Managerial Accounting Quiz: Selling And Administrative Budgets
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Selling And Administrative BudgetsQuestion 1 of 20

A company's static budget for S&A expenses was $120,000 for a sales volume of 15,000 units. The actual S&A expenses were $125,000 for a volume of 16,000 units. A flexible budget analysis reveals a $1,800 unfavorable spending variance. What are the fixed costs in the S&A budget?

$69,000
$60,000
$51,000
$72,000
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Managerial Accounting Quiz

Managerial Accounting Quiz: Selling And Administrative Budgets

Practice Selling And Administrative Budgets in Managerial Accounting with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

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This quiz focuses on Selling And Administrative Budgets, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Managerial Accounting.

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Question 1

A company's static budget for S&A expenses was $120,000 for a sales volume of 15,000 units. The actual S&A expenses were $125,000 for a volume of 16,000 units. A flexible budget analysis reveals a $1,800 unfavorable spending variance. What are the fixed costs in the S&A budget?

  1. $69,000
  2. $60,000
  3. $51,000
  4. $72,000 (correct answer)
Explanation: This problem requires working backwards from the variance information to determine the cost structure.
  1. Calculate the flexible budget amount:
    • Spending Variance = Actual Cost - Flexible Budget Cost
    • $1,800 U = $125,000 - Flexible Budget Cost
    • Flexible Budget Cost = $125,000 - $1,800 = $123,200
  2. Set up equations (where F = fixed costs, V = variable cost per unit):
    • Static budget: F + (V × 15,000) = $120,000
    • Flexible budget: F + (V × 16,000) = $123,200
  3. Solve for variable cost per unit:
    • Subtracting the first equation from the second: 1,000V = $3,200
    • V = $3.20 per unit
  4. Solve for fixed costs:
    • F + (15,000 × $3.20) = $120,000
    • F + $48,000 = $120,000
    • F = $72,000

Question 2

A company is preparing its selling and administrative budget. It has determined that its variable selling cost is 10% of sales revenue and its variable administrative cost is $3 per unit sold. Fixed selling costs are $50,000 per month and fixed administrative costs are $80,000 per month. The company plans to sell 20,000 units in June at a price of $25 per unit. What is the total budgeted selling expense for June?

  1. $110,000
  2. $140,000
  3. $100,000 (correct answer)
  4. $240,000
Explanation: The question asks specifically for selling expenses only, so administrative costs must be excluded.
  1. Calculate total sales revenue: 20,000 units × $25/unit = $500,000
  2. Calculate variable selling costs: 10% × $500,000 = $50,000
  3. Identify fixed selling costs: $50,000 per month
  4. Total budgeted selling expense: $50,000 (variable) + $50,000 (fixed) = $100,000
Distractor A (110,000)incorrectlymixesfixedsellingcostswithvariableadministrativecosts.DistractorB(110,000) incorrectly mixes fixed selling costs with variable administrative costs. Distractor B (140,000) represents total administrative expenses only. Distractor D ($240,000) represents total S&A expenses for the month.

Question 3

A company is preparing a selling and administrative expense budget. The company's controller has provided the following data from an analysis of historical costs:

  • At a sales level of 10,000 units, total S&A costs are $150,000.
  • At a sales level of 14,000 units, total S&A costs are $182,000.

The company uses the high-low method to separate mixed costs.

Using the high-low method, what is the budgeted total S&A cost for a month with planned sales of 12,500 units?

