Question

Difficulty: MediumForfeiture and Re-issue of Shares

Match each transaction event relating to the forfeiture and re-issue of shares on the left with its correct double-entry accounting treatment on the right.

  • Cancellation of share capital upon forfeiture of sharesDebit Share Capital Account with the called-up amount
  • Accounting for unpaid calls on forfeited sharesCredit Calls-in-Arrears Account with the unpaid call amount
  • Discount allowed to the purchaser upon re-issue of forfeited sharesDebit Forfeited Shares Account with the discount granted
  • Transfer of surplus gain remaining on re-issued sharesCredit Capital Reserve Account with the net balance remaining

Answer

Cancellation of share capital upon forfeiture matches Debit Share Capital Account with the called-up amount; Accounting for unpaid calls matches Credit Calls-in-Arrears Account with the unpaid call amount; Discount allowed on re-issue matches Debit Forfeited Shares Account with the discount granted; Transfer of surplus gain matches Credit Capital Reserve Account with the net balance remaining.
Each forfeiture and re-issue stage corresponds directly to standard accounting principles: cancelling capital requires debiting Share Capital by the called-up value, closing defaulted call balances requires crediting Calls-in-Arrears, absorbing discounts on re-issue requires debiting Forfeited Shares Account, and transferring realized profit requires crediting Capital Reserve.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the entry for share forfeiture
Debit Share Capital with the called-up amount, credit Calls-in-Arrears with unpaid calls, and credit Forfeited Shares Account with money already received.
Share forfeiture requires reversing the called-up capital and eliminating the outstanding unpaid call balance.
2
Analyze the entry for re-issuing forfeited shares at a discount
Debit Bank with cash received, debit Forfeited Shares Account with the discount provided, and credit Share Capital Account with nominal paid-up value.
The discount granted on re-issue is absorbed by the forfeited funds already collected.
3
Analyze the transfer of the net profit on re-issued shares
Debit Forfeited Shares Account and credit Capital Reserve Account with the net profit.
Profit arising from the forfeiture and subsequent re-issue of shares is a capital profit and must be credited to Capital Reserve.

Key Concept

Accounting Entries for Forfeiture and Re-issue of Shares
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