Difference between a Production Account and a Cost Sheet

Production Account:

Production Account is an account created under unit costing, which exhibit, the product produced, total cost of sales and the per unit cost incurred during the given period.

Production Account is something that integrates into itself, the components of cost sheet and the trading and profit and loss account. It not only includes the total cost of production but also accounts for the selling and distribution overheads.

  • It consists of four parts. The first part gives prime cost, second part gives cost of goods manufactured, third part shows gross profit and fourth part shows net profit.
  • It is based on double entry system.
  • It shows the cost in aggregate and thus facilitates comparison with other financial accounts.
  • It is prepared in the form of an account.
  • It is not useful for preparing tenders and quotations.
  • Expenses are not classified in this account.
  • It is based on actual figures of expenses.
  • No comparison in possible due to non-availability of previous year’s figures.
  • It is prepared for each production department.

Cost Sheet:

Cost sheet can be described as a statement of cost expended or to be expended, by the company in connection to the cost unit or cost centre, for a definite period or level of activity. It exhibits both cost per unit of production and total cost. Simply put, a cost sheet is a periodical statement, which accounts for the all the cost of a cost centre.

  • It presents the elements of cost in a classified manner and the cost is ascertained at different stages such as prime cost, works cost, cost of production, cost of goods sold, cost of sales and total cost.
  • It is not based on double entry system.
  • It shows the cost in detail and analytical manner which facilitates comparison of cost for the purpose of cost control.
  • It is prepaid in the form of a statement.
  • Estimate cost sheets can be prepared on the basis of actual cost sheets and these are useful for preparing tenders and quotations.
  • Expenses are classified to ascertain different divisions of cost as prime cost, works cost, total cost etc.
  • It is based on actual and estimated figures of expenses.
  • Figures of previous year are provided to enable comparison.
  • It is prepared for each job and sometimes for the whole factory also.

Production Account

Cost Sheet

Form It is prepared like an account It is prepared in the form of a statement.
Double entry It is based on double entry system and there are debit and credit side. It is not based on double entry system.
Period It is prepared after completion of production. It is prepared with a view ascertain total-cost as well as per unit cost of production.
Comparative study Such comparative study is not possible in these methods. Comparative study for two periods or two type of production is feasible.
Comparison with financial accounts Results can be compared with financial account’s results. Results cannot be compared with financial account’s results.
Cost analysis Different items of cost are shown as totals and are not analyzed. Detailed analysis of cost is made to control different elements of cost, viz. material, labor and expenses.

Production Account

Production Account is a statement of cost or cost-sheet in a ledger account form, showing output during a given period, total cost and per unit cost incurred during the period and their components, as also the profit or loss for that period.

According to Glover and Williams, ‘The term Production Account is used to denote a particular form of Manufacturing Account, prepared in conjunction with the financial accounts in order to show the actual cost of producing the goods manufactured during the period under review. These accounts may be drawn up at short intervals e.g. monthly’.

Production Account is an account created under unit costing, which exhibit, the product produced, total cost of sales and the per unit cost incurred during the given period.

Production Account is something that integrates into itself, the components of cost sheet and the trading and profit and loss account. It not only includes the total cost of production but also accounts for the selling and distribution overheads.

There are three parts of a production account, in which the first part represents the cost of production, the second one shows the cost of goods sold and the last indicates the cost of sales, i.e. total cost.

It should be noted that Production Account is prepared in the form in which Trading Account is prepared. It has normally two parts. The first part gives total cost as well as cost per unit. The second part gives the cost of goods sold and sales.

Canteen or Hotel costing

Canteen Costing

The government organizations, factories, companies, offices, colleges, schools and even hospitals have canteens to provide affordable foodstuff like meals, refreshment, snacks, etc. to the staff, students and patients.

The canteen manager or supervisor keeps control over the costs and performs service costing to ascertain revenue of these business organizations. The costs involved in canteen services include the cost of material, labour, services, consumable stores and miscellaneous overheads.

