Overhead Budget Meaning

Overhead Budget is prepared to forecast and present all the expected costs concerning manufacturing the goods that the company expects to incur in the next year. It excludes the direct material and the direct labor cost, and the information, which becomes part of the cost of the goods sold in the master budgetMaster BudgetMaster Budget is an all-inclusive financial planning document that covers all the smaller budgets of the Company to present a detailed view of its financial standing. It includes cash flow forecast, capital investments, expected future sales, & production levels etc. read more.

Components of Manufacturing Overhead Budget

The following are the components of the overhead budget.

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#1 – Employee Costs

Employee cost refers to the amount paid to the employee for their work. Overhead budget considers the cost that the company expects to incur on its employees in the next year, like salary, etc.

#2 – Insurance Expense

Insurance expense is the expense incurred by the company for insuring the various things and has to regularly make the payment of its premium. So, these costs that the company expects to incur on insurance premiums in the next year are considered overhead and shown in the overhead budget.

#3 – Rent Expenses

Property used for production is generally taken on the rent by the company, so this rent has to be paid, which becomes part of the company’s overhead. So, these costs that the company expects to incur for paying rent in the next year are considered overhead and will be shown in the overhead budget.

#4 – Depreciation

DepreciationDepreciationDepreciation is a systematic allocation method used to account for the costs of any physical or tangible asset throughout its useful life. Its value indicates how much of an asset’s worth has been utilized. Depreciation enables companies to generate revenue from their assets while only charging a fraction of the cost of the asset in use each year. read more refers to the reduction in the value of fixed assetsFixed AssetsFixed assets are assets that are held for the long term and are not expected to be converted into cash in a short period of time. Plant and machinery, land and buildings, furniture, computers, copyright, and vehicles are all examples.read more due to the normal wear and tear, technological changes, etc., which are charged as an expense in the company’s income statement. So, depreciation costs that the company expects to incur in the next year are considered overhead and will be shown in the overhead budget.

#5 – Freight

Freight refers to the charge paid by the companies to transport the goods using any means of transport. It is one of the essential expenses that many companies have to incur, and such freight costs that the company expects will incur in the next year are considered overhead and shown in the overhead budget.

#6 – Utility Expenses

Utility Expenses refers to the cost that the company incursCost That The Company IncursIncurred Cost refers to an expense that a Company needs to pay in exchange for the usage of a service, product, or asset. This might include direct, indirect, production, operating, & distribution charges incurred for business operations. read more for availing of the services or facilities provided by public utility companies and include facilities like telephone facility, water, sewer, electricity, gas, etc. These costs are essential for the operation of the business, and all these costs which the company expects it will incur in the next year are considered overhead and will be shown in the overhead budget.

#7 – Maintenance Cost

Maintenance Costs refer to those costs that the company incurs to keep the items in good working condition. These costs are essential for the operation of the business, and all these costs which the company expects it will incur in the next year are considered overhead and will be shown in the overhead budget.

#8 – Taxes

Taxes refer to the compulsory financial charge imposed by the country’s government on the individuals and organizations working there. The company has to pay these expenses compulsorily and is thus considered the company’s overhead expenses. Therefore, all these costs that the company expects to incur in the next year are considered overhead and shown in the overhead budget.

Apart from these costs, all the expected costs regarding manufacturing the goods that the company expects to incur in the next year, except the cost of direct materialThe Cost Of Direct MaterialDirect Material Cost is the total cost incurred by the company in purchasing the raw material along with the cost of other components including packaging, freight and storage costs, taxes, etc. that are related directly to the manufacturing and production of various products of the company.read more and the direct labor cost, will be considered while preparing the overhead budget.

Example of Manufacturing Overhead Budget

XYZ ltd manufactures different products and makes the forecast related to the overhead expensesOverhead ExpensesOverhead cost are those cost that is not related directly on the production activity and are therefore considered as indirect costs that have to be paid even if there is no production. Examples include rent payable, utilities payable, insurance payable, salaries payable to office staff, office supplies, etc.read more for the upcoming year, which ends in December 2020. It forecasted that the employee costs in the next year would be $ 10,000 in quarter 1, $ 12,000 in quarter 2, $ 12,000 in quarter 3, and $ 14,000 in quarter 4. In addition, Insurance expenseInsurance ExpenseInsurance Expense, also called Insurance Premium, is the amount a Company pays to obtain an insurance contract for covering their risk from any unexpected catastrophe. You can calculate it as a fixed percentage of the sum insured & it is paid at a daily pre-specified period. read more, rent expenses, and depreciation expenses are expected to remain fixed for all four quarters at $ 6,000, $ 9,000, and $ 10,000 per quarter.

Utility expenses forecasted for the next year would be $ 5,000 in quarter 1, $ 7,000 in quarter 2, $ 6,000 in quarter 3, and $ 7,000 in quarter 4, and the income tax expensesIncome Tax ExpensesIncome tax is levied on the income earned by an entity in a financial year as per the norms prescribed in the income tax laws. It results in the outflow of cash as the liability of income tax is paid out through bank transfers to the income tax department.read more forecasted for the next year would be $ 3,000 in quarter 1, $ 3,000 in quarter 2, $ 4,000 in quarter three and $ 4,000 in quarter 4

Prepare the necessary Overhead Budget of the company XYZ ltd for the coming year ending in December 2020.

Solution

Following is the Overhead budget of XYZ ltd for the year ended on December 31, 2020.

Advantages

Thus in the above example, the Overhead budget prepared shows calculations regarding the various expenses forecasted by the company.

The different advantages related to the Overhead Budget are as follows:

  • With the budget, employees know the limit of expenditure that they could incur on specific activities in a predetermined period, thereby keeping the control of the business expenses and getting the desired results set by the management for the business.It helps allocate the business resources to different goods and services efficiently and effectively.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages related to the Overhead Budget are as follows:

  • Preparation of the Overhead budget is a time-consuming process that needs time management and effort.It is based on management judgment and estimations, so the effective and accurate forecast of the overhead and expense is generally impossible in today’s scenario and this competitive and sometimes unpredictable market.

Important Points

The different important points related to the Overhead Budget are as follows:

  • The business, which has been working for many years, can effectively and accurately prepare an Overhead budget. Then as a new business can only prepare a budget using the Overhead forecasting strategies and not by following the past trend.The preparation of the Overhead budget in the small business is more cumbersome.

Conclusion

Thus, the Overhead budget forecasts the Overhead expenses of the business, giving necessary targets to employees related to expenses. With the budget, employees know the limit of expenditure that they could incur on specific activities in a predetermined period, thereby keeping the control of the business expensesBusiness ExpensesBusiness expenses are those incurred in order to successfully run, operate, and maintain a business. Travel & conveyance, salaries, rent, entertainment, telephone and internet expenses are all examples of business expenses.read more and getting the desired results set by the management for the business.

This article is a guide to Overhead Budget and its meaning. Here we discuss components of the manufacturing overhead budget and examples, advantages, and disadvantages. You can learn more about finance from the following articles –

  • What is Advertising Budget?Flexible Budget DefinitionBudgetary Control MeaningTraditional Budgeting