What Are Operating Expenses In Accounting?
Operating expenses are the expenses that companies have to incur to run their business. These costs are usually incurred by a company in order to maintain its current operations, and they do not typically forecast future operating costs.
Operating expenses can be broadly categorized as cash and non-cash operating expenses. Some examples of cash operating expenses include depreciation, rent, payroll, advertising, and servicing costs.
Non-cash operating expenses include amortization of intangible assets, goodwill impairment charges, accretion expense on purchased debt and accounts payable. Operating costs play a crucial role in the financial performance of any company.
The primary objective of an operating expense is to generate revenue so that the company can continue running its operations. In this article we will look at what are operating expenses in accounting. Why they’re important and some examples of operating expenses in accounting
How Operating Costs Are Determined For Companies?
Operating costs can be determined by taking the following items as expenses:
– Depreciation – This is the reduction in the value of a tangible asset over the period it is used. Depreciation is calculated differently for assets of different ages.
– Rent – This is the payment for the use of a fixed asset. This expense is generally based on the actual amount of rent that is paid to use the asset.
– Interest – This is the payment for the use of money that is held for a certain period of time. Interest is calculated differently for different types of assets.
– Amortization – This is the reduction of the cost of an intangible asset by a certain amount for each use of the asset.
– Payroll – This is the cost of employees, including their salaries and benefits.
– Advertising – This expense is the cost of a company’s advertising.
– Selling, general and administrative – This includes the cost of running the company’s internal departments, like accounting, sales and marketing, as well as external departments, like legal and administration.
Three Types Of Operating Expenses In Accounting
There are three types of operating expenses in accounting that are classified based on their use and the amount of cash they generate: cash operating costs, non-cash operating costs, and total operating costs.
– Cash operating costs are the expenses that generate a large amount of cash right away. Examples of these expenses are interest expenses for debt, the cost of borrowing money, and depreciation expenses.
– Non-cash operating costs are the expenses that don’t involve cash but affect the long-term profitability of the company. Examples of these expenses are amortization of intangibles, salary of employees, and write-off of unsold inventory.
– Total operating costs are the total of all the expenses mentioned above, including the depreciation of fixed assets and the amortization of intangible assets.
Key Differences Between CASH AND NON-Casper Operating Expenses
Operating costs are the expenses that companies incur to run their business. These costs are usually incurred by a company in order to maintain its current operations, and they do not typically forecast future operating costs.
Operating costs play a crucial role in the financial performance of any company. The primary objective of an operating expense is to generate revenue so that the company can continue running its operations.
There are three types of operating expenses in accounting that are classified based on their use and the amount of cash they generate: cash operating costs, non-cash operating costs, and total operating costs.
– Cash operating costs are the expenses that generate a large amount of cash right away. Examples of these expenses are interest expenses for debt, the cost of borrowing money, and depreciation expenses.
– Non-cash operating costs are the expenses that don’t involve cash but affect the long-term profitability of the company. Examples of these expenses are amortization of intangibles, salary of employees, and write-off of unsold inventory.
– Total operating costs are the total of all the expenses mentioned above, including the depreciation of fixed assets and the amortization of intangible assets.
Summing up
Operating costs are the expenses that companies incur to run their business. These costs are usually incurred by a company in order to maintain its current operations, and they do not typically forecast future operating costs.
There are three types of operating expenses in accounting that are classified based on their use and the amount of cash they generate: cash operating costs, non-cash operating costs, and total operating costs.
