PERCENTAGE OF COMPLETION METHOD OF ACCOUNTING Definition

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PERCENTAGE OF COMPLETION METHOD OF ACCOUNTING is instituted if your revenues exceed $10,000,000 (3-year average) or your contracts will not be completed within a two-year period, you are generally required to use the percentage of completion accounting for contracts. There are many advantages to using to percentage of completion method including: a. It is the best measurement of income; b. Percentage of completion normally needs to be computed for financial statement purposes eliminating confusing timing differences from tax to financial statements; c. There is no increase in alternative minimum taxable income; d. Losses can be recognized on contracts before the job is complete; e. It is useful in leveling taxable income, permitting use of lower tax brackets each year. When using the percentage of completion method, it is important to carefully compute the percent complete, for it may have a great impact on your taxable income. Estimated costs to complete the contract, a component of calculating the percent to complete, determine what your taxable income will be. Also, carefully reviewing the over-head allocation may result in lower tax.

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OFF-BOOK PARTNERSHIP is a type of blind trust. It offers some advantages over the traditional methods of capital procurement. In some cases there is a fatal lack of transparency (e.g. Enron) that allows off-book partners to hide debts, pump profits, launder money and enrich insiders, but ultimately bankrupting the company and stripping assets from its employees' pension funds. See BLIND TRUST.

PROBABLE an event happening is probable if it is uncertain but likely to happen.

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