Skip to contentSkip to search

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

QualificationExamRelationshipPeriod
ACCA MA Direct September 2026–June 2027
FIA FMA Direct September 2026–June 2027