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Retained earnings is that part of profit which is not distributed to the share holders so it is the liability of the business towards its owners and that's why like all liabilities it is also the liability of business and shown in balance sheet.

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Q: Is retained earnings asset equity liability income or expense?
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Are retained earnings an asset equity or liability?

asset equity


Is retained earnings asset or liability?

Neither. Retained Earnings falls in the Equity section of the Balance Sheet.


Is dividend paid an expense in income statement?

No a dividend is not an expense. It is generally a reduction of retained earnings in the equity section of the balance sheet.


How do you calculate gross equity?

Owner's Equity = Contributed Capital ± Retained Earnings Contributed capital is money that has been contributed to a company by its owners or by a direct investment made by stockholders in a corporation. A company would have stockholders if that company sells shares or stock. Retained earnings is a companys' accumulated profits that have been put back or reinvested into the company. Some examples of retained earnings are supplies expense, rent expense, wages expense, interest expense, utilities expense, sales revenue, cost of goods sold, and depreciation expense. A return on equity (ROE) is the net income divided by stockholders' equity. Assets = Liabilities + Owners Equity


Why are retained earnings reported as part of shareholders' equity?

Retained earnings is part of shareholders' equity. It is considered part of equity because it represents the profits that are retained in the company to fund growth. If a company would have paid out all past profits as dividend, then total assets (cash) would be lower, and retained earnings would have a zero balance. Because net income is computed after claims of third parties (interest, wages, etc), there is no claim of third parties on profits that are retained. So, retained earnings are not a liability.

Related questions

Is retained earnings a liability?

NO, the retained earnings would be in the equity part of the equation.


Are retained earnings an asset equity or liability?

asset equity


Is retained earnings asset or liability?

Neither. Retained Earnings falls in the Equity section of the Balance Sheet.


Is dividend paid an expense in income statement?

No a dividend is not an expense. It is generally a reduction of retained earnings in the equity section of the balance sheet.


How do you calculate gross equity?

Owner's Equity = Contributed Capital ± Retained Earnings Contributed capital is money that has been contributed to a company by its owners or by a direct investment made by stockholders in a corporation. A company would have stockholders if that company sells shares or stock. Retained earnings is a companys' accumulated profits that have been put back or reinvested into the company. Some examples of retained earnings are supplies expense, rent expense, wages expense, interest expense, utilities expense, sales revenue, cost of goods sold, and depreciation expense. A return on equity (ROE) is the net income divided by stockholders' equity. Assets = Liabilities + Owners Equity


How should you treat retained earnings in the balance sheet?

Retained earnings should be treated as a part of the equity section on the balance sheet. It is typically shown as a separate line item under shareholders' equity. Retained earnings represent the accumulated profits of the company that have been reinvested rather than distributed to shareholders.


Why are retained earnings reported as part of shareholders' equity?

Retained earnings is part of shareholders' equity. It is considered part of equity because it represents the profits that are retained in the company to fund growth. If a company would have paid out all past profits as dividend, then total assets (cash) would be lower, and retained earnings would have a zero balance. Because net income is computed after claims of third parties (interest, wages, etc), there is no claim of third parties on profits that are retained. So, retained earnings are not a liability.


Accrued rent expense is a liability?

Accrued rent expense is classified as an Expense. It's not classified as a liability. Expenses are paid out of "Revenue" and they affect "Retained Earnings". When you do a Trial Balance before closing out your accounts, Expenses are actually listed with Assets, because all "Expenses" contain a debit balance.There is only one reason an expense would be listed as a liability and that is if you post the transaction before paying it and then the account "Expense Payable" is used and is a liability as it is a "Payable" and actually is not listed with the term "expense" in it. For example if you have Rent Expense, then the two accounts used are Rent Expense and Rent Payable. Notice the "liability" account is actually titled "rent payable" not "rent expense".The term accrued is merely the term used in Accrual Accounting, which simply means that all transactions are recorded as they occur or "accrue" as opposed to cash basis accounting where transactions are recorded only when cash is paid out or received.In actuality if you are trying to classify your accounts, such as the question, classify the following accounts as either an Asset, Liability or Owners Equity Account, Expenses will be classified as an Owners Equity Account as they affect Retained Earnings, which in turn affects Owners Equity (stockholders equity).


Where do retained earnings go?

Retained earning does not go anywhere. It is a part of capital equity which shown in equity section of balance sheet.


Retained earnings appear on the income statement?

No. Retained Earnings appears in the Equity section of the Balance Sheet.


What affects stockholders equity?

increase retained earnings


Which T-accounts follows the rules of debit and credit in relation to increases and decreases in the opposite manner?

Normal Balance Debit: (Asset, Expense, Dividend) Accounts Receivable Inventory Equipment Supplies Prepaid Rent Prepaid Insurance Cash Supplies Expense Depreciation Expense Rent Expense Salaries Expense Cost of Goods Sold Normal Balance Credit: (Liability, Shareholder Equity, Revenue, Retained Earnings) Accounts Payable Salaries Payable Accumulated Depreciation Retained Earnings Unearned Revenue Service Revenue Common Stock