Brenda McCoy, the managing partner of McCoy, Brennan, and Cable, a public accounting firm, is considering the desirability of tracing more costs

13-52 Choice of Cost-Allocation Bases in Accounting Firm

Brenda McCoy, the managing partner of McCoy, Brennan, and Cable, a public accounting firm, is considering the desirability of tracing more costs to jobs than just direct labor. In this way, the firm will be able to justify billings to clients.

Last year’s costs were
Direct-professional labor $ 5,000,000
Overhead 10,000,000
Total costs $15,000,000

The following costs were included in overhead:
Computer time $ 750,000
Secretarial cost 700,000
Photocopying 250,000
Fringe benefits to direct labor 800,000
Phone call time with clients (estimated but not tabulated) 500,000
Total $3,000,000

The firm’s data processing techniques now make it feasible to document and trace these costs to individual jobs. As an experiment, in December Brenda McCoy arranged to trace these costs to six audit engagements.

Two job records showed the following:
Engagement
Eagledale Company First Valley Bank
Direct-professional labor $15,000 $15,000
Fringe benefits to direct labor 3,000 3,000
Phone call time with clients 1,500 500
Computer time 3,000 700
Secretarial costs 2,000 1,500
Photocopying 500 300
Total direct costs $25,000 $21,000

1. Compute the overhead application rate based on last year’s costs.
2. Suppose last year’s costs were reclassified so that $3 million would be regarded as direct costs instead of overhead. Compute the overhead application rate as a percentage of direct labor and as a percentage of total direct costs.
3. Using the three rates computed in numbers 1 and 2, compute the total costs of engagements for Eagledale Company and First Valley Bank.
4. Suppose that client billing was based on a 30% markup of total job costs. Compute the billings that would be forthcoming in number 3.
5. Which method of costing and overhead application do you favor? Explain.

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Hardy Fiber Company is the creator of Y-Go, a technology that weaves silver into its fabrics to kill bacteria and odor on clothing while managing heat

E7-4 Hardy Fiber Company is the creator of Y-Go, a technology that weaves silver into its fabrics to kill bacteria and odor on clothing while managing heat. Y-Go has become very popular as an undergarment for sports activities. Operating at capacity, the company can produce 1,000,000 undergarments of Y-Go a year. The per unit and the total costs for an individual garment when the company operates at full capacity are as follows.

Per Undergarment Total
Direct materials $2.00 $2,000,000
Direct labor 0.50 500,000
Variable manufacturing overhead 1.00 1,000,000
Fixed manufacturing overhead 1.50 1,500,000
Variable selling expenses 0.25 250,000
Net income $5.25 $5,250,000

The U.S. Army has approached Hardy Fiber and expressed an interest in purchasing 200,000 Y-Go undergarments for soldiers in extremely warm climates. The Army would pay the unit cost for direct materials, direct labor, and variable manufacturing overhead costs. In addition, the Army has agreed to pay an additional $1 per undergarment to cover all other costs and provide a profit. Presently, Hardy Fiber is operating at 70 percent capacity and does not have any other potential buyers for Y-Go. If Hardy Fiber accepts the Army's offer, it will not incur any variable selling expenses related to this order.

Using incremental analysis, determine whether Hardy Fiber should accept the Army's offer.

Click here for the solution: Hardy Fiber Company is the creator of Y-Go, a technology that weaves silver into its fabrics to kill bacteria and odor on clothing while managing heat