Palmer Co. is evaluating the appropriate accounting for the following items. 1. Management has decided to switch from the FIFO inventory valuation method to the LIFO inventory valuation method for all inventories. 2. When the year-end physical inventory adjustment was made for the current year, the controller discovered that the prior year’s physical inventory sheets for an entire warehouse were mislaid and excluded from last year’s count. 3. Palmer’s Custom Division manufactures large-scale, custom-designed machinery on a contract basis. Management decided to switch from the completed-contract method to the percentage-of-completion method of accounting for longterm contracts. Identify and explain whether each of the above items is a change in accounting principle, a change in estimate, or an error

Short Answer

Expert verified

The first part is a change in accounting principle, the second part is a change due to an error, and the third part is the change in accounting principle

Step by step solution

01

First Part

It is a change in accounting principles. In this case, the company is changing its policy of inventory valuation from FIFO to LIFO.

02

Second Part

It is a change due to an error. There was an error in recording the last year’s count.

03

Third Part

It is the change in accounting principles. The company is changing the accounting method from the completed-contract method to the percentage-of-completion method

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Simmons Corporation owns stock of Armstrong, Inc. Prior to 2017, the investment was accounted for using the equity method. In early 2017, Simmons sold part of its investment in Armstrong, and began using the fair value method. In 2017, Armstrong earned net income of \(80,000 and paid dividends of \)95,000. Prepare Simmons’s entries related to Armstrong’s net income and dividends, assuming Simmons now owns 10% of Armstrong’s stock.

The management of Utrillo Instrument Company had concluded, with the concurrence of its independent auditors, that results of operations would be more fairly presented if Utrillo changed its method of pricing inventory from last-in, first-out (LIFO) to average-cost in 2017. Given below is the 5-year summary of income under LIFO and a schedule of what the inventories would be if stated on the average-cost method.

UTRILLO INSTRUMENT COMPANY STATEMENT OF INCOME AND RETAINED EARNINGS FOR THE YEARS ENDED MAY 31 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Sales—net \(13,964 \)15,506 \(16,673 \)18,221 \(18,898 Cost of goods sold Beginning inventory 1,000 1,100 1,000 1,115 1,237 Purchases 13,000 13,900 15,000 15,900 17,100 Ending inventory (1,100) (1,000) (1,115) (1,237) (1,369) Total 12,900 14,000 14,885 15,778 16,968 Gross profi t 1,064 1,506 1,788 2,443 1,930 Administrative expenses 700 763 832 907 989 Income before taxes 364 743 956 1,536 941 Income taxes (50%) 182 372 478 768 471 Net income 182 371 478 768 470 Retained earnings—beginning 1,206 1,388 1,759 2,237 3,005 Retained earnings—ending \) 1,388 \( 1,759 \) 2,237 \( 3,005 \) 3,475 Earnings per share \(1.82 \)3.71 \(4.78 \)7.68 \(4.70 SCHEDULE OF INVENTORY BALANCES USING AVERAGE-COST METHOD FOR THE YEARS ENDED MAY 31 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 \)1,010 \(1,124 \)1,101 \(1,270 \)1,500 $1,720

Instructions Prepare comparative statements for the 5 years, assuming that Utrillo changed its method of inventory pricing to average-cost. Indicate the effects on net income and earnings per share for the years involved. Utrillo Instruments started business in 2012. (All amounts except EPS are rounded up to the nearest dollar.)

Holtzman Company is in the process of preparing its financial statements for 2017. Assume that no entries for depreciation have been recorded in 2017. The following information related to depreciation of fixed assets is provided to you.

1. Holtzman purchased equipment on January 2, 2014, for \(85,000. At that time, the equipment had an estimated useful life of 10 years with a \)5,000 salvage value. The equipment is depreciated on a straight-line basis. On January 2, 2017, as a result of additional information, the company determined that the equipment has a remaining useful life of 4 years with a \(3,000 salvage value.

2. During 2017, Holtzman changed from the double-declining-balance method for its building to the straight-line method. The building originally cost \)300,000. It had a useful life of 10 years and a salvage value of \(30,000. The following computations present depreciation on both bases for 2015 and 2016. 2016 2015 Straight-line \)27,000 \(27,000 Declining-balance 48,000 60,000

3. Holtzman purchased a machine on July 1, 2015, at a cost of \)120,000. The machine has a salvage value of \(16,000 and a useful life of 8 years. Holtzman’s bookkeeper recorded straight-line depreciation in 2015 and 2016 but failed to consider the salvage value.

Instructions (a) Prepare the journal entries to record depreciation expense for 2017 and correct any errors made to date related to the information provided. (Ignore taxes.)

(b) Show comparative net income for 2016 and 2017. Income before depreciation expense was \)300,000 in 2017, and was $310,000 in 2016. (Ignore taxes.)

You have been asked by a client to review the records of Roberts Company, a small manufacturer of precision tools and machines. Your client is interested in buying the business, and arrangements have been made for you to review the accounting records. Your examination reveals the following information.

1. Roberts Company commenced business on April 1, 2015, and has been reporting on a fiscal year ending March 31. The company has never been audited, but the annual statements prepared by the bookkeeper reflect the following income before closing and before deducting income taxes.

