For business owners, cash is constantly flowing into and out of your accounts, so it can be tough to tell at a glance exactly how much money you’re making. That’s where a profit and loss statement comes in. By categorizing revenue and expenses over a period of time, this statement shows a company whether it has gained or lost money.
Learn how to create your own with our free profit and loss statement template.
What is a profit and loss statement?
A profit and loss statement is a financial report that shows a company’s income and expenses over a period of time, such as a month, a quarter, or a fiscal year. The statement includes both revenue and expenses and calculates a business’s total profit or loss over the given reporting period.
This helps business owners identify trends, improve profits, and predict future changes in net income. A P&L statement is also sometimes referred to as an income statement, a statement of profit, or a statement of operations.
Profit and loss statement vs. cash flow statement
Like a profit and loss statement, a cash flow statement is concerned with the money that moves into and out of a business over a period of time. Cash flow statements, however, have a more limited scope, dealing only with transactions that affect a business’s cash balance.
They also have different beginning and end points: while the profit and loss statement begins with revenue and ends with net income, the cash flow statement starts with net income and measures increases and decreases in cash to arrive at an ending cash balance.
Profit and loss statement vs. balance sheet
The key to understanding the difference between a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet is time: while a profit and loss statement shows net income over a period of time, a balance sheet is a snapshot of a company’s financial position at one specific moment.
Your balance sheet measures current assets and liabilities, but it doesn’t tell you whether or not you’ve made or lost money this month, quarter, or year.
Elements of a profit and loss statement
- Operating revenue
- Cost of goods sold
- Gross profit
- Operating expenses
- Non-operating expenses and income
- Taxes
- Net income
Profit and loss statements sum up all of the money that a business has made (revenue) or lost (expenses) over a period of time. That includes:
Operating revenue
Revenue is one of the main categories on a profit and loss statement, and it is divided into operating revenue and non-operating revenue.
Operating revenue is the first number listed on a profit and loss statement, and it represents money that a business brought in during a reporting period by performing its core functions, such as selling vintage lunch boxes or performing custom paint jobs on bicycles.
Cost of goods sold
Cost of goods sold (COGS) refers to the direct costs associated with a business’s products or services, such as the materials and labor required to build a two-story doghouse.
Service-based companies typically don’t report costs of goods sold, but instead report cost of revenue or cost of services. This could include the software licensing required to produce a consulting deck or the labor required to stage Macbeth.
Although the cost of goods sold represents an expense incurred, this amount is listed separately from expenses on a profit and loss statement.
Gross profit
Gross profit, which is calculated using the formula grossprofit = revenue - cost of goods sold, appears on the profit and loss statement after cost of goods sold.
This number shows a company’s profitability before operating and non-operating expenses are accounted for, and it can help you identify if you are pricing your products appropriately.
Operating expenses
The third major category on a profit and loss statement is expenses incurred.
Expenses are divided into operating expenses and non-operating expenses, with operating expenses classified as the expenses required for a business to perform its day-to-day functions. This includes payroll and administrative expenses, the cost of office supplies, marketing and research costs, rents, and the cost of repairs to equipment.
These expenses are listed on a profit and loss statement below gross profit and are used to calculate net operating profit through the formula net operating profit = gross profit - operating expenses.
Non-operating expenses and income
Non-operating income and expenses are listed beneath net operating profit on the profit and loss statement.
Non-operating expenses are not recurring and are not directly related to core business functions. They might include investment losses or interest payments, lost asset write-offs, costs associated with business restructuring, or costs related to a disaster, like a flooded workspace or a malfunctioning walk-in freezer.
Non-operating revenue represents income generated by something other than the performance of core business functions. It can include rental income, interest earned on investments, and money earned on the sale of company assets.
Taxes
Profit and loss statements also include tax obligations. Your statement will include total profit or loss before taxes and tax obligations due during the reporting period.
Net income
The final number on a profit and loss statement, net income, represents the amount of money gained or lost during a reporting period. Net income is also referred to as the bottom line.
The formula for calculating net income is revenue - cost of goods sold - operating expenses - non-operating expenses + non-operating revenue - tax obligations = net income.
That’s a somewhat unwieldy formula, but profit and loss templates simplify things by following a consistent order and including the following intermediary sums:
- Gross profit = revenue - cost of goods sold
- Operating profit = gross profit - operating expenses
- Total income before taxes = operating profit - non-operating expenses + non-operating income
The final net income calculation, therefore, typically reads net income = total income before taxes - tax obligations.
Each of these sums provides discrete information about your profitability before various additional expense categories are factored in.
Types of profit and loss statements
There are two main accounting methods in business. Neither is “better” than the other, but it’s important to stay consistent. They are:
1. Cash method
With cash basis accounting, you record revenue when it is received and costs when they are paid. For example, if you worked on a project for a client in Q1 but received payment in Q2, that payment would be reflected in your Q2 P&L statement.
If you use cash basis accounting, your profit and loss statement will reflect the actual amount of cash you have on hand, not money that is owed to you (or that you owe to someone else).
2. Accrual method
With accrual accounting, you record revenue and costs when they are accrued. You add revenue to your P&L statement when you sign a contract or deliver goods or services—not when you get paid. The same goes for costs you accrue.
For example: If you go to the office supply store to buy a $20 box of pens that you pay for with your business debit card, that will count toward today’s operating expenses. The eight hours of work your employee performed today is also part of today’s operating expenses, even though you won’t pay them until next week.
If you choose the accrual method of accounting, your profit and loss statement may not align with your actual bank balance. Instead, it will reflect the decisions and agreements made during the designated time period.
Example of profit and loss statement
Profit and loss statements follow a pattern, and a profit and loss template can make generating these statements easier. Here’s a sample quarterly statement, generated for a fictional business that carves presidential busts out of potatoes.
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Because this business brought in more cash as revenue than it spent on cost of goods sold and operating expenses, non-operating expenses, and taxes, it has a positive net income, or profit. Had its expenses exceeded its revenue, the profit and loss statement would show a negative net income, or loss.
Profit and loss statement FAQ
What is on a statement of profit and loss?
A statement of profit and loss typically includes information on the company's total income, total expenses, operating income, net income, and other financial performance measures.
What are the five key features of profit and loss statements?
A profit and loss statement includes:
1. Gross profit: This is the total revenue minus the cost of goods sold.
2. Operating expenses: These are all costs related to running the business, such as rent, employee salaries, marketing, and administrative costs.
3. Net profit: This is the total revenue minus all expenses.
4. Depreciation and amortization: This is the amount of money a company writes off over time due to the wear and tear of equipment, property, or other assets.
5. Non-operating income/expenses: These are income or expenses that are not directly related to the operations of the business, such as interest income, dividends, or gains and losses from investments.
How often should you create a profit and loss statement?
Most businesses generate profit and loss statements quarterly and annually, with some business owners also choosing to isolate shorter or longer periods of time.