Income Statement | Business Literacy Institute Financial Intelligence (2024)

(Excerpts from Financial Intelligence, Chapter 6 – Cracking the Code of the Income Statement)

No matter whose income statement you’re looking at, there will be three main categories. One is sales, which may be called revenue (it’s the same thing). Sales or revenue is always at the top, costs and expenses are in the middle, and profit is at the bottom.

You can usually tell what’s important to a company by looking at the biggest numbers relative to sales. For example, the sales line is usually followed by “cost of goods sold,” or COGS. If that line is a large fraction of sales, you can bet that management in that company watches COGS very closely.

Income Statement | Business Literacy Institute Financial Intelligence (2024)

FAQs

What is the purpose of the income statement in CFI? ›

The purpose of an income statement is to provide financial information to investors, creditors, and readers, whether the company is profitable during the financial year. In the context of corporate finance, the income statement is the record of the company's profit and loss over the financial year.

How do I get a company's income statement? ›

Financial information can be found on the company's web page in Investor Relations where Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other company reports are often kept. The SEC has financial filings electronically available beginning in 1993/1994 free on their website. See EDGAR: Company Filings.

How do you prepare an income statement for financial management? ›

How to prepare an income statement?
  1. Collect revenue numbers. Collect all relevant data related to your company's revenue. ...
  2. Identify direct costs. ...
  3. Calculate gross profit. ...
  4. Account for operating expenses. ...
  5. Determine operating profit. ...
  6. Consider including non-operating income and expenses. ...
  7. Net profit calculation.
Dec 20, 2023

Is P&L the same as an income statement? ›

A profit and loss (P&L) statement, also known as an income statement, is a financial statement that summarizes the revenues, costs, expenses, and profits/losses of a company during a specified period.

What is the main purpose of an income statement? ›

An income statement is a financial statement that shows you the company's income and expenditures. It also shows whether a company is making profit or loss for a given period. The income statement, along with balance sheet and cash flow statement, helps you understand the financial health of your business.

Where can I get an income statement? ›

Through your employer

You will receive either an income statement via myGov or a payment summary from your employer depending on how your employer reports your income, tax and super information.

How do I make my own income statement? ›

How to create an income statement
  1. Determine the reporting period. First, you'll want to identify the reporting period your statement covers. ...
  2. Generate a trial balance report. ...
  3. Calculate revenue. ...
  4. Calculate the cost of goods sold. ...
  5. Calculate gross margin. ...
  6. Calculate operating expenses. ...
  7. Calculate income. ...
  8. Calculate income tax.
Jun 24, 2022

What are the 5 basic financial statements? ›

The five key documents include your profit and loss statement, balance sheet, cash-flow statement, tax return, and aging reports.

What is included in a business income statement? ›

An income statement shows a company's revenues, expenses and profitability over a period of time. It is also sometimes called a profit-and-loss (P&L) statement or an earnings statement. It shows your: revenue from selling products or services.

What is the income statement for dummies? ›

An income statement is one of the three major financial statements, along with the balance sheet and the cash flow statement, that report a company's financial performance over a specific accounting period. The income statement focuses on the revenue, expenses, gains, and losses of a company during a particular period.

Does cash go on the income statement? ›

The income statement includes revenue, expenses, gains and losses, and the resulting net income or loss. An income statement does not include anything to do with cash flow, cash or non-cash sales.

Is owner's equity on an income statement? ›

Equity can be found on a company's financial statements, but not the income statement.

How to read a P&L for dummies? ›

How to Read a Profit and Loss Statement
  1. Net Sales (or Revenue) – Cost of Sales (or Cost of Goods Sold) = Gross Profit (or Gross Margin)
  2. Gross Profit – Operating Expenses = Net Operating Profit.
  3. Net Operating Profit + Other Income – Other Expenses = Net Profit Before Taxes.

How to calculate Ebitda? ›

How to Calculate EBITDA
  1. EBITDA = Net Income + Interest + Taxes + Depreciation + Amortization.
  2. EBITDA = Operating Income + Depreciation + Amortization.
  3. EBITDA = $10,000,000 (net income) + $5,000,000 (interest) + $5,000,000 (taxes) + $3,000,000 (depreciation and amortization)
Nov 23, 2022

What are the three basic financial statements? ›

The income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows are required financial statements. These three statements are informative tools that traders can use to analyze a company's financial strength and provide a quick picture of a company's financial health and underlying value.

What is the purpose of the classified income statement? ›

The purpose of a classified income statement is to provide a clear and comprehensive picture of a company's financial performance over a specific period, making it easier for investors, creditors, and other stakeholders to analyze the company's profitability and operating efficiency.

What is the purpose of the income statement quizlet? ›

To show whether a company made or lost money in a given time period. To show the bottom-line profit of loss that the business had in a certain time period.

What is the income statement of IFRS? ›

Under IFRS, the income statement is labeled 'statement of profit or loss'. Like US GAAP, the income statement captures most, but not all, revenues, income and expenses. Other items of comprehensive income (OCI) do not flow through profit and loss.

What is the purpose of the income statement or the consolidated income statement? ›

In essence, the consolidated income statement provides a list of all revenue generated by a business and its subsidiaries as well as all expenses incurred during a certain time period. The consolidated income statement will include items such as: All revenue generated during the designated time period.

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