  1. $166,000
  2. $162,500
  3. $170,000 (correct answer)
  4. $158,000
Explanation: The high-low method is used to determine the fixed and variable components of a mixed cost. Once the cost formula is derived, it can be used to budget costs for any activity level.\n1. Calculate the Variable Cost per Unit (V):\n - V=(Cost at High Point−Cost at Low Point)/(Activity at High Point−Activity at Low Point)V = (\text{Cost at High Point} - \text{Cost at Low Point}) / (\text{Activity at High Point} - \text{Activity at Low Point})\n - V = (\182,000 - $150,000) / (14,000 - 10,000) = \32,000 / 4,000\text{ units} = $8.00\text{ per unit}.
  1. Calculate the Total Fixed Cost (F): Substitute the variable rate into the cost equation for either the high or low point. Using the low point:\n - Total Cost = F + (V ×\times Activity)\n - $150,000 = F + ($8.00 \times 10,000\text{ units})\n - $150,000 = F + $80,000 \implies F = $70,000.
  2. Budget for the Planned Sales Level: Use the derived cost formula (Y = $70,000 + $8.00X) for 12,500 units.\n - Budgeted Cost = $70,000 + ($8.00 \times 12,500\text{ units}) = $70,000 + $100,000 = $170,000.

Question 4

A company's S&A expense budget includes depreciation of $10,000 per month, fixed cash expenses of $40,000 per month, and variable cash expenses equal to 15% of sales. For the second quarter, total budgeted S&A expense is $285,000. What are the budgeted sales for the second quarter?

  1. $700,000
  2. $800,000
  3. $1,000,000
  4. $900,000 (correct answer)
Explanation: This problem requires working backwards from the total budgeted expense to find the underlying sales revenue.
  1. Calculate total fixed expenses for the quarter:
    • Depreciation: 3 months × $10,000 = $30,000
    • Fixed cash expenses: 3 months × $40,000 = $120,000
    • Total fixed expenses = $150,000
  2. Calculate total variable expenses:
    • Total budgeted S&A = Total fixed + Total variable
    • $285,000 = $150,000 + Total variable expenses
    • Total variable expenses = $135,000
  3. Solve for sales revenue:
    • Variable expenses = 15% of sales
    • $135,000 = 0.15 × Sales
    • Sales = $135,000 ÷ 0.15 = $900,000

Question 5

The administrative department of a company budgets its office supply costs using a flexible budget formula of $1,500 per month plus $5 per purchase order. In July, the static budget planned for 400 purchase orders. The actual results for July showed office supply costs of $3,550 with 420 purchase orders processed. What is the spending variance for office supplies in July?

  1. $150 Unfavorable
  2. $50 Unfavorable
  3. $50 Favorable (correct answer)
  4. $100 Favorable
Explanation: The spending variance compares actual costs to the flexible budget amount for the actual level of activity.
  1. Calculate the flexible budget for actual activity:
    • Flexible budget = 1,500+(1,500 + (5 × 420 purchase orders)
    • Flexible budget = $1,500 + $2,100 = $3,600
  2. Calculate the spending variance:
    • Spending variance = Actual cost - Flexible budget cost
    • Spending variance = $3,550 - 3,600=−3,600 = -50
  3. Interpret the variance:
    • Since actual cost is less than budgeted cost, the variance is $50 Favorable

Question 6

Sterling Corp. is preparing its cash budget for July. The selling and administrative (S&A) budget includes the following items:

  • Sales commissions: 4% of sales, paid in the month following the sale.
  • Administrative salaries: $80,000 per month, paid in the month incurred.
  • Advertising contract: $15,000 per month, paid monthly.
  • Depreciation on office equipment: $10,000 per month.
  • Annual property taxes: $48,000, paid in two equal installments on June 30 and December 31. Budgeted sales for June and July are $600,000 and $650,000, respectively.

What are the total budgeted cash disbursements for selling and administrative expenses for July?

  1. $119,000 (correct answer)
  2. $121,000
  3. $145,000
  4. $125,000
Explanation: To find the total cash disbursements for S&A in July, we must sum all cash payments made during that month, considering payment timing and excluding non-cash expenses.\n1. Sales Commissions: Paid in July are for June sales. Disbursement = 4% of June sales = 0.04 \times \600,000 = $24,000$.
  1. Administrative Salaries: Paid in July = $80,000.
  2. Advertising: Paid in July = $15,000.
  3. Depreciation: This is a non-cash expense and is excluded from the cash disbursement budget.
  4. Property Taxes: The semi-annual payments are made on June 30 and December 31. There is no cash payment for property taxes in July.\nTotal Cash Disbursements for July = $24,000 (Commissions) + $80,000 (Salaries) + $15,000 (Advertising) = $119,000.

