What is the difference between a perpetual inventory and a physical inventory? If a company maintains a perpetual inventory, should its physical inventory at any date be equal to the amount indicated by the perpetual inventory records? Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Perpetual and periodic inventory are the two inventory systems for controlling inventory. The balance under these two inventories would often differ.

Step by step solution

01

Difference between the perpetual inventory and physical inventory

Basis of difference

Perpetual Inventory

Periodic Inventory

1. Definition

A perpetual inventory is a process of keeping track of inventories continuously.

Periodic inventory keeps checking on inventory after a period like annually.

2. Accounting

Under perpetual inventory, the inventory account is maintained for all purchases and issues.

Under periodic inventory, only the purchase account is maintained.

3. COGS

The cost of goods sold is recorded for each sale.

The cost of goods sold is recorded only at the end of the period.

4. Ending inventory

Ending inventory is the balance of the inventory account.

Ending inventory is determined by physical inspection.

02

Difference in amount under two inventory systems

Under perpetual inventory, inventory is updated after every inventory or inventory-related transaction. But in reality, inventory may be lost due to spoilage, theft, or breakage.

On physical inspection, such loss is identified. So there remains a difference between the perpetual and physical inventory, which is adjusted through the “inventory over and short” account.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Specific identification is sometimes said to be the ideal method of assigning a cost to inventory and to the cost of goods sold. Briefly indicate the arguments for and againstthis method of inventory valuation.

Norman’s Televisions produces television sets in three categories: portable, midsize, and flat-screen. On January 1, 2017, Norman adopted dollar-value LIFO and decided to use a single inventory pool. The company’sJanuary 1 inventory consists of:

Category Quantity Cost per Unit Total Cost

Portable 6,000 \(100 \) 600,000

Midsize 8,000 250 2,000,000

Flat-screen 3,000 400 1,200,000

17,000 \(3,800,000

During 2017, the company had the following purchases and sales.

QuantitySelling Price

Category Purchased Cost per Unit Sold per Unit

Portable 15,000 \)110 14,000 $150

Midsize 20,000 300 24,000 405

Flat-screen 10,000 500 6,000 600

45,000 44,000

Instructions

(Round to four decimals.)

(a) Compute ending inventory, cost of goods sold, and gross profit.

(b) Assume the company uses three inventory pools instead of one. Repeat instruction (a).

Dimitri Company, a manufacturer of small tools, provided the following information from its accounting records for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Inventory at December 31, 2017 (based on physical count of goods in Dimitri’s plant, at cost, on December 31, 2017) \(1,520,000

Accounts payable at December 31, 2017 1,200,000

Net sales (sales less sales returns) 8,150,000

Additional information is as follows.

1. Included in the physical count were tools billed to a customer f.o.b. shipping point on December 31, 2017. These tools had a cost of \)31,000 and were billed at \(40,000. The shipment was on Dimitri’s loading dock waiting to be picked up by the common carrier.

2. Goods were in transit from a vendor to Dimitri on December 31, 2017. The invoice cost was \)76,000, and the goods were shipped f.o.b. shipping point on December 29, 2017.

3. Work in process inventory costing \(30,000 was sent to an outside processor for plating on December 30, 2017.

4. Tools returned by customers and held pending inspection in the returned goods area on December 31, 2017, were not included in the physical count. On January 8, 2018, the tools costing \)32,000 were inspected and returned to inventory. Credit memos totaling \(47,000 were issued to the customers on the same date.

5. Tools shipped to a customer f.o.b. destination on December 26, 2017, were in transit at December 31, 2017, and had a cost of \)26,000. Upon notification of receipt by the customer on January 2, 2018, Dimitri issued a sales invoice for \(42,000.

6. Goods, with an invoice cost of \)27,000, received from a vendor at 5:00 p.m. on December 31, 2017, were recorded on a receiving report dated January 2, 2018. The goods were not included in the physical count, but the invoice was included in accounts payable at December 31, 2017.

7. Goods received from a vendor on December 26, 2017, were included in the physical count. However, the related \(56,000 vendor invoice was not included in accounts payable at December 31, 2017, because the accounts payable copy of the receiving report was lost.

8. On January 3, 2018, a monthly freight bill in the amount of \)8,000 was received. The bill specifically related to merchandise purchased in December 2017, one-half of which was still in the inventory at December 31, 2017. The freight charges were not included in either the inventory or in accounts payable at December 31, 2017.

Instructions

Using the format shown below, prepare a schedule of adjustments as of December 31, 2017, to the initial amounts per Dimitri’s accounting records. Show separately the effect, if any, of each of the eight transactions on the December 31, 2017, amounts. If the transactions would have no effect on the initial amount shown, enter NONE.

Accounts Net

Inventory Payable Sales

Initial amounts \(1,520,000 \)1,200,000 \(8,150,000

Adjustments—increase

(decrease)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Total adjustments

Adjusted amounts \) \( \)

What is a repurchase agreement (product financing) arrangement? How should a product repurchase agreement be reported in the financial statements?

Ehlo Company is a multiproduct firm. Presented below is information concerning one of its products, the Hawkeye.

Date Transaction Quantity Price/Cost

1/1 Beginning inventory 1,000 $12

2/4 Purchase 2,000 18

2/20 Sale 2,500 30

4/2 Purchase 3,000 23

11/4 Sale 2,200 33

Instructions

Compute cost of goods sold, assuming Ehlo uses:

(a) Periodic system, FIFO cost flow. (d) Perpetual system, LIFO cost flow.

(b) Perpetual system, FIFO cost flow. (e) Periodic system, weighted-average

cost flow.

(c) Periodic system, LIFO cost flow. (f) Perpetual system, moving-average

cost flow.

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