Question 1:
Support department cost allocation; plantwide versus departmental overhead rates; product costing; cost drivers: manufacturer
Rising Fast Pty Ltd manufactures a complete line of fibreglass attaché cases and suitcases. The firm has three manufacturing departments: Moulding, Component and Assembly. There are also two support departments: Power and Maintenance. The sides of the cases are manufactured in the Moulding Department. The frames, hinges and locks are manufactured in the Component Department. The cases are completed in the Assembly Department. Varying amounts of materials and time are required to manufacture each type of case.
Rising Fast has always used a plantwide overhead rate. Direct labour hours are used to assign overhead to products. The predetermined overhead rate is calculated by dividing the company's total estimated overhead by the total estimated direct labour hours to be worked in the three manufacturing departments.
Liam Bolt, manager of cost accounting, has recommended that Rising Fast use departmental overhead rates. The planned operating costs and expected levels of activity for the coming year have been developed by Bolt and are presented by department in the following schedules. (All numbers are in thousands.)
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Manufacturing departments
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Moulding
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Component
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Assembly
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Departmental activity measures:
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Direct labour hours
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500
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2 000
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1 500
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Machine hours
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875
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125
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0
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Departmental costs:
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Direct material
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$12 400
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$30 000
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1 250 $
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Direct labour
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3 500
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20 000
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12 000
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Manufacturing overhead
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21 000
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16 200
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22 600
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Total departmental costs
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$36 900
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$66 200
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$35 850
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Use of support departments
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Moulding
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Component
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Assembly
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Maintenance:
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Estimated usage in labour hours for the coming year
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90
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25
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10
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Power (in kilowatt hours):
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Estimated usage for the coming year
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360
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320
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120
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Support departments
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Power
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Maintenance
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Departmental activity measures:
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Estimated usage for the coming year
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800 kWh
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125 labour hours
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Departmental costs:
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Materials and supplies (variable)
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$ 5 000
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$1 500
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Variable labour
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1 400
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2 250
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Fixed overhead
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12000
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250
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Total support department costs
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$18 400
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$4 000
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Question:
1. (a) Calculate the plantwide overhead rate for Rising Fast for the coming year using the same method as used in the past.
(b) Estimate the overhead cost of an Elite attaché case that requires 4 direct labour hours and 5 machine hours in the Moulding Department, 3 direct labour hours in the Component Department and 2 direct labour hours in the Assembly Department.
2. Liam Bolt has been asked to develop departmental overhead rates for comparison with the plantwide rate. The following steps are to be followed in developing the departmental rates:
(a) Allocate the total Maintenance Department costs to the three manufacturing departments, using the direct method.
(b) Allocate the Power Department costs to the three manufacturing departments, using the direct method.
(c) Calculate departmental overhead rates for the three manufacturing departments, using a machine hour cost driver for the Moulding Department and a direct labour hour cost driver for the Component and Assembly departments.
3. Estimate the overhead cost of the Elite attaché case using the departmental overhead rates.
4. Should Rising Fast use a plantwide rate or departmental rates to assign overhead to products? Explain your answer.
Question 2: Product cost classification: manufacturer
The following cost data for the current year relate to Heartstrings Pty Ltd, a greetings card manufacturer:
Service department costs1 $ 50 000
Direct labour: wages 242 500
Direct labour: on-costs 47 500
Indirect labour: on-costs 15 000
On-costs for production supervisor 4 500
Administrative costs 75 000
Rental of office space for sales personnel2 7 500
Sales commissions 2 500
Product promotion costs 5 000
Direct material 1 050 000
Advertising expense 49 500
Depreciation on factory building 57 500
Cost of finished goods inventory at year end 57 500
Indirect labour: wages 70 000
Production supervisor's salary 22 500
Total overtime premiums paid 27 500
Cost of idle time: production employees3 20 000
Question: Calculate each of the following costs for the year:
1. Total prime costs.
2. Total manufacturing overhead costs.
3. Total conversion costs.
4. Total product costs (for external reporting purposes).
5. Total period costs.
Question 3: Cost flows in a job costing system; schedule of cost of goods manufactured; automation: manufacturer
Vision Pty Ltd, a manufacturer of fibre-optic communications equipment, uses a job costing system. Since the production process is heavily automated, manufacturing overhead is applied on the basis of machine hours using a predetermined overhead rate. The current annual rate of $45 per machine hour is based on estimated manufacturing overhead costs of $3 600 000 and an estimated cost driver level of 80 000 machine hours.
Operations for the current year have been completed, and all the accounting entries have been made for the year except the application of manufacturing overhead to the jobs worked on during December, the transfer of costs from work in process to finished goods for the jobs completed in December, and the transfer of costs from finished goods to cost of goods sold for the jobs that have been sold during December.
Summarised data as at 30 November, and for December, are presented in the following table. Job numbers T11-007, N11-013 and N11-015 were completed during December. All completed jobs except Job number N11-013 had been turned over to customers by the close of business on 31 December.
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Work in Process: December activity
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Job numbers
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Balance 30 November
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Direct material
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Direct labour
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T11-007
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$261 000
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$ 4 500
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$13 500
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N11-013
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165 000
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12 000
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36 000
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N11-015
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0
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76 800
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80 100
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D12-002
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0
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113 700
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60 000
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D12-003
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0
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78 000
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50 400
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Totals
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$426 000
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$285 000
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$240 000
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Operating activity
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Activity to 30 November
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December activity
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Actual manufacturing overhead incurred:
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Indirect material
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$375 000
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$27 000
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Indirect labour
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1 035 000
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90 000
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Utilities
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735 000
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66 000
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Depreciation
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1 155 000
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105 000
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Total overhead
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$3 300 000
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$288 000
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Other items:
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Raw material purchases*
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$2 895 000
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$294 000
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Direct labour cost
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$2 535 000
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$240 000
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Machine hours
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73 000
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6 000
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Account balances at beginning 1 January:
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Raw material inventory*
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$315 000
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Work in process inventory
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180 000
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Finished goods inventory
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375 000
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Question:
1. How much manufacturing overhead would Vision have applied to jobs to 30 November?
2. How much manufacturing overhead would be applied to jobs by Vision during December?
3. Determine the amount by which the manufacturing overhead is over applied or under applied as at 31 December.
4. Determine the balance in Vision's finished goods inventory account on 31 December.
5. Prepare a schedule of cost of goods manufactured for Vision Pty Ltd for the year. (Hint: In calculating the cost of direct material used, remember that Vision includes both direct and indirect material in its raw material inventory account.)