Question 7

Monolith Enterprises estimates its total selling and administrative (S&A) expenses using a cost formula. For the upcoming year, the company's budget projects total S&A expenses of $860,000 at a sales level of $4,000,000. This amount includes $380,000 in fixed S&A costs. The company is considering a new marketing strategy that is expected to increase sales revenue by 15% but would also increase fixed advertising costs by $50,000.

If the new marketing strategy is implemented, what would be the new total budgeted S&A expense?

  1. $910,000
  2. $982,000 (correct answer)
  3. $1,041,500
  4. $991,000
Explanation: This is a multi-step problem. First, determine the variable S&A rate. Second, calculate the new sales level and new fixed costs. Finally, compute the new total S&A budget.
  1. Find the Variable S&A Rate: \n - Total S&A = Fixed S&A + Variable S&A\n - $860,000 = $380,000 + Variable S&A \implies Variable S&A = $480,000.\n - Variable Rate = Total Variable S&A / Total Sales = $480,000 / $4,000,000 = 12% of sales.
  2. Determine New Sales and Fixed Costs: \n - New Sales = $4,000,000 \times 1.15 = $4,600,000.\n - New Fixed S&A = $380,000 + $50,000 = $430,000.
  3. Calculate New Total S&A Expense: \n - New Total S&A = New Fixed S&A + (Variable Rate ×\times New Sales)\n - New Total S&A = $430,000 + (0.12 \times $4,600,000) = $430,000 + $552,000 = $982,000.

Question 8

A company's selling and administrative expense budget is based on the formula Y = \45,000 + $2.50X$, where Y is the total monthly S&A expense and X is the number of units sold. The budget for March was based on sales of 20,000 units. In March, the actual S&A expense was $98,000 for actual sales of 21,000 units.

What is the selling and administrative expense variance for March to be reported on a flexible budget performance report?

  1. $3,000 Unfavorable
  2. $500 Favorable
  3. $500 Unfavorable (correct answer)
  4. $2,500 Unfavorable
Explanation: A flexible budget performance report compares actual results to what the budget would have been for the actual level of activity. The variance is the difference between the actual cost and the flexible budget cost.
  1. Calculate the Flexible Budget for S&A: Use the cost formula with the actual number of units sold (21,000).\n - Flexible Budget S&A = $45,000 + ($2.50 \times 21,000 units) = $45,000 + $52,500 = $97,500.
  2. Calculate the Variance: Compare the actual S&A expense to the flexible budget amount.\n - Variance = Actual Expense - Flexible Budget Expense = $98,000 - $97,500 = $500.
  3. Determine if Favorable or Unfavorable: Since the actual expense ($98,000) is higher than what it should have been for that activity level ($97,500), the variance is Unfavorable.\nTherefore, the variance is $500 Unfavorable.

Question 9

Catalyst Corp. is preparing its selling and administrative budget for the upcoming quarter. The company has provided the following cost information:

  • Selling Expenses:

    • Sales Salaries: $40,000 per month
    • Commissions: 5% of sales revenue
    • Advertising: $25,000 per quarter
    • Depreciation, Sales Vehicles: $9,000 per quarter

  • Administrative Expenses:

    • Administrative Salaries: $55,000 per month
    • Office Rent: $18,000 per month
    • Bad Debt Expense: 1% of credit sales
    • Office Supplies: $0.50 per sales transaction

Budgeted sales for the quarter are $900,000, of which 80% are on credit. The sales are expected to result from 10,000 sales transactions.

Based on this information, what is the total budgeted administrative expense for the quarter?

