Chapter 4: Completing the Cycle

THE FULL ACCOUNTING CYCLE — CHAPTERS 1–4

TrueWheel Bike Repair · March 2026 · the problem solved in the video

Work this on paper BEFORE you watch the solution, or pause at each station and race me. Everything below is everything you need — no figure is hidden.

The situation

Sam Doyle opens TrueWheel Bike Repair on March 1, 2026. The shop's fiscal year end is March 31, 2026. These are the twelve transactions of its first month.

Part A — The twelve transactions

#DateTransaction
1Mar 1Sam invests $15,000 cash in the business.
2Mar 1Buys repair equipment for $7,200 — pays $2,200 cash, the remaining $5,000 on account. The equipment is expected to serve 36 months.
3Mar 2Pays March rent, $950 cash.
4Mar 2Pays $3,600 cash for a 12-month insurance policy, coverage beginning March 1.
5Mar 4Buys shop supplies, $1,300, on account.
6Mar 8The Ridgeline Cycling Club pays $800 in advance for 10 tune-ups at $80 each. None are done yet.
7Mar 12Bills customers $4,700 for repairs already completed.
8Mar 16Pays the mechanic $1,900 for the first half of March.
9Mar 19Pays $2,000 to suppliers on account.
10Mar 22Collects $2,750 from customers on account.
11Mar 26Walk-in repairs for cash, $1,750.
12Mar 31Sam withdraws $1,050 cash for personal use.

Part B — The March 31 adjustment facts

aA count of supplies finds $450 still on the shelf.
bOne month of the insurance policy has expired.
cThe equipment has been used for one month of its 36-month life.
d5 of the club's 10 tune-ups have been completed.
eThe mechanic has worked the second half of March, $750, unpaid at month end.
fA cargo-bike overhaul, $650, was finished and delivered on March 31 — the invoice has not been sent.

Part C — What to do

  1. 1Journalize the twelve transactions.
  2. 2Post to the ledger (T-accounts) and total every account.
  3. 3Prepare the unadjusted trial balance at March 31, 2026.
  4. 4Journalize and post the six adjusting entries.
  5. 5Prepare the adjusted trial balance.
  6. 6Prepare, in order, the income statement, the statement of owner's equity, and a classified balance sheet.
  7. 7Journalize and post the closing entries.
  8. 8Prepare the post-closing trial balance.

Check figures

The solution

The full worked solution, step by step