When should expenses be recorded according to the matching principle?
Christopher Ramos
Updated on February 19, 2026
Matching principle is the accounting principle that requires that the expenses incurred during a period be recorded in the same period in which the related revenues are earned. This principle recognizes that businesses must incur expenses to earn revenues.
What is the matching principle requires?
Understanding the matching principle It requires that any business expenses incurred must be recorded in the same period as related revenues. In other words, it formally acknowledges that business must spend money in order to earn revenue.
Is matching principle the same as expense recognition?
Because of its complexities, the expense recognition principle is only used with accrual accounting. You might sometimes hear it referred to as the matching principle, this is because you don’t recognize and record a cost until those expenses are matched to the revenues they helped generate.
What is interest expense in balance sheet?
Interest expense is a non-operating expense shown on the income statement. It represents interest payable on any borrowings – bonds, loans, convertible debt or lines of credit. It is essentially calculated as the interest rate times the outstanding principal amount of the debt.
Is interest expense asset or liability?
Is Interest Expense an Asset? Interest expense can be both a liability and an asset. Prepaid interest is recorded as a current asset while interest that hasn’t been paid yet is a current liability. Both these line items can be found on the balance sheet, which can be generated from your accounting software.
What is the expense matching principle?
The matching principle requires that revenues and any related expenses be recognized together in the same reporting period. Thus, if there is a cause-and-effect relationship between revenue and certain expenses, then record them at the same time.
When to report an expense under the matching principle?
The matching principle directs a company to report an expense on its income statement in the period in which the related revenues are earned.
What do you need to know about the matching principle?
The matching principle requires that $6,000 of commissions expense be reported on the December income statement along with the related December sales of $60,000. It also requires that the December 31 balance sheet report a current liability of $6,000.
Is the economic entity assumption due to the cost principle?
The economic entity assumption involves keeping the owner’s personal transactions separate from the business transactions. Wrong. A better answer is the cost principle. Keeping the asset amount at cost is due to the cost principle.