Contra Equity Account
A contra equity account is an account in the equity section of the balance sheet that reduces total equity rather than increasing it.
Owner-equity account terms used to classify drawings, contra-equity balances, and ownership claims.
Equity Accounts and Owner Drawings covers owner-equity account terms used to classify drawings, contra-equity balances, and ownership claims.
Use these pages when equity classification changes book value, distributable profits, capital structure, reserves, restrictions, or ownership analysis. It sits inside Owner Equity and Capital Contributions, so readers can move up when the broader accounting context matters.
Use the table below to choose the narrower accounting branch before applying a term to a statement line, model input, audit trail, tax schedule, covenant test, or management report.
| Area | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Contra Equity Account | A contra equity account is an account in the equity section of the balance sheet that reduces total equity rather than increasing it. |
| Drawing Account | A drawing account is a temporary equity account used to record withdrawals made by an owner or partner for personal use. |
| Equity Account | An equity account is a ledger account used to record the owners’ residual claim on the business after liabilities are deducted from assets. |
| Owners’ Equity | Owners’ equity is the residual interest in a business after liabilities are deducted from assets. |
Equity-accounting content is educational and does not provide accounting, tax, legal, corporate-finance, investment, or valuation advice.
Choose a subsection first. Deeper term pages live inside each subsection, which keeps large topic hubs readable.
A contra equity account is an account in the equity section of the balance sheet that reduces total equity rather than increasing it.
A drawing account is a temporary equity account used to record withdrawals made by an owner or partner for personal use.
An equity account is a ledger account used to record the owners' residual claim on the business after liabilities are deducted from assets.
Owners' equity is the residual interest in a business after liabilities are deducted from assets.