What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (2024)

What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (1)

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This question unfolds once a corporation’s board of directors approves and declares a proposed cash dividend, setting the stage for distributing dividends to shareholders.

Are Dividends Liabilities?

Despite the cash remaining within the company at the time of declaration, declaring a dividend requires a new entry on the balance sheet: “Dividends Payable.” Classified as a current liability, this entry signifies a board-approved future cash outflow—a promise to pay shareholders.

Dividends Payable Simplified

When a company decides to share some of its profits with its shareholders, it puts the amount it wants to give away in an account called “Dividends Payable.”

As soon as the Board of Directors approves and announces a dividend (on the declaration date) , the company must record a payable in the liability section of the balance sheet.

What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (2)

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What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (3)

Dividends Declared Journal Entry

Dividends are paid out of the company’s retained earnings, so the journal entry would be a debit to retained earnings and a credit to dividend payable. It is important to realize that the actual cash outflow doesn’t occur until the payment date.

This shows the company plans to pay dividends. But, the company doesn’t have to pay these dividends if it decides not to; it’s their choice.

This is different from paying back a loan, where the company must pay interest. So, paying dividends is more like a nice thing a company can do, not something it must do.

What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (4)

What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (5)

Dividend Terminology

Ex-dividend date – This is the last date that you can purchase the stock and receive the dividend payment was declared. Anyone who buys the stock after the ex-dividend date is not entitled to the dividend payment.

Date of record- The date on which the board of directors determines the date on which shareholders’ names will be able to receive specified dividends.

Payment date –The payment date is the date on which the board of directors specifies dividends that are distributed to the shareholders.

Dividend Financial Statement Impact

When a company issues cash and other property dividends it will reduce both a company’s overall assets as well as its retained earnings. Liabilities will also be recognized as of the date of declaration. You should be familiar with the different types of dividend distributions and how they should be recorded.

Cash dividends – are dividends that are distributed form retained earnings in the form of cash. When distributions from cash are made, expenses will not be recorded, but liabilities will at the date of declaration. Any unpaid dividends in a given year can accumulate if they are associated with cumulative preferred stock. These are referred to as dividends in arrears. Dividends in arrears are disclosed in the footnotes.

What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (6)

Cash Dividend Journal Entry

A cash dividend journal entry is made when a company decides to distribute a portion of its earnings to its shareholders. Initially, the cash dividend journal entry involves debiting the “Retained Earnings” account, which reduces the company’s equity, and crediting “Dividends Payable,” signaling the commitment to pay. This cash dividend journal entry signifies the company’s declaration to share profits. Finally, when the cash is handed out to shareholders, another cash dividend journal entry is recorded, debiting “Dividends Payable” and crediting “Cash,” which completes the transaction by showing the actual payment.

Cash Dividend Journal Entry Example

Toto Corp. declares a cash dividend of $10,000 on January 30th of the current year. The company doesn’t payout the dividend until March 15th. How should Toto record the dividend declaration and payment for the current year?

What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (7)

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  • What is the declaration date for a dividend?

    The declaration date is when the Board of Directors would approve the dividend and announce the future dividend payment to shareholders. The declaration date is when the dividend becomes a liability for the company.

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  • What is the payment date for a dividend?

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What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review (2024)

FAQs

What is the journal entry to record a dividend payable? - Universal CPA Review? ›

Dividends are paid out of the company's retained earnings, so the journal entry would be a debit to retained earnings and a credit to dividend payable. It is important to realize that the actual cash outflow doesn't occur until the payment date.

What is the journal entry for dividend payable? ›

On the initial date when a dividend to shareholders is formally declared, the company's retained earnings account is debited for the dividend amount while the dividends payable account is credited by the same amount. Retained Earnings → Debited [Dr.] Dividends Payable → Credited [Cr.]

How are dividends payable recorded? ›

To record a dividend, a reporting entity should debit retained earnings (or any other appropriate capital account from which the dividend will be paid) and credit dividends payable on the declaration date.