The object of canteen costing is to ascertain the cost per meal, cost per cup of tea etc.

In a canteen, the expenses are generally classified as follows:

  • Wages and salaries of staff e.g., cooks, helpers, waiters and supervisors.
  • Provisions like meat, fish, fruits, flour, oil, milk, sugar, cream, tea, coffee, and soft drinks.
  • Services like steam, gas, electricity, power, water etc.
  • Consumable stores like cutlery, crockery, glassware, table linen, mops and washing up clothes, drying up clothes, cleaning materials, dust pans and brushes.
  • Miscellaneous overheads like rent, rates, depreciation and insurance.

A monthly operating cost statement is usually prepared to ascertain the total cost and cost per meal. As most factory canteens are subsidised by the employer to some extent, the amount of subsidy is deducted from the total cost.

Hotel Costing:

The hotels provide accommodation to the guests as services; thus, it involves a high maintenance cost along with the fixed cost. The fixed cost includes depreciation, staff salaries, interest on capital, taxes, etc. Whereas, variable cost involves electricity charges, temporary staff salary, etc.

A hotel is engaged in providing food, accommodation and other comforts to its customers. Costs incurred by a hotel may be fixed or variable. Fixed costs may include salaries of staff, depreciation of fixed assets etc., while variable costs may comprise lighting and power charges, wages of room attendants etc. The object of hotel costing is to ascertain the cost per room or cost per man.

Hospital costing and Transport Costing

Hospital costing

The services provided by the medical organizations like hospitals health centres, nursing homes, medical camps and clinics require cost analysis, which is possible through service costing.

The hospital cost includes fixed charges such as labour salaries, maintenance charges, rent, administration expenses and other overheads. Also, the variable charges like medicines, bed charges, doctors fees, etc. are involved in the total cost.

A hospital is engaged in providing various medical services to the patients and hospital costing is applied to determine the cost of these services.

A hospital may have the following departments on the basis of functions performed by them:

  • Outdoor Patient Department (O.P.D.).
  • Indoor Patient Department (Medical Wards).
  • Medical Service Departments e.g., X-Ray Department, Scanning Centre, Pathology Laboratory etc.
  • General Service Departments e.g., Boiler House, Power House, Catering Department, Laundry Room, Administrative Office, Works Maintenance Department etc.
  • Miscellaneous Service Departments i.e., the departments engaged in providing services to the above four departments such as transport department, dispensary, general porting etc.

The operating costs of Outdoor Patient Department, Indoor Patient Department, Medical Service Departments and General Service Departments are determined with reference to the suitable unit of cost and in doing so the costs of miscellaneous service departments are apportioned to them on some suitable basis.

The common units of cost of various departments in a hospital are follows:

  • Outdoor Patient Department Per Out-patient attended.
  • Indoor Patient Department Per Room-day.
  • X-Ray Department Per 100 units.
  • Scanning Centre per Case
  • Pathology Laboratory per 100 Requests
  • Laundry Department per 100 items laundered
  • Catering Department per Patient per Week.

The costs of a hospital are divided into fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs may comprise salaries of administrative staff, depreciation of building, rent of building, depreciation of surgical and medical equipments etc., while variable costs may comprise light and power, water, laundry charges, food supplied to patients etc.

Transport Costing

Transport Costing refers to the determination of the cost per unit of services rendered by a vehicle. Its include Water, Air, Road and Railways. Motor transport includes Buses, Taxies, Private Cars, Carriers and Lorries etc. E.g. The cost/passenger/km or cost/ton/km.

Objects of Transport Costing

  1. It helps in controlling, operating and maintenance costs.
  2. Cost of using own vehicle and hired vehicle can be compared.
  3. Operating costs of different vehicles can be compared and thus efficiency can be improved.
  4. Comparison of oil consumption and time taken for a trip with other trips is possible.
  5. Proper apportionment of costs to different departments which use the service is possible.
  6. It provides information for giving quotation and fixing the rates.

