| Course | ACC 315 Accounting Software Systems (ACC/315) |
|---|---|
| Week | 4 |
| Paper type | Purchases, payroll and banking paper |
| Length | about 1,015 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Accounting |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for ACC 315 Week 4
Flour, Wages and the Weekly Bank Feed: Recording Purchase Orders, Supplier Bills, a Biweekly Payroll With Its Tax Liabilities and Card Transactions for a Composite Bakery Cafe
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
ACC/315: Accounting Software Systems
Week 4 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The bakery, its employees and all figures are composites written for a model paper; tax rates and rules come from the sources listed.
A composite bakery cafe bakes bread and pastries overnight and serves breakfast and lunch six days a week. It employs nine hourly workers, buys flour, butter, dairy and packaging from four suppliers on 15- or 30-day terms and pays for small items such as hardware and cleaning supplies with a business debit card. The owner used to pay suppliers from the checkbook when a statement arrived and let a payroll service handle wages without recording the details. As a result, the books showed one large wage expense each payday and no idea what the business owed its suppliers at any moment. This paper records two weeks of purchases, payroll and banking in the accounting software and explains each entry.
Vendors and the Purchase Order
Each supplier is set up as a vendor with payment terms and a default expense or inventory account. On March 2, the baker issued a purchase order to the flour mill for 40 bags of bread flour at $28 per bag, $1,120 in total. A purchase order records a promise to buy, not a debt, so the books do not change until the flour arrives. The order does help control spending: the owner approves it before it is sent, and later the bill can be compared with it.
Receiving the Flour and Entering the Bill
The flour arrived on March 4 with an invoice for $1,120 due in 15 days. The bookkeeper entered the bill from the open purchase order, which pulls in the items and prices already approved. The software debits ingredients inventory for $1,120 and credits accounts payable for $1,120, and it closes the purchase order. If the delivery had been short, only the received bags would be billed and the rest would stay open on the order.
Paying Bills in a Batch
On March 16, the owner reviewed the unpaid bills report, which listed $4,860 owed to the four suppliers, and selected the three bills due that week, totaling $3,410. The pay bills form records one payment per vendor, debiting accounts payable and crediting the operating account. Paying through the form, rather than writing a separate check, clears the bills and keeps the vendor balances correct. Paying in a weekly batch also lets the owner see the whole cash commitment at once.
Running Payroll
Payroll runs every other Friday. One employee, a lead baker, worked 80 hours at $19 per hour, so gross pay is $1,520. Under the IRS Publication 15 rules for the year, the employer withholds the employee's Social Security tax at 6.2%, or $94.24, and Medicare tax at 1.45%, or $22.04 (Internal Revenue Service, 2025). Federal income tax withholding, based on her Form W-4 and the wage bracket tables, is $98. State income tax, at the composite state's rate for her pay, is $51. Her net pay is $1,254.72.
The employer owes its own share on top: another $94.24 for Social Security and $22.04 for Medicare. It also owes federal unemployment tax on the first $7,000 of each employee's annual wages, at an effective rate of 0.6% where the full state credit applies, which is $9.12 on this check, and state unemployment tax at a rate assigned to the business.
For all nine employees, gross wages for the period were $11,480. The software records a debit to wages expense of $11,480, credits to each withholding liability, a credit to cash for total net pay and a separate entry for the employer's taxes, debiting payroll tax expense and crediting the matching liabilities. The balance sheet now shows exactly what is owed to the government.
Paying Payroll Liabilities
Federal income tax withheld and both halves of Social Security and Medicare are deposited electronically through the Treasury's payment system on the schedule assigned to the business, which for a small payroll is often monthly. The pay liabilities form debits each liability and credits cash, clearing the balances. Quarterly returns then report the same totals. Doyle et al. (2007) found that smaller, younger firms were more likely to report weaknesses in internal control; for a small employer, a missed payroll deposit is one of the costliest, since penalties accrue quickly and the owner can be held personally responsible for unpaid withheld taxes.
The Bank Feed
The bank feed downloads debit card purchases, deposits and payments each day. Most of the bakery's feed items are already in the books: bill payments and payroll show up as matches. The rest are new, such as a $64 hardware store purchase and a $39 monthly software charge. Matching links a downloaded item to the existing entry; adding creates a new one. The bookkeeper created a rule that assigns the software charge to the subscriptions expense account, but still reviews each rule's results weekly. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (2024) reported that expense and billing schemes remain common in small organizations, and a quick look at every card transaction is the cheapest control available.
Separation of Duties
With a small staff, full separation is impossible, but key duties can be split. The goal is that no single person can both create a payment and hide it. The baker may create purchase orders, the owner approves them and pays bills, and the bookkeeper enters bills and runs payroll but cannot sign payments or change employee pay rates without the owner. Romney et al. (2021) describe this as separating authorization, recording and custody, and even two people can divide the work that way.
