Classify Equation Warranty For Free

Accrue the warranty expense with a debit to the warranty expense account and a credit to the warranty liability account. As actual warranty claims are received, debit the warranty liability account and credit the inventory account for the cost of the replacement parts and products sent to customers.

To estimate the warranty expense for a company, we need to know three main things: Number of units sold during a particular accounting period. Percentage of the sold products that will probably need a repair or a replacement based on previous experiences. Average cost of repairing or replacing products under warranty.

The Bottom Line A warranty is a guarantee from a manufacturer or seller that defective products will be repaired or replaced.

The key to proper revenue recognition for warranties is to first determine if the warranty provides a service to the customer beyond the required agreed-upon specifications. Next, the seller or company must allocate the price to both the product and separate warranty obligation based on standalone prices.

Divide the amount of your actual warranty claims in the most recent year by your total sales in the same year to calculate your warranty claims as a percentage of sales. For example, if you had $1,600 in warranty claims and $80,000 in sales, divide $1,600 by $80,000.

Accrue the warranty expense with a debit to the warranty expense account and a credit to the warranty liability account. As actual warranty claims are received, debit the warranty liability account and credit the inventory account for the cost of the replacement parts and products sent to customers.

Thus, the income statement is impacted by the full amount of warranty expense when a sale is recorded, even if there are no warranty claims in that period. As claims appear in later accounting periods, the only subsequent impact is on the balance sheet, as the warranty liability and inventory accounts are both reduced.