Objectives of Transport Costing

  • To find cost per unit of operating a vehicle and to fix the rate for the carriage of passengers or goods.
  • The control of the cost of operating each vehicle.
  • To compare the cost per unit of one means of transport with that of another, and to find out the profitable means of transport.
  • To compare the cost per unit of operating one vehicle, with another vehicle, and to ascertain the efficiency of each vehicle.
  • To help to fix the hire charges of a vehicle where a vehicle is given on hire.

Cost Classification

The expenses incurred by a transport concern can be classified into three categories.

  1. Fixed charges or Standing charges.
  2. Maintenance charges.
  3. Operating or Running charges.

 

  1. Fixed Charges or Standing Charges

It includes expenses, which remain fixed, whatever may be the distance covered, or trips made. The vehicle may be idle, but these expenses have to be met. Therefore, they are called as fixed charges.

Example: Garage rent, insurance premium, road license fee, interest on capital, vehicle tax, establishment expenses of the work shop, head office expenses, depreciation of the vehicle (based on time), wages of drivers, conductors etc. (based on amount to be paid on a fixed rate, regardless of distance covered).

  1. Maintenance Charges

These expenses are incurred on the repairs and maintenance of the vehicle, so as to keep the vehicle in proper condition. They are semi-variable or semi-fixed in nature.

Example: Repairs and maintenance, spares and accessories, wear and tear of tyres and tubes, supervision expenses, painting charges, overhaul expenses.

  1. Operating Charges

These expenses are incurred on the actual running of the vehicle. They vary with the distance covered or the trips made. They are variable in nature.

Example: Petrol or diesel expenses, lubricating oil and grease, salaries and wages of drivers, conductors etc. (if it depends upon the distance covered, or by the number of trips made), depreciation of vehicles (based on the mileage run) etc.

Advantages:

The usefulness of transport costs becomes apparent when we consider the following advantages:

(a) Choosing between alternative means of transport. A transport company- owning Lorries may compare the cost of using a lorry with the prevailing railway rates and decide to make use of the alternative if that appears to be cheaper.

(b) Comparing the cost of maintaining one vehicle with the cost of another vehicle of the same type.

(c) Determining the basis for charging to departments using the service.

(d) Determining the price at which a vehicle should be hired out.

(e) Comparison between owned transport and hired transport to decide whether it is economical to go in for a hired one.

Power house costing or Boiler house costing

Power House Costing is concerned with the ascertainment of cost per unit of steam or electricity produced. The costs of producing steam used in power house for the generation of electricity is also included in the power house costs.

The specimen of cost sheet prepared by power-house:

 

Cost Sheet

 
Period:  

Output…

Particulars

Total

Rs.   P.

Per Kwt.

Rs. P.

(A) Fixed expenses    
  Plant Supervision    
  Administration Overheads    
  Depreciation    
(B) Variable Expenses:    
  Operating Labour    
  Repairs and Maintenance    
  Coal Consumed    
  Lubricants, Spares and Stores    

Boiler House Costing (With Cost Sheet Format)

Operating Costing is also applied in those undertakings engaged in steam production. In large firms, a boiler house is a service department providing services to production departments. The total costs are obtained for producing steam. A cost unit is generally in terms of pounds.

Boiler house cost sheet

Month

Total Steam Produced

Total Consumption
Particulars Cost per 1000 lb Total cost
1 2 3
(A) Fixed Overheads:
Rent, rates etc.
Depreciation of plant
Depreciation of building
Insurance
(B) Maintenance charges
Metres
Furnace
Service Material
Tools and Accessories
© Labour charges
Coal handlers
Ash removes
(D) Fuel
Fuel
Power
Water charges
Water purchased
Water softening
(F) Supervision and other charges
Foreman
Engineers
General labours
Cleaners
Total

Comparison between Job costing and Process Costing

Job costing involves the detailed accumulation of production costs attributable to specific units or groups of units. For example, the construction of a custom-designed piece of furniture would be accounted for with a job costing system. The costs of all labour worked on that specific item of furniture would be recorded on a time sheet and then compiled on a cost sheet for that job. Similarly, any wood or other parts used in the construction of the furniture would be charged to the production job linked to that piece of furniture. This information may then be used to bill the customer for work performed and materials used, or to track the extent of the company’s profits on the production job associated with that specific item of furniture.

