In
accounting
Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...
, revenue is the total amount of
income
Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. F ...
generated by the sale of
goods and services
Goods are items that are usually (but not always) tangible, such as pens or Apple, apples. Services are activities provided by other people, such as teachers or barbers. Taken together, it is the Production (economics), production, distributio ...
related to the primary operations of a
business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some
companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...
receive revenue from
interest
In finance and economics, interest is payment from a debtor or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is distinct f ...
,
royalties
A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...
, or other
fees
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead (business), overhead, wages, costs, and Profit (accounting), markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Repub ...
.
[ This definition is based on IAS 18.] "Revenue" may refer to income in general, or it may refer to the amount, in a
monetary unit
A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific environm ...
, earned during a period of time, as in "Last year, company X had revenue of $42 million".
Profits or
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 ...
generally imply total revenue minus total expenses in a given period. In
accounting
Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...
, revenue is a subsection of the equity section of the balance statement, since it increases equity. It is often referred to as the "top line" due to its position at the very top of the
income statement
An income statement or profit and loss accountProfessional 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 o ...
. This is to be contrasted with the "bottom line" which denotes net income (gross revenues minus total expenses).
In general usage, revenue is the total amount of income by the sale of goods or services related to the company's operations.
Sales revenue
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of a business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive revenue ...
is income received from selling goods or services over a period of time.
Tax revenue
Tax revenue is the income that is collected by governments through taxation. Taxation is the primary source of government revenue. Revenue may be extracted from sources such as individuals, public enterprises, trade, royalties on natural reso ...
is income that a government receives from taxpayers.
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
revenue is income received by a
charity
Charity may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
from donors etc. to further its social purposes.
In more formal usage, revenue is a calculation or estimation of periodic income based on a particular
standard accounting practice
Publicly traded companies typically are subject to rigorous standards. Small and midsized businesses often follow more simplified standards, plus any specific disclosures required by their specific lenders and shareholders. Some firms operate on t ...
or the rules established by a government or government agency. Two common
accounting methods
In accounting, a basis of accounting is a method used to define, recognise, and report financial transactions. The two primary bases of accounting are the cash basis of accounting, or cash accounting, method and the accrual accounting method. A ...
,
cash basis accounting
In accounting, a basis of accounting is a method used to define, recognise, and report financial transactions. The two primary bases of accounting are the cash basis of accounting, or cash accounting, method and the accrual accounting method. A ...
and
accrual basis accounting
In accounting, a basis of accounting is a method used to define, recognise, and report financial transactions. The two primary bases of accounting are the cash basis of accounting, or cash accounting, method and the accrual accounting method. A ...
, do not use the same process for measuring revenue. Corporations that offer shares for sale to the public are usually required by law to report revenue based on
generally accepted accounting principles
Publicly traded companies typically are subject to rigorous standards. Small and midsized businesses often follow more simplified standards, plus any specific disclosures required by their specific lenders and shareholders. Some firms operate on t ...
or on
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 ...
.
In a
double-entry bookkeeping system
Double-entry bookkeeping, also known as double-entry accounting, is a method of bookkeeping that relies on a two-sided accounting entry to maintain financial information. Every entry to an account requires a corresponding and opposite entry to a ...
, revenue accounts are
general ledger
In bookkeeping, a general ledger is a bookkeeping ledger in which accounting data are posted from General journal, journals and aggregated from subledgers, such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management, fixed assets, purchasing ...
accounts that are summarized periodically under the heading "revenue" or "revenues" on an
income statement
An income statement or profit and loss accountProfessional 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 o ...
. Revenue account-names describe the type of revenue, such as "repair service revenue", "rent revenue earned" or "sales".
Non-profit organizations
For
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
s, revenue may be referred to as gross receipts, support, contributions, etc. This operating revenue can include
donations from individuals and corporations, support from government agencies, income from activities related to the organization's
mission, income from fundraising activities, and membership dues. Revenue (income and gains) from investments may be categorized as "operating" or "non-operating"—but for many non-profits must (simultaneously) be categorized by
fund (along with other accounts).
Association dues revenue
For non-profits with substantial revenue from the dues of their voluntary members: non-dues revenue is revenue generated through means besides association membership fees. This revenue can be found through means of
sponsorships
Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...
,
donations or outsourcing the association's
digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, an ...
outlets.
Business revenue
Business revenue is money income from activities that are ordinary for a particular corporation, company, partnership, or sole-proprietorship. For some businesses, such as
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the
secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
or
grocery
A grocery store (American English, AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop (British English, BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food Product (business), products, which may be Fresh food, fresh or Food p ...
