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Q.Pass the necessary journal entry for treatment of Partner's loan appearing on the asset side of the Balance Sheet in case of dissolution of a partnership firm.

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2019Subjective· 1mImportance★★★★★
✓ Free question

When a partner's loan appears on the asset side of the Balance Sheet, it means the partner owes money to the firm. On dissolution, this loan is treated as an asset to be realised — the journal entry debits the partner's capital account and credits the realisation account (or loan account, depending on the specific treatment).

Concept and Accounting Treatment

In partnership dissolution, the fundamental rule is that all assets are realised (converted to cash) and all liabilities are paid off. A partner's loan appearing on the asset side is unusual — normally, a partner's loan is a liability of the firm (shown on the liabilities side). But if it appears on the asset side, it means the partner has taken a loan from the firm, making the firm a creditor to that partner.

This is essentially a receivable from the partner — an asset of the firm. On dissolution, this asset must be realised just like any other asset (debtors, stock, etc.). The partner is expected to repay this loan to the firm.

The accounting treatment follows the Realisation Account concept:

  • All assets (including partner's loan receivable) are transferred to the debit side of the Realisation Account at their book value.
  • When the partner repays, cash is received and credited to Realisation Account.
  • If the partner cannot repay, the shortfall is borne by the partner's capital account.

The Journal Entry

The journal entry depends on when the entry is being passed:

1. At the time of transferring assets to Realisation Account

DateParticularsL.F.Debit (₹)Credit (₹)
Realisation A/c Dr.xxx
To Partner's Loan A/c (Asset)xxx
(Being partner's loan receivable transferred to Realisation Account)

2. When the partner repays the loan

DateParticularsL.F.Debit (₹)Credit (₹)
Bank A/c Dr.xxx
To Realisation A/cxxx
(Being amount received from partner against loan)

3. If the partner is unable to repay (and the amount is written off)

DateParticularsL.F.Debit (₹)Credit (₹)
Partner's Capital A/c Dr.xxx
To Realisation A/cxxx
(Being partner's loan written off, debited to partner's capital account)
Watch out

Common Mistake

Students often confuse this with a partner's loan appearing on the liabilities side. If the loan is on the liabilities side, it is a liability of the firm to the partner — that is paid off on dissolution. Here, the loan is on the asset side, meaning the partner owes the firm. The treatment is opposite: the partner must pay the firm, not the other way around.

Tip

Shortcut

Think of it this way: any item on the asset side of the Balance Sheet (except fictitious assets like preliminary expenses) is transferred to the debit of Realisation Account. A partner's loan on the asset side is no exception — it's just another asset to be realised.

Working Note

Since no specific amount is given in the question, the entry is shown with a generic amount (xxx). In an actual problem, you would substitute the actual figure from the Balance Sheet.

Final Answer

✓Final answer

The journal entry to record a partner's loan appearing on the asset side of the Balance Sheet at the time of dissolution is: Realisation A/c Dr. — To Partner's Loan A/c (Asset). This transfers the receivable from the partner to the Realisation Account for realisation. If the partner repays, Bank A/c is debited and Realisation A/c credited. If the partner cannot repay, the amount is debited to the partner's Capital A/c.

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