Installment Sale

An arrangement allowing the buyer to make payments over an extended period

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Written by CFI Team

What is an Installment Sale?

An installment sale is a financing arrangement in which the seller allows the buyer to make payments over an extended period of time. In an installment sale, the buyer receives the goods at the beginning of the installment period and makes payments over an installment period. Revenue and expense are recognized at the time of cash collection and not at the time of sale.

Installment Sale - Image of a rubber stamp with buy now & pay later written on it

Summary

An installment sale allows the buyer to make payments over an extended period of time.
Revenue recognition recognizes revenue and expense at the time of cash collection and not at the time of sale.
Used when ownership is not fully transferred at the point of sale.
Used when there is a degree of uncertainty in the collection of cash.

Installment Sales Method of Revenue Recognition

The installment sales method of revenue recognition defers revenue recognition until cash from the sale is received. Therefore, the installment sales method is a conservative method of revenue recognition as revenue is not immediately recognized at the point of sale.

The installment sales method is only applied in situations where ownership is not fully transferred at the time of sale. In addition, the method is used when there is a degree of uncertainty over the amount that will be collected (therefore, it would be inappropriate to recognize all revenue at the time of sale).

Journal Entries

The journal entries for installment sales are as follows:

Installment Sale - Journal Entry 1

Installment Sale - Journal Entry 2

Example of Installment Sale Method

Company A is a furniture company and makes a sale for a piece of furniture with a retail price of $10,000 at the end of January. The cost of the furniture to the company is $4,000. Therefore, the gross margin for the good is 60%.

The company strikes a deal with the customer in which the customer is required to make installment payments of $2,500 each month for the furniture until the full amount is paid ($10,000).

Installment Sale Method - Sample Data