What is the journal entry for property dividends? ›

A Property Dividend Journal Entry is a record of the company's tax payments on its physical assets or shares. It primarily consists of the details of tax deductions and the market value of taxed assets. C. A Property Dividend Journal Entry is a record that indicates the company's purchase of new assets or shares.

What is the journal entry for the proposed dividend? ›

The journal entry for the proposed dividend typically involves debiting Retained Earnings to reduce them and crediting Dividend Payable to reflect the amount owed to shareholders. Additionally, the money is paid to shareholders on the payment date and not when the decision is declared.

Are dividends payable a debit or credit? ›

When a corporation declares a dividend, it debits its retained earnings and credits a liability account called dividend payable. On the date of payment, the company reverses the dividend payable with a debit entry and credits its cash account for the respective cash outflow.

Which of the following entries journalizes the payment of dividends? ›

The correct option is A: debit dividends; credit cash. This journal entry represents the payment of dividends to the shareholders of a company. Dividends are payments made by a company to its shareholders as a way of sharing profits with them.

Where does dividends payable go on financial statements? ›

Balance Sheet: Dividends paid reduce the “Retained Earnings” account under the “Equity” section. When dividends are declared but not yet paid, they may appear as a “Dividends Payable” under “Current Liabilities.”

What are the dividends payable? ›

Dividends Payable is the amount of the after tax profit a company has formally authorized to distribute to its shareholders, but has not yet paid in cash. In accounting, dividends payable is a liability on the company's balance sheet.

How to record a dividend payment in QuickBooks? ›

To record a dividend payout in QuickBooks, follow these steps:
  1. Go to the Company menu and select Make General Journal Entries.
  2. Select the account from which you will pay the dividend. ...
  3. Enter the dividend amount as a debit.
  4. Select the Dividends Payable account and enter the dividend amount as a credit.
Dec 21, 2023

How do you book a dividend journal entry? ›

Dividends are paid out of the company's retained earnings, so the journal entry would be a debit to retained earnings and a credit to dividend payable. It is important to realize that the actual cash outflow doesn't occur until the payment date. This shows the company plans to pay dividends.

How do you post a dividend in accounting? ›

Here's the step-by-step process for accounting for cash dividends:
  1. Record the dividend as a liability. ...
  2. Debit the company's retained earnings account. ...
  3. Credit the company's dividends payable account. ...
  4. Distribute the dividends. ...
  5. Record the deductions on the date of payment.
Mar 9, 2023

How do you account for dividends in bookkeeping? ›

Accounting for dividends is a relatively simple process. In the case of publicly-traded security, dividends are reported on the income statement in the "distributions to shareholders" account. This account records all dividends paid by the company to its stockholders during a given period.

What is the journal entry for dividend received? ›

Assuming that the company uses the fair value method and not the equity method or consolidation method, then the company would record dividend income from an investment by debiting cash and crediting dividend income.

What is the journal entry for dividend directly collected by bank? ›

Cash: This account is debited as the bank receives the dividend payment in cash. Dividends Receivable: This account is credited because the bank was previously owed the dividend amount on behalf of the customer. It serves as a temporary account to record dividends earned but not yet received in cash.

What is the accounting treatment of proposed dividends? ›

Proposed Dividends are shown as current liability in the balance sheet. Also, Dividends are distributed out of a company's accumulated earnings. As such, they are not an expense. So, a proposed dividend does not appear as an expense in a company's Profit and Loss Statement.

Is there a journal entry for stock dividends? ›

All stock dividends require an accounting journal entry for the company issuing the dividend. This entry transfers the value of the issued stock from the retained earnings account to the paid-in capital account.

Which account is credited when a dividend is paid? ›

When a dividend is declared by the board of directors, the company will credit dividends payable and debit an owner's equity account called Dividends or perhaps Cash Dividends. Cash Dividends is a contra stockholders' equity account that temporarily substitutes for a debit to the Retained Earnings account.

What is the journal entry for dividend credited by bank? ›

The journal entry for the dividend collected by the bank is as follows: Bank A/c Dr. Here, Bank Account is debited and the Dividend Received Account is credited …

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