  1. $240,200 (correct answer)
  2. $440,200
  3. $234,000
  4. $165,000
Explanation: The question specifically asks for the total budgeted administrative expense, so selling expenses must be identified and excluded.
  1. Identify and Calculate Quarterly Administrative Expenses:\n - Administrative Salaries: $55,000/month \times 3 months = $165,000.\n - Office Rent: $18,000/month \times 3 months = $54,000.\n - Bad Debt Expense: First, find credit sales: $900,000 \times 80% = $720,000. Then calculate the expense: 1% \times $720,000 = $7,200.\n - Office Supplies: $0.50/transaction \times 10,000 transactions = $5,000.
  2. Sum the Administrative Expenses:\n - Total = $165,000 + $54,000 + $7,200 + $5,000 = $231,200.\n\nDistractor Analysis: Choice B incorrectly includes selling expenses. Choice C includes only fixed administrative costs (salaries and rent). Choice D includes only administrative salaries.

Question 10

A company is preparing its cash disbursements budget for S&A expenses for the third quarter (July-September). The following information is available:

  • Monthly fixed salaries are $50,000.
  • Variable sales commissions are 5% of the current month's sales and are paid in the month following the sale.
  • A quarterly advertising campaign costs $60,000, with payment due on August 15.
  • Depreciation on office assets is $12,000 per quarter.
  • Sales forecasts: June: $400,000; July: $450,000; August: $500,000; September: $480,000.

What are the total budgeted cash disbursements for S&A expenses for the third quarter?

  1. $281,500
  2. $277,500 (correct answer)
  3. $217,500
  4. $289,500
Explanation: Cash disbursements include only actual cash payments made during the third quarter, excluding non-cash items like depreciation.
  1. Salaries (paid monthly): 3 months × $50,000 = $150,000
  2. Commissions (paid one month in arrears):
    • July payment (for June sales): 5% × $400,000 = $20,000
    • August payment (for July sales): 5% × $450,000 = $22,500
    • September payment (for August sales): 5% × $500,000 = $25,000
    • Total commission payments = $67,500
  3. Advertising: Single payment of $60,000 in August
  4. Depreciation: $12,000 (non-cash, excluded from cash disbursements)
  5. Total cash disbursements: $150,000 + $67,500 + $60,000 = $277,500
Distractor A includes commissions on July-September sales instead of June-August. Distractor C omits the advertising payment. Distractor D incorrectly includes depreciation as a cash expense.

Question 11

For the month of May, Zephyr Corp. budgeted total selling and administrative expenses of $250,000, based on expected sales of 40,000 units. The S&A budget is comprised of $90,000 in fixed costs and a variable component. During May, the company's actual sales were 42,000 units.

What is the total selling and administrative expense that should appear in a flexible budget for May?

  1. $250,000
  2. $258,000 (correct answer)
  3. $262,500
  4. $258,750
Explanation: A flexible budget adjusts the original static budget for the actual level of activity. It recalculates variable costs while keeping fixed costs the same.
  1. Determine the Variable Cost Component from the Static Budget:\n - Total Budgeted S&A = Fixed S&A + Variable S&A\n - $250,000 = $90,000 + Variable S&A \implies Total Variable S&A = $160,000.
  2. Calculate the Per-Unit Variable Cost:\n - Variable Cost per Unit = Total Variable S&A / Budgeted Units = $160,000 / 40,000 units = $4.00 per unit.
  3. Calculate the Flexible Budget for the Actual Activity Level:\n - Flexible Budget Variable Costs = Actual Units \times Variable Cost per Unit = 42,000 units \times $4.00/unit = $168,000.\n - Flexible Budget Fixed Costs = $90,000 (Fixed costs do not change with activity within the relevant range).\n - Total Flexible Budget = $168,000 + $90,000 = $258,000.

Question 12

A U.S.-based company operates a sales subsidiary in France. The subsidiary's selling and administrative budget for the next month includes fixed costs of €80,000 and variable costs equal to 10% of sales. Budgeted sales for the month are €500,000. The company's budget assumes an exchange rate of $1.10 per euro. However, the company has entered into a forward contract to hedge its expected net cash outflow from the subsidiary's S&A costs at a rate of $1.12 per euro.

What is the total selling and administrative expense in U.S. dollars that should be recorded in the master budget?

