Predetermined overhead rates
Hansen and Mowen (2000) state that since there are many types of manufacturing costs
that fall into the indirect category, (i.e., common or shared costs that cannot easily be
allocated to any particular product or job) some methods are needed to allocate or apportion (i.e. to spread revenues or costs over two or more cost units, centers, accounts
or time periods, this may also be referred to as ‘indirect allocation’ CIMA-1996) these
costs to the products manufactured. A predetermined overhead rate (a means of
attributing overhead to a product or service, based for example on direct labour hours,
direct labour cost or machine hours, CIMA-1996) provides a way to accomplish this
system requirement.