23 April 2022 7:54

What is the difference between joint costs and common costs?

Joint costs occur when one process or element results in outputting several goods. For instance, you can derive kerosene, fuel oil, gasolene from crude oil. Common costs arise when a firm outputs several products. However, these expenses can’t be attributed to any of these products directly.

What are common costs?

A common cost is a cost that is not attributable to a specific cost object, such as a product or process. When a common cost is associated with the manufacturing process, it is included in factory overhead and allocated to the units produced.

What is joint cost?

A joint cost is an expenditure that benefits more than one product, and for which it is not possible to separate the contribution to each product. The accountant needs to determine a consistent method for allocating joint costs to products.

What are the two types of costs?

The two basic types of costs incurred by businesses are fixed and variable. Fixed costs do not vary with output, while variable costs do. Fixed costs are sometimes called overhead costs.

What is common costs in accounting?

A common cost is a cost that is not attributable to a specific cost object, such as a product or process. When a common cost is associated with the manufacturing process, it is included in factory overhead and allocated to the units produced.

Are common costs relevant costs?

They are incremental – relevant costs are incremental costs and it is the increase in costs and revenues that occurs as a direct result of a decision taken that is relevant. Common costs can be ignored for the purposes of decision making.

What are joint costs examples?

Understanding Joint Cost



For example, the cost of fertilizing and harvesting sunflowers qualifies as a common cost. If a company uses the kernels in two or more different processes – such as roasting and crushing – the costs become joint costs. Another example of joint costing is feeding both sheep and cattle.

Are joint costs sunk costs?

In a sense, joint costs are sunk costs with respect to this decision, and will not influence future processing decisions. Thus joint costs incurred prior to the split-off point are irrelevant to the decision whether to process further after the split-off point.

What is joint costing in accounting?

In accounting, a joint cost is a cost incurred in a joint process. Joint costs may include direct material, direct labor, and overhead costs incurred during a joint production process. A joint process is a production process in which one input yields multiple outputs.

What is the difference between joint cost and by products?

A joint product is manufactured consciously and simultaneously along with the main product, whereas the by-product is simply an incidental result of the manufacturing of the main product.

Why are joint costs allocated?

Product costs are then used to determine a profit and a sale price. You need to calculate joint costs to calculate inventoriable costs. Those costs are attached to inventory and expensed when the product is sold. So you need joint costs to calculate inventory values and the cost of goods sold.

How do you calculate joint cost?


Quote: So it's a common cost that's why we call it a joint cost. And we need some way to allocate. It and so one way we could go about doing it is we could allocate it based on the relative sales. Value of

What are the 3 methods that joint costs can be allocated?

Methods to allocate joint production cost

  • Market or sales value method. The market or sales value method allocates a joint production cost on the basis of relative market or sales values of individual joint products. …
  • Quantitative or physical unit method. …
  • Average unit cost method. …
  • Weighted average method.


Is joint cost relevant for decision making?

Joint costs are irrelevant for your “sell or process further” decision. Those costs are the same, whether you sell the product at splitoff or process further. In this case, joint costs are sunk or past costs. In other words, they’ve already been paid.

What is the difference between joint products and by products?

When the production of two or more products of similar value, are made together with same input and process, is called joint product. The term by-product means a product which is incidentally produced, during the processing operation of another product.

Are joint costs allocated to by-products?

1. Joint costs are the total of the raw material, labor, and overhead costs incurred up to the initial split-off point. a. Joint costs can be allocated to the final product only in some arbitrary manner because such costs cannot be traced directly to the products they benefit.

What is difference between product cost and period cost?

Product costs are those directly related to the production of a product or service intended for sale. Period costs are all other indirect costs that are incurred in production. Overhead and sales & marketing expenses are common examples of period costs.

What is common cost allocation?

Common costs are typically assigned or allocated to joint products, processes, and activities, so the company can accurately determine the cost of each activity and adjust prices accordingly. In this case the joint activities are trips to different suppliers related to different department.