Define the difference between accounting and economic cost

Question

Define the difference between accounting and economic cost.

Answer 1

Difference in between Accounting Cost and Economic Cost are as follows:

Accounting cost implies the expenses incurred through the firm on production and sale of service or goods. Such are paid by the firm to the outsiders. For illustration, payment made for wages as raw materials, power, fuel and building and so forth are the accounting costs. For contractual payments accounting cost is the money paid. This includes payments and charges made through the enterprise to the suppliers of resources. This is the explicit cost.

But economic cost contains not only explicit cost but also imputed or implicit cost. Implicit cost contains rent charged upon owned premises, wages paid to entrepreneur and interest charged on owned capital. Implicit cost is not comprised in accounting cost. Accounting cost contains only explicit costs that are recorded inside the books of account. Implicit cost will not be recorded in the books of account. Therefore the economist’s concept of cost is more comprehensive like compared to accountant’s concept of cost.