Chapter 8, Problem 8Q

To determine

Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable refers to the amounts to be received within a short period from customers upon the sale of goods and services on account. In other words, accounts receivable are amounts customers owe to the business. Accounts receivable is an asset of a business.

Bad debt expense

Bad debt expense is an expense account. The amounts of loss incurred from extending credit to the customers are recorded as bad debt expense. In other words, the estimated uncollectible accounts receivable are known as bad debt expense.

Direct write-off method

This method does not make allowance or estimation for uncollectible accounts, instead this method directly write-off the actual uncollectible accounts by debiting bad debt expense and by crediting accounts receivable. Under this method, accounts would be written off only when the receivables from a customer remain uncollectible.

To describe: The approach of reporting bad debt expense under direct write-off method, and its disadvantages.