Question

White Company has two departments, Cutting and Finishing. The company uses a job-order costing system and computes a predetermined overhead rate in each department. The Cutting Department bases its rate on machine-hours, and the Finishing Department bases its rate on direct labor-hours. At the beginning of the year, the company made the following estimates:
Department
Cutting Finishing
Direct labor-hours 7,700 43,000
Machine-hours 43,400 1,900
Total fixed manufacturing overhead cost $390,000 $496,000
Variable manufacturing overhead per machine-hour 2.00
Variable manufacturing overhead per direct labor-hour $3.75
Required:
1. Compute the predetermined overhead rate for each department.
2. The job cost sheet for Job 203, which was started and completed during the year, showed the following:

Department
Cutting Finishing
Direct labor-hours 3 13
Machine-hours 43 4
Direct materials 745 370
Direct labor costs 43 210
Using the pre-determined overhead rates that you computed in requirement 1, compute the total manufacturing overhead cost assigned to Job 203.
3. Wouid you expect substantially different amounts of overhead cost to be assigned to some jobs if the company used a plantwide pre-determined overhead rate, based on direct labor hours rather than using departmental rates?

Answer 1

Answer:

1. Cutting Department = $8.99 per machine hour and Finishing Department = $11.53 per direct labor hour.

2. The  total manufacturing overhead cost assigned to Job 203 is $2,058.46.

3. Yes. Plant wide pre-determined overhead rate does not consider the cost driver in the departments involved.

Explanation:

Predetermined overhead rate = Budgeted Overheads / Budgeted Activity

Cutting Department = $390,000 / 43,400

                                 = $8.99 per machine hour

Finishing Department = $496,000 / 43,000

                                    = $11.53 per direct labor hour

Total manufacturing overhead cost assigned to Job 203.

Direct materials

Cutting Department                             $ 745.00

Finishing Department                          $ 370 .00

Direct labor costs

Cutting Department                              $ 43.00

Finishing Department                          $ 210.00

Variable manufacturing overhead

Cutting Department ($2.00 × 43)         $86.00

Finishing Department ($2.00 × 4)          $8.00

Variable manufacturing overhead

Cutting Department ($3.75 × 3)              $11.25

Finishing Department ($3.75 × 13)        $48.75

Fixed manufacturing overhead

Cutting Department ($8.99 × 43)        $386.57

Finishing Department ($11.53 × 13)       $149.89

Total                                                   $2,058.46