What does negative cash balance mean and how to show it in Balance sheet

Negative Cash Debit

Negative Cash Debit Meaning

If an account has a negative balance, it’s possible that an error in accounting has been made and has to be investigated. It typically means that the debits and credits were mistakenly reversed or that the incorrect account was used in the journal entry. As a result, an investigation of negative account balances is a frequent procedure when closing the books after an accounting period, which may disclose any transaction irregularities.

Negative balance refers to a situation in which you have made checks for more money than is available in your checking account, resulting in a credit balance of negative funds. Make a journal item transferring the overdrafts to accounts payable or a similar current liability account, which reduces the checking account balance to zero and appropriately reflects the overdraft as a current obligation.

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Why Does My Bank Account Show A Negative Balance?

A negative bank account, often known as an overdraft, is one in which your account balance is less than zero. A payment that is more than the balance in your account results in this error. A negative impact on your account will result if your bank allows the payment to go through even if you don’t have enough funds to cover it.

Take the example of writing a $115 check with $100 in your bank account. A $15 account balance will be left on your record if the bank accepts this payment, because that’s what you owe the person who received your check. In other words, the bank is providing you with a loan to cover the gap.

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How To Show Negative Cash Balance In Balance Sheet

When a company has a credit balance in its cash account, it might declare a negative cash balance on its balance sheet. This occurs when the company has written checks for more money than it has on hand. When there is a negative cash balance, it is customary to avoid showing it on the balance sheet by moving the amount of the overdrawn checks into a liability account and setting up the entry to automatically reverse; this shifts the cash withdrawal back into the cash account at the start of the next reporting period.

There are two methods for storing the overdrawn money in a liability account, which are:

  • Keep a separate bank account for each family member. Separating the overdraft amount into a different account, such as “Overdrawn Checks” or “Checks Paid Exceeding Cash,” is a more realistic method. In any case, the account balance is likely to be correct, and it adds a new account to the general ledger as a result.
  • Accounts receivable receive the money and put it into the accounts receivable. If you do this, the accounts payable detail report will no longer correctly represent the total account balance in your system. Due to the fact that the entry is immediately reversed, the overdraft balance should be cleared as soon as possible. This approach seems sense if overdrafts are rare.

How Do You Fix A Negative Cash Balance?

  1. Examine your financial statements. If you want to solve a problem, you must first identify the source of the problem.
  2. Change the payment conditions. Customers that do not pay you might cause a negative cash flow.
  3. Reduce your spending.
  4. Increase your sales.
  5. Collaboration with vendors, lenders, and investors is required.