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Journal Entries for Loan Received

August 9, 2023
Bill Kimball

Loan is shown as liability in the balance sheet of the company. Obtaining a loan from a bank or other financial institution is a common way for companies to access the financial resources they need to fund their operations and support their growth. There are many different reasons why a company might need to borrow money, such as to purchase new equipment, hire and pay employees, or purchase inventory. A loan is an asset but consider that for reporting purposes, that loan is also going to be listed separately as a liability. Let’s say you are a small business owner and you would like a $15000 loan to get your bike company off the ground. You’ve done your due diligence, the bike industry is booming in your area, and you feel the debt incurred will be a small risk.

You are required to pay the full loan back in two years. You walk out of the bank with the money having been deposited directly into your checking account. Procuring a loan means acquiring a liability, it is an obligation for the business which is supposed to be repaid. Long-Term loans are shown on the liability side of a balance sheet. Why do two bookkeeping steps need to be included here? If you do an entry that only shows $15,000 coming in but doesn’t account for the fact that it must be paid back out eventually, your books will look a lot better than they are.

AccountingTools

You expect moderate revenues in your first year but your business plan shows steady growth. The accountant can verify that this entry is correct by periodically comparing the balance in the Loans Payable account to the remaining principal balance reported by the lender. At a minimum, this comparison should be conducted at the end of a firm’s fiscal year, since the outside auditors will be confirming this information with the lender as part of their audit procedures. Banks and NBFCs provide additional cash to businesses in form of loans. A business can take an amount of money as a loan from a bank or outsider.

  • Loan is shown as liability in the balance sheet of the company.
  • Common examples of collateral include your vehicle or other valuable property such as jewelry,land etc..
  • However, the distinction between long-term and short-term liabilities can be important for financial reporting purposes.

This is a double entry system of accounting that makes a creditor’s financial statements more accurate. ‘Loan’ account is debited in the journal entry for a loan payment. The company borrowed $15,000 and now owes $15,000 (plus a possible bank fee, and interest).

A short-term loan is categorized as a current liability whereas the unpaid portion of a long-term loan is shown in the balance sheet as a liability and classified as a long-term liability. Loan received from a bank may be payable in short-term or long-term depending on the terms set by the bank. The repayment of loan depends on the schedule agreed upon between both parties. A short-term loan is categorized as a current liability whereas a long-term loan is capitalized and classified as a long-term liability. A company may owe money to the bank, or even another business at any time during the company’s history. Financial institutions account for loan receivables by recording the amounts paid out and owed to them in the asset and debit accounts of their general ledger.

Unsecured loan

The net impact on the company’s balance sheet is the same regardless of whether the liability is recorded in a long-term or short-term account. However, the distinction between long-term and short-term liabilities can be important for financial reporting purposes. This can provide valuable information to stakeholders, such as investors and creditors, about the company’s financial position and the nature of its obligations.

loan journal entry

Let’s say that $15,000 was used to buy a machine to make the pedals for the bikes. That machine is part of your company’s resources, an asset that the value of such should be noted. In fact, it will still be an asset long after the loan is paid off, but consider that its value will depreciate too as each year goes by. A loan payment usually contains two parts, which are an interest payment and a principal payment.

The interest rate on a loan can vary depending on factors such as the creditworthiness of the borrower, the term of the loan, and the market interest rates. If you are the company loaning the money, then the “Loans Receivable” lists the exact amounts of money that is due from your borrowers. This does not include money paid, it is only the amounts that are expected to be paid. The difference between a loan payable and loan receivable is that one is a liability to a company and one is an asset. You go to your local bank branch, fill out the loan form and answer some questions. The manager does his analysis of your credentials and financials and approves the loan, with a repayment schedule in monthly installments based upon a reasonable interest rate.

What Is the Difference Between Loan Payable and Loan Receivable?

This could include loans with a repayment term of less than a year or any other short-term obligations that the company has. The repayment of a secured or an unsecured loan depends on the payment schedule agreed upon between both the parties. A short-term loan is categorized as a current liability whereas the unpaid portion of a long-term loan is shown in the balance sheet as a liability and classified as a long-term liability. The first of two equal instalments are paid from the company’s bank for 1,00,000 against an unsecured loan of 2,00,000 at 10% p.a. Show journal entry for loan payment in Year 1 & Year 2. ‘Interest on loan’ account is debited in the journal entry for loan payment.

loan journal entry

Only the interest portion on a loan payment is considered to be an expense. The principal paid is a reduction of a company’s “loans payable”, and will be reported by management as cash outflow on the Statement of Cash Flow. Like most businesses, a bank would use what is called a “Double Entry” system of accounting for all its transactions, including loan receivables. A double entry system requires a much more detailed bookkeeping process, where every entry has an additional corresponding entry to a different account. For every “debit”, a matching “credit” must be recorded, and vice-versa. The two totals for each must balance, otherwise a mistake has been made.

Loan

During the early years of a loan, the interest portion of this payment will be quite large. Later, as the principal balance is gradually paid down, the interest portion of the payment will decline, while the principal portion increases. This means that the principal portion of the payment will gradually increase over the term of the loan. Interest is the cost of borrowing money and is typically expressed as a percentage of the loan amount.

loan journal entry

Let’s give an example of how accounting for a loans receivable transaction would be recorded. A loan receivable is the amount of money owed from a debtor to a creditor (typically a bank or credit union). It is recorded as a “loan receivable” in the creditor’s books. An unsecured loan is money that you borrow without using collateral. Common examples of unsecured loans include credit cards and personal loans.

A long-term liability account is used to record liabilities that are due more than one year in the future. This could include loans with a repayment term of several years or more. A short-term liability account, on the other hand, is used to record liabilities that are due within one year.

How to record a loan payment that includes interest and principal

On December 31, 2022, the interest accrued on the loan must be recognized. As at December 31, 2022, interest in the amount of $30,000 [$600,000 x 5%] has been accrued on the Royal Trust Bank loan. In this case, only a single entry is passed because interest is directly paid.

Secured loans are loans backed with something of value that you own. Common examples of collateral include your vehicle or other valuable property such as jewelry,land etc.. As per the accounting equation, Total Assets of a company are the sum of its Total Capital and Total Liabilities. Amy is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), having worked in the accounting industry for 14 years. She is a seasoned finance executive having held various positions both in public accounting and most recently as the Chief Financial Officer of a large manufacturing company based out of Michigan.