Year Ended March 31 Income Before Taxes

2016 \( 71,600

2017 111,400

2018 103,580

2. A relatively small number of machines have been shipped on consignment. These transactions have been recorded as ordinary sales and billed as such. On March 31 of each year, machines billed and in the hands of consignees amounted to:

2016 \)6,500

2017 none

2018 5,590

Sales price was determined by adding 25% to cost. Assume that the consigned machines are sold the following year.

3. On March 30, 2017, two machines were shipped to a customer on a C.O.D. basis. The sale was not entered until April 5, 2017, when cash was received for \(6,100. The machines were not included in the inventory at March 31, 2017. (Title passed on March 30, 2017.)

4. All machines are sold subject to a 5-year warranty. It is estimated that the expense ultimately to be incurred in connection with the warranty will amount to ½ of 1% of sales. The company has charged an expense account for warranty costs incurred. Sales per books and warranty costs were as follows.

Year Ended March 31 Sales Warranty Expense for Sales Made in

2016 2017 2018 Total

2016 \) 940,000 \(760 \) 760

2017 1,010,000 360 \(1,310 1,670

2018 1,795,000 320 1,620 \)1,910 3,850

Bad Debts Incurred on Sales Made in Bad Debt Expense 2016 2017 2018 Total Based on 1% of Receivables 2016 \(750 \) 750 \(2,334 2017 800 \) 520 1,320 2,557 2018 350 1,800 \(1,700 3,850 4,458

5. Bad debts have been recorded on a direct write-off basis. Experience of similar enterprises indicates that losses will approximate 1% of receivables. Bad debts written off were:

6. The bank deducts 6% on all contracts financed. Of this amount, ½% is placed in a reserve to the credit of Roberts Company that is refunded to Roberts as finance contracts are paid in full. (Thus, Roberts should have a receivable for these payments and should record revenue when the net balance is remitted each year.) The reserve established by the bank has not been reflected in the books of Roberts. The excess of credits over debits (net increase) to the reserve account with Roberts on the books of the bank for each fiscal year were as follows. 2016 \) 3,000 2017 3,900 2018 5,100 \(12,000

7. Commissions on sales have been entered when paid. Commissions payable on March 31 of each year were as follows. 2016 \)1,400 2017 900 2018 1,120

8. A review of the corporate minutes reveals the manager is entitled to a bonus of 1% of the income before deducting income taxes and the bonus. The bonuses have never been recorded or paid.

Instructions

(a) Present a schedule showing the revised income before income taxes for each of the years ended March 31, 2016, 2017, and 2018. (Make computations to the nearest whole dollar.)

(b) Prepare the journal entry or entries you would give the bookkeeper to correct the books. Assume the books have not yet been closed for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. Disregard correction of income taxes.

Question: (Analysis of Various Accounting Changes and Errors) Mathys Inc. has recently hired a new independent auditor, Karen Ogleby, who says she wants “to get everything straightened out.” Consequently, she has proposed the following accounting changes in connection with Mathys Inc.’s 2017 financial statements.

1. At December 31, 2016, the client had a receivable of \(820,000 from Hendricks Inc. on its balance sheet. Hendricks Inc. has gone bankrupt, and no recovery is expected. The client proposes to write off the receivable as a prior period item.

2. The client proposes the following changes in depreciation policies.

(a) For office furniture and fixtures, it proposes to change from a 10-year useful life to an 8-year life. If this change had been made in prior years, retained earnings at December 31, 2016, would have been \)250,000 less. The effect of the change on 2017 income alone is a reduction of \(60,000.

(b) For its new equipment in the leasing division, the client proposes to adopt the sum-of-the-years’-digits depreciation method. The client had never used SYD before. The first year the client operated a leasing division was 2017. If straight-line depreciation were used, 2017 income would be \)110,000 greater.

3. In preparing its 2016 statements, one of the client’s bookkeepers overstated ending inventory by \(235,000 because of a mathematical error. The client proposes to treat this item as a prior period adjustment.

4. In the past, the client has spread preproduction costs in its furniture division over 5 years. Because its latest furniture is of the “fad” type, it appears that the largest volume of sales will occur during the first 2 years after introduction. Consequently, the client proposes to amortize preproduction costs on a per-unit basis, which will result in expensing most of such costs during the first 2 years after the furniture’s introduction. If the new accounting method had been used prior to 2017, retained earnings at December 31, 2016, would have been \)375,000 less.

5. For the nursery division, the client proposes to switch from FIFO to LIFO inventories because it believes that LIFO will provide a better matching of current costs with revenues. The effect of making this change on 2017 earnings will be an increase of \(320,000. The client says that the effect of the change on December 31, 2016, retained earnings cannot be determined.

6. To achieve an appropriate recognition of revenues and expenses in its building construction division, the client proposes to switch from the completed-contract method of accounting to the percentage-of-completion method. Had the percentage-of-completion method been employed in all prior years, retained earnings at December 31, 2016, would have been \)1,075,000 greater.

Instructions

(a) For each of the changes described above, decide whether:

(1) The change involves an accounting principle, accounting estimate, or correction of an error.

(2) Restatement of opening retained earnings is required.

(b) What would be the proper adjustment to the December 31, 2016, retained earnings?

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