
An income statement or profit and loss account
[Professional English in Use - Finance, Cambridge University Press, p. 10] (also referred to as a ''profit and loss statement'' (P&L), ''statement of profit or loss'', ''revenue statement'', ''statement of financial performance'', ''earnings statement'', ''statement of earnings'', ''operating statement'', or ''statement of operations'')
is one of the
financial statement
Financial statements (or financial reports) are formal records of the financial activities and position of a business, person, or other entity.
Relevant financial information is presented in a structured manner and in a form which is easy to un ...
s of a company and shows the company's
revenue
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of product (business), goods and services related to the primary operations of a business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some compan ...
s and
expense
An expense is an item requiring an outflow of money, or any form of fortune in general, to another person or group as payment for an item, service, or other category of costs. For a tenant, rent is an expense. For students or parents, tuition i ...
s during a particular period.
It indicates how the
revenue
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of product (business), goods and services related to the primary operations of a business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some compan ...
s (also known as the ''“top line”'') are transformed into the
net income
In business and Accountancy, accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and Amortization (a ...
or net profit (the result after all revenues and expenses have been accounted for). The purpose of the income statement is to show
managers and
investor
An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future Return on capital, return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of pr ...
s whether the company made money (profit) or lost money (loss) during the period being reported.
An income statement represents a period of time (as does the
cash flow statement). This contrasts with the
balance sheet
In financial accounting, a balance sheet (also known as statement of financial position or statement of financial condition) is a summary of the financial balances of an individual or organization, whether it be a sole proprietorship, a business ...
, which represents a single moment in time.
Charitable organizations
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definitio ...
that are required to publish financial statements do not produce an income statement. Instead, they produce a similar statement that reflects funding sources compared against program expenses, administrative costs, and other operating commitments. This statement is commonly referred to as the ''statement of activities''. Revenues and expenses are further categorized in the statement of activities by the donor restrictions on the funds received and expended.
The income statement can be prepared in one of two methods. The Single Step income statement totals revenues and subtracts expenses to find the bottom line. The Multi-Step income statement takes several steps to find the bottom line: starting with the
gross profit, then calculating
operating expenses. Then when deducted from the gross profit, yields income from operations.
Adding to income from operations is the difference of other revenues and other expenses. When combined with income from operations, this yields income before taxes. The final step is to deduct taxes, which finally produces the net income for the period measured.
Usefulness and limitations of income statement
Income statements may help investors and creditors determine the past financial performance of the enterprise, predict the future performance, and assess the capability of generating future cash flows using the report of income and expenses. It is very important for the business.
However, information of an income statement has several limitations:
* Items that might be relevant but cannot be reliably measured are not reported (''e.g.'', brand recognition and loyalty).
* Some numbers depend on accounting methods used (''e.g.'', using
FIFO or LIFO accounting to measure
inventory
Inventory (British English) or stock (American English) is a quantity of the goods and materials that a business holds for the ultimate goal of resale, production or utilisation.
Inventory management is a discipline primarily about specifying ...
level).
* Some numbers depend on judgments and estimates (''e.g.'',
depreciation
In accountancy, depreciation refers to two aspects of the same concept: first, an actual reduction in the fair value of an asset, such as the decrease in value of factory equipment each year as it is used and wears, and second, the allocation i ...
expense depends on estimated useful life and salvage value).
- INCOME STATEMENT GREENHARBOR LLC -
For the year ended DECEMBER 31 2010
€ €
Debit Credit
Revenues
GROSS REVENUES (including INTEREST income) 296,397
--------
Expenses:
ADVERTISING 6,300
BANK & CREDIT CARD FEES 144
BOOKKEEPING 2,350
SUBCONTRACTORS 88,000
ENTERTAINMENT 5,550
INSURANCE 750
LEGAL & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 1,575
LICENSES 632
PRINTING, POSTAGE & STATIONERY 320
RENT 13,000
MATERIALS 74,400
TELEPHONE 1,000
UTILITIES 1,494
--------
TOTAL EXPENSES (195,515)
--------
NET INCOME 100,882
Guidelines for statements of comprehensive income and income statements of business entities are formulated by the
International Accounting Standards Board
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is the independent accounting standard-setting body of the IFRS Foundation.
The IASB was founded on April 1, 2001, as the successor to the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). ...
and numerous country-specific organizations, for example the
FASB in the U.S..
Names and usage of different accounts in the income statement depend on the type of organization, industry practices and the requirements of different jurisdictions.
If applicable to the business, summary values for the following items should be included in the income statement:
["Presentation of Financial Statements"](_blank)
International Accounting Standards Board. Accessed 17 July 2010.
Operating section
*
Revenue
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of product (business), goods and services related to the primary operations of a business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some compan ...
- Cash inflows or other enhancements of assets (including
accounts receivable
Accounts receivable, abbreviated as AR or A/R, are legally enforceable claims for payment held by a business for goods supplied or services rendered that customers have ordered but not paid for. The accounts receivable process involves customer on ...
) of an entity during a period from delivering or producing goods, rendering services, or other activities that constitute the entity's ongoing major operations. It is usually presented as sales minus sales discounts, returns, and allowances. Every time a business sells a product or performs a service, it obtains revenue. This often is referred to as gross revenue or sales revenue.
*
Expenses - Cash outflows or other using-up of assets or incurrence of liabilities (including
accounts payable
Accounts payable (AP) is money owed by a business to its suppliers shown as a liability on a company's balance sheet. It is distinct from notes payable liabilities, which are debts created by formal legal instrument documents. An accounts payable ...
) during a period from delivering or producing goods, rendering services, or carrying out other activities that constitute the entity's ongoing major operations.
**
Cost of Goods Sold
Cost of goods sold (COGS) (also cost of products sold (COPS), or cost of sales) is the carrying value of goods sold during a particular period.
Costs are associated with particular goods using one of the several formulas, including specific iden ...
(COGS) /
Cost of Sales - represents the direct costs attributable to goods produced and sold by a business (manufacturing or merchandizing). It includes ''material costs'', ''direct labour'', and ''overhead costs'' (as in
absorption costing), and excludes operating costs (period costs) such as selling, administrative, advertising or R&D, etc.
** Selling, General and Administrative expenses (
SG&A or SGA) - consist of the combined payroll costs. SGA is usually understood as a major portion of non-production related costs, in contrast to production costs such as direct labour.
*** Selling expenses - represent expenses needed to sell products (e.g., ''salaries of sales people, commissions and travel expenses, advertising, freight, shipping, depreciation of sales store buildings and equipment'', etc.).
*** General and Administrative (G&A) expenses - represent expenses to manage the business (''salaries of officers / executives, legal and professional fees, utilities, insurance, depreciation of office building and equipment, office rents, office supplies'', etc.).
**
Depreciation
In accountancy, depreciation refers to two aspects of the same concept: first, an actual reduction in the fair value of an asset, such as the decrease in value of factory equipment each year as it is used and wears, and second, the allocation i ...
/
amortisation - the charge with respect to
fixed asset
Fixed assets (also known as long-lived assets or property, plant and equipment; PP&E) is a term used in accounting for assets and property that may not easily be converted into cash. They are contrasted with current assets, such as cash, bank ac ...
s /
intangible asset
An intangible asset is an asset that lacks physical substance. Examples are patents, copyright, exclusive franchises, Goodwill (accounting), goodwill, trademarks, and trade names, reputation, Research and development, R&D, Procedural knowledge, ...
s that have been capitalised on the
balance sheet
In financial accounting, a balance sheet (also known as statement of financial position or statement of financial condition) is a summary of the financial balances of an individual or organization, whether it be a sole proprietorship, a business ...
for a specific (accounting) period. It is a systematic and rational allocation of cost rather than the recognition of market value decrement.
** Research & Development (R&D) expenses - represent expenses included in research and development.
''Expenses'' recognised in the income statement should be analysed either by nature (raw materials, transport costs, staffing costs, depreciation, employee benefit etc.) or by function (cost of sales, selling, administrative, etc.). (IAS 1.99) If an entity categorises by function, then additional information on the nature of expenses, at least, – depreciation, amortisation and employee benefits expense – must be disclosed. (IAS 1.104)
The major exclusive of costs of goods sold, are classified as operating expenses. These represent the resources expended, except for inventory purchases, in generating the revenue for the period. Expenses often are divided into two broad sub classifications selling expenses and administrative expenses.
Non-operating section
* Other revenues or gains - revenues and gains from other than primary business activities (e.g., ''rent'', ''income from patents'', goodwill). It also includes unusual gains that are either unusual or infrequent, but not both (e.g., ''gain from sale of securities'' or ''gain from disposal of fixed assets'')
* Other expenses or losses - expenses or losses not related to primary business operations, (e.g., ''foreign exchange loss'').
* Finance costs - costs of borrowing from various creditors (e.g., ''
interest expenses'', ''bank charges'').
* Income tax expense - sum of the amount of
tax
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
payable to tax authorities in the current reporting period (current tax liabilities/ tax payable) and the amount of
deferred tax liabilities (or assets).
Irregular items
They are reported separately because this way users can better predict future cash flows - irregular items most likely will not recur. These are reported ''net of taxes''.
*
Discontinued operations is the most common type of irregular items. Shifting business location(s), stopping production temporarily, or changes due to technological improvement do not qualify as discontinued operations. Discontinued operations ''must'' be shown separately.
Cumulative effect of changes in accounting policies (principles) is the difference between the book value of the affected assets (or liabilities) under the old policy (principle) and what the book value would have been if the new principle had been applied in the prior periods. For example, valuation of inventories using
LIFO instead of
weighted average method. The changes should be applied retrospectively and shown as adjustments to the ''beginning'' balance of affected components in
Equity. All comparative financial statements should be restated. (IAS 8)
However, ''changes in estimates'' (e.g., estimated useful life of a fixed asset) only requires prospective changes. (IAS 8)
No items may be presented in the income statement as extraordinary items under IFRS regulations or (as of ASU No. 2015-01
"Heads Up — FASB issues ASU on extraordinary items"
Accessed 22 August 2023.) under US GAAP. ''Extraordinary items'' are both unusual (abnormal) and infrequent, for example, unexpected natural disaster, expropriation, prohibitions under new regulations. ote: natural disaster might not qualify depending on location (e.g., frost damage would not qualify in Canada but would in the tropics).
Additional items may be needed to fairly present the entity's results of operations. (IAS 1.85)
Disclosures
Certain items must be disclosed separately in the notes (or the statement of comprehensive income), if material, including: (IAS 1.98)
* Write-downs of inventories
Inventory (British English) or stock (American English) is a quantity of the goods and materials that a business holds for the ultimate goal of resale, production or utilisation.
Inventory management is a discipline primarily about specifying ...
to net realisable value or of property, plant and equipment to recoverable amount, as well as ''reversals'' of such write-downs
* Restructurings of the activities of an entity and ''reversals'' of any provisions for the costs of restructuring
* Disposals of items of property, plant and equipment
* Disposals of investments
* Discontinued operations
* Litigation settlements
* Other reversals of provisions
Earnings per share
Because of its importance, earnings per share
Earnings per share (EPS) is the monetary value of earnings per outstanding share of common stock for a company during a defined accounting period, period of time, often a year. It is a key measure of corporate profitability, focusing on the inte ...
(EPS) are required to be disclosed on the face of the income statement. A company which reports any of the irregular items must also report EPS for these items either in the statement or in the notes.
There are two forms of EPS reported:
* Basic: in this case “weighted average of shares outstanding” includes only actual stocks outstanding.
* Diluted: in this case “weighted average of shares outstanding” is calculated as if all stock options, warrants, convertible bonds, and other securities that could be transformed into shares ''are'' transformed. This increases the number of shares and so EPS decreases. Diluted EPS is considered to be a more reliable way to measure EPS.
Sample income statement
The following income statement is a very brief example prepared in accordance with IFRS. It does not show all possible kinds of accounts, but it shows the most usual ones. Differences between IFRS and US GAAP would affect the interpretation of the following sample income statements.
Bottom line
“Bottom line” is the net income
In business and Accountancy, accounting, net income (also total comprehensive income, net earnings, net profit, bottom line, sales profit, or credit sales) is an entity's income minus cost of goods sold, expenses, depreciation and Amortization (a ...
that is calculated after subtracting the expenses from revenue. Since this forms the last line of the income statement, it is informally called “bottom line.” It is important to investors as it represents the profit for the year attributable to the shareholders.
After revision to IAS 1 in 2003, the Standard is now using profit or loss for the year rather than ''net profit or loss'' or ''net income'' as the descriptive term for the bottom line of the income statement.
Requirements of IFRS
On 6 September 2007, the International Accounting Standards Board
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is the independent accounting standard-setting body of the IFRS Foundation.
The IASB was founded on April 1, 2001, as the successor to the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). ...
issued a revised ''IAS 1: Presentation of Financial Statements'', which is effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2009.
A business entity adopting IFRS must include:
* a statement of comprehensive income or
* ''two'' separate statements comprising:
:# an income statement displaying components of profit or loss ''and''
:# a ''statement of comprehensive income'' that ''begins'' with profit or loss (bottom line of the income statement) and displays the items of other comprehensive income for the reporting period. (IAS1.81)
All non-owner changes in equity (i.e., ''comprehensive income'') shall be presented either in the statement of comprehensive income or in a separate income statement and a statement of comprehensive income. Components of comprehensive income may not be presented in the statement of changes in equity.
'' Comprehensive income'' for a period includes profit or loss (net income) for that period and other comprehensive income recognised in that period.
All items of income and expense recognised in a period must be included in profit or loss unless a Standard or an Interpretation requires otherwise. (IAS 1.88) Some IFRSs require or permit that some components to be excluded from profit or loss and instead to be included in other comprehensive income. (IAS 1.89)
Items and disclosures
The statement of comprehensive income should include: (IAS 1.82)
# Revenue
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of product (business), goods and services related to the primary operations of a business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some compan ...
# Finance costs (including interest expenses)
# Share of the profit or loss of associates and joint ventures
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
accounted for using the equity method
# Tax
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
expense
# A ''single'' amount comprising the total of (1) the ''post-tax'' profit or loss of '' discontinued operations'' and (2) the ''post-tax'' gain or loss recognised on the disposal of the assets or disposal group(s) constituting the ''discontinued operation''
# Profit or loss
# Each component of other comprehensive income classified by nature
# Share of the other comprehensive income of associates and joint ventures accounted for using the equity method
# Total comprehensive income
The following items must also be disclosed in the statement of comprehensive income as allocations for the period: (IAS 1.83)
* Profit or loss for the period attributable to non-controlling interests and owners of the parent
A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are First-degree relative, first-degree relatives and have ...
* Total comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interests and owners of the parent
''No'' items may be presented in the statement of comprehensive income (or in the income statement, if separately presented) or in the notes as ''extraordinary items''.
See also
* Comprehensive income
*Cash flow
Cash flow, in general, refers to payments made into or out of a business, project, or financial product. It can also refer more specifically to a real or virtual movement of money.
*Cash flow, in its narrow sense, is a payment (in a currency), es ...
* Trading statement
* Profit model
* Statement of changes in equity
* Model audit
*International Financial Reporting Standards
International Financial Reporting Standards, commonly called IFRS, are accounting standards issued by the IFRS Foundation and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). They constitute a standardised way of describing the company's fi ...
(and their requirements
In engineering, a requirement is a condition that must be satisfied for the output of a work effort to be acceptable. It is an explicit, objective, clear and often quantitative description of a condition to be satisfied by a material, design, pro ...
)
* Profit and Loss Accounts
References
* Harry I. Wolk, James L. Dodd, Michael G. Tearney. ''Accounting Theory: Conceptual Issues in a Political and Economic Environment'' (2004). .
* Angelico A. Groppelli, Ehsan Nikbakht. ''Finance'' (2000). .
* Barry J. Epstein, Eva K. Jermakowicz. ''Interpretation and Application of International Financial Reporting Standards'' (2007). .
* Jan R. Williams, Susan F. Haka, Mark S. Bettner, Joseph V. Carcello. ''Financial & Managerial Accounting'' (2008). .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Income Statement
Accounting terminology