Service Department and Joint Cost Allocation

6 important questions on Service Department and Joint Cost Allocation

Final cost center

Cost are allocated to another cost center but stay at this cost center.

Reasons to allocate costs:

  • To determine the cost to produce and market the product.
  • Cross-department-monitoring

Limitations of the direct method

  • Cross-departmental-monitoring is not possible because the direct method ignores the costs that service departments themeselves incur when they use other service departments.
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Limitations of the step method:

  • It is not better that the direct method. Managers do not have a  reason to switch from direct to step.

Physical Quantities method

Joint cost allocation based on measurement of the volume, weight or other physical measure of the joint products at the split-off point.

Two methods of accounting for by-products:

  1. The net realizable value from sale of the by product is deducted from the joint costs.
  2. The proceeds from sale of the by-product are treated as other revenue.

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