At the end of the fiscal period, the account debited to show the estimated amount of uncollectible accounts is
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A. B. C. D. E.D
The adjusting entry should recognize an expense and increase the allowance account.
The correct answer is A. Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts.
The estimated amount of uncollectible accounts is typically recorded using the allowance method, which involves creating an allowance for uncollectible accounts on the balance sheet. The purpose of this allowance is to reflect the anticipated losses from customers who are unlikely to pay their outstanding balances.
When using the allowance method, two accounts are affected at the end of the fiscal period:
Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts: This account is debited to show the estimated amount of uncollectible accounts. By debiting this account, the company is increasing the balance in the allowance for uncollectible accounts, which represents the estimated portion of accounts receivable that will not be collected.
Bad Debt Expense: This account is credited to offset the debit entry to the allowance for uncollectible accounts. The bad debt expense represents the estimated amount of uncollectible accounts for the period.
The rationale behind this approach is to match the estimated losses (bad debt expense) with the revenues generated in the same period. By doing so, the company is adhering to the matching principle in accounting, which states that expenses should be recognized in the same period as the corresponding revenues.
In summary, at the end of the fiscal period, the account debited to show the estimated amount of uncollectible accounts is the Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts (answer choice A).