. 981.

Instructions1. Prepare a payroll register for Iris Publishing Co. for the week ended December 7, 2008.

Use the following columns for the payroll register: Total Hours Worked, Regular Hours,Overtime Hours, Social Security Tax, Medicare Tax, Federal Income Tax, U.S. SavingsBonds, Total Deductions, Net Pay, Ck. No., Salaries Expense, and Office Salaries Expense.

2. Journalize the entry to record the payroll for the week.

The following accounts, with the balances indicated, appear in the ledger of Yosemite Out-door Equipment Company on December 1 of the current year:

211 Salaries Payable — 218 Bond Deductions Payable $ 2,000212 Social Security Tax Payable $5,888 219 Medical Insurance Payable 2,400213 Medicare Tax Payable 1,550 611 Sales Salaries Expense 685,900214 Employees Federal Income Tax Payable 9,555 711 Officers Salaries Expense 326,400215 Employees State Income Tax Payable 9,297 712 Office Salaries Expense 124,000216 State Unemployment Tax Payable 1,000 719 Payroll Tax Expense 88,858217 Federal Unemployment Tax Payable 280

The following transactions relating to payroll, payroll deductions, and payroll taxes occurredduring December:

Dec. 1. Issued Check No. 728 to Pico Insurance Company for $2,400, in payment of thesemiannual premium on the group medical insurance policy.

2. Issued Check No. 729 to First National Bank for $16,993, in payment for $5,888of social security tax, $1,550 of Medicare tax, and $9,555 of employees’ federalincome tax due.

3. Issued Check No. 730 for $2,000 to First National Bank to purchase U.S. savingsbonds for employees.

14. Journalized the entry to record the biweekly payroll. A summary of the payrollrecord follows:


Deductions:Social security tax $ 2,827Medicare tax 771Federal income tax withheld 9,149State income tax withheld 2,313Savings bond deductions 1,000Medical insurance deductions 400 16,460

Net amount $34,940


1. Total net amountpayable, $6,508.96

PR 11-6APayroll accounts and year-end entries

objs. 2, 3, 4

(continued)


Dec. 14. Issued Check No. 738 in payment of the net amount of the biweekly payroll.14. Journalized the entry to record payroll taxes on employees’ earnings of December

14: social security tax, $2,827; Medicare tax, $771; state unemployment tax, $250;federal unemployment tax, $55.

17. Issued Check No. 744 to First National Bank for $16,345, in payment for $5,654of social security tax, $1,542 of Medicare tax, and $9,149 of employees’ federalincome tax due.


28. Issued Check No. 782 for the net amount of the biweekly payroll.28. Journalized the entry to record payroll taxes on employees’ earnings of December

28: social security tax, $2,808; Medicare tax, $780; state unemployment tax, $120;federal unemployment tax, $30.

30. Issued Check No. 791 for $13,950 to First National Bank, in payment of employees’state income tax due on December 31.

30. Issued Check No. 792 to First National Bank for $2,000 to purchase U.S. savingsbonds for employees.

31. Paid $55,700 to the employee pension plan. The annual pension cost is $65,000.(Record both the payment and the unfunded pension liability.)

Instructions1. Journalize the transactions.2. Journalize the following adjusting entries on December 31:

a. Salaries accrued: sales salaries, $3,150; officers salaries, $1,500; office salaries, $550. Thepayroll taxes are immaterial and are not accrued.

b. Vacation pay, $13,200.


Deductions:Social security tax $ 2,808Medicare tax 780Federal income tax withheld 9,256State income tax withheld 2,340Savings bond deductions 1,000 16,184

Net amount $35,816


Problems Series B

The following items were selected from among the transactions completed by Silver Moun-tain Stores Co. during the current year:

Feb. 15. Purchased merchandise on account from Ranier Co., $120,000, terms n/30.Mar. 17. Issued a 30-day, 5% note for $120,000 to Ranier Co., on account.Apr. 16. Paid Ranier Co. the amount owed on the note of March 17.July 15. Borrowed $180,000 from United Bank, issuing a 90-day, 6% note.

25. Purchased tools by issuing a $135,000, 120-day note to Sun Supply Co., whichdiscounted the note at the rate of 7%.

Oct. 13. Paid United Bank the interest due on the note of July 15 and renewed the loanby issuing a new 30-day, 9% note for $180,000. (Journalize both the debit andcredit to the notes payable account.)

