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Microlesson · 5-min read

Finished Goods Account and By-Product in Process Costing

## Finished Goods Account

When the final process completes, output is transferred to the Finished Goods Account at Normal Cost per Unit. Goods then flow out to Cost of Sales as they are sold.

### Format of Finished Goods A/c

ParticularsUnitsTotalParticularsUnitsTotal
To Process A/cUnits of FG@ Normal Cost/unitBy Cost of Sales A/cUnits sold@ Normal Cost/unit
By Balance c/dBalance figureBalance figure

### By-Product Treatment in Process Costing

While preparing finished goods, sometimes a by-product also gets produced (as discussed in the Joint Products / By-Products chapter).

Valuation of by-product while preparing the process account:

```

By-product value = Selling Price − Cost to Produce (further processing) − Selling Expenses

```

This value (NRV of the by-product) is credited to the Process A/c, effectively reducing the cost charged to the main product.

### Different Types of Process Costing Questions

1. Basic process account preparation.

2. Preparation of Abnormal Loss A/c, Normal Loss A/c, Abnormal Gain A/c, FG A/c.

3. Units that are transferred to next process AND also sold in between.

4. Units that are transferred to next process at some profit (inter-process profit).

5. Equivalent Production — with Opening WIP and/or Closing WIP, using FIFO or Weighted Average method.

Worked example

### Example 1

FG A/c Example: Process III transfers 5,000 units to FG at Normal Cost ₹50/unit = ₹2,50,000 (Dr). 4,500 units sold at ₹50/unit = ₹2,25,000 (Cr to Cost of Sales). Balance c/d = 500 units × ₹50 = ₹25,000.

### Example 2

By-Product Example: Process produces by-product realising ₹15,000 (SP) with further processing cost ₹2,000 and selling expenses ₹1,000.

  • NRV credited to Process A/c = ₹15,000 − ₹2,000 − ₹1,000 = ₹12,000.

⚠️ Common exam mistakes

  • Recording by-product at gross SP instead of NRV.
  • Forgetting to reduce by-product NRV from the joint/process cost.
  • Failing to maintain a separate FG A/c when the question asks for it.
  • Valuing closing FG inventory at sale price instead of Normal Cost per Unit.
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