Job costing
Job costing collects costs for a separately identifiable job, contract or assignment whose requirements differ from other work. A job cost record accumulates direct materials, direct labour, direct expenses and assigned production overhead. It supports quotation, control and comparison of actual with expected cost. Cost per unit within a job can be calculated when appropriate, but treating every job as identical can hide the reason different resource requirements arise.
Worked example
A bespoke installation uses material $2,000, labour $1,500 and absorbed overhead $900, giving job production cost $4,400 before non-production costs and profit.
Common mistake
Do not substitute average process cost for a bespoke job without checking whether the work consumes comparable resources.
Where it appears in your exams
| Qualification | Exam | Relationship | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACCA | MA | Direct | September 2026–June 2027 |
| FIA | FMA | Direct | September 2026–June 2027 |
