Question

EZ-Tax is a tax accounting practice with partners and staff members. Each billable hour of partner time has a $800 budgeted price and $375 budgeted variable cost. Each billable hour of staff time has a budgeted price of $210 and a budgeted variable cost of $120. For the most recent year, the partnership budget called for 5,000 billable partner-hours and 20,000 staff-hours. Actual results were as follows:
Partner revenue $4264,000 5200 hours
Staff revenue $4510,000 22,000 hours

Required
Compute the sales price and activity variances for these data. Also compute the mix and quantity variances.

Answer 1

Answer:

EZ-Tax

                                                      Partner                 Staff             Total

a. Sales price variance             $104,000            ($110,000)      ($6,000) U

b. Activity variance                   $160,000           $420,000     $580,000 F

c. Mix variance                           $85,000           $180,000     $265,000 F

d. Quantity variance                $189,000             $70,000     $259,000 F

Explanation:

a) Data and Calculations:

                                                      Partner                 Staff

Budgeted billable rate per hour   $800                    $210    

Budgeted variable cost per hour    375                      120

Budgeted billable hours              5,000                20,000

Budgeted revenue             $4,000,000        $4,200,000

Budgeted variable cost         1,875,000          2,400,000

Actual revenue                  $4,264,000         $4,510,000

Actual billable hours                   5,200                22,000

Actual billable rate per hour       $820                   $205

Budgeted billable rate per hour $800                    $210

Variance in price                           $20                       ($5)

Sales price variance            $104,000            ($110,000)      ($6,000)

Sales price variance = (Standard price - Actual price) * Actual billable hours

= ($800 - $820) * 5,200 + ($210 - $205) * 22,000

= $20 * 5,200 + ($5) * 22,000

= $104,000 - 110,000

= $6,000 U

Activity variance = (Actual billable hours - Standard billable hours) * Standard rate

= (5,200 - 5,000) * $800 + (22,000 - 20,000) * $210

= (200 * $800) + (2,000 * 210)

= $160,000 + 420,000

= $580,000 F

                                                  Partner                 Staff        Total

Budgeted revenue             $4,000,000        $4,200,000   $8,200,000

Budgeted variable cost         1,875,000          2,400,000      4,275,000

Budgeted contribution       $2,125,000         $1,800,000   $3,925,000

Actual revenue                  $4,264,000         $4,510,000   $8,774,000

Actual variable cost              1,950,000          2,640,000    4,590,000

Actual contribution             $2,314,000         $1,870,000   $4,184,000

Quantity variance                 $189,000              $70,000     $259,000

Quantity variance = Budgeted contribution - Actual contribution

= $3,925,000 - $4,184,000

= $259,000 F

Mix Variance:

Standard contribution margin  $425                  $90

Volume variance                         200                2,000

Mix variance =                     $85,000           $180,000