Is prepaid expense an asset or liability?

A prepaid expense is a type of asset on the balance sheet that results from a business making advanced payments for goods or services to be received in the future. Prepaid expenses are initially recorded as assets, but their value is expensed over time onto the income statement.

How do you record a prepaid expense?

When first recording the prepaid expense entry, you should debit the asset account for the amount paid and subtract the same amount from your cash account. Using the above example, you would add $6,000 in assets to your prepaid insurance account and credit $6,000 from your cash account.

Where are prepaid expenses on balance sheet?

Most prepaid expenses appear on the balance sheet as a current asset, unless the expense is not to be incurred until after 12 months, which is a rarity.

What is considered a prepaid expense?

Prepaid expenses are future expenses that have been paid in advance. In other words, prepaid expenses are costs that have been paid but are not yet used up or have not yet expired. As the amount expires, the current asset is reduced and the amount of the reduction is reported as an expense on the income statement.

Why is prepaid expense a liability?

Prepaid Expenses Versus Accrued Expenses The key difference is that prepaid expenses are reported as a current asset on the balance sheet and accrued expenses as current liabilities. A prepaid expense means a company has made an advance payment for goods or services, which it will use at a future date.

What is the double entry for prepaid expense?

To recognize prepaid expenses that become actual expenses, use adjusting entries. As you use the prepaid item, decrease your Prepaid Expense account and increase your actual Expense account. To do this, debit your Expense account and credit your Prepaid Expense account. This creates a prepaid expense adjusting entry.

Can a prepaid expense be a non current asset?

These prepaid expenses are those a business uses or depletes within a year of purchase, such as insurance, rent, or taxes. Until the benefit of the purchase is realized, prepaid expenses are listed on the balance sheet as a current asset.

How do you account for prepaid?

Can a prepaid expense be noncurrent?

As the asset is consumed, it is removed from the balance sheet and expensed through the income statement via retained earnings. If a company does not consume the prepaid expense within twelve months of payment, it will be reported under long-term or non-current assets.