Adjusting Entry for Unearned Revenue

Unearned revenue (also known as deferred revenue/income) represents revenue already collected but
not yet earned.
Hence, they are also called "advances from customers".
It is to be noted that under the accrual concept, income is recognized when earned regardless of when
collected.
And so, unearned revenue should not be included as income yet; rather, it is recorded as a liability. This
liability represents an obligation of the company to render services or deliver goods in the future. It will be
recognized as income only when the goods or services have been delivered or rendered.
At the end of the period, unearned revenues must be checked and adjusted if necessary. The adjusting
entry for unearned revenue depends upon the journal entry made when it was initially recorded.
There are two ways of recording unearned revenue: (1) the liability method, and (2) the income method.

Liability Method of Recording Unearned Revenue

Under the liability method, a liability account is recorded when the amount is collected. The common
accounts used are: Unearned Revenue, Deferred Income, Advances from Customers, etc. For this
illustration, let us use Unearned Revenue.
Suppose on January 10, 2015, ABC Company made $30,000 advanced collections from its customers. If
the liability method is used, the entry would be:
Jan 10 Cash

30,000.00

Unearned Revenue

30,000.00

Take note that the amount has not yet been earned, thus it is proper to record it as a liability. Now, what if
at the end of the month, 20% of the unearned revenue has been rendered? This will require an adjusting
entry.
The adjusting entry will include: (1) recognition of $6,000 income, i.e. 20% of $30,000, and (2) decrease
in liability (unearned revenue) since some of it has already been rendered. The adjusting entry would be:
Jan 31 Unearned Revenue
Service Income

6,000.00
6,000.00

We are simply separating the earned part from the unearned portion. Of the $30,000 unearned revenue,
$6,000 is recognized as income. In the entry above, we removed $6,000 from the $30,000 liability. The
balance of unearned revenue is now at $24,000.

Income Method of Recording Unearned Revenue

Under the income method, the accountant records the entire collection under an income account. Using
the same transaction above, the initial entry for the collection would be:
Jan 10 Cash

30,000.00

Service Income

30,000.00

If at the end of the year the company earned 20% of the entire $30,000, then the adjusting entry would
be:
Jan 31 Service Income

24,000.00

Unearned Income

24,000.00

By debiting Service Income for $24,000, we are decreasing the income initially recorded. The balance of
Service Income is now $6,000 ($30,000 - 24,000), which is actually the 20% portion already earned. By
crediting Unearned Income, we are recording a liability for $24,000.
Notice that the resulting balances of the accounts under the two methods are the same (Cash: $30,000;
Service Income: $6,000; and Unearned Income: $24,000).

Another Example
On December 1, 2014, DRG Company collected from TRM Corp. a total of $60,000 as rental fee for three
months starting December 1.
Under the liability method, the initial entry would be:

Dec 1 Cash

60,000.00

Unearned Rent Income

60,000.00

On December 31, 2014, the end of the accounting period, 1/3 of the rent received has already been
earned (prorated over 3 months).

We should then record the income through this adjusting entry:

Dec 31 Unearned Rent Income

20,000.00

Rent Income

20,000.00

In effect, we are transferring $20,000, one-third of $60,000, from the Unearned Rent Income (a liability) to
Rent Income (an income account) since that portion has already been earned.
If the company made use of the income method, the initial entry would be:
Dec 1 Cash

60,000.00

Rent Income

60,000.00

In this case, we must decrease Rent Income by $40,000 because that part has not yet been earned. The
income account shall have a balance of $20,000. The amount removed from income shall be transferred
to liability (Unearned Rent Income). The adjusting entry would be:
Dec 31 Rent Income
Unearned Rent Income

40,000.00
40,000.00

Conclusion
If you have noticed, what we are actually doing here is making sure that the earned part is included in
income and the unearned part into liability. The adjusting entry will always depend upon the method used
when the initial entry was made.
If you are having a hard time understanding this topic, I suggest you go over and study the lesson again.
Sometimes, it really takes a while to get the concept. Preparing adjusting entries is one of the most
challenging (but important) topics for beginners.