Conclusion
Two weeks at the bakery cafe used every vendor and payroll form in the software. Purchase orders approved spending without changing the books, bills created payables that pay bills cleared, payroll separated gross wages from withholdings and employer taxes and liability payments cleared what was owed to the government. The bank feed caught small card purchases, and matching kept them from being recorded twice. The owner can now open a report and see what the business owes suppliers and tax agencies on any day.
References
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. (2024). Occupational fraud 2024: A report to the nations.
Doyle, J., Ge, W., & McVay, S. (2007). Determinants of weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 44(1-2), 193-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2006.10.003
Internal Revenue Service. (2025). Employer's tax guide (Publication 15, Circular E). https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15
Romney, M. B., Steinbart, P. J., Summers, S. L., & Wood, D. A. (2021). Accounting information systems (15th ed.). Pearson.
What the ACC 315 Week 4 instructions ask
The ACC 315 Week 4 assignment typically asks students to record vendor and payroll transactions and explain their effect on the accounts. Common tasks include setting up vendors, creating purchase orders, receiving items, entering and paying bills, writing checks, recording credit card charges, setting up employees and running payroll, then paying the payroll liabilities. Many versions also ask students to categorize transactions that arrive through a bank feed. The written part explains why each form was used and what entry it produced, and sometimes asks how the business separates duties among ordering, approving and paying. Figures should be internally consistent, and payroll amounts should reflect current federal rates, with state taxes described in general terms where the case does not specify them.
How this ACC 315 Week 4 example is built
A bakery cafe was chosen because it buys ingredients from several suppliers on account, pays hourly staff every two weeks and runs many small card purchases through its bank account, so each part of the week's material appears naturally. The paper follows one order of flour from purchase order to payment, showing that a purchase order makes no entry until goods arrive. Payroll is worked for one employee in full, with each withholding and employer tax calculated, before totals are given for the whole staff. Payroll liabilities are then paid through the federal deposit system. The bank feed section explains matching versus adding and shows how a rule saves time on recurring charges without removing review.
ACC 315 Week 4 grading rubric: where the points go
Instructors commonly award marks for correct forms, correct accounts and correct amounts. Bills should create accounts payable and bill payments should clear it; checks written for immediate payment should skip payables. Payroll must separate gross pay, employee withholdings and employer taxes, and liabilities must be paid rather than left on the balance sheet. Showing the journal entry beside each software step demonstrates understanding. Credit for the bank feed portion usually depends on matching existing transactions instead of adding duplicates. Discussion of internal control, such as who approves bills and who signs payments, adds depth. Clear headings, labeled figures and APA citations of official tax guidance and the textbook complete the rubric, and arithmetic errors are penalized.
ACC 315 Week 4 help: mistakes to avoid
A classic ACC 315 Week 4 mistake is entering a bill and then writing a separate check for the same purchase, which records the expense twice and leaves the bill open. Pay bills with the pay bills form. Another is recording payroll as a single wage expense equal to net pay, which hides withholdings the business still owes. Show gross wages, each withholding and the employer's taxes separately. When bank feed transactions appear, look for an existing entry to match before adding a new one. Use current federal rates and cite the IRS guide rather than a website summary. State taxes vary, so describe them generally unless the case gives rates. Finally, name who may approve spending.
Related ACC 315 sample papers
Other ACC 315 week samples
- ACC 315 Week 1: Choosing Accounting Software
- ACC 315 Week 2: Company Setup and Chart of Accounts
- ACC 315 Week 3: Recording Sales and Receipts
- ACC 315 Week 5: Reconciliation and Reports
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ACC 315 Week 4 questions, answered
What does ACC 315 Week 4 usually ask for?
It usually covers vendor and payroll activity in accounting software: purchase orders, bills, bill payments, checks, credit card charges, payroll and payroll tax payments, and often bank feed transactions.
Where can I find a free ACC 315 Week 4 sample paper?
This page carries a finished bakery cafe version with the purchase, payroll and bank feed steps annotated in the margin. Should your case differ, tell us about it and we will write the first sample for you free.
What taxes does an employer withhold from wages?
Federal income tax, the employee's 6.2% Social Security tax and 1.45% Medicare tax, plus any state and local income taxes, according to each employee's forms and the rules where they work.
Why does a purchase order not affect the books?
A purchase order is a request to buy; nothing is owed until goods or services are received, so the entry is made when the bill is entered.
What is the difference between matching and adding in a bank feed?
Matching links a transaction imported from the bank to an entry already in the books; adding creates a new entry. Adding a transaction that was already recorded doubles it.
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