Question

What is Receipt and Payment Account? How is it different from Income and Expenditure Account?

Answer 1

Receipts and Payments Account is a summary of the Cash Book. All the cash receipts are recorded on the Receipts side (i.e. Debit side) and all the cash payments are recorded on the Payments side (i.e. Credit side) of Receipts and Payments Account. It is prepared on the basis of cash and bank transactions recorded in the Cash Book. It begins with the opening balance of cash and bank and ends with the closing balances of cash and bank (balancing figure) at the end of the accounting period. It records all cash and bank transactions both of capital and revenue nature. It not only records cash and bank transactions relating to the current accounting period, but also cash and bank receipts (or payments) received during the current accounting period that may be related to the previous or next accounting period.

Distinguish between Receipts and Payments Account and Income and Expenditure Account

Basis of Difference	Receipts and Payments Account	Income and Expenditure Account
1. Nature	It is a summary of cash and bank transactions	It is a summary of current year income and expenses
2. Revenue and Capital	It records transactions related to both revenue and capital nature.	It records transactions related to revenue nature only.
3. Debit Side	Debit side of this account records cash and bank receipts during an accounting period.	Debit side of this account records expenses and losses incurred in the current accounting period.
4. Credit side	Credit side of this account records payments in cash and through cheques.	Credit side of this account records income and gains earned in the current accounting period.
5. Type of account	It is a Real Account	It is a Nominal Account
6. Period	It records receipts and payments made during the year that may be related to the current accounting period or the preceding period and the succeeding accounting period.	It only records income and expenditure made during the current accounting period.
7. Object	This account depicts the cash position of an NPO.	This account shows the net result in terms of surplus or deficits due to the business activities during the year.
8. Opening Balance	This account begins with the opening balance of cash in hand and cash at bank or overdraft.	Usually, it has no opening balance, but sometimes surplus or deficits forwarded from the last accounting period (if not added to the Capital Fund) can be shown as the opening balance of this account.
9. Closing balance	The balancing figure of this account is expressed in terms of the closing balance of cash in hand and cash at bank or overdraft.	The balancing figure is expressed in terms of either surplus (if incomes > expenses) or deficit (if expenses > incomes).
10. Depreciation	It does not include non-cash items like depreciation, appreciation, etc.	It includes non-cash items like depreciation, bad-debts, provisions, etc. in order to ascertain the actual net profit or net loss.
11. Adjustment	Receipts and Payments during the year can be adjusted before preparation of the financial statements.	Adjustments regarding both cash and non-cash transactions can be made.
12. Transfer of Balance	The opening balance of this account is brought forward from the last year's Receipts and Payments Account and the closing balance of this account is carried forward to the subsequent year's Receipts and Payments Account and is shown in the Balance Sheet of the current accounting period.	If the closing balance of this account is surplus then it is added to the Capital Fund in the Balance Sheet. If the closing balance is deficit then it is deducted from the Capital Fund in the Balance Sheet.
13. System	It is prepared on the cash basis.	It is prepared on the accrual basis.