Adjusting Entry for Unearned Revenue

Unearned revenue, also calls deferred revenues, is a liability account because it represents the revenue that is not yet earned. After all, the services or products are not yet delivered to the customer. Unearned revenue is a liability account which its normal balance is on the credit side. The amount of unearned revenue in this journal entry represents the obligation that the company has yet to perform.

Creating and adjusting journal entries for unearned revenue will be easier if your business uses the accrual accounting method, of which the revenue recognition principle is a cornerstone. Every month, once James receives his mystery boxes, Beeker’s will remove $40 from unearned revenue and convert it to revenue instead, as James is now in possession of the goods he purchased. At the end of the six months, all unearned revenue has converted into revenue, since all money received accounts for the six mystery boxes that have been paid for. Because of the payment to the customer back, which the company owes to the customer, unearned revenue is recognized as a current liability. Creating and adjusting journal entries for unearned revenue will be easier if your business uses the accrual accounting method when recording transactions.

• And so, unearned revenue should not be included as income yet; rather, it is recorded as a liability.
• Let’s look at how this works under the different accounting systems.
• What happens when a business receives payments from customers before a service has been provided?
• It also includes companies that provide software on a subscription basis, as well as fitness centers, food delivery services, etc.

Only when the company has fulfilled the entirety of its obligations, and has moved unearned revenues to revenues, can that money be included in the income statement. Accounting for unearned revenueUnearned revenue is usually classified as a current liability for the business that receives it. When a business takes in unearned revenue, it must record the payment by debiting its cash account for the amount of money received in advance and crediting its unearned revenue account.

Example of Unearned Revenue

Following the accrual concept of accounting, unearned revenues are considered as liabilities. Businesses can profit greatly from unearned revenue as customers pay in advance to receive their products or services. The cash flow received from unearned, or deferred, payments can be invested right back into the business, perhaps through purchasing more inventory or paying off debt. Unearned revenue is most common among companies selling subscription-based products or other services that require prepayments. Classic examples include rent payments made in advance, prepaid insurance, legal retainers, airline tickets, prepayment for newspaper subscriptions, and annual prepayment for the use of software. There are several examples of unearned revenue, such as payments received for annual subscriptions, prepaid rental income, annual payments for software, and prepaid insurance.

• We listened to our customers and editing subscriptions in bulk just got easier.
• Thus, if it plows five times during the first month of the winter, it could reasonably justify recognizing 25% of the unearned revenue (calculated as 5/20).
• Unearned revenue is money that is received by a business before goods or services are provided.
• It’s also possible with some types of unearned income to defer tax liabilities to a later date.
• In terms of accounting for unearned revenue, let’s say a contractor quotes a client $5,000 to remodel a bathroom.

Unearned revenues help company’s owners or board members more easily determine its financial health for the immediate future. Additionally, companies with unearned revenue accounts can also show potential investors how much revenue they expect to earn in the upcoming period. Substantial unearned revenues demonstrate that customers trust the company, which further increases its value. Unearned revenue, also known as unearned income, deferred revenue, or deferred income, represents proceeds already collected but not yet earned.

What is Unearned Revenue in Accounting?

Until you “pay them back” in the form of the services owed, unearned revenue is listed as a liability to show that you have not yet provided the services. Likewise, after the July 31 adjusting entry, the remaining balance of unearned service revenue will be $3,000 (4,500 – 1,500). This balance will be zero at the end of September 2020 when the company completes the service it owes to the client.

Examples of Unearned Income

The recognition of unearned revenue relates to the early collection of cash payments from customers. After James pays the store this amount, he has not yet received his monthly boxes. Therefore, Beeker’s Mystery Boxes would record $240 as unearned revenue in their records.

Financial Accounting and Reporting for Deferred Revenue:

payroll entries is listed under “current liabilities.” It is part of the total current liabilities as well as total liabilities. Then, on February 28th, when you receive the cash, you credit accounts receivable to decrease its value while debiting the cash account to show that you have received the cash. Service providers are another example of businesses that typically deal with deferred revenue. For example, when you hire a contractor to renovate your house, the contractor generally wants at least some of the money up front. That money should be accounted for as deferred revenue until the job is complete — although the contractor can certainly use it to buy supplies to complete the job. Accurately recording your unearned revenue will help keep your books straight and provide valuable insights into the health of your business.

In simple terms, unearned revenue is the prepaid revenue from a customer to a business for goods or services that will be supplied in the future. It’s categorized as a current liability on a business’s balance sheet, a common financial statement in accounting. However, when the products or services are delivered to the customer, the company will reclassify the current revenue liability in the company’s income statement. Because of this nature of prepayments for the services to deliver, unearned revenue is not recognized as revenue and is recorded as a liability. This will debit the unearned revenue liability account and credit the revenue earned account in the income statement.

Perhaps the biggest impact would be inaccurate financial statements, with revenue totals overstated in the month when the prepayment is received, and understated in all subsequent months. The journal entry represents payment for the goods and services (editing) that you provided in the month of February. You’ll record the same journal entry for March and April as well.

The unearned revenue account declines, with the coinciding entry consisting of the increase in revenue. The term unearned income refers to any income that is not acquired through work. Put simply, unearned income is any money you earn by doing nothing.

Hence, the unearned revenue account represents the obligation that the company owes to its customers. The amount in this account will be transferred to revenue when the company fulfills its obligation by delivering goods or providing services to its customers. Real estate and insurance companies typically have the most unearned revenue, because they require their clients to pay upfront. Only after making the payment do clients gain access to the property or receive the necessary insurance.

Unearned revenue, sometimes referred to as deferred revenue, is payment received by a company from a customer for products or services that will be delivered at some point in the future. The term is used in accrual accounting, in which revenue is recognized only when the payment has been received by a company AND the products or services have not yet been delivered to the customer. Unearned revenue, sometimes referred to as deferred revenue, represents advance payments a company receives for goods or services that have not yet been provided. Using accrual accounting, or double-entry accounting, you’ll need to record unearned revenue as a liability. Maintenance services, lawn care, and household cleaning are the most popular. The customer either pays for the service in advance with a product purchase, or signs a contract for service to be provided over a period of time.

Examples of Unearned Revenue

Using our example, when the landscaping company receives its $200, it will debit its cash account in the amount of $200 and credit its unearned revenue account in the amount of $200. Once it provides the first lawn service, it will record a debit to its unearned revenue account in the amount of $40. At that point, its balance sheet will report the remaining liability in the amount of $160 and its income statement will report that $40 was earned. In other words, that $40 will be converted from unearned revenue to earned revenue.