An accountancy institute can teach students about various accounting transactions and their treatment in books of accounts. Let’s discuss an important type of transaction: hire-purchase transactions. With an increasing demand for a better life, the consumption of goods has been on the rise. However, this demand is not always backed by adequate purchasing power, transforming it into actual demand, i.e., actual sales at set or settled prices. This has created the market for what is called hire purchase.
When a person wants to acquire an asset but cannot make full payment immediately, they may pay in installments if the vendor agrees. This arrangement allows the purchaser to use the asset while paying for it in installments over an agreed period. This type of business deal is known as a hire-purchase transaction. In this scenario, the customer pays the entire amount in monthly, quarterly, or yearly installments, while the asset remains the property of the seller until the buyer fully pays off the liability. For the seller, the agreed installments include interest on the assets provided on credit to the purchaser. Therefore, the total amount paid in installments over time is higher than the cash price due to interest charges. Both parties benefit from this arrangement: the purchaser gains immediate use of the asset and obtains credit and the product from the same seller, while the seller increases sales and recovers the cost of credit. Accountancy institutes cover various aspects of accounting treatment related to hire-purchase transactions.
Nature of Hire Purchase Agreement
Under the hire-purchase system, the hire purchaser gets possession of the goods at the outset and can use them while paying for them in installments over a specified period as per the agreement. However, the ownership of the goods remains with the hire vendor until the hire purchaser has paid all the installments. Each installment paid by the hire purchaser is treated as a hire charge for using the asset. If the hire purchaser fails to pay any of the installments (even the last one), the hire vendor can reclaim the goods without compensating the buyer. In other words, the hire vendor will not return any part of the amount received through installments up to the date of default by the buyer.