Absorption costing includes all manufacturing costs, while variable costing only includes variable manufacturing costs.

• Absorption costing allocates fixed manufacturing costs to products, while variabl...read more

Absorption costing and variable costing are two different methods of costing that are used to calculate the cost of a product or service. While both methods are used to calculate the cost of a product, they differ in the types of costs that are included and the purposes for which they are used. The differences between absorption costing and variable costing lie in how fixed overhead costs are treated.

Under absorption costing, all manufacturing costs, both direct and indirect, are included in the cost of a product. This means that the cost of each unit of a product includes not only the direct costs of producing that unit, such as raw materials and labor, but also a portion of the indirect costs that were incurred in the production process, such as overhead expenses. Absorption costing is typically used for external reporting purposes, such as calculating the cost of goods sold for financial statements.

Variable costing, on the other hand, only includes direct costs in the cost of a product. Indirect costs, or overhead expenses, are not included in the cost of the product under variable costing. Instead, they are treated as a period expense and are recorded in the income statement in the period in which they are incurred. Variable costing is typically used for management decision-making and planning purposes, as it provides a more accurate representation of the incremental costs associated with producing an additional unit of a product.