People who are a part of the business and the finance world are often confused by the different terms that appear. Whether it is related to payroll or accounts, there are new terms that are important and require deep understanding. One of these fundamental terms that requires special understanding is Fixed Cost. Fixed cost is an important part of accounts, which is why every organisation needs to know about the same.
If you are also wondering about fixed cost, what it means and how it is used in business, then this article will make sure that you have all the information that you need related to the same. By the end of the article, you will be completely informed on all the different aspects that you need to know about fixed costs.
Understanding Fixed Cost
The first thing that you must know know about is the definition of Fixed cost. We all know that the amounts of different things in finance change with the increase and decrease of goods and services in business; however, fixed cost is the only business expense which does not change even a little bit even if there is a increase or decrease in the amount of goods and services sold or produced by a business.
Since fixed costs do not change in a business, it is related to recurring expenses of a company and are not directly related to production cost, including rent, interest payments, depreciation and even property tax. Fixed costs are also known as indirect costs, as they are not directly related to the cost of production of a company.
Fixed costs stay unchanged, independent of production volume. Fixed expenses, also known as often set by contracts or schedules, run a company mostly in these essentials. Once established, fixed costs remain constant throughout the length of a contract or cost plan.
What are the different factors associated with Fixed Costs?
Now that you know what is a fixed expense, it is also important for you to know about the different factors that are linked with fixed costs. You need to know that companies examine fixed costs when they are analysing costs per unit.
All the costs related directly to the production of a good can be added and subtracted collectively from the revenue to determine the gross profit, but this cannot be conducted with fixed costs. Companies are flexible when they are creating their financial statements, and this allows them the freedom to allocate fixed costs in the income statement. Rather than having an exact spot like variable costs, fixed costs can be put anywhere.
Understanding the Difference Between Fixed Cost and Variable Cost
Another type of cost that is important in accounting is variable cost, and people are often confused between the two, which is why you need to know the difference between the two properly.
Fixed costs or expenses are often negotiated for a specific time period, but they cannot be decreased on a per-unit basis. Variable costs, on the other hand, are directly linked to all the production of a company, which is why they can change depending on the output of the business. If the production levels or sales of a company are increasing or decreasing, then this will also affect the variable cost. You should also know that variable costs can also differ by industry, so you need to analyse the company and the industry before creating a comparison between the two.
Category | Fixed Cost | Variable Cost |
Do they change? | Sometimes | Majorly |
Are they based on production? | No | Yes |
Direct or Indirect | Generally indirect | Mainly direct |
Includes | Rent, interest, depreciation, and property tax | Labour, raw materials, shipping, utilities |
Fixed costs are a specific category of business expenses, and the other two types of costs that are important are variable costs and semi-variable costs. Basically, fixed costs are the expenses that do not change even after the production level changes, and one of the biggest examples of Fixed costs is rent, as it never changes. Unlike fixed cost, variable cost will not remain the same when the production levels of a company change. This is all the basic information that you need to know about fixed costs, and we hope that you have comprehended every detail that is shared in the guide.