A telecommunication company sells talk time through scratch cards. No revenue is recognized when the scratch card is sold, but it is recognized when the subscriber makes a call and consumes the talk time.
A monthly magazine receives 1,000 subscriptions of $240 to be paid at the beginning of the year. Each month it recognizes revenue worth $20,000 [($240 ÷ 12) × 1,000].
A media company recognizes revenue when the ads are aired even if the payment is not received or where payment is received in advance.
In case where payment is received before the event triggering recognition of revenue happens, the debit goes to cash and credit to unearned revenue. In case the event triggering revenue recognition occurs before payment is received, the debit goes to accounts receivable and credit to revenue.