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dhcook11
Level 2

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

Hello everyone, got a quick journal entry question:

 

I've got a new client that I've been helping get their books cleaned up and I'm stumped on one transaction. They received a loan a couple years back that they are still making payments on and I'm confused as to how to put it in Quickbooks. The cash from the loan was deposited into a business bank account that is no longer active and the cash has since been spent so there's no transaction in the bank feed for me to match a deposit to. The journal entry I initially put in was a debit to Retained Earnings for $140,000 and a credit to the Loan Payable for $140,000 but i'm not entirely sure that's correct. I would appreciate any advice. Thanks!

8 Comments 8
dhcook11
Level 2

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

I understand that the original journal entry would be Debit to the bank account and Credit to the loan payable but since the bank account that the money was deposited into a couple years ago no longer exists and the money has since been spent, i'm not sure where to start. 

Rainflurry
Level 13

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

@dhcook11 

 

"The cash from the loan was deposited into a business bank account that is no longer active and the cash has since been spent so there's no transaction in the bank feed for me to match a deposit to."

 

How did they spend the cash if there's no record of the deposit in QB?  How did they record the transactions for the spending of the loan proceeds?  Somethings is off because if the cash was spent and recorded in QB, then it came from somewhere and that somewhere needs to be changed to the loan payable liability.  I would do some digging before just posting it to R/E. 

dhcook11
Level 2

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

Even if I'm able to track down where all the cash was spent, that still doesn't help me with the original journal entry. Still not sure what the debit side of the equation needs to be if the bank account that the cash was deposited into has since been closed..

Rainflurry
Level 13

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

@dhcook11 

 

Is this bank account not in QB?  You mentioned it's been closed but it's not even inactive in QB?  I guess the point I was trying to make is not the track down how it was spent, but to track down how the cash got into the bank account from where it was spent.  The transactions that record how the loan proceeds were spent had to come from a bank account.  If $140K was spent without being deposited, that bank account would have been understated by $140K.  So, if it isn't/wasn't understated by $140K, what transaction increased the bank balance?  That transaction, if it exists in QB, has a credit entry to offset the bank debit entry.  It should have been a credit to the loan payable liability account but obviously wasn't.  Whatever that account is, that is the account that you want to debit $140K.

7217827859
Level 1

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

Hi

SarahannC
Moderator

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

Hello there, 7217827859. Hope you're doing well today.

 

I want to help and provide exact information about your concern. Can you tell me more about it? I would appreciate getting more information from you. This way, I can provide the right amount and solution to your question.

 

I will keep an eye on this conversation and respond as soon as I have the additional information.

dhcook11
Level 2

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

That is correct - the bank account IS NOT attached to QuickBooks. She got the loan a few years ago and the money was deposited into a bank account that does not exist anymore. My client's quickbooks account is only six months old but she's still making payments on the loan. The original entry is all that I'm having a hard time with because there's no bank account that i can DEBIT showing the money coming in because it doesn't exist anymore. 

Rainflurry
Level 13

Journal entry for a loan my client received years ago

@dhcook11 

 

I'm not a fan of the opening balance equity (OBE) account but that's the account I would debit and then let the client's CPA make the proper adjusting entry.  IMO, debiting R/E is too specific because there's no way to know that the opening balance reduced it.  Recording it as debit to OBE serves as a placeholder until the proper adjusting entry can be made.

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