Allocation of Service department costs

There are three methods for allocating service department costs: direct, sequential, and reciprocal. The first step of each method is to classify each organizational unit as either an operating or service department. Operating departments directly produce or distribute the company’s output, such as machining and assembly departments. Service departments provide services and support to operating departments as well as other support departments. Examples include human resources and information systems departments.

The problem in allocating service department costs is complicated by multiple-department relationships, where each service department may provide service to all of the other departments, including other service departments and itself. The three-service cost-allocation methods vary in terms of ease and accuracy because of how they approach this problem.

Production cost centers are directly involved in the production process as changing the shape of the material on worked upon, or just assembling the parts into a finished product. Typical examples of producing departments include cutting, stitching, spinning, assembly, weaving or etc.

Service cost centers refer to those costs that produce nothing but indirectly help in production by providing services to production cost centers. In certain cases service departments render services not only to the producing departments but also to other service departments. Typical examples of service departments include maintenance, stores, canteen, personnel, etc.

The direct method allocates costs to the operating departments directly, with no allocations to the other service departments. The method is easy to implement, but it ignores the fact that other service departments require services from each other, so it’s less accurate.

The sequential method (also known as the step-down method), allocates costs to operating departments and other service departments sequentially, but only in one direction. There is no set order in the sequence used: One common technique is to begin with the service department that incurs the most costs supporting other service departments and work downward to the department with the least costs. Once a service department’s cost is allocated out, however, no portion of its cost is allocated back to it from other service departments. This method partially recognizes other service departments, which makes it more accurate than the direct method.

The reciprocal method fully recognizes the other service departments by allowing reallocations back to each service department. As such, it’s more difficult to calculate but also more accurate than the other methods.

An algebraic method sometimes called the reciprocal method. This method allocates cost by explicitly including the mutual services rendered among all departments, causes of under and over absorption of overhead.

Procedure in Cost Allocation:

As products are not processed in service departments, their costs cannot be charged directly to products or cost units. Firstly, cost of service departments is built up by the usual process of allocation and primary apportionment. Afterwards their costs are allotted to production cost centers on some equitable or fair basis according to the use which producing departments make of service departments. Lastly, after calculating overhead absorption rates, costs of producing departments (including their share in the costs of service departments) are charged to jobs or products.