What are the weighted average and first in first out (FIFO) methods of process costing? Under what conditions will they yield different levels of operating income?
The weighted average method computer units cost by dividing total costs in the work in process account by total equivalent units completed to date and assigns this average cost to units completed and to units in ending work in process inventory.
The first-in first-out (FIFO) method computes units cost based on costs incurred during the current period and equivalent units of work done in the current period.
Operating income can differ materially between the two methods when 1 direct material to period and 2 physical inventory levels of work in process are large in relation to the total number of units transferred out of the process.