In its first year of business, Hideaway Hikes has net income of $145,000, exclusive of any adjustment for bad debts expense. The president of the company has asked you to calculate net income under each of two alternatives of accounting for bad debts: the direct write-off method and the allowance method. The president would like to use the method that will result in the higher net income. So far, no adjustments have been made to write off uncollectible accounts or to estimate bad debts. The relevant data are as follows:
Write-offs of uncollectible accounts during the year ....................... $10,500
Net credit sales ................................................................... $650,000
Estimated percentage of net credit sales that will be uncollectible ...... 2%
Required
Compute net income under each of the two alternatives. Does Hideaway have a choice as to which method to user If so, should it base its choice on which method will result in the higher net income? (Ignore income taxes.) Explain.