Inventory vs Cost of Goods Sold: What’s the Difference?

A business that produces or buys goods to sell must keep track of inventories of goods under all accounting and income tax rules. He sells parts for $80 that he bought for $30, and has $70 worth of parts left. If he keeps track of inventory, his profit in 2008 is $50, and his profit in 2009 is $110, or $160 in total.

• Beyond the predictable costs such as taxes, insurance, and storage costs, there are also other unexpected factors that may affect your inventory costs.
• IAS 2 acknowledges that some enterprises classify income statement expenses by nature rather than by function .
• The cost of completed goods transferred from work-in-process inventory into finished goods inventory.
• Actually, this cost derivation also includes inventory that was scrapped, or declared obsolete and removed from stock, or inventory that was stolen.
• Harold Averkamp has worked as a university accounting instructor, accountant, and consultant for more than 25 years.
• In this industry where margins are often tight, it is important to track COGS by location as well to understand which locations might be the most or least profitable, diagnose and fix issues.

Some costs are included in the asset ‘inventories,’ while others are recognized as expenses on the income statement in the period in which they are incurred. The cost of the inventory becomes an expense when a business earns revenue by selling its products/ services to the customers. The cost of inventories flows as expenses into the cost of goods sold and appears as expenses items in the income statement.

What are inventory costs?

As we have just described, the cost of goods sold relates to those expenses used to create a product or service, which has been sold. Operating expenses are incurred to run all non-production activities, such as selling, general and administrative activities.

• But the company made more money and we have a more valuable business!
• So make sure to get this small accounting issue correct before you apply for a loan or an investment.
• Raw materials, work in progress, and final goods are all included on a broad level.
• An expense is an ongoing payment, like utilities, rent, payroll, and marketing.

COGS is often the second line item appearing on the income statement, coming right after sales revenue. Cost of Goods Sold measures the “direct cost” incurred in the production of any goods or services.

Variations in the Cost of Goods Sold

The Purchases account are not used in the perpetual inventory system. It is increased with the cost of merchandise purchased from suppliers. There is no way to tell from the general ledger accounts the cost of the current inventory or the cost of goods sold. Purchases of merchandise are recorded in one or more Purchases accounts.

In business, the terms “inventory” and “cost of goods sold” are often used interchangeably. However, there is a big difference between the two concepts. Here’s a look at the key differences between inventory and COGS.

Recording Transactions for Goods Sold

It also provides guidance on the cost formulas that are used to assign costs to inventories. Storage areas should be locked when operations are closed. High-dollar items should be secured with locks separate from the common storage when does the cost of inventory become an expense area. Label and store inventory in a manner that allows you to easily access items and determine the quantity on-hand. Separate and note obsolete or damaged products and record waste or damaged products on a waste sheet.