Revised Summer 2016 Chapter Review
Page 5 of 23
Methods for Estimating the Uncollectible Amount
In the period of sale, the customer that eventually will not pay, the amount that will not
be paid and the period in which the customer’s account will become uncollectible cannot
be determined. Therefore, the uncollectible accounts expense must be estimated at the
end of each accounting period.
Percentage of Sales Method
The Percent of Sales Method uses one income statement account, Sales, to estimate the
change in another income statement account, Bad Debt Expense, for the period. This is
the amount of the required adjusting entry. This method is typically used by businesses
with a large number of customers with relatively uniform accounts receivable balances.
The balance in the Allowance account is the balance in the ledger before adjustment
plus the adjusting entry for bad debt expense.
The bad debt expense for the period is calculated by multiplying the uncollectible
percentage times the credit sales in the period to determine the uncollectible accounts
expense for the period. This will be the amount of the adjusting entry.
Example #2
Uncollectible accounts expense is estimated at ¼ of 1% of net sales of $4,000,000 for
the year. The current balance in Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is $300 credit.