What is the primary difference between direct and indirect costs?

1 question

Direct costs can be traced to a specific cost object, while indirect costs cannot
Indirect costs are always variable, while direct costs are fixed
Direct costs are always fixed, while indirect costs are variable
There is no difference; they are interchangeable terms

1 item

Q: What is the primary difference between direct and indirect costs?

Solution: The primary difference is that direct costs can be traced directly to a specific cost object, while indirect costs cannot.

Steps: 4

Step 1: Understand what a cost object is. A cost object is something that you want to track costs for, like a product, project, or department.
Step 2: Learn about direct costs. Direct costs are expenses that can be directly linked to a specific cost object. For example, the materials used to make a toy are direct costs because you can trace them directly to that toy.
Step 3: Learn about indirect costs. Indirect costs are expenses that cannot be directly linked to a specific cost object. For example, the electricity used to run a factory is an indirect cost because it supports many products, not just one.
Step 4: Compare the two. Direct costs are easy to trace to a specific item, while indirect costs are shared among multiple items and cannot be traced to just one.