Nov. 12. Paid United Bank the amount due on the note of October 13.22. Paid Sun Supply Co. the amount due on the note of July 25.

Dec. 1. Purchased office equipment from Valley Equipment Co. for $40,000, paying$10,000 and issuing a series of ten 6% notes for $3,000 each, coming due at 30-day intervals.

17. Settled a product liability lawsuit with a customer for $56,000, payable in January.Silver Mountain accrued the loss in a litigation claims payable account.

PR 11-1BLiability transactions

objs. 1, 5


Dec. 31. Paid the amount due Valley Equipment Co. on the first note in the series issuedon December 1.

Instructions1. Journalize the transactions.2. Journalize the adjusting entry for each of the following accrued expenses at the end of

the current year: (a) product warranty cost, $21,410; (b) interest on the nine remainingnotes owed to Valley Equipment Co.

The following information about the payroll for the week ended December 30 was obtainedfrom the records of Plumb Line Supply Co.:

Instructions1. Assuming that the payroll for the last week of the year is to be paid on December 31,

journalize the following entries:a. December 30, to record the payroll.b. December 30, to record the employer’s payroll taxes on the payroll to be paid on

December 31. Of the total payroll for the last week of the year, $15,000 is subject tounemployment compensation taxes.

2. Assuming that the payroll for the last week of the year is to be paid on January 5 of thefollowing fiscal year, journalize the following entries:a. December 30, to record the payroll.b. January 5, to record the employer’s payroll taxes on the payroll to be paid on January 5.

Daisy Dairy Co. began business on January 2, 2007. Salaries were paid to employees on thelast day of each month, and social security tax, Medicare tax, and federal income tax werewithheld in the required amounts. An employee who is hired in the middle of the monthreceives half the monthly salary for that month. All required payroll tax reports were filed,and the correct amount of payroll taxes was remitted by the company for the calendar year.Early in 2008, before the Wage and Tax Statements (Form W-2) could be prepared for dis-tribution to employees and for filing with the Social Security Administration, the employ-ees’ earnings records were inadvertently destroyed.

None of the employees resigned or were discharged during the year, and there wereno changes in salary rates. The social security tax was withheld at the rate of 6.0% on thefirst $100,000 of salary and Medicare tax at the rate of 1.5% on salary. Data on dates ofemployment, salary rates, and employees’ income taxes withheld, which are summarizedas follows, were obtained from personnel records and payroll records.

MonthlyIncome

Date First Monthly TaxEmployee Employed Salary Withheld

Alvarez Jan. 16 $9,600 $2,400Collins Nov. 1 2,500 375Felix Jan. 2 3,000 480Lydall July 16 4,400 792Penn Jan. 2 8,800 2,112Song May 1 5,100 918Walker Feb. 16 2,000 240

Salaries: Deductions:Sales salaries $162,400 Income tax withheld $52,800Warehouse salaries 54,200 Social security tax withheld 16,200Office salaries 83,400 Medicare tax withheld 4,500

$300,000 U.S. savings bonds 6,500Group insurance 5,600

$85,600

Tax rates assumed:Social security, 6% on first $100,000 of employee annual earningsMedicare, 1.5%State unemployment (employer only), 4.2%Federal unemployment (employer only), 0.8%


PR 11-2BEntries for payroll and payroll taxes

objs. 2, 3

1. (b) Dr. Payroll Tax Expense, $21,450

PR 11-3BWage and tax statement data on employer FICA tax

objs. 2, 3

2. (e) $27,397


PR 11-6BPayroll accounts and year-end entries

objs. 2, 3, 4

PR 11-4BPayroll register

objs. 2, 33. Dr. Payroll Tax

Expense, $654.32

Instructions1. Calculate the amounts to be reported on each employee’s Wage and Tax Statement (Form

W-2) for 2007, arranging the data in the following form:

2. Calculate the following employer payroll taxes for the year: (a) social security; (b) Medicare;(c) state unemployment compensation at 4.8% on the first $7,000 of each employee’s earn-ings; (d) federal unemployment compensation at 0.8% on the first $7,000 of each em-ployee’s earnings; (e) total.

If the working papers correlating with this textbook are not used, omit Problem 11-4B.

The payroll register for Irish Heritage Stores Co. for the week ended December 12, 2008, ispresented in the working papers.

