Swathmore Clothing Corporation grants its customers $30$ days' credit. The company uses the allowance method for its uncollectible

$,$ accounts receivable. During the year, a monthly bad debt accrual is made by multiplying $2\%$ times the amount of credit sales for the

month. At the fiscal year$-$end of December $31,$ an aging of accounts receivable schedule is prepared and the allowance for

uncollectible accounts is adjusted accordingly.

At the end of $2023,$ accounts receivable were $$576,000$ and the allowance account had a credit balance of $$40,000.$ Accounts

receivable activity for $2024$ was as follows:

The company's controller prepared the following aging summary of year$-$end accounts receivable:

Required:

Prepare a summary journal entry to record the monthly bad debt accrual and the write$-$offs during the year.

Prepare the necessary year$-$end adjusting entry for bad debt expense.

$3-a.$ What is total bad debt expense for $2024?$

$3-$b$.$ How would accounts receivable appear in the $2024$ balance sheet?