Corporate Financial Accounting 14th Edition by Carl Warren,James Reeve,Jonathan Duchac

Exercise 41

Compare two methods of accounting for uncollectible receivables
Call Systems Company, a telephone service and supply company, has just completed its fourth year of operations. The direct write-off method of recording bad debt expense has been used during the entire period. Because of substantial increases in sales volume and the amount of uncollectible accounts, the company is considering changing to the allowance method. Information is requested as to the effect that an annual provision of 1% of sales would have had on the amount of bad debt expense reported for each of the past four years. It is also considered desirable to know what the balance of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts would have been at the end of each year. The following data have been obtained from the accounts:

Instructions
1. Assemble the desired data, using the following column headings:

2. Experience during the first four years of operations indicated that the receivables either were collected within two years or had to be written off as uncollectible. Does the estimate of 1% of sales appear to be reasonably close to the actual experience with uncollectible accounts originating during the first two years? Explain.