Question

Static Budget versus Flexible Budget

The production supervisor of the Machining Department for Hagerstown Company agreed to the following monthly static budget for the upcoming year:

Hagerstown Company Machining Department Monthly Production Budget
Wages	$663,000
Utilities	31,000
Depreciation	53,000
Total	$747,000

The actual amount spent and the actual units produced in the first three months in the Machining Department were as follows:

	Amount Spent		Units Produced
May	$704,000		128,000
June	673,000		117,000
July	639,000		105,000

The Machining Department supervisor has been very pleased with this performance because actual expenditures for May–July have been significantly less than the monthly static budget of 747,000. However, the plant manager believes that the budget should not remain fixed for every month but should “flex” or adjust to the volume of work that is produced in the Machining Department. Additional budget information for the Machining Department is as follows:

Wages per hour	$19.00
Utility cost per direct labor hour	$0.90
Direct labor hours per unit	0.25
Planned monthly unit production	140,000

a. Prepare a flexible budget for the actual units produced for May, June, and July in the Machining Department. Assume depreciation is a fixed cost. If required, use per unit amounts carried out to two decimal places.

Hagerstown Company
Machining Department Budget
For the Three Months Ending July 31
	May	June	July
Units of production	128,000	117,000	105,000
Total
Supporting calculations:
Units of production	128,000	117,000	105,000
Hours per unit
Total hours of production
Wages per hour
Total wages
Total hours of production
Utility costs per hour
Total utilities

b. Compare the flexible budget with the actual expenditures for the first three months.

	May	June	July
Total flexible budget
Actual cost
Excess of actual cost over budget

What does this comparison suggest?

The Machining Department has performed better than originally thought.
The department is spending more than would be expected.

Answer 1

1.

	May	June	July
Units of production	128,000	117,000	105,000
Total	$689,800 (608,000+28,800+53,000)	$635,075 (555,750+26,325+53,000)	$575,375 (498,750+23,625+53,000)
Supporting calculations:
Units of production	128,000	117,000	105,000
Hours per unit	0.25	0.25	0.25
Total hours of production	32,000	29,250	26,250
Wages per hour	$19	$19	$19
Total wages	$608,000	$555,750	$498,750
Total hours of production	32,000	29,250	26,250
Utility cost per hour	$0.90	$0.90	$0.90
Total utilities	$28,800	$26,325	$23,625

2.

	May	June	July
Total flexible budget	$689,800	$635,075	$575,375
Actual cost	704,000	673,000	639,000
Excess of actual cost over budget	14,200	37,925	63,625

3.

This comparison suggest the department is spending more than would be expected.