Question

Lenci Corporation manufactures and sells a single product. The company uses units as the measure of activity in its budgets and performance reports. During May, the company budgeted for 5,230 units, but its actual level of activity was 5,180 units. The company has provided the following data concerning the formulas used in its budgeting and its actual results for May:

Data used in budgeting:

	Fixed element per month			Variable element per unit
Revenue		-		$	40.90
Direct labor	$	0		$	6.80
Direct materials		0			17.00
Manufacturing overhead		42,800			2.60
Selling and administrative expenses		24,000			1.50
Total expenses	$	66,800		$	27.90

Actual results for May:

Revenue	$	199,110
Direct labor	$	29,865
Direct materials	$	81,565
Manufacturing overhead	$	55,505
Selling and administrative expenses	$	23,980

The spending variance for manufacturing overhead in May would be closest to:

Answer 1

Budgeted overhead based on actual units = Fixed overhead + no. of units x VOH per unit

                                                                   = $ 42,800 + 5,180 x $ 2.60

                                                                   = $ 42,800 + $ 13,468 = $ 56,268

Overhead spending variance

= Actual overhead incurred – Budgeted overhead based on actual hours worked

= $ 55,505 - $ 56,268 = - $ 763             [Favorable]

As the actual manufacturing overhead is less than budgeted overhead, variance is favorable.