  1. $143,000 (correct answer)
  2. $145,600
  3. $130,000
  4. $550,000
Explanation: The master budget should be prepared using the company's budgeted exchange rate for translating revenues and expenses. The forward contract rate is used for hedging cash flows and affects the cash budget and realized gains/losses, but not the initial expense budget itself.
  1. Calculate Total S&A Expense in Euros (€):\n - Fixed Costs = €80,000\n - Variable Costs = 10% of €500,000 = €50,000\n - Total S&A Expense = €80,000 + €50,000 = €130,000.
  2. **Translate Total S&A Expense to U.S. Dollars ()**:\n - Use the budgeted exchange rate of \1.10/€.\n - Total S&A Expense in USD = €130,000 \times $1.10/€ = $143,000.\nDistractor B (145,600) incorrectly uses the forward contract rate of \1.12/€ for budgeting the expense. Distractor C ($130,000) correctly calculates the expense in euros but fails to translate it to U.S. dollars. Distractor D ($550,000) incorrectly translates the sales figure instead of the expense figure.

Question 13

A company is planning its advertising budget. The plan involves a fixed quarterly fee of $50,000 for a marketing agency, plus a variable component for online ads. The online ads have a cost of $2.00 per click. The company's sales forecast model predicts 500 clicks for every 100 units sold. Budgeted sales for the next quarter are 20,000 units.

What is the total budgeted advertising expense for the next quarter?

  1. $250,000 (correct answer)
  2. $150,000
  3. $200,000
  4. $300,000
Explanation: The total advertising budget consists of a fixed fee and a variable cost based on projected clicks, which in turn is based on projected sales.
  1. Calculate the Number of Clicks per Unit Sold:\n - The ratio is 500 clicks per 100 units, which simplifies to 5 clicks per unit sold.
  2. Calculate Total Budgeted Clicks:\n - Total Clicks = Budgeted Sales (units) \times Clicks per Unit = 20,000 units \times 5 clicks/unit = 100,000 clicks.
  3. Calculate the Variable Advertising Cost:\n - Variable Cost = Total Clicks \times Cost per Click = 100,000 clicks \times $2.00/click = $200,000.
  4. Calculate Total Budgeted Advertising Expense:\n - Total Expense = Fixed Fee + Variable Cost = $50,000 + $200,000 = $250,000.

Question 14

The selling and administrative budget of Nexus Corp. for the upcoming quarter is shown below, based on a budgeted sales volume of 30,000 units.

  • Variable S&A Expenses:
    • Sales Commissions: $60,000
    • Shipping Costs: $45,000
  • Fixed S&A Expenses:
    • Salaries: $150,000
    • Advertising: $75,000
    • Depreciation: $20,000 Due to updated market analysis, the sales forecast is revised upward to 34,000 units for the quarter.

What is the total budgeted selling and administrative expense for the quarter based on the revised sales forecast?

  1. $350,000
  2. $358,000
  3. $397,000
  4. $364,000 (correct answer)
Explanation: To create a flexible budget for the revised sales volume, we need to calculate the per-unit variable costs and apply them to the new volume while keeping fixed costs unchanged.
  1. Calculate per-unit variable costs from original budget:
    • Sales commission rate = $60,000 ÷ 30,000 units = $2.00 per unit
    • Shipping cost rate = $45,000 ÷ 30,000 units = $1.50 per unit
    • Total variable cost rate = $2.00 + $1.50 = $3.50 per unit
  2. Calculate variable costs for revised volume:
    • Total variable costs = 34,000 units × $3.50 = $119,000
  3. Identify fixed costs (unchanged at any volume):
    • Total fixed costs = $150,000 + $75,000 + $20,000 = $245,000
  4. Calculate total revised S&A budget:
    • Total budget = $119,000 + $245,000 = $364,000
Distractor A (350,000)representstheoriginalstaticbudget.DistractorB(350,000) represents the original static budget. Distractor B (358,000) incorrectly flexes only one variable cost component. Distractor C ($397,000) incorrectly treats advertising as variable.

