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Capital or Revenue?


(Vancouver, Canada)

Should plates & glasses bought for a restaurant be a capital or revenue expense? If it's larger quantities (say over $200) would it be capital and a few small replacement items be a revenue expense?

I am unsure if there is an enduring benefit or useful economic life over 2 year, due to the frequency that such items can be chipped and/or broken.

Thanks for your help!



image of fancy scroll lines



Hi,

Sometimes bookkeeping / accounting work requires the use of judgement based on the unique circumstances of the transaction and / or the business ... so I can't answer your question.

However, if you go to Bookkeeping for a Small Restaurant, you will find a link to assist you in making your own judgement based on your unique circumstances.

Looking at your question makes me think you do not have an understanding of the income statement and it's various components.

I do recommend you review my article on Income Statement - You Want to Understand Profitability. Pay particular attention to the definition of revenue and the definition of expense.

It is important, if you are going to do bookkeeping, that you understand the basic accounting equation

Assets - Liabilities = Equity where Equity = Owner' s Capital + Net Income (Loss). Net Income (loss) = Income - Expense.

If you are still unsure after reading the post, you have three options as I see it:


1. Call CRA and ask for their assistance.

2. Speak with your accountant. S/he is familiar with your business and should be able to assist you with this decision.

3. Consider hiring an experienced professional bookkeeper to manage your books.




P.S. I would like to remind you there is a difference between information and advice. The general information provided in this post or on my site should not be construed as advice. You should not act or rely on this information without engaging professional advice specific to your situation prior to using this site content for any reason whatsoever.

Comments for
Capital or Revenue?

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Jan 16, 2011
Thanks
by: Anonymous

Thank you for your prompt reply - although I found your response a bit patronizing.

I was looking for additional input on this issue which I thought was the purpose of this forum. I have a very good understanding of the income statement as I am a Chartered Accountant.

Consider changing your tone it will help you in your professional career.

Jan 17, 2011
Purpose of This Site
by: Lake

My sincere apologies as I had no idea a chartered accountant would use my site as a resource.

So let me explain "from my side of the fence".

I created this site to assist small business owners who work from home and do their own books.

I wanted to be able to help them keep a better set of books that will/would keep them out of trouble with the CRA and make the chartered accountant's job easier once they received the books for year-end and tax preparation.

I was confused by your question because I have never heard the decision to capitalize or expense something referred to as revenue.

I was confused why you were trying to decide between capital and revenue ... not capital and expense.

I was trying very gently (and politely) to push the "small business owner doing their own books" to learn:

(1) How to approach and think their way through a transaction.

(2) Options available once the research to the bookkeeping problem is done and an answer still isn't clear.

(3) Reminding all site visitors that this site is only for informational purposes and not advice.

With regards your choice of capitalizing plates and glasses.

In my opinion, if they were capitalized, they would fall under class 12 which has a CCA rate of 100% subject to the half year rule.

The difference between capitalizing ($200 x 50% rule in year one = $100) and expensing $200 is not material, therefore any decision made has to be within the context of the business and whether you felt the CRA would accept your arguments / reasoning for the choice you finally made.

I do apologize that you felt I was being patronizing ... I really don't want any of my site visitors to feel that way. :0)






Jan 17, 2011
Class 12
by: TaxDetective

Class 12 was given a reprieve and the threshold was raised from $200 to $500 a few years ago. You would have to look up when that changed but it was in or around 2004 or 2005. Does anyone else know?

That change led me to question all capitalization thresholds as Class 12 has always been the bar we've used in the past, since the 70's. I'm not sure I know the answer to that and it would be nice to open it up for discussion.

Good reference to the restaurant industry association's website as this association has some nice resources for their members who all struggle with the same questions.


Jan 19, 2011
Class 12
by: Lake

Thanks for the information.

I was aware the threshold was raised to $500.

Interestingly enough, Class 12 was brought up in a bookkeeping forum yesterday. I had forgotten that some items in Class 12 are not subject to the half year rule :0( so 100% is deductible in the current year for tax purposes.

With this information, as a bookkeeper, I would probably make the decision to capitalize all plates and glasses. I would select an accelerated method of amortization in accordance with GAAP and let the tax preparer handle the CCA on the annual tax return.

Before I made this decision, I would attempt to find out what the industry standard is.

As I mentioned, I have no experience with bookkeeping for restaurants. This is why it is extremely important for visitors to seek professional advice tailored to their circumstances. The information on this site is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice.

Often times, I am learning with you.

I apologize again to the original anonymous poster if s/he felt I was being patronizing. That was never my intent.

Jan 26, 2011
Bookkeeping for a Small Restaurant
by: Lake

I just thought I'd let you know that there is some additional information posted on bookkeeping for a small restaurant about deciding how to classify aggregate purchases each under $500.


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