What are Prepaid Expenses? Prepaid expenses represent expenditures that have not yet been recorded by a company as an expense, but have been paid for in advance. In other words, prepaid expenses are expenditures paid for in one accounting period, but that will not be recognized until a later accounting period. Prepaid expenses are initially recorded as assets, because they have future economic benefits, and are expensed at the time when the benefits are realized (the matching principle). Common Reasons for Prepaid Expenses The two most common uses of prepaid expenses are rent and insurance. 1. Prepaid rent is rent paid in advance of the rental period. The journal entries for prepaid rent are as follows: Initial journal entry for prepaid rent: Dr Prepaid Rent 10000 Cr to Cash ...