Revenues and Gains Are Usually Credited

Revenues and gains are recorded in accounts such as Sales, Service Revenues, Interest Revenues (or Interest Income), and Gain on Sale of Assets. These accounts normally have credit balances that are increased with a credit entry.

The exceptions to this rule are the accounts Sales Returns, Sales Allowances, and Sales Discounts--these accounts have debit balances because they are reductions to sales. Accounts with balances that are the opposite of the normal balance are called contra accounts; hence contra revenue accounts will have debit balances.

Let's illustrate revenue accounts by assuming your company performed a service and was immediately paid the full amount of $50 for the service. The debits and credits are presented in the following general journal format:

          Account Name               Debit                Credit

Whenever cash is received, the asset account Cash is debited and another account will need to be credited. Since the service was performed at the same time as the cash was received, the revenue account Service Revenues is credited, thus increasing its account balance.

Let's illustrate how revenues are recorded when a company performs a service on credit (i.e., the company allows the client to pay for the service at a later date, such as 30 days from the date of the invoice). At the time the service is performed the revenues are considered to have been earned and they are recorded in the revenue account Service Revenues with a credit. The other account involved, however, cannot be the asset Cash since cash was not received. The account to be debited is the asset account Accounts Receivable. Assuming the amount of the service performed is $400, the entry in general journal form is:

               Account Name                           Debit                       Credit

Accounts Receivable is an asset account and is increased with a debit; Service Revenues is increased with a credit.