Net credit sales for the year are $750,000. The end of year accounts receivable balance is $160,000. The allowance for doubtful accounts is calculated as 5% of the receivables balance. The Allowance for Doubtful Accounts has a credit balance of $5,000 before year-end adjusting entries. What is the Bad Debt Expense for the year?

Answer: $3000

Explanation: Allowance for doubtful accounts is the contra account to accounts receiveable when all the bad debts need to be accounted for. The bad debts reduces the accounts receivable line but all bad debts are actually deducted from the allowance for doubtful accounts.

The allowance for doubtful accounts for that year is calculated as 5% of the accounts receivable balance. This amounts to $8000 (160000 x 5%) before bad debts have been accounted for. Allowance for doubtful accounts moves in the opposite direction as accounts receivable because it is a contra account to this line item. At the end of the year before year end closing entries are done, and after the bad debts have been accounted for, the balance on the allowance for doubtful accounts is $5000.

This means that bad debts for that year is:

8000 (balance before bad debts have been accounted for)

- 5000 (balance after bad debts have been accounted for)

= $3000.