Instructions1. Journalize the entry to record the payroll for the week.2. Journalize the entry to record the issuance of the checks to employees.3. Journalize the entry to record the employer’s payroll taxes for the week. Assume the fol-

lowing tax rates: state unemployment, 3.6%; federal unemployment, 0.8%. Of the earn-ings, $850 is subject to unemployment taxes.

4. Journalize the entry to record a check issued on December 15 to Second National Bankin payment of employees’ income taxes, $1,402.06, social security taxes, $987.06, andMedicare taxes, $246.78.

The following data for Center Pointe Co. relate to the payroll for the week ended December7, 2008:

AccumulatedHours Hourly Weekly Federal U.S. Savings Earnings,

Employee Worked Rate Salary Income Tax Bonds Nov. 30

M 52 $36.00 $480.24 $50 $ 82,600N $1,200.00 258.00 57,600O 38 16.00 115.52 25 29,184P 44 18.50 178.71 38,700Q 40 20.00 168.00 15 40,500R 2,400.00 576.00 100 115,200S 32 22.00 105.60 12,600T 46 28.00 301.84 40 64,200U 40 18.00 144.00 20 35,600

Employees N and R are office staff, and all of the other employees are sales personnel. Allsales personnel are paid 11⁄2 times the regular rate for all hours in excess of 40 hours perweek. The social security tax rate is 6.0% on the first $100,000 of each employee’s annualearnings, and Medicare tax is 1.5% of each employee’s annual earnings. The next payrollcheck to be used is No. 818.

Instructions1. Prepare a payroll register for Center Pointe Co. for the week ended December 7, 2008.

Use the following columns for the payroll register: Total Hours Worked, Regular Hours,Overtime Hours, Social Security Tax, Medicare Tax, Federal Income Tax, U.S. SavingsBonds, Total Deductions, Net Pay, Ck. No., Salaries Expense, and Office Salaries Expense.

2. Journalize the entry to record the payroll for the week.

The following accounts, with the balances indicated, appear in the ledger of Bonnie’s GiftsCo. on December 1 of the current year:

Gross Federal Income Social Security Medicare TaxEmployee Earnings Tax Withheld Tax Withheld Withheld


PR 11-5BPayroll register

objs. 2, 3

1. Total net amount payable, $7,503.36


211 Salaries Payable — 218 Bond Deductions Payable $ 3,000212 Social Security Tax Payable $ 8,032 219 Medical Insurance Payable 24,000213 Medicare Tax Payable 2,114 611 Operations Salaries Expense 850,000214 Employees Federal Income Tax Payable 13,035 711 Officers Salaries Expense 560,000215 Employees State Income Tax Payable 12,682 712 Office Salaries Expense 140,000216 State Unemployment Tax Payable 1,400 719 Payroll Tax Expense 121,506217 Federal Unemployment Tax Payable 400

The following transactions relating to payroll, payroll deductions, and payroll taxes occurredduring December:

Dec. 2. Issued Check No. 728 for $3,000 to First National Bank to purchase U.S. savingsbonds for employees.

3. Issued Check No. 729 to First National Bank for $23,181, in payment of $8,032of social security tax, $2,114 of Medicare tax, and $13,035 of employees’ federalincome tax due.


14. Issued Check No. 738 in payment of the net amount of the biweekly payroll.14. Journalized the entry to record payroll taxes on employees’ earnings of December

14: social security tax, $3,931; Medicare tax, $1,053; state unemployment tax,$290; federal unemployment tax, $84.

17. Issued Check No. 744 to First National Bank for $22,464, in payment of $7,862of social security tax, $2,106 of Medicare tax, and $12,496 of employees’ federalincome tax due.

18. Issued Check No. 750 to Pico Insurance Company for $24,000, in payment ofthe semiannual premium on the group medical insurance policy.


28. Issued Check No. 782 in payment of the net amount of the biweekly payroll.

Salary distribution:Operations $39,000Officers 26,000Office 6,400 $71,400

Deductions:Social security tax $ 3,856Medicare tax 1,071Federal income tax withheld 12,709State income tax withheld 3,213Savings bond deductions 1,500 22,349

Net amount $49,051

Salary distribution:Operations $38,500Officers 25,500Office 6,200 $70,200

Deductions:Social security tax $ 3,931Medicare tax 1,053Federal income tax withheld 12,496State income tax withheld 3,159Savings bond deductions 1,500Medical insurance deductions 4,000 26,139

Net amount $44,061


(continued)


5. Total assets, $1,423,535

Dec. 28. Journalized the entry to record payroll taxes on employees’ earnings of December28: social security tax, $3,856; Medicare tax, $1,071; state unemployment tax,$155; federal unemployment tax, $38.

