Learning Outcomes
- Prepare an operating budget for a service company
Service firms use the same budgeting process as other firms, but it’s usually simpler since there is no product for which to account. Often, a service company that has steady, predictable business will adopt an incremental approach to budgeting, basing next year’s budget off the current year.
To illustrate, assume Wendy Weathers’s accounting firm projects the following changes to last year’s results:
- Business volume will increase by 5%.
- Support staff salaries will increase 3% and so will taxes and benefits.
- Rent will go up by $3,150 according to the lease agreement.
- Other expenses will remain the same.
- Income taxes will be 30% of net income.
Description | Prior Year | BUDGET | Calculation |
---|---|---|---|
Subcategory, Budget | |||
Prior YearDouble line | BUDGETDouble line | CalculationDouble line | |
Sales | Single Line$450,000 | Single Line$472,500 | 450,000 * 1.05 |
Subcategory, Less Expenses: | Single Line | Single Line | |
Support Salaries | $125,000 | $128,750 | $125,000 *1.03 |
Payroll Taxes and Benefits | $45,000 | $46,350 | $75,000 * 1.03 |
Supplies Expense | $5,000 | $5,000 | no change |
Rent Expense | $120,000 | $123,150 | Rent increase |
Miscellaneous Expense | $15,000 | $15,000 | no change |
Total Expenses | Single Line$310,000 | Single Line$318,250 | sum of all expenses |
Income from operations | Single Line$140,000 | Single Line$154,250 | Sales – Expenses |
Less: Income Tax (30%) | ($42,000) | ($46,275) | Inc. from operations x 30% |
Projected Profit | Single Line$98,000 | Single Line$107,975 | Inc. from operations – income tax |
Single Line | Single Line |
She could also use zero-based budgeting by projecting the volume of work she expects and assigning revenue to that volume. For instance, if she intends to increase her fees from $225/hour to $250 and wants to limit her billable hours per week to 40, taking two weeks off, she would forecast revenue as 50 weeks * 40 hours/week * $250/hr = $500,000.
In addition, she may want to create the budget on a monthly basis, since workloads for an accounting firm may be heavier during tax season and lighter during the summer, depending on the kind of work the firm is doing.
Now check your understanding of the operating budget for a service company.