What is a good warranty claim rate?
John Hall
Updated on February 09, 2026
In fact, the computer OEMs and the car and small vehicle OEMs have the highest average warranty claims rates out of all the industries we’ve looked at, with the computer manufacturers spending an average of 2.7% of their product revenue on warranty claims over the past 64 quarters, and the car manufacturers not far …
How are warranty claims calculated?
Divide the amount of your actual warranty claims in the most recent year by your total sales in the same year to calculate your warranty claims as a percentage of sales. For example, if you had $1,600 in warranty claims and $80,000 in sales, divide $1,600 by $80,000.
What is estimated warranty liability?
A liability account that reports the estimated amount that a company will have to spend to repair or replace a product during its warranty period. The liability amount is recorded at the time of the sale. (It is also the time when the expense is reported.)
What is warranty return rate?
#1. How are you calculating warranty return rate? We track a 12 month rolling average–The total number of returns over the past 12 months divided by the average number of systems under warranty within that 12 month period. All numbers are reported on a monthly basis.
What is a warranty allowance?
Warranty Reserve is a fund maintained by the manufacturer to meet warranty expenses. The warranty reserve balance is the balance left after deductions of claim expenses for the year. The accrual rate is usually a fixed percentage of sales and is managed by the finance department of the company.
How do you solve estimated warranty liability?
Apply the percentage to your sales forecast for the upcoming period. For example, suppose you project $100,000 in sales for the next quarter. If you estimate that 1 percent of revenues will pay for warranty costs, multiply $100,000 by 0.01 to find the warranty liability of $1,000.
How does a company estimate and record warranty expense?
Let’s look at an example to see how a company would estimate and record warranty expense. Hydration-on-the-Go makes stylish water bottles. Each water bottle includes a one-year warranty against manufacturing defects. Based on five years worth of data, the company estimates that 3% of the water bottles sold will be returned because of a defect.
When do we debit the estimated warranty liability?
When the company fulfills a warranty claim, we need to debit the estimated warranty liability. This is because part of the warranty obligation is being fulfilled. The amount of liability is decreasing. Now to determine the account to credit. Ask yourself how the liability is being fulfilled.
When do you recognize the cost of an extended warranty?
As explained by the matching principle, no expense is recognized until the revenue begins to be reported. Because of the terms specified, this extended warranty does not become active until January 1, Year Two. The television is then covered for a three-year period. The revenue is recognized, most likely on a straight-line basis, over that time.
What happens when you file a claim under warranty?
When a customer requests a repair or replacement under warranty, the customer files a claim. The company must record this claim. Every time the company fulfills a claim, a portion of the warranty liability is also fulfilled.