, most revenue is from the sale of goods. Service businesses such as
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
s and
barber shops
A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a barbershop or the barber's. Barbershops have been noted places of social interaction and public discourse ...
receive most of their revenue from rendering services. Lending businesses such as
car rental
A car rental, hire car or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time to the public, generally ranging from a few hours to a few weeks. It is often organized with numerous local branches (which allow a user t ...
s and
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
s receive most of their revenue from fees and interest generated by lending
asset
In financial accounting, an asset is any resource owned or controlled by a business or an economic entity. It is anything (tangible or intangible) that can be used to produce positive economic value. Assets represent value of ownership that can b ...
s to other organizations or individuals.
Revenues from a business's primary activities are reported as sales, sales revenue or
net sales
In bookkeeping, accounting, and financial accounting, net sales are operating revenues earned by a company for selling its products or rendering its services. Also referred to as revenue, they are reported directly on the income statement as ''Sa ...
.
This includes product returns and discounts for early payment of
invoice
An invoice, bill, tab, or bill of costs is a commercial document that includes an itemized list of goods or services furnished by a seller to a buyer relating to a sale transaction, that usually specifies the price and terms of sale, quanti ...
s. Most businesses also have revenue that is incidental to the business's primary activities, such as interest earned on deposits in a
demand account. This is included in revenue but not included in net sales. Sales revenue does not include
sales tax
A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
collected by the business.
Other revenue (a.k.a. non-operating revenue) is revenue from peripheral (non-core) operations. For example, a company that manufactures and sells automobiles would record the revenue from the sale of an automobile as "regular" revenue. If that same company also rented a portion of one of its buildings, it would record that revenue as "other revenue" and disclose it separately on its income statement to show that it is from something other than its core operations. The combination of all the revenue-generating systems of a business is called its
revenue model
A revenue model is a framework for generating financial income. There can be a variety of ways for revenue generation such as the production model, manufacturing model, as well as the construction model. A revenue model identifies which revenue sou ...
.
Accounting terms
*
Net sales
In bookkeeping, accounting, and financial accounting, net sales are operating revenues earned by a company for selling its products or rendering its services. Also referred to as revenue, they are reported directly on the income statement as ''Sa ...
=
gross sales
In bookkeeping, accounting, and financial accounting, net sales are operating revenues earned by a company for selling its products or rendering its services. Also referred to as revenue, they are reported directly on the income statement as ''Sa ...
– (customer discounts, returns, and allowances)
*
Gross profit
For households and individuals, gross income is the sum of all wages, salaries, profits, interest payments, rents, and other forms of earnings, before any deductions or taxes. It is opposed to net income, defined as the gross income minus taxes ...
=
net sales
In bookkeeping, accounting, and financial accounting, net sales are operating revenues earned by a company for selling its products or rendering its services. Also referred to as revenue, they are reported directly on the income statement as ''Sa ...
–
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 ...
*
Operating profit In accountancy, accounting and finance, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) is a measure of a firm's profit (accounting), profit that includes all incomes and expenses (operating and Non-operating income, non-operating) except interest expense ...
=
gross profit
For households and individuals, gross income is the sum of all wages, salaries, profits, interest payments, rents, and other forms of earnings, before any deductions or taxes. It is opposed to net income, defined as the gross income minus taxes ...
– total
operating expense
An operating expense (opex) is an ongoing cost for running a product, business, or system. Its counterpart, a '' capital expenditure'' (capex), is the cost of developing or providing non-consumable parts for the product or system. For example, t ...
s
*
Net profit
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 ...
=
operating profit In accountancy, accounting and finance, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) is a measure of a firm's profit (accounting), profit that includes all incomes and expenses (operating and Non-operating income, non-operating) except interest expense ...
– taxes – interest
*
Net profit
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 ...
=
net sales
In bookkeeping, accounting, and financial accounting, net sales are operating revenues earned by a company for selling its products or rendering its services. Also referred to as revenue, they are reported directly on the income statement as ''Sa ...
–
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 ...
–
operating expense
An operating expense (opex) is an ongoing cost for running a product, business, or system. Its counterpart, a '' capital expenditure'' (capex), is the cost of developing or providing non-consumable parts for the product or system. For example, t ...
– taxes – interest
*
EBIT =
net profit
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 ...
+ taxes + interest
*
EBITDA
A company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (commonly abbreviated EBITDA, pronounced ) is a measure of a company's profitability of the operating business only, thus before any effects of indebtedness, state-mandat ...