30. Issued Check No. 791 to First National Bank for $3,000 to purchase U.S. savingsbonds for employees.

30. Issued Check No. 792 for $19,054 to First National Bank in payment of employees’state income tax due on December 31.

31. Paid $43,000 to the employee pension plan. The annual pension cost is $45,000.(Record both the payment and unfunded pension liability.)

Instructions1. Journalize the transactions.2. Journalize the following adjusting entries on December 31:

a. Salaries accrued: operations salaries, $3,900; officers salaries, $2,600; office salaries,$640. The payroll taxes are immaterial and are not accrued.

b. Vacation pay, $12,650.


Selected transactions completed by Hirata Company during its first fiscal year ending De-cember 31 were as follows:

Jan. 2. Issued a check to establish a petty cash fund of $1,400.Mar. 1. Replenished the petty cash fund, based on the following summary of petty cash

receipts: office supplies, $678; miscellaneous selling expense, $389; miscellaneousadministrative expense, $245.

Apr. 5. Purchased $12,000 of merchandise on account, terms 1/10, n/30. The perpetualinventory system is used to account for inventory.

May 5. Paid the invoice of April 5 after the discount period had passed.10. Received cash from daily cash sales for $7,755. The amount indicated by the

cash register was $7,775.June 2. Received a 60-day, 8.4% note for $60,000 on the Stevens account.Aug. 1. Received amount owed on June 2 note, plus interest at the maturity date.

3. Received $2,300 on the Jacobs account and wrote off the remainder owed on a$2,500 accounts receivable balance. (The allowance method is used in account-ing for uncollectible receivables.)

28. Reinstated the Jacobs account written off on August 3 and received $200 cash infull payment.

Sept. 2. Purchased land by issuing a $250,000, 90-day note to Ace Development Co.,which discounted it at 8%.

Oct. 2. Sold office equipment in exchange for $55,000 cash plus receipt of a $25,000,120-day, 6% note. The equipment had cost $96,000 and had accumulated depre-ciation of $10,000 as of October 1.

Nov. 30. Journalized the monthly payroll for November, based on the following data:

Salaries Deductions

Sales salaries $58,200 Income tax withheld $15,804Office salaries 29,600 Social security tax

$87,800 withheld 5,120Medicare tax withheld 1,317

Unemployment tax rates:State unemployment 3.8%Federal unemployment 0.8%

Amount subject to unemployment taxes:State unemployment $2,000Federal unemployment 2,000

Comprehensive Problem 3


Nov. 30. Journalized the employer’s payroll taxes on the payroll.Dec. 1. Journalized the payment of the September 2 note at maturity.

30. The pension cost for the year was $65,000, of which $57,450 was paid to thepension plan trustee.

Instructions1. Journalize the selected transactions.2. Based on the following data, prepare a bank reconciliation for December of the current

year:a. Balance according to the bank statement at December 31, $123,200.b. Balance according to the ledger at December 31, $108,680.c. Checks outstanding at December 31, $27,450.d. Deposit in transit, not recorded by bank, $12,450.e. Bank debit memorandum for service charges, $280.f. A check for $330 in payment of an invoice was incorrectly recorded in the accounts

as $130.3. Based on the bank reconciliation prepared in (2), journalize the entry or entries to be

made by Hirata Company.4. Based on the following selected data, journalize the adjusting entries as of December 31

of the current year:a. Estimated uncollectible accounts at December 31, $6,490, based on an aging of ac-

counts receivable. The balance of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts at December 31was $600 (debit).

b. The physical inventory on December 31 indicated an inventory shrinkage of $1,320.c. Prepaid insurance expired during the year, $9,850.d. Office supplies used during the year, $1,580.e. Depreciation is computed as follows:

f. A patent costing $18,600 when acquired on January 2 has a remaining legal life of nineyears and is expected to have value for six years.

g. The cost of mineral rights was $185,000. Of the estimated deposit of 333,000 tons ofore, 22,500 tons were mined during the year.

h. Vacation pay expense for December, $4,400.i. A product warranty was granted beginning December 1 and covering a one-year

period. The estimated cost is 2.5% of sales, which totaled $796,000 in December.j. Interest was accrued on the note receivable received on October 2.

5. Based on the following information and the post-closing trial balance shown on the fol-lowing page, prepare a balance sheet in report form at December 31 of the current year.

