Cost recovery is a way for a company to recognize profit and defer taxes in cases where there is an improbability of receiving payment from a client. It is one of the methods in revenue recognition that accountants use and can be applied to many types of business transactions. It’s also used in situations where the sale of a product is not guaranteed, such as when goods are sold on credit to customers. The purpose is to help reduce the amount of taxes owed until the owner receives the full purchase price from their client.
It is possible to calculate an expense recovery ratio, which is a percentage of the total project costs. This number can then be compared to the actual amount received by the project to determine its success or failure. Ideally, this ratio should be greater than 100 percent, which indicates that the project has paid for itself and that revenues have exceeded expenses.
To find the expense recovery ratio, divide the total project costs by the total project revenues. Then, multiply the result by 100 to convert it into a percentage. This percentage will show you how much of the total project costs have been recovered by the company’s sales, and it will also indicate the proportion of revenues that have not been fully realized.
This is a great way for businesses to analyze the profitability of a project and whether it’s worth continuing. If a project’s revenue is not yet covering its costs, the ratio may indicate that it’s time to stop investing in that particular venture. On the other hand, if the ratio is higher than 100 percent, it means that the company’s sales have exceeded all of its project costs and have turned into profits.
It’s important for departments to process Cost Recovery activities in the correct fund and reference the auxiliary project codes. These projects should be automatically billed to outside customers through the Spartan Shops system and tracked in the auxiliary account, as well as all internal cost recoveries (as explained above). If there is an internal customer that needs to be billed directly by the department, please fill out a Journal Upload Entry Request for Auxiliary Customers (xls) and return it to Accounting Services.
Ultimately, it’s up to each individual company to decide the best method of recording and reporting their finances. Regardless of which method is utilized, it’s essential to keep a thorough record of all the expenses that have been incurred throughout the duration of a project and to track all of the payments made. Whether the payments are made in installments or as a lump sum, it’s important for companies to track and record each dollar of income in order to quantify how much profit they’ve earned on a project. This information can be incredibly beneficial to both the business and its investors. It will also allow the company to make informed decisions when determining what investments to continue making in future projects.