Each job is a project that has its own distinct entity.

  • No job is the same. Each job will have to be done differently to successfully complete it.
  • Based on client requirements or needs.
  • The difference in work in progress exists in each period.

Process costing involves the accumulation of costs for lengthy production runs involving products that are indistinguishable from each other. For example, the production of 100,000 gallons of gasoline would require that all oil used in the process, as well as all labor in the refinery facility be accumulated into a cost account, and then divided by the number of units produced to arrive at the cost per unit. Costs are likely to be accumulated at the department level, and no lower within the organization.

Differences

Assignment: In job costing, it is calculating the cost of each job. In process costing, the cost is first determined by the process and then decided based on the number of units produced.

Production: In job costing, production is customized, while it is standardized in process costing.

Reduction in Cost: With job costing, there are fewer scopes of reduction in costs; the opposite is true with process costing.

Individuality: Because all jobs are different from each other, all products have individuality in job costing. Because process costing means products are produced in high volume, they lack individuality.

Cost Transfer: Costs cannot be transferred in job costing, but can be transferred from one process to another in process costing.

Industry: Job costing is best for industries where products or services are customized based on consumers’ demands. Process costing is best for mass production industries with standardized products.

Work in Progress: With job costing, there may or may not be any work in progress (WIP). With process costing, there is always WIP at the beginning and end of a period.

Losses: In job costing, losses are not separated, but with process costing, losses can be separated.

Record Keeping: For job costing, keeping records is tedious and time-consuming, but process costing keeps things streamlined and efficient.

Size of Job: Job costing is best for small production units, while process costing is best for large production units.

Rejects and Rectification: Joint and by-products costing problems under reverse cost method

The market value method (also known as reversal cost method) of costing by-products is identical to the recognition of gross revenue method of costing by-products. Both the methods reduce the production or manufacturing cost of the main product by the value of by-product.

Under recognition of gross revenue method, the production cost of the main product is reduced by the actual revenue realized from the sale of by product. However, the market value or reversal cost method reduces the production cost of the main product by the estimated value of the by-product at time of recovery or split-off point.

An account usually titled as “by-product account” is charged with the estimated value at the time of recovery (i.e., split-off point) and the cost of main product is credited. The materials, labour or factory overhead costs incurred on the by-product after split-off point is charged to the by-product. Any marketing or administrative costs belonging to the by-product may also be allocated to it.

The balance of the by-product account can be shown on the income statement using one of the four approaches described in recognition of gross revenue method of costing by-products.

The manufacturing cost that is applicable to any unsold inventory of by-product is presented on the balance sheet.

Determination of economic Batch Quantity

Need for Determining:

  • Every time a component/product is to be made, setting up of the tool is involved. Because of this some loss in production time will be there. Therefore, maximum number of units are produced once the machine is set in order to reduce the cost per unit.
  • Such large production at one run will lead to accumulation of inventory and the costs related thereto.
  • Thus, there is a quantity for which reduced cost of production is just offset by costs of carrying the quantity inventory. The determination of most economical batch quantity requires consideration of many related factors of costs and economies.

Cost Influence:

  • Set up cost
  • Rate of consumption.
  • Storage cost
  • Interest on capital
  • Manufacturing cost

Types of Cost:

  • Set-up costs
  • Carrying costs

The following formula is used to calculate Economic Batch Quantity is as follows:

Economic Batch Quantity = √{DS/IC}

Were,

D = Demand for a period

S = Set up cost

I = Interest Rate

C = Cost per unit of manufacture

Meaning, Definitions, Characteristics, Functions and Importance of Environmental Accounting

Environmental accounting is a subset of accounting proper, its target being to incorporate both economic and environmental information. It can be conducted at the corporate level or at the level of a national economy through the System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting, a satellite system to the National Accounts of Countries (among other things, the National Accounts produce the estimates of gross domestic product otherwise known as GDP).

