Answer:
O'Brian's Department Stores
a) Determination of the percentage of total personnel department services that was provided to the Payroll department
Since allocation of the personnel department services is based on the number of employees, we can use this to calculate the percentage. The personnel employees are not included in this calculation.
= 4/32 x 100 = 12.5%
b) Percentage of total payroll department services provided to the personnel department. Since the basis is the gross payroll, we can use this to calculate the percentage. The gross payroll of the Payroll department is not included in the calculation.
= $6,000/$42,100 x 100 = 14.3%
c) Personnel Payroll House- Clothing Furniture Total
Ware
Direct department
cost $ 7,800 $ 3,200 $ 12,200 $ 20,000 $ 16,750 $59,950
Number of
employees 5 4 8 16 4 37
Gross payroll $ 6,000 $ 3,300 $ 10,600 $ 17,400 $ 8,100 $45,400
Total cost $13,800 $6,500 $22,800 $37,400 $24,850 $105,350
Allocation of service departments costs, using the step method:
Personnel -13,800 1,725 3,450 6,900 1,725 13,800
Payroll 0 -8,225 2,415 3,965 1,845 8,225
Total allocated 0 0 $28,665 $48,265 $28,420 $105,350
Explanation:
a) Data:
Personnel Payroll House- Clothing Furniture Total
Ware
Direct department
cost $ 7,800 $ 3,200 $ 12,200 $ 20,000 $ 16,750 $59,950
Number of
employees 5 4 8 16 4 37
Gross payroll $ 6,000 $ 3,300 $ 10,600 $ 17,400 $ 8,100 $45,400
b) Cost allocation & Calculations:
Personnel (based on the number of employees)
Rate = $13,800/32 = $431.25 per employee
Payroll (based on gross payroll)
Rate = Payroll cost = Payroll cost divided by the total gross payroll in the other departments, excluding personnel and payroll departments
= $8,225/$36,100 = $0.2278 per gross payroll
c) Allocation of service departments' costs is a method of apportioning costs incurred by service departments to the production departments in order to include all the costs in the product costs. Three methods exist for allocating service departments' costs to the production departments. The first, which is the simplest, is the direct method. With this method, the costs of service departments are allocated directly to each production department based on the consumption of the service department's services. They are not allocated to other service departments.
The second method is the step method. Here, the costs of one service department with the highest cost are allocated to all other departments first, including production and other service departments following a step. The costs of the next service department with the highest costs are allocated to the remaining departments. This step is continued until all the service departments' costs have been allocated. Once the costs of a service department have been completely allocated, that department would not be allocated any other cost.
The Reciprocal method, which is the last method, is the most accurate and complicated method. This method first establishes the relationship among the service departments in equation form and uses the established equations to allocate the costs of service departments. We may not discuss it further than this.
