What is an SG&A expense?

A firm with high fixed costs is said to have high operating leverage. These costs can be fixed, or they can vary in relationship to sales. By keeping close tabs on SG&A expenses, a company can more efficiently manage its overhead, make cost-cutting decisions, and remain profitable. Depreciation refers to expenses related to a fixed asset’s usage, allocating costs based on wear and tear throughout the asset’s useful life. It’s common to use the terms SG&A and operating expenses interchangeably, but keep in mind that SG&A is only one type of operating expense.

• The SG&A to sales ratio (also sometimes called the percent-of-sales method) is what you get when you divide your total SG&A costs by your total sales revenue.
• Therefore, all companies will have SG&A though they might not necessarily use that exact name on the financial statements.
• The trend of the ratio is followed for future periods (i.e. increasing, decreasing) until the normalized % is reached, which is based on industry averages.
• For example, once a product is sold, it must be packed and shipped.
• Other examples include paying advertisements and organizing promotional events.
• These expenses support the company’s operations, regardless of whether it does or doesn’t generate sales.
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This is the case when your company publishes what is known as a condensed income statement. SG&A are the operating expenses incurred to 1) promote, sell, and deliver a company’s products and services, and 2) manage the overall company. Whether indirect or direct selling costs, general expenses like rent and utilities, or administrative costs like salaries and legal fees, SG&A costs are essential. SG&A expenses https://kelleysbookkeeping.com/ are mostly comprised of costs that are considered part of general company overhead, since they cannot be traced to the sale of specific products. For example, sales commissions directly relate to product sales, and yet may be considered part of SG&A. When an SG&A cost is considered a direct cost, it is acceptable to shift the cost into the cost of goods sold classification on the income statement.

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Marketing expenses cover the work of analyst professionals on creating marketing strategies and techniques as well as market research for a particular product or service details. Typically, the operating expenses and SG&A of a company represent the same costs – those independent of and not included in cost of goods sold. But sometimes, SG&A is listed as a subcategory of operating expenses on the income statement. As part of its Q financial reporting, Apple reported $12.809 billion of operating expenses for the quarter. Of this, $6.797 billion was research and development, while $6.012 billion was selling, general, and administrative. Although the company does state that increases to SG&A from prior periods relates to headcount, advertising, and professional services, there is little more transparency beyond these notes.

Part 1. Selling Expenses

It may help to think about SG&A as four key categories of expenses – marketing, sales, development and overheads. Most of the three are fixed costs, and they are unrelated to production levels. Accordingly, management supervises and controls strictly such costs. Up to that time, the company’s accounting staff had been using the percent-of-sales method for allocating SG&A expenses to each of the manufacturing divisions. Some division managers were dissatisfied with the result, among them the vice president of the television division. He complained that his division’s SG&A charge was inflated because his product line used high-cost finished components—picture tubes and cabinets.

Companies may hire external professionals, such as lawyers, accountants, or consultants, to provide specialized services. The fees paid to these professionals are categorized as SG&A expenses. SG&A expenses are disclosed in the notes to a company’s financial statements, providing additional information and transparency to investors and analysts. When such expenses increase too much without a rise in sales or a drop in sales, it is very important to reduce the SG&A costs. Several repeated positions can be cut down to reduce the SG&A costs and increase the operating income.

Cut overhead costs

Examples of selling expenses include salary and commission to the company’s sales people. Other examples include paying advertisements and organizing promotional events. These activities create demand for the company’s business and broadly categorized as “selling”. Therefore, the expenses a company incurs due to these selling activities are included in the SG&A Expense.

Rather, these are expenses incurred throughout the manufacturing process to earn more sales, such as base salaries of salespeople, marketing, and out-of-pocket travel expense. Retailers typically have significant marketing and advertising Sg&a Expense Selling expenses and store-related costs such as rent, utilities, and staff salaries. A company incurs SG&A expenses in its daily operations, and many of these expenses may be necessary for the company’s sales and administrative functions.

How to calculate SG&A

High R&D expenses and sales and marketing costs, especially for branded drugs, contribute to relatively higher SG&A percentages in this industry. SG&A expenses can vary significantly from company to company, depending on the business’s size, industry, and nature. It can make it challenging to compare SG&A expenses between companies, and it’s important to consider other factors, such as revenue and operating income, when comparing. SG&A expenses provide valuable information for decision-making, as they reflect a company’s operating expenses and efficiency.

SG&A expenses comprise all the day-to-day operating costs of running a business that aren’t related to producing a good or service. This includes a wide range of expenses, such as rent, advertising and marketing, and salaries of management and administrative staff. SG&A does not include the direct costs of producing goods or acquiring goods for sale, which are calculated separately as cost of goods sold . The amount that a company spends on SG&A may play a key role in determining its profitability. Expenses such as rent, insurance, utilities, and supplies are examples of general expenses.