Office Palace,Inc. ,leased an all-in-one printer to a new customer,Ashley,on December 27,2016.The printer was to rent for $600 per month for a period of 36 months beginning January 1,2017.Ashley was required to pay the first and last month's rent at the time the lease was signed.Ashley was also required to pay a $1,500 damage deposit.Office Palace must recognize as income for the lease:
A)$0 in 2016,if Office Palace is an accrual basis taxpayer.
B)$7,800 in 2017,if Office Palace is a cash basis taxpayer.
C)$2,700 in 2016,if Office Palace is a cash basis taxpayer.
D)$1,200 in 2016,if Office Palace is an accrual basis taxpayer.
E)None of these.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If Office Palace is an accrual basis taxpayer, they must recognize income in the year in which they earn it. Since the lease was signed on December 27, 2016, no income is recognized in 2016. However, since Ashley paid the first and last month's rent in 2016, Office Palace must recognize $1,200 of income in 2017 (2 months * $600). Therefore, D is the correct choice.