Question 15

Apex Industries is developing its administrative expense budget. The company's annual insurance premium for its corporate office is $36,000, paid in full on March 1. The company also pays property taxes on the office building, estimated to be $60,000 for the year. The property taxes are paid in two equal installments on May 31 and November 30. The budget is being prepared for the month of June.

What is the total amount of insurance and property tax expense that should be included in the administrative budget for the month of June?

  1. $0
  2. $8,000 (correct answer)
  3. $30,000
  4. $38,000
Explanation: The question asks for the budgeted expense for June, which requires accruing these costs evenly over the year, regardless of the cash payment dates.
  1. Monthly Insurance Expense: The annual premium is $36,000. The monthly expense is the annual amount divided by 12.\n - Monthly Insurance Expense = $36,000 / 12 months = $3,000 per month.
  2. Monthly Property Tax Expense: The annual tax is $60,000. The monthly expense is the annual amount divided by 12.\n - Monthly Property Tax Expense = $60,000 / 12 months = $5,000 per month.
  3. Total Budgeted Expense for June: Sum the monthly accrued expenses.\n - Total Expense for June = $3,000 (Insurance) + $5,000 (Property Tax) = $8,000.\nDistractor A (0)representsthecashoutflowinJune,whichisincorrectasthequestionasksforexpense.DistractorC(0) represents the cash outflow in June, which is incorrect as the question asks for expense. Distractor C (30,000) is the semi-annual cash payment for property taxes, which occurs in May, not June, and is a cash flow, not a monthly expense. Distractor D (38,000)isthesumofthemonthlyinsuranceexpense(38,000) is the sum of the monthly insurance expense (3,000) and the semi-annual tax payment ($30,000), confusing accrual and cash concepts.

Question 16

A company is budgeting its administrative expenses, which include a performance bonus for executives. The bonus is set at 3% of operating income. For the upcoming period, the company budgets the following: Sales Revenue, $1,200,000; Cost of Goods Sold, $700,000; Variable Selling Expenses, $120,000; Fixed Selling Expenses, $80,000; and Fixed Administrative Expenses (excluding bonus), $100,000.

What is the total budgeted administrative expense for the period?

  1. $106,000
  2. $105,825 (correct answer)
  3. $103,000
  4. $108,700
Explanation: This problem is complex because the bonus is an administrative expense that is based on operating income, which itself is reduced by the bonus. This requires an algebraic solution.\nLet B = Bonus and OI = Operating Income.\n1. Set up the equations:\n - B=0.03×OIB = 0.03 \times OI\n - OI = \text{Sales} - \text{COGS} - \text{All S&A Expenses} \n - OI = \1,200,000 - $700,000 - $120,000 - $80,000 - $100,000 - B$
  1. Calculate Operating Income before the bonus:\n - OI before bonus = $1,200,000 - $700,000 - $120,000 - $80,000 - $100,000 = $200,000.
  2. Solve for the Bonus (B):\n - OI = \200,000 - B\n−Substitutethisintothebonusformula:\n - Substitute this into the bonus formula: B = 0.03 \times ($200,000 - B)\n−\n - B = $6,000 - 0.03B\n−\n - 1.03B = $6,000\n−\n - B = $6,000 / 1.03 \approx $5,825.24 (rounded to \5,825).\n4. Calculate Total Budgeted Administrative Expense:\n - Total Admin Expense = Fixed Admin (excluding bonus) + Bonus\n - Total Admin Expense = $100,000 + $5,825 = $105,825.

Question 17

Meridian Corporation is preparing its annual budget for 2024. The company has three product lines and expects total sales of $2,400,000. Historical data shows that selling expenses vary with sales volume, while administrative expenses are primarily fixed. The company's commission structure pays sales staff 3% of gross sales, and shipping costs average 1.5% of sales. Fixed administrative salaries total $180,000 annually, and other fixed administrative costs are $45,000. The company also incurs variable administrative costs of 0.8% of sales for credit card processing fees.

If Meridian's actual sales for 2024 turn out to be $2,640,000 (10% higher than budgeted), what should the total selling and administrative expenses be in a flexible budget for performance evaluation purposes?