The merchandise inventory is stated at cost by the LIFO method.

The product warranty payable is a current liability.

Vacation pay payable:Current liability $3,000Long-term liability 1,400

The unfunded pension liability is a long-term liability.

Notes payable:Current liability $25,000Long-term liability 75,000

DepreciationResidual Acquisition Useful Life Method

Asset Cost Value Date in Years Used

Buildings $380,000 $ 0 January 2 50 Straight-lineOffice Equip. 90,000 14,000 October 2 5 Straight-lineStore Equip. 45,000 10,000 January 3 8 Double-declining-balance

(at twice thestraight-line rate)



6. On February 7 of the following year, the merchandise inventory was destroyed by fire.Based on the following data obtained from the accounting records, estimate the cost ofthe merchandise destroyed:

Jan. 1 Merchandise inventory $140,600Jan. 1–Feb. 7 Purchases (net) 38,000Jan. 1–Feb. 7 Sales (net) 68,000Estimated gross profit rate 40%

Hirata CompanyPost-Closing Trial Balance

December 31, 2007

Debit CreditBalances Balances

Petty Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,400Cash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108,200Notes Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,000Accounts Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202,300Allowance for Doubtful Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,490Merchandise Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140,600Interest Receivable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375Prepaid Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,700Office Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,100Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245,000Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380,000Accumulated Depreciation—Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,600Office Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90,000Accumulated Depreciation—Office Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,800Store Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45,000Accumulated Depreciation—Store Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,250Mineral Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185,000Accumulated Depletion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,500Patents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,500Social Security Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,910Medicare Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,700Employees Federal Income Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,887State Unemployment Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Federal Unemployment Tax Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Salaries Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90,000Accounts Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125,300Interest Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,000Product Warranty Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,900Vacation Pay Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,400Unfunded Pension Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,550Notes Payable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100,000J. Goll, Capital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,044,837

1,465,175 1,465,175


Dan Lanier is a certified public accountant (CPA) and staff accountant for Baker and Lin,a local CPA firm. It had been the policy of the firm to provide a holiday bonus equal to twoweeks’ salary to all employees. The firm’s new management team announced on Novem-ber 25 that a bonus equal to only one week’s salary would be made available to employeesthis year. Dan thought that this policy was unfair because he and his coworkers plannedon the full two-week bonus. The two-week bonus had been given for 10 straight years, soit seemed as though the firm had breached an implied commitment. Thus, Dan decided

Special Activities

SA 11-1Ethics and professionalconduct in business


SA 11-2Recognizing pension expense

SA 11-3Executive bonuses and accounting methods

SA 11-4Ethics and professional conduct in business


that he would make up the lost bonus week by working an extra six hours of overtime perweek over the next five weeks until the end of the year. Baker and Lin’s policy is to payovertime at 150% of straight time.

Dan’s supervisor was surprised to see overtime being reported, since there is generallyvery little additional or unusual client service demands at the end of the calendar year.However, the overtime was not questioned, since firm employees are on the “honor sys-tem” in reporting their overtime.

Discuss whether the firm is acting in an ethical manner by changing the bonus. IsDan behaving in an ethical manner?

The annual examination of Eclipse Company’s financial statements by its external publicaccounting firm (auditors) is nearing completion. The following conversation took placebetween the controller of Eclipse Company (Greg) and the audit manager from the publicaccounting firm (Latiffah).

Latiffah: You know, Greg, we are about to wrap up our audit for this fiscal year. Yet, thereis one item still to be resolved.

Greg: What’s that?Latiffah: Well, as you know, at the beginning of the year, Eclipse began a defined benefit

pension plan. This plan promises your employees an annual payment when they retire,using a formula based on their salaries at retirement and their years of service. I believethat a pension expense should be recognized this year, equal to the amount of pensionearned by your employees.

Greg: Wait a minute. I think you have it all wrong. The company doesn’t have a pensionexpense until it actually pays the pension in cash when the employee retires. After all,some of these employees may not reach retirement, and if they don’t, the companydoesn’t owe them anything.

Latiffah: You’re not really seeing this the right way. The pension is earned by your em-ployees during their working years. You actually make the payment much later—whenthey retire. It’s like one long accrual—much like incurring wages in one period and pay-ing them in the next. Thus, I think that you should recognize the expense in the periodthe pension is earned by the employees.

