Dividends Payable: debit or credit?
Dividends Payable increases on the credit side and decreases on the debit side: its normal balance is a credit.
Liabilities are amounts the business owes. They increase with a credit.
Name in each convention
Account names and codes follow each convention; an account that does not exist in a convention is not offered there.
| Convention | Account |
|---|---|
| United States (US textbooks) | Dividends Payable |
| Spain (PGC 2007) | 526 Dividendo activo a pagar |
| France (PCG 2025) | 457 Associés - Dividendes à payer |
| Germany (generic accounts) | Verbindlichkeiten gegenüber Gesellschaftern |