cost of goods sold - Definition, What is cost of goods sold, Advantages of cost of goods sold, and Latest News - ClearTax (2024)

Introduction to Cost of Goods Sold

Cost of Goods Sold or as it is more popularly known, COGS is the cost of the material and labor that goes into the production of the goods. This does not involve other costs like the cost of distribution or the sales force costs and solely refers to the cost of the production of goods. This Cost of sold goods can be also referred to as the cost of sales.

What is the Cost of Goods Sold or COGS?

The costs required to make the goods is what we call the cost of goods sold or the cost of goods services or the cost of sales. In a more simple language, COGS is basically how much money you spent to produce the products or services of your business.

This involves all the material as well as the labour that was required to produce the goods. It should only include the costs that were involved in producing the services and providing them and should not include the costs of services or products that you produce for your own use and do not sell.

Cost of goods sold also excludes all the indirect costs like the marketing expenses, distribution costs, shipping expenses, etc.

It is very important to keep a record of COGS as the final COGS or cost of sold goods is subtracted from the company’s revenue and therefore, is an important metric to measure the company’s gross profit.

If the cost of goods sold is high then it shows that the company’s net income is less and as a result the profit is less. So, the companies try to keep the COGS low. COGS is also used by analysts and investors to check the company’s position in the market.

What is the Formula to calculate Cost of Goods Sold or COGS?

Just like any other financial metric, COGS also has a formula which can be used for its calculation. The formula is as follows:

COGS = Beginning Inventory + Purchases during the period − Ending InventoryWhere,COGS = Cost of Goods SoldBeginning inventory is the amount of inventory left over a previous period. It can be a month, quarter, etc.Purchases during the period involve the cost of what you purchased during the accounting period.Ending inventory is the inventory which you did not sell during the period.

Once you have all the values needed, you can put them in the formula to calculate the COGS.

cost of goods sold - Definition, What is cost of goods sold, Advantages of cost of goods sold, and Latest News - ClearTax (2024)

FAQs

Cost of goods sold - Definition, What is cost of goods sold, Advantages of cost of goods sold, and Latest News - ClearTax? ›

Cost of goods sold (COGS) is calculated by adding up the various direct costs

direct costs
A direct cost is a price that can be directly tied to the production of specific goods or services. A direct cost can be traced to the cost object, which can be a service, product, or department. Direct costs examples include direct labor and direct materials.
https://www.investopedia.com › terms › directcost
required to generate a company's revenues. Importantly, COGS is based only on the costs that are directly utilized in producing that revenue, such as the company's inventory or labor costs that can be attributed to specific sales.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of cost of goods sold? ›

Advantage — Gives you a more accurate valuation of your current inventory because all present inventory best represents the cost of the inventory most recently purchased. Disadvantage — The COGS reflects older historical costs. That means the gross profit calculation may not reflect the actual figure.

What is the defined cost of goods sold? ›

The cost of goods sold (COGS) is the sum of all direct costs associated with making a product. It appears on an income statement and typically includes money mainly spent on raw materials and labour. It does not include costs associated with marketing, sales or distribution.

What is best meant by the term cost of goods sold '? ›

Cost of goods sold is the total amount your business paid as a cost directly related to the sale of products. Depending on your business, that may include products purchased for resale, raw materials, packaging, and direct labor related to producing or selling the goods.

What is the difference between cost of goods sold and cost of goods consumed? ›

Cost of material consumed = Opening material (at the beginning of the year) + purchase of material - closing material (at the closing of the year). The cost of goods sold refers to how much it costs to produce your products or services. it is also known as cost of sales.

Is cost of goods sold good or bad? ›

Cost of goods sold directly impacts profitability. The revenue generated by a business minus its COGS is equal to its gross profit. Higher COGS with disproportionate pricing can leave your business in a deficit position if the prices are too low or alienate consumers if the price is too high.

What is COGS meaning? ›

Cost of goods sold (COGS) refers to the direct costs of producing the goods sold by a company. This amount includes the cost of the materials and labor directly used to create the good. It excludes indirect expenses, such as distribution costs and sales force costs.

What is an example of a cost of goods sold? ›

Examples of COGS include the cost of raw materials, direct labor costs, and manufacturing overhead costs. In a retail business, the cost of the products purchased for resale would be considered COGS. For a service business, COGS may include the cost of supplies or labor directly associated with providing the service.

What is the true cost of goods sold? ›

Simply put, the cost of goods sold (COGS) is the total investment a business makes in producing a product. It includes the labor to produce goods, raw materials, parts used in production, and other direct costs.

What does cost of goods sold COGS represent? ›

Cost of goods sold (COGS) represents the accumulation of direct costs attributable to production of goods sold to customers including raw materials, component parts, manufacturing labor and directly involved overhead subtracted from gross sales.

Is cost of goods sold positive or negative? ›

Can the cost of goods sold be negative? Ideally, the cost of goods sold can't be negative. However, it can be negative when the opening inventory value and purchases are lower than the ending inventory value.

Do COGS include labor? ›

Cost of goods sold or COGS, or cost of services (COS), is the direct costs associated with producing goods. COGS/COS includes both direct labor costs, and any direct costs of materials used in producing or manufacturing a company's products.

Is rent included in COGS? ›

Costs that keep a business running but that are not directly related to making or obtaining inventory — such as administrative and selling expenses — are not included in COGS. These may include office rent, accounting and legal fees, advertising expenses, management salaries, and distribution costs.

Is COGS tax deductible? ›

Cost of Goods Sold is important for your taxes. It's the sum total of the money you spent getting your goods into your customer's hands—and that's a deductible business expense. The more eligible items you include in your COGS calculation, the lower your small business tax bill.

Are employee benefits included in COGS? ›

In a service business, such as an accounting firm, the cost of goods sold includes labor, employee benefits, and payroll taxes. At a retail business, such as a clothing or jewelry store, the cost of goods sold includes the cost of buying or making merchandise.

Why is the cost of goods sold important? ›

The basic purpose of finding COGS is to calculate the “true cost” of merchandise sold in the period. It doesn't reflect the cost of goods that are purchased in the period and not being sold or just kept in inventory. It helps management and investors monitor the performance of the business.

What are the benefits of COGS? ›

Helps the expense management

That way, COGS becomes an important instrument not only to indicate profitability, but also to help company managers analyze the purchases of materials and the sales of what they produce.

What is the advantage of cost of sales? ›

The cost-of-sales method provides a precise insight into individual projects and cost units, and thus into the overall portfolio. Companies gain transparency regarding the profitability of individual orders and customers. This enables them to prioritize orders and product groups according to profitability.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of cost? ›

Advantages & Disadvantages
AdvantagesDisadvantages
Helps in setting pricesRecords past data
Identifies unnecessary costs involvedCosts keep changing every interval
Enhances productivityExpertise required
Helps the management make effective decisionsExpensive maintenance
1 more row
Aug 21, 2024

What are the advantages and disadvantages of sales? ›

The dynamic nature of the work and the chance to build meaningful relationships with customers can also be highly fulfilling. At the same time, sales roles often come with demanding expectations, unpredictable schedules, and the constant pressure to find new leads and opportunities.

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