Environmental accounting is a field that identifies resource use, measures and communicates costs of a company’s or national economic impact on the environment. Costs include costs to clean up or remediate contaminated sites, environmental fines, penalties and taxes, purchase of pollution prevention technologies and waste management costs.

An environmental accounting system consists of environmentally differentiated conventional accounting and ecological accounting. Environmentally differentiated accounting measures effects of the natural environment on a company in monetary terms. Ecological accounting measures the influence a company has on the environment, but in physical measurements.

Functions and Roles

External Functions

By disclosing the quantitatively measured results of its environmental conservation activities, external functions allow a company to influence the decision-making of stakeholders, such as consumers, investors, and local residents.

Internal Functions

As one step of a company’s environmental information system, internal function makes it possible to manage environmental conservation cost and analyze the cost of environmental conservation activities versus the benefit obtained, and promotes effective and efficient environmental conservation activities through suitable decision-making.

Benefits/Importance

While environmental accounting can focus on environmental management accounting or financial accounting, the most prominent benefits come from the application of environmental management accounting methods. This type of accounting focuses on gathering, estimating and analyzing costs associated with the use of energy and physical materials like timber, metal or coal. Standard accounting practices tended to place these costs in the catch all category of overhead, but environmental management accounting allows accountants to apply activity based cost principles to more accurately associate these costs to various projects or events. Decision makers who can see exactly where these natural resources are used across various projects can locate areas of synergy that allow them to reduce the amount of wasted materials at the program or enterprise level.

Relevance

Environmental accounting should provide valid information related to a company’s environmental conservation costs and benefits from associated activities which contributes to the decision-making of stakeholders.

Reliability

Environmental accounting should eliminate seriously inaccurate or biased data and aid in building the trust and reliability of stakeholders.

Neutrality

Information that is disclosed taking a fair and impartial stance.

Prudence

Information that may be vague or unclear should be handled carefully and the nature, scope and grounds on which it is based should be made clear.

Completeness

The scope of environmental accounting should extend to all material and significant information for all environmental conservation activities.

Understandability

By achieving understandability of disclosure of necessary environmental accounting data, environmental accounting should eliminate the possibility of any mistaken judgment about the company’s environmental conservation activities.

Comparability

Environmental accounting makes it possible for a company to make year-on-year comparisons. Information provided should be comparable with different companies in the same sector.

Meaning, Definitions, Characteristics, Functions and Importance of Public expenditure accounting

Public expenditure is spending made by the government of a country on collective needs and wants such as pension, provisions (such as education, healthcare and housing), security, infrastructure, etc. Until the 19th century, public expenditure was limited as laissez faire philosophies believed that money left in private hands could bring better returns. In the 20th century, John Maynard Keynes argued the role of public expenditure in determining levels of income and distribution in the economy. Since then, government expenditures has shown an increasing trend. Sources of government revenue include taxes, and non-tax revenues.

In the 17th and the 18th centuries, public expenditure was considered a wastage of money. Thinkers believed government should stay with their traditional functions of spending on defense and maintaining law and order.

Public expenditure refers to expenditure of the government. In the past, the subject of public expenditure was neglected because the expenditure of the government was very small. There has been a persistent and continuous increase in public expenditures in countries all over the world. This tendency was observed in the 19th century itself but it has become clear and definite in the 20th century.

  1. Principle of Maximum Social Advantage

The objective behind this principle is that public money should be spent for general cause and must promote social welfare. It should not be spent for the benefit of a particular group of society. Public expenditure should result in increased production, elimination of inequality and promotion of welfare of all. It should secure internal peace and also protection from external aggression.

  1. Canon of Economy

The authorities are expected to follow utmost economy in its expenditure. Public money should not be misused and not result in any wastage. Whenever money is raised by taxation, public expenditure in return should bring maximum benefit. It should not produce unfavorable effect on production. Canon of economy does not mean niggardliness or miserliness. It simply means the prevention of extravagance and waste of all kinds.

