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Chapter 6 · Workspace Adjusting the Accounts
Part II · Recording · Chapter 6

Adjusting the Accounts

Five adjustment families, one goal: state each account at its true period-end amount. Practice with a live depreciation calculator and adjustment scenarios beyond the book's.

▶ Open the Adjustments Cycle Workbench

A complete cycle for Lakan Consulting built around all five families of adjusting entries: prepaid insurance, supplies, depreciation, unearned revenue, accrued revenue, and accrued salaries. Post the routine month first, then watch each adjustment ripple through the ten-column worksheet and reshape the financial statements live.

Online-exclusive visual guides

1. The five families — sorted by cash timing

Every adjusting entry answers one question: did cash move BEFORE or AFTER the revenue/expense? (Depreciation is a special long-term deferral.)

FamilyCash moved…Adjustment patternIf you forget it…
Prepaid expenseBefore the expenseDr Expense · Cr Prepaid (asset)Assets overstated, expenses understated → income overstated
DepreciationBefore (at purchase)Dr Depreciation Expense · Cr Accumulated DepreciationAssets & income overstated
Unearned revenueBefore the revenueDr Unearned Revenue (liability) · Cr RevenueLiabilities overstated, revenue understated
Accrued expenseAfter the expenseDr Expense · Cr PayableLiabilities understated, income overstated
Accrued revenueAfter the revenueDr Receivable · Cr RevenueAssets & revenue understated

Pattern to memorize: every adjusting entry touches exactly ONE income-statement account and ONE balance-sheet account — and never Cash.

2. The deferral timeline — watching a prepayment melt

₱9,000 rent paid on April 1 covering April and May (₱4,500/month), asset method:

Apr 1
Dr Prepaid Rent 9,000 · Cr Cash 9,000 — the future benefit is 100% asset.
Apr 30 (AJE)
Dr Rent Expense 4,500 · Cr Prepaid Rent 4,500 — one month consumed. Asset left: ₱4,500.
May 31 (AJE)
Dr Rent Expense 4,500 · Cr Prepaid Rent 4,500 — asset fully melted to ₱0. Total expense recognized: ₱9,000 — matched to the months that used the space.

3. Depreciation in one line — straight-line, full-month convention

Monthly depreciation = (Cost − Residual value) ÷ Useful life in months

Full-month policy
A full month of depreciation is taken for the month of purchase regardless of the purchase date within the month (the book's convention).
Book value
Cost − Accumulated Depreciation. The asset account itself is never reduced directly — the contra account preserves the original cost.

Practice tools

Tool 1 · Straight-line depreciation calculator

Enter any asset profile — get the monthly AJE and a book-value check.

Tool 2 · Adjustment family sorter

Classify each year-end situation into its adjustment family.

Quiz · Twenty brand-new items