Deferral

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In accounting, a deferral is any account where the income or expense is not recognised until a future date.

In accounting, deferral refers to the recognition of revenue or expenses at a later time than when the cash transaction occurs. This concept is used to align the reporting of financial transactions with the periods in which they are earned or incurred, according to the matching principle and revenue recognition principle. Deferrals are recorded as either assets or liabilities on the balance sheet until they are recognized in the appropriate accounting period.

Two common types of deferrals are deferred expenses and deferred income. A deferred expense, or prepaid expense, represents cash paid in advance for goods or services that will be consumed in future periods. On the other hand, deferred income (or deferred revenue) is a liability that arises when payment is received for goods or services that have yet to be delivered or fulfilled.