To assign or allocate on a logical basis. For example, the materials price variance in a standard costing system is prorated to the following categories: materials inventory, work-in-process inventory, finished goods...
To assign or allocate on a logical basis. For example, the materials price variance in a standard costing system is prorated to the following categories: materials inventory, work-in-process inventory, finished goods...
The field of study within accounting that is devoted to information needed by the management of the company (as opposed to financial accounting to external parties). Topics covered in managerial accounting include cost...
In standard costing, the quantity variance could be the direct materials’ usage variance or the direct labor’s efficiency variance. The quantity variance is the difference between the quantity of inputs that...
An income statement that subtracts all variable costs and expenses from revenues in order to show the contribution margin. From that is subtracted the fixed costs and expenses to arrive at net income. To learn more, see...
Costs that have both a fixed and variable component. For example, the cost of operating an automobile includes some fixed costs that do not change with the number of miles driven (e.g., operating license, insurance,...
Cost that is considered to be part of the cost of merchandise. For a retailer, the inventoriable cost is the cost from the supplier plus all costs necessary to get the item into inventory and ready for sale, e.g....
Are there two ABC methods in accounting? Some accountants use ABC to mean Activity Based Costing. Under this ABC a manufacturer will use many cost drivers to assign overhead costs to products. The objective of Activity...
In standard costing, how is the purchase price variance reclassified to arrive at actual cost? Definition of Purchase Price Variance In standard costing, the purchase price variance is the difference between the actual...
to +1 (“0” indicates no correlation and “1” indicates perfect correlation). Measuring the correlation between variables can be helpful, but a high degree of correlation does not guarantee that a change in one...
a contribution margin of $4 per unit (selling price of $10 per unit minus variable expenses of $6 per unit), the company’s break-even point in sales for the year is 75,000 units. Break-even Point in Billable Service...
This could be the difference between cost and the selling price. For example, a retailer may markup its cost by 50% to arrive at a selling price. In the retail method of costing inventory, markup is used to mean the...
a standard cost of $400 but the company paid $422, the financial statement must report $422 (the standard cost of $400 plus the price variance of $22). How the variances are reported on the financial statements is...
The ABC inventory system is different from activity-based costing. The ABC inventory system is used in order to focus on the most important items in inventory. Usually a relatively few items will account for a very...
of contribution margin: selling price minus the variable costs and expenses. Once the contribution margins have covered the total amount of fixed costs and expenses, the entire contribution margin on the next...
costing system specifies that the standard quantity of direct materials to manufacturer one unit of output is 5 pounds. The system also specifies that the standard cost per pound of the material is $3 per pound. If the...
Our Explanation of Improving Profits will assist you in focusing on the costs and revenues that are relevant (and ignoring those which are not relevant) for improving profits and eliminating losses. Examples of the...
Can a cost be both a direct cost and an indirect cost? A cost can be both a direct cost and an indirect cost. One of many examples is the cost of a supervisor in a department within a factory. Let’s assume that Sam...
in an account that normally has a debit balance, or a debit balance in an account that normally has a credit balance A credit entry, when a debit entry will not have parentheses An unfavorable variance in standard...
What is gross profit? Definition of Gross Profit Gross profit is defined as net sales minus the cost of goods sold. Gross profit is sometimes referred to as gross margin. (However, gross margin can also mean the gross...
Where can I find high quality business forms? AccountingCoach.com has developed 85 business forms to help you prepare financial statements, calculate financial ratios, break-even points, standard costing variances, and...
What is setup cost? Definition of Setup Cost In manufacturing, setup cost is the cost incurred to get equipment ready to process a different batch of goods. Hence, setup cost is regarded as a batch-level cost in activity...
What is the meaning of pro rata? Pro rata is a Latin term that means in proportion. Pro rata is related to prorate, a term used in cost accounting. To illustrate the term pro rata, let’s assume that a company’s...
of a product’s direct materials. Expressed another way, conversion costs are the manufacturing or production costs necessary to convert raw materials into products. The term conversion costs often appears in the...
In accounting, cost is defined as the cash amount (or the cash equivalent) given up for an asset. Cost includes all costs necessary to get an asset in place and ready for use. For example, the cost of an item in...
cost or fixed expense. Fixed expenses such as depreciation expense and property insurance expense are reported on a company’s income statement. Understanding which costs are fixed and which are variable is important...
What increases a break-even point? Definition of Break-even Point The break-even point is the volume of sales in units or in dollars that is equal to a company’s total expenses (including the cost of goods sold). In...
Are transportation-in costs part of the cost of goods sold? Definition of Transportation-in Costs Transportation-in costs, which are also known as freight-in costs, are part of the cost of goods purchased. The reason is...
Is rent expense a period cost or a product cost? Definition of Rent Expense Rent expense is often a monthly amount paid by a company for use of a building. Typically, the rent is due on the first day of every month that...
In the EOQ model, the holding costs are the incremental costs of storing or holding an item in inventory for one year.
The cost of the next unit.
What is a sunk cost? Definition of Sunk Cost A sunk cost is a cost that was incurred in the past and cannot be undone. Since most transactions cannot be undone, most amounts spent in the past are sunk. A past or sunk...
Usually a department within a company that is responsible for its costs but not revenues or profit.
The cost to hold an item in inventory. Includes the cost of capital tied up in inventory, the cost of space and insurance, and the cost of items becoming obsolete while being held in inventory. This is an important...
Usually refers to manufacturing overhead costs such as factory supplies, factory depreciation, indirect factory labor, etc. To learn more, see Explanation of Manufacturing Overhead.
A cost or expense that is not directly traceable to a department, product, activity, customer, etc. As a result indirect costs and expenses are often allocated to the department, product, etc. For example, a...
A cost object is often a product or department for which costs are accumulated or measured. For example, a product is the cost object for direct materials, direct labor and manufacturing overhead. The factory maintenance...
Featured Review
"I currently serve as the CFO for a nonprofit organization, as well as running a small business providing bookkeeping and financial advisory services to small businesses. Prior to this, I worked as the financial controller for a family of companies with consolidated revenues of $85 million. I stumbled across AccountingCoach 10+ years ago and it quickly became my go to for clear and concise explanations. I downloaded different versions of the cheat sheets and tests to utilize when onboarding accounting staff. I upgraded to PRO in order to gain access to the additional material. I still use this site to refresh my memory on some terms or processes. I have not found any other site where I can get straightforward and easy-to-understand answers as quickly and concisely. The forms and templates are an invaluable resource. I recommend AccountingCoach to associates and clients as the go-to site for instruction for their bookkeeping and accounting staff." - LaRay S.
Join PRO or PRO Plus and Get Lifetime Access to Our Premium Materials
Read all 2,645 reviewsWe now offer 10 Certificates of Achievement for Introductory Accounting and Bookkeeping: