Estimated Income Statements, using Absorption and Variable Costing Prior to the first month of operations ending January 31, Lemke Inc. estimated the following operating results: not change sales, unit variable factory overhead costs, total fixed factory overhead cost, or total selling and administrative expenses. require an entry leave it blank. require an entry leave it blank. b. What is the reason for the difference in operating income reported for the two levels of production by the absorption costing income statement? The increase in operating income under absorption costing is caused by the allocation of overhead cost over a number of units. Thus, the cost of goods sold is . The difference can also be explained by the amount of overhead cost included in the inventory. a. 1. Prepare an estimated income statement, comparing operating results if 14,400 and 16,000 units are manufactured in the absorption costing format. If an amount box does not require an entry leave it blank