Accounting Principles
Concepts, rules, standards, assumptions or postulates that guide accountants in recording financial transactions and preparing/interpreting financial statements
Entity Principle
States that the business organization is a legal entity separate and distinct from the owners
Monetary Principle
Transactions should be expressed in monetary terms
Going Concern
The business is assumed to continue operation for an indefinite period of time in the future, unless situations would warrant its closure or liquidation
Time Period
To determine the profit and financial decisions of the business, audit is made at periodic time intervals
Cost Principle
States that planned assets should always be recorded at their original costs, never at their book value
Dual Aspect
For every financial transaction, there is always a debit account affected and a credit account affected
Matching Principle
The expense that is incurred to generate income should both be recorded in the same accounting period
Realization
Income is considered realized when goods have been delivered or services have been rendered, irrespective of when payment has been made
Conservatism
States to never anticipate profits, but provide for all possible losses
Consistency
When one method or system is applied for one year, it should be consistently applied in the subsequent years for the purpose of comparability
Objectivity
For every financial transaction, there should be supporting documents
Materiality
Relevant (material) information known to the accountant must be shown in the financial statements
Full Disclosure
Indicating as footnotes to financial statements all significant information