  1. Canon of Sanction

Without the sanction of the public authority, no money should be spent. At the same time, the amount of money must be spent for the purpose for which it was sanctioned.

This will ensure that:

  • Waste and extravagance are avoided,
  • There is proper audit done compulsorily,
  • There is control and legislative supervision over public expenditure,
  • It is seen whether the expenditure has fulfilled the objective.

In the absence of proper sanction, there may be misuse and misappropriation of public funds. The Public Accounts Committee established by every legislature sees that these objectives are achieved.

  1. Canon of Elasticity

This implies that there should be scope for varying the expenditure according to need or circumstances. There should not be any rigidity in public expenditure.

  1. Canon of Surplus

To greater extent, the government expenditure should lead to increased production, employment and income. The expenditure should be with in the revenue of the State. Deficit is permitted only for a short duration. In times of crisis, government is allowed to have deficit budget. The deficit must be made good after the normalcy returns.

Finally, public expenditure should promote economic growth, stability and social justice. Public expenditure should be directed to achieve economic and social objectives of the country.

Effects of Public Expenditure

Public expenditure is beneficial since it influences the economy in many directions. The effects of public expenditure are always beneficial. It increases the capacity of the people to produce output efficiently. It influences the production not only directly but also indirectly. It increases the community’s productive power. It promotes social and economic equality and finally increases income, employment and welfare.

  1. Effects on production

Expenditure on defence becomes productive and it becomes a protective expenditure. Development of infrastructures facilitates production and thereby helps to increase national income and in turn per capita income. Expenditures on social services like free education, health and medical aid, which increase the capacity of the people to work and save and productive power.

  1. Effects on distribution

Public expenditure is an ideal medium to remove economic inequalities in society. The government should tax more the rich. The amount so collected should be spent on free education, medical aid, cheap food, subsidized houses, old age pension, etc. This process of public expenditure will bring about redistribution of national income in favour of the poor.

  1. Effects on income and employment

Public expenditure affects the level of income and employment in the country by removing the widespread unemployment. Investing more on public works like roads, hydro-electric generating works, etc. will create a multiplier effect on the economy and thereby increases the income and employment. This results in increased consumption and in turn develops the consumption goods industries and capital goods industries.

Public expenditure can be divided into COFOG (Classification of the Functions of Government) categories. Those categories are

  • Social protection: Pensions, subsidies for family and children, unemployment subsidies, R&D (Research and Development) on social protection.
  • Health: public health services, medical products, appliances and equipment, hospital services, R&D on healthcare.
  • General Public Services: Executive and legislative organs, financial and fiscal affairs, external affairs, foreign economic aid, public debt transactions, R&D related to general public services
  • Education: Pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary education, R&D on education etc.
  • Economic Affairs: General economic, agriculture, fuel and energy, commercial and labour affairs, forestry, fishing and hunting, mining, manufacturing, transport, communication etc.
  • Public order and safety – police, fire-protection services, law courts, prisons etc.
  • Defence: Military defence, civil defence, foreign military aid.
  • Recreation, culture and religion: Recreational and sporting services, cultural services, broadcasting and publishing services, religious services etc.
  • Environmental protection: Waste management, pollution abatement, protection of biodiversity and landscape etc.
  • Housing and community services: Housing development, community development, water supply, street lighting etc.

Principles Governing Public Expenditure

Rules or principles that govern the expenditure policy of the government are called canons of public expenditure. The following four canons of public expenditure:

  1. Canon of Benefit: Public spending must be done in a manner that it brings greatest social benefits.
  2. Canon of Economy: It says that economy does not mean miserliness. Public expenditure must be made productively and efficiently.
  3. Canon of Sanction: Public spending should not be made without sanction od an appropriate authority.
  4. Canon of Surplus: Public expenditure should be done in a way avoiding deficit. Government must prepare budget to create a surplus.
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