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What goes on an income statement?

Author

Jackson Reed

Updated on December 30, 2025

Once referred to as a profit-and-loss statement, an income statement typically includes revenue or sales, cost of goods sold, expenses, gross profits, taxes, net earnings and earnings before taxes. If you want a detailed analysis of your business’s performance, the income statement is the report you need.

Is retained earnings a revenue or expense?

Retained earnings differ from revenue because they are derived from net income on the income statement and contribute to book value (shareholder’s equity) on the balance sheet. Revenue is shown on the top portion of the income statement and reported as assets on the balance sheet.

What falls under revenue in an income statement?

Revenue is the income generated from normal business operations and includes discounts and deductions for returned merchandise. It is the top line or gross income figure from which costs are subtracted to determine net income. Revenue is also known as sales on the income statement.

How is the income statement and the statement of retained earnings related?

The financial statement that reflects a company’s profitability is the income statement. The statement of retained earnings – also called statement of owners equity shows the change in retained earnings between the beginning and end of a period (e.g. a month or a year).

What are the 3 sections of an income statement?

3 Elements of Income Statement. The three main elements of income statement include revenues, expenses, and net income.

What financial statements does retained earnings appear on?

Retained earnings appear on a company’s balance sheet and may also be published as a separate financial statement. The statement of retained earnings is one of the financial statements that publicly traded companies are required to publish, at least, on an annual basis.

Is revenue the same as sales on an income statement?

Sales, Sales Revenues or Revenues are what appear in the top of income statement, and they are mean the same thing. Sales Revenues are the amount of sales the company generated during the period of time. And this is