  1. $364,200 (correct answer)
  2. $369,000
  3. $344,400
  4. $339,600
Explanation: For flexible budgeting, variable costs adjust with actual sales while fixed costs remain constant. Variable selling expenses: Commission (3%) + Shipping (1.5%) = 4.5% × $2,640,000 = $118,800. Variable administrative expenses: 0.8% × $2,640,000 = $21,120. Fixed administrative expenses: $180,000 + $45,000 = $225,000. Total S&A expenses = $118,800 + $21,120 + $225,000 = $364,200. Choice B incorrectly applies the 10% increase to all expenses. Choice C uses budgeted sales instead of actual. Choice D omits variable administrative costs.

Question 18

Sterling Corporation's S&A budget includes expenses that vary with both sales volume and the number of customer transactions. Sales commissions are 4% of sales revenue, while transaction processing fees are $2.50 per transaction. The company budgets 2,400 transactions generating $960,000 in sales for the quarter. Fixed administrative costs are $75,000 quarterly. During budget revision, management decides to target the same sales revenue but with 20% fewer transactions (representing larger average transaction sizes). What is the change in total quarterly S&A expenses under the revised budget?

  1. Decrease of $1,200 (correct answer)
  2. Decrease of $2,400
  3. No change
  4. Decrease of $1,800
Explanation: Original budget: Commissions 4% × $960,000 = $38,400. Transaction fees $2.50 × 2,400 = $6,000. Fixed costs $75,000. Total = $119,400. Revised budget: Commissions remain $38,400 (same sales). New transactions: 2,400 × 0.8 = 1,920. Transaction fees $2.50 × 1,920 = $4,800. Fixed costs $75,000. New total = $118,200. Decrease = $119,400 - $118,200 = $1,200. Choice B calculates the reduction in transaction fees only. Choice C assumes no impact since sales revenue is unchanged. Choice D incorrectly applies the 20% reduction to total variable costs.

Question 19

Phoenix Manufacturing uses activity-based budgeting for its S&A expenses. Customer service costs are driven by the number of customer orders processed, while shipping administration costs are driven by the number of shipments. The company budgets customer service at $15 per order and shipping administration at $8 per shipment. Budgeted activity for Q2 includes 1,800 customer orders resulting in 2,700 shipments (some orders require multiple shipments). Fixed S&A costs are $95,000 for the quarter. If actual Q2 results show 1,950 orders and 2,925 shipments, what is the flexible budget variance for total S&A expenses if actual expenses were $150,900?

  1. $3,600 unfavorable
  2. $4,800 favorable
  3. $3,250 unfavorable (correct answer)
  4. $1,950 favorable
Explanation: Flexible budget based on actual activity: Customer service: $15 × 1,950 = $29,250. Shipping administration: $8 × 2,925 = $23,400. Fixed costs: $95,000. Total flexible budget = $147,650. Flexible budget variance = Actual $150,900 - Flexible budget $147,650 = $3,250 unfavorable. Choice A uses budgeted rather than actual activity levels. Choice B incorrectly treats the variance as favorable. Choice D confuses the variance with the change in order volume.

Question 20

Peterson Manufacturing is preparing quarterly selling and administrative budgets. Sales commissions are paid at 4% of sales in the month of sale, but advertising expenses are paid two months after the expense is incurred. Budgeted sales are: January $500,000, February $600,000, March $700,000, April $800,000. Advertising expenses are budgeted at 2% of sales each month. If other S&A expenses total $25,000 per month, what are the total cash disbursements for S&A expenses budgeted for March?

  1. $63,000 (correct answer)
  2. $67,000
  3. $71,000
  4. $59,000
Explanation: March cash disbursements include: (1) March sales commissions paid in March: 4% × $700,000 = $28,000, (2) January advertising paid in March (2-month delay): 2% × $500,000 = $10,000, (3) Other S&A expenses: $25,000. Total = $28,000 + $10,000 + $25,000 = $63,000. Choice B incorrectly includes February advertising. Choice C includes March advertising paid immediately. Choice D omits the January advertising payment.