Accounting Share · Manufacturing & variances
Predetermined Overhead Rate Calculator
Set a planned overhead rate per machine hour, labour hour or other allocation-base unit before the production period.
The interactive calculator requires JavaScript. The formula and worked example below remain available.
01 / Enter your figures
Make the numbers yours.
Use one currency and consistent time periods. Amounts are shown in your input currency units; no currency conversion is performed.
02 / See the working
Your calculation
Enter your figures, then choose Calculate. Or load the worked example.
03 / Understand the method
Formula and method
Budgeted manufacturing overhead ÷ Budgeted allocation base
Set a planned overhead rate per machine hour, labour hour or other allocation-base unit before the production period.
How to use this calculator
- Collect the figures for the same entity, currency and reporting period.
- Enter each input using its label and unit. For percentages, enter 15 to mean 15%.
- Choose Calculate, inspect the breakdown and compare the result with your assumptions.
- Change one input to explore a scenario. Recalculate after edits; display rounding does not round the underlying calculation.
Inputs at a glance
- Budgeted manufacturing overhead: A nonnegative numeric input in the units specified by the label.
- Budgeted allocation-base units: A nonnegative numeric input in the units specified by the label.
Worked example
Follow one calculation.
- Budgeted manufacturing overhead
- 120000
- Budgeted allocation-base units
- 30000
- Calculated result
- 4
Load this example in the interactive form to inspect the intermediate amounts.
Assumptions and interpretation
Choose a defensible base and state its units. A budgeted rate is not the same as the actual overhead rate.
The output is a model based on the figures entered. Check source records and use the accounting or contractual definitions relevant to your task before relying on a result.
Questions about this tool
What does the predetermined overhead rate calculation measure?
Set a planned overhead rate per machine hour, labour hour or other allocation-base unit before the production period.
Which assumptions can change the result?
Choose a defensible base and state its units. A budgeted rate is not the same as the actual overhead rate.
Why can displayed totals differ slightly from my spreadsheet?
Calculations use the unrounded input values. Only the display is rounded. Use four or six decimal places to inspect small differences, and check the timing, sign conventions and rounding policy in your spreadsheet.
Reference and further learning
Managerial accounting study reference. These original learning examples apply the displayed formula; the reference does not certify or endorse this calculator.
Look up an accounting term · Practise with accounting questions
Formula and worked example checked 4 November 2026. Calculations run in your browser without sending the entered figures to Accounting Share. Report a calculation issue with the tool name, example inputs and expected result; avoid sharing confidential records.
