Do Sales Rep Base Salaries And Commissions Belong In Cogs?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Sales commissions are not part of the cost of a product

. Therefore, sales commissions are not assigned to the cost of goods held in inventory or to the cost of goods sold.

Is sales commission a cost of goods sold or expense account?

Note that sales commissions are

not part of the cost of a product

. Therefore they should never be assigned to the cost of goods in inventory or sold.

Are sales salaries included in cost of goods sold?

Importantly, COGS is based only on the costs that are directly utilized in producing that revenue, such as the company's inventory or labor costs that can be attributed to specific sales. By contrast,

fixed costs such as managerial salaries, rent, and utilities are not included in COGS

.

What should be included in COGS?

  • Raw materials.
  • Items purchased for resale.
  • Freight-in costs.
  • Purchase returns and allowances.
  • Trade or cash discounts.
  • Factory labor.
  • Parts used in production.
  • Storage costs.

Is sales commission part of cost of sales?


Commissions are part of the direct costs that occur when the product is sold

, while the salaries that sales reps earn are in the indirect costs of SG&A.

Are sales commissions overhead?


Sales commissions are considered to be operating expenses

and are presented on the income statement as SG&A expenses. (SG&A is the acronym for selling, general and administrative expenses.) Sales commissions are not part of the cost of a product.

Are salaries COGS or SG&A?


SG&A covers nearly everything that isn't covered in the category of cost of goods sold (COGS)

. Some major SG&A expenses include: The salaries paid to the staff of the accounting, information technology, marketing, and human resources departments. The costs of commissions, advertising, and promotional materials.

Are salaries included in operating expenses?


The salaries that are paid for the full-time staff of the organization are operational expenses

. The payout to staff who draw an hourly wage is also an operational expense.

What is included in the cost of sales?

Cost of sales measures the cost of goods produced or services provided in a period by an entity. It includes

the cost of the direct materials used in producing the goods, direct labor costs used to produce the good, along with any other direct costs associated with the production of goods

.

What goes under commissions and fees?

Commission and Fees –

Amounts paid for services rendered on behalf of your business

. This does not include amounts paid to contractors. Contract Labor – Amounts paid to contractors for work done on behalf of your business. Typically, you would issue these individuals a 1099-Misc if you paid them more than $600.

Are sales commissions variable or fixed costs?

Examples of

variable costs

are sales commissions, direct labor costs, cost of raw materials used in production, and utility costs.

Is commission part of revenue?


Commissions received by a company are a form of revenue

. A company may receive commissions when it promotes or sells products or services on behalf of another company, such as serving as a broker for the manufacturer of a good. Commissions paid out by a company are an expense.

Is cost of sales and COGS the same?

Companies will often list on their balance sheets cost of goods sold (COGS) or cost of sales (and sometimes both), leading to confusion about what the two terms mean. Fundamentally,

there is almost no difference between cost of goods sold and cost of sales

. In accounting, the two terms are often used interchangeably.

What is the difference between cost of sales and cost of goods sold?

The difference between cost of goods sold and cost of sales is that

the former refers to the company's cost to make products from parts or raw materials, while the latter is the total cost of a business creating a good or service for purchase

. An example of cost of sales is direct labor and direct materials.

How do you calculate COGS?

At a basic level, the cost of goods sold formula is:

Starting inventory + purchases − ending inventory = cost of goods sold

. To make this work in practice, however, you need a clear and consistent approach to valuing your inventory and accounting for your costs.

Can commissions be capitalized?

Under the revenue recognition guidelines as outlined in the ASC 606 standard,

sales commissions associated with securing contracts need to be capitalized as an asset and amortized over the period the service is provided

.

Is employee cost part of COGS?


Direct labor costs are part of cost of goods sold or cost of services as long as the labor is directly tied to production

. As a result, direct costs are factored into gross profit through COGS or COS.

What is not included in operating expenses?

A non-operating expense is a cost that isn't directly related to core business operations. Examples of non-operating expenses are

interest payments on debt, restructuring costs, inventory write-offs and payments to settle lawsuits

.

Rachel Ostrander
Author
Rachel Ostrander
Rachel is a career coach and HR consultant with over 5 years of experience working with job seekers and employers. She holds a degree in human resources management and has worked with leading companies such as Google and Amazon. Rachel is passionate about helping people find fulfilling careers and providing practical advice for navigating the job market.