A cash advance to an employee is recorded with a debit to an account such as Advance to Employees or to Other Receivables: Advances. The credit will be to the account Cash. If the cash advance is expected to be repaid within one year, the account Advance to Employees will be a current asset account.

If the cash advance is repaid through payroll withholdings, the amount withheld will be recorded as a credit to Advance to Employees. If the employee gives the company a personal check to repay the advance, the Cash account is debited and the account Advance to Employees is credited.

Learn more about Payroll Accounting.

About the Author: Harold Averkamp (CPA) has worked as an accountant, consultant, and university accounting instructor for more than 25 years.

He is the creator of the AccountingCoach Pro which has been praised for its ability to simplify accounting in a way that anybody can understand.

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