Accounting Transaction (Definition, Examples)

Accounting Transaction Definition

Accounting Transaction is a business activity or transaction which will have a monetary impact on the firm’s financial statement. This is based on basic and fundamental accounting equation which is the following:

Asset = Liabilities +Equity

Hence, we need to remember that if we are adding any accounting entry in our books, then a counter entry also needs to be entered to balance out the above equation. To keep track of these statements, accountants do ledger or journal accounting of each transaction. If an asset is increased then it goes down as debt, while an increase in an asset is known as credit in liability.

Types of Accounting Transactions

These transactions get a place in thousands of forms depends on the nature of the business, for example:

If a firm is selling goods/service to customers on cash or credit.
A firm is buying assets using cash.
Taking a loan from creditors.
Paying off debt to creditors.
Paying cash to suppliers upon receiving an invoice from them.

External and Internal Accounting Transactions Categories

Accounting Transactions can also be categorized in the below categories:

External Transactions: These kinds of transactions occur between two companies or organization. Since this is an intercompany transaction hence it involves monetary or asset exchange. Buying a good or raising debt from creditors are kind of examples for External Transactions.
Internal Transactions: These involve the process within the organizations. For example, reducing the value of an asset by depreciating it year on year.

In capital budgeting, if a company buy a fixed asset, usually it does not account the whole value of an asset as an expense even though the company has bought that asset in cash up front. Below will be accounting for an asset that has been bought upfront.

The above journal entry is an example of an External Accounting Transaction. Here we can see that the firm has not put the entry of expense of asset in the income statement. It will depreciate the value of an asset in each period and only that depreciation amount will be treated as an expense in the income statement. So after one-year journal entry of that Asset depreciation will be like below:

This $10,000 will flow into the income statement before EBIT as an expense. Since this entry is only an accounting entry but not the actual money transfer hence it is known as Internal Transaction.

Accounting Transaction Examples

We need to record these accounting transactions in our books and need to ascertain that if we are recording an entry then we also need to put a counter entry to balance the statement.

Also, if an asset is increased it is known as ‘Debit’ entry in books while if liabilities increase then it is known as credit.

Accounting Transaction – Example #1

For example, let us say your firm is a cloth manufacturing company. Recently you have received the order of $5,000 from your customer and they have paid in cash for that order. So, in the asset side, your cash has been increased by $5,000 while since your Sales has increased which will flow into your net Income and finally to the equity. That means the equity of your firm will also get increased by $1,000. So below will be accounting will be book entry of your accounting transaction:

We can see here that our overall equation is at balance.

Accounting Transaction – Example #2

Let’s take another accounting transaction example in which your firm needs new machinery for upgrading your system. This machine will cost $10,000 and your firm is going to buy it using cash. So, in the asset side, your fixed asset will increase(debit) by $10,000 while current asset will decrease (credit) by $10,000. So ultimately there won’t be any change in both asset and liability position for your firm.

Accounting Transactions – Practical Example #3

We will take a simple example of Infosys Ltd. Buyback that happened in Dec. 2017. Infosys had announced that it will buyback Rs. 13,000 cr. In FY 18. Transaction of this deal happened in Dec’ 17. Now please look below balance sheet ‘Cash’ and ‘Equity’ item of Infosys in JAS’17 and OND ’17 quarter below.

As we can see that since buyback happened in Dec’17 quarter hence as per Accounting transactions Cash should get credit(reduced) from books. And same way common equity also should get reduced(debit) form the accounts.

Now if you compare “Cash and equivalents” between Sep’17 and OND’17 above, “Cash and Equivalents” are down by Rs. 2,728 crores and Equity went down by Rs. 11,396 cr. Of course, there are other transactions that could get involved in that period for Cash and equity that we don’t know. That’s why we won’t see exactly Rs.13,000 crore reduction in cash and Equity here. This example is just to give an indication that how these transactions are recorded in books.

Advantages of Accounting Transaction

These transactions are the core of the business. Business or firms run because of these transactions.
By keeping the journal entries of these transactions, it would be easier to understand these transactions and year-end record keeping.

Conclusion

In a business every event that business deals with, a transaction. Out of those, accounting transaction makes business running. A firm should be careful to record these and review these transactions from time to time. Because in a combined way these transactions convey to us how the business is running and how its future holds.

Accounting Transaction