=
net profit
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 ...
+ taxes + interest + depreciation +
amortization
Amortization or amortisation may refer to:
* The process by which loan principal decreases over the life of an amortizing loan
* Amortization (accounting), the expensing of acquisition cost minus the residual value of intangible assets in a syst ...
Accounting
While the current IFRS conceptual framework no longer draws a distinction between revenue and gains, it continues to be drawn at the standard and reporting levels. For example, IFRS 9.5.7.1 states: "A gain or loss on a financial asset or financial liability that is measured at fair value shall be recognised in profit or loss ..." while the IASB defined IFRS XBRL taxonomy includes OtherGainsLosses, GainsLossesOnNetMonetaryPosition and similar items.
Financial statement analysis
Revenue is a crucial part of financial statement analysis. The company's performance is measured to the extent to which its asset inflows (revenues) compare with its asset outflows (
expenses
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 ...
).
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 ...
is the result of this equation, but revenue typically enjoys equal attention during a standard
earnings call
An earnings call is a teleconference or webcast in which a public company discusses its financial results for a reporting period, often providing earnings guidance for future performance. The term stems from earnings per share (EPS), calculated ...
. If a company displays solid "top-line growth", analysts could view the period's performance as positive even if earnings growth, or "bottom-line growth" is stagnant. Conversely, high net income growth would be tainted if a company failed to produce significant revenue growth. Consistent revenue growth, if accompanied by net income growth, contributes to the value of an enterprise and therefore the
share price.
Revenue is used as an indication of earnings quality. There are several
financial ratios
A financial ratio or accounting ratio states the relative magnitude of two selected numerical values taken from an enterprise's financial statements. Often used in accounting, there are many standard ratios used to try to evaluate the overall fin ...
attached to it:
*The most important being
gross margin
Gross margin, or gross profit margin, is the difference between revenue and cost of goods sold (COGS), divided by revenue. Gross margin is expressed as a percentage. Generally, it is calculated as the selling price of an item, less the cost of go ...
and
profit margin
Profit margin is a financial ratio that measures the percentage of profit earned by a company in relation to its revenue. Expressed as a percentage, it indicates how much profit the company makes for every dollar of revenue generated. Profit margi ...
; also, companies use revenue to determine
bad debt expense using the income statement method.
*Price / Sales is sometimes used as a substitute for a
price to earnings ratio
A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or Financial compensation, compensation expected, required, or given by one Party (law), party to another in return for Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services. In so ...
when earnings are negative and the P/E is meaningless. Though a company may have negative earnings, it almost always has positive revenue.
*
Gross margin
Gross margin, or gross profit margin, is the difference between revenue and cost of goods sold (COGS), divided by revenue. Gross margin is expressed as a percentage. Generally, it is calculated as the selling price of an item, less the cost of go ...
is a calculation of revenue less the
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 ...
, and is used to determine how well sales cover direct variable costs relating to the production of goods.
*Net income/sales, or
profit margin
Profit margin is a financial ratio that measures the percentage of profit earned by a company in relation to its revenue. Expressed as a percentage, it indicates how much profit the company makes for every dollar of revenue generated. Profit margi ...
, is calculated by investors to determine how efficiently a company turns revenues into profits.
Government revenue
Government revenue includes all amounts of money (i.e., taxes and fees) received from sources outside the government entity. Large governments usually have an
agency or
department responsible for collecting government revenue from companies and individuals.
HM Revenue & Customs (United Kingdom)
Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Ireland)
ttp://dor.mo.gov/ Missouri Department of Revenuebr>Louisiana Department of Revenue
Government revenue may also include reserve bank currency
A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...
which is printed. This is recorded as an advance to the retail bank together with a corresponding currency in circulation expense entry, that is, the income derived from the Official Cash rate payable by the retail banks for instruments such as 90-day bills. There is a question as to whether using generic business-based accounting standards can give a fair and accurate picture of government accounts, in that with a monetary policy statement to the reserve bank directing a positive inflation rate, the expense provision for the return of currency to the reserve bank is largely symbolic, such that to totally cancel the currency in circulation provision, all currency would have to be returned to the reserve bank and canceled.
See also
* List of largest companies by revenue
This list comprises the world's largest companies by Consolidation (business), consolidated revenue, according to the annually ranked Fortune Global 500, ''Fortune'' Global 500 published by ''Fortune'' magazine, as well as other sources. Out of 5 ...
* Legal tender#Demonetization
* Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control