Salaries and wages of the current accounting period are reported as expenses on a service company’s current income statement.

Salaries and wages of a manufacturer are more complicated. The salaries and wages of people in the administrative and selling functions are reported as expenses on the current income statement. However, the salaries and wages of people in the production departments are assigned to the products manufactured. When the products are sold, their production costs (including the manufacturing salaries and wages) will appear on the income statement as part of the cost of goods sold. The products not sold are reported as inventory on the balance sheet at their production costs (including the manufacturing salaries and wages).

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