explain revenue recognition principle
Answers
The revenue recognition principle, a feature of accrual accounting, requires that revenues are recognized on the income statement in the period when realized and earned—not necessarily when cash is received. ... Earned revenue accounts for goods or services that have been provided or performed, respectively.
The revenue recognition principle states that one should only record revenue when it has been earned, not when the related cash is collected. For example, a snow plowing service completes the plowing of a company's parking lot for its standard fee of $100. It can recognize the revenue immediately upon completion of the plowing, even if it does not expect payment from the customer for several weeks. This concept is incorporated into the accrual basis of accounting.
A variation on the example is when the same snow plowing service is paid $1,000 in advance to plow a customer's parking lot over a four-month period. In this case, the service should recognize an increment of the advance payment in each of the four months covered by the agreement, to reflect the pace at which it is earning the payment.