¶ … Accounting, Cultural Diversity and Healthcare Administration: Law, Ethics and Policy
The difference between the cash basis and accrual basis of accounting
The cash basis of accounting is applied when revenues in an income statement are reported in the period cash from the customers is received, and when all the expenses in an income statement are paid for (Warren, Reeve and Duchac, 2014). For example, a payment for a service is recorded in the income statement once the fee from the client is received. Under this basis, the variance that arises from the expenses and revenues is the resultant net profit or loss at that particular period. This method is popular with small businesses that have few debtors and creditors.
The accrual basis of accounting reports revenue on the income statement in the period they are earned. The expenses are also reported once they occur. This method applies the matching principle, where expenses and revenues are reported in the same financial period they occur (Warren, Reeve and Duchac, 2014). For example, a service is recorded in the income statement once it is rendered to the customer. Compared to the cash basis of accounting, net income or loss in this method is calculated after revenues and expenses are matched.
My choice would be to run a multinational corporation, which makes the accrual basis of accounting the most suitable. Large organizations have numerous receivables and payables, and this method will portray...
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