Most businesses experience both fixed expenses and variable expenses. Knowing the difference is important, especially if your organization reimburses employees for their business vehicle expenses.
Whether you are operating a business or managing a household budget, you have encountered both fixed and variable expenses. The difference between a fixed cost and a variable cost depends on how often the cost changes.
A fixed cost is an expense that stays relatively unchanged each month, regardless of business output. A variable cost increases and decreases frequently based on production output or market prices. A "fixed and variable rate" reimbursement is a payment that covers both expense types.
Managing fixed and variable costs can be a challenge. This is because the two categories require different approaches when planning budgets or issuing reimbursements. Fixed costs must be accounted for first because they remain steady whether any goods or services are produced.
Examples of fixed costs include:
mortgage and loan payments, insurance premiums, rent, salaries, cell phone bills, property taxes, vehicle license.
Examples of variable costs include:
hourly wage payments, sales commissions, taxes on income and sales, fuel, raw materials, utilities.
All businesses should take both sets of costs into account when budgeting, setting prices, and pursuing growth. Any organization that pays a car allowance or reimbursement should also distinguish between fixed costs like insurance and variable costs like fuel.
Employees like sales reps will incur fixed expenses whether or not they have a productive month full of trips. Only their variable expenses will increase if they increase their productivity by driving more. Some reimbursement models, however, do not properly account for the fixed portion of expenses.
When creating a mileage reimbursement or car allowance program, separate fixed from variable expenses. Otherwise, negative consequences to your bottom line may follow:
So what vehicle expenses fall under variable costs vs. fixed costs?
Fixed vehicle expenses are the costs that come with owning a vehicle, whether you drive it a lot or a little. These costs remain relatively stable from month to month or even year to year:
Does your company mileage reimbursement take into account insurance and depreciation? These may constitute over 60% of annual vehicle expenses, but mileage rates may under-reimburse them.
Vehicle depreciation is a business expense and should be reimbursed. Decrease in value counts as a fixed cost because it occurs steadily over time according to a schedule. This makes it a predictable expense.
The business portion of an employee's vehicle use determines the percentage of depreciation that a car allowance should reimburse. A business might leave this expense out of the car allowance calculation because it is not an obvious expense. A mileage rate may under-reimburse the expense because the driver does not drive enough miles to cover fixed costs.
The variable expenses for a vehicle could be considered operation costs. Driving more or less will have a significant impact on these costs, as do fluctuations in market prices:
Standard car allowances remain the same from month to month and even year to year. Paying an equal amount every month can offset fixed expenses, since they are predictable and stable. But gas prices and mileage amounts can fluctuate month to month.
Another problem arises from the differences between employees' expenses. Different employees drive different amounts, face different gas prices, and cover different sized territories. But they each receive the same monthly allowance.
Because standard car allowances are taxable, an employee may only receive 60-70% of the allowance after taxes. This is why car allowances may violate the law in states that require full reimbursement of expenses.
Mileage rates like the IRS rate tend to under-reimburse fixed costs. Here's why:
When reimbursed per mile, a driver must drive a certain number of miles to cover all fixed costs. And the driver must drive an additional number of miles to cover their increasing variable costs.
What if the driver does not drive enough? Or, what if the driver drives more miles than necessary to recoup all work-related car expenses?
A form of vehicle reimbursement exists that can accurately reimburse both sets of costs. The IRS calls it a fixed and variable rate allowance. This procedure uses a fixed amount to pay fixed costs and a mileage rate to pay variable costs.
The fixed and variable rate allowance, or FAVR, delivers tax-free payments to employees. The hallmarks of a FAVR reimbursement program include
When an organization switches to a FAVR reimbursement model, the benefits are often felt quickly. In general, these benefits include
Switching from a taxable car allowance or from a cents-per-mile rate can yield specific benefits:
A FAVR vehicle program can be challenging to administer at first because of the IRS regulations involved. But with the right guidance and support this is a cost-effective move.
To learn more about how a FAVR car allowance could work for your organization, schedule a call. Or use the mBurse FAVR savings calculator
Or take a deep dive with our ultimate guide to FAVR reimbursements.