Greg: Let me see if I’ve got this straight. I should recognize an expense this period for some-thing that may or may not be paid to the employees in 20 or 30 years, when they finallyretire. How am I supposed to determine what the expense is for the current year? Theamount of the final retirement depends on many uncertainties: salary levels, employeelongevity, mortality rates, and interest earned on investments to fund the pension. I don’tthink that an amount can be determined, even if I accepted your arguments.

Evaluate Latiffah’s position. Is she right or is Greg correct?

Troy Rogers, the owner of Rogers Trucking Company, initiated an executive bonus plan forhis chief executive officer (CEO). The new plan provides a bonus to the CEO equal to 3%of the income before taxes. Upon learning of the new bonus arrangement, the CEO issuedinstructions to change the company’s accounting for trucks. The CEO has asked the con-troller to make the following two changes:

a. Change from the double-declining-balance method to the straight-line method of depre-ciation.

b. Add 50% to the useful lives of all trucks.

Why did the CEO ask for these changes? How would you respond to the CEO’srequest?

Connor Lang was discussing summer employment with Jarrod McIntyre, president ofAzalea Landscaping Service:

Jarrod: I’m glad that you’re thinking about joining us for the summer. We could certainlyuse the help.

(continued)


SA 11-5Payroll forms

SA 11-6Contingent liabilities

Connor: Sounds good. I enjoy outdoor work, and I could use the money to help with nextyear’s school expenses.

Jarrod: I’ve got a plan that can help you out on that. As you know, I’ll pay you $12 per hour,but in addition, I’d like to pay you with cash. Since you’re only working for the sum-mer, it really doesn’t make sense for me to go to the trouble of formally putting you onour payroll system. In fact, I do some jobs for my clients on a strictly cash basis, so itwould be easy to just pay you that way.

Connor: Well, that’s a bit unusual, but I guess money is money.Jarrod: Yeah, not only that, it’s tax-free!Connor: What do you mean?Jarrod: Didn’t you know? Any money that you receive in cash is not reported to the IRS on

a W-2 form; therefore, the IRS doesn’t know about the income—hence, it’s the same astax-free earnings.

a. Why does Jarrod McIntyre want to conduct business transactions using cash (notcheck or credit card)?

b. How should Connor respond to Jarrod’s suggestion?

Payroll accounting involves the use of government-supplied forms to account for payrolltaxes. Three common forms are the W-2, Form 940, and Form 941. Form a team with threeof your classmates and retrieve copies of each of these forms. They may be obtained froma local IRS office, a library, or downloaded from the Internet at http://www.irs.gov (go toforms and publications).

Briefly describe the purpose of each of the three forms.

Altria Group, Inc., has over eight pages dedicated to describing contingent liabilities in thenotes to recent financial statements. These pages include extensive descriptions of multiplecontingent liabilities. Use the Internet to research Altria Group, Inc., at http://www.altria.com.

a. What are the major business units of Altria Group?b. Based on your understanding of this company, why would Altria Group require eight

pages of contingency disclosure?


Answers to Self-Examination Questions

4. D The amount of net pay of $1,385.50 (answer D) isdetermined as follows:

5. D The employer incurs an expense for social securitytax (answer A), federal unemployment compensationtax (answer B), and state unemployment compensa-tion tax (answer C). The employees’ federal income tax(answer D) is not an expense of the employer. It iswithheld from the employees’ earnings.

Gross pay:40 hours at $40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,600.005 hours at $60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300.00 $1,900.00

Deductions:Federal income

tax withheld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 450.00FICA:

Social security tax($600 � 0.06) . . . . . . $36.00

Medicare tax($1,900 � 0.015) . . . . 28.50 64.50 514.50

$1,385.50

1. C The maturity value is $5,100, determined as fol-lows:

2. B The net amount available to a borrower from dis-counting a note payable is called the proceeds. Theproceeds of $4,900 (answer B) is determined as follows:

3. B Employers are usually required to withhold a por-tion of their employees’ earnings for payment of fed-eral income taxes (answer A), Medicare tax (answerC), and state and local income taxes (answer D). Gen-erally, federal unemployment compensation taxes (an-swer B) are levied against the employer only and thusare not deducted from employee earnings.

Face amount of note $5,000Less discount ($5,000 � 12% � 60/360) 100Proceeds $4,900

Face amount of note $5,000Plus interest ($5,000 � 12% � 60/360) 100Maturity value $5,100

Group Project

Internet Project

Internet Project


Chapter 11

Documents

Transcript of Chapter 11