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Standard costing- idle time

Forums › Ask ACCA Tutor Forums › Ask the Tutor ACCA MA – FIA FMA › Standard costing- idle time

  • This topic has 10 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by John Moffat.
Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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  • December 26, 2020 at 12:42 pm #600901
    applessauce
    Member
    • Topics: 85
    • Replies: 65
    • ☆☆

    Sir in standard costing we say that we allow idle time for standard costing and I had this question which I just thought of by myself

    If a company uses 300 labours hours and there was idle time of 20 hours

    What is the standard time of labour usage for the company

    Would the answer be 300 hours sir since we allow idle time for standard costing???

    December 26, 2020 at 1:41 pm #600907
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54668
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    The standard time is the budgeted working time per unit. The working time is the time paid for less the idle time. If they use 300 labour hours, then they must be working for 300 hours but they will need to pay for 320 hours.

    December 27, 2020 at 12:02 pm #600961
    applessauce
    Member
    • Topics: 85
    • Replies: 65
    • ☆☆

    ok so when we pay for labour we include idle time but when we try ti figure out usage we remive idle time right?

    Im still not sure why we added the 20 because when we try to find efficiency ratios we include idle time but remove for variaces

    December 27, 2020 at 2:26 pm #600971
    applessauce
    Member
    • Topics: 85
    • Replies: 65
    • ☆☆

    Sir I just found out that there is something called normal idle time and abnormal idle time

    Apparently for normal idle time we include the cost but for abnormal idle time it is not?

    Is this true and if so does that apply in a similar fashion for labour hours

    December 27, 2020 at 3:30 pm #600984
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54668
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Normal idle time is the expected idle time and this is built into the standard costings. Abnormal idle time is any extra idle time that actually happens. This isn’t built into the costings but creates a variance, but idle time variances are not examinable until Paper PM.

    December 27, 2020 at 5:23 pm #600992
    applessauce
    Member
    • Topics: 85
    • Replies: 65
    • ☆☆

    Oh ok so basically for MA all that is needed to know about idle time is that it is included when we caluculate labour hours right sir???

    December 28, 2020 at 8:12 am #601026
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54668
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Yes.

    December 28, 2020 at 12:18 pm #601053
    applessauce
    Member
    • Topics: 85
    • Replies: 65
    • ☆☆

    Ok so for this question we don’t consider standard time because it is budgeted and not standard right?

    Budgeted production in a factory for next period is 4,800 units. Each unit requires five labour hours to make. Labour is paid $10 per hour. Idle time represents 20% of the total labour time.
    What is the budgeted total labour cost for the next period?

    December 28, 2020 at 1:37 pm #601059
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54668
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    Why are you attempting questions for which you do not have an answer?

    Standard time is the budgeted time.

    The standard hours worked per unit is 5 hours.

    Therefore they need to pay for 10/8 x 5 = 6.25 hours for each unit (20% x 6.25 = 1.25 hours are idle, leaving 5 hours for work).

    Therefore for 4,800 units they need to pay 4,800 x 6.25 x $10

    December 28, 2020 at 2:49 pm #601068
    applessauce
    Member
    • Topics: 85
    • Replies: 65
    • ☆☆

    The answer for this question was in the kaplan revision kit book and yes $300,000 was the same answer for which you calculated

    Sir could you explain where you got the figures of 10 and 8 when you found 6.25 hours for each unit

    December 28, 2020 at 3:23 pm #601071
    John Moffat
    Keymaster
    • Topics: 57
    • Replies: 54668
    • ☆☆☆☆☆

    For every 10 hours they pay for, 2 hours (20%) are idle, and therefore 8 hours are worked.

    Putting it the other way round, for every 8 hours they work, we have to pay for 10 hours.

    So if they work for 5 hours, they have to pay for 10/8 x 5 = 6.25 hours.

    (And I wrote in my previous reply the check that this is correct)

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