Income Statement

A financial statement, also called a statement of profit and loss, that compares total revenue to total costs over a period to determine net profit or loss.

It measures a stretch of time, and a typical statement prints several periods side by side so each line can be judged against the same line from the period before.

The income statement is the movie; the balance sheet is the photograph.

Often confused with

Balance Sheet
An income statement covers a period; a balance sheet reports one instant.

Taught in

See also

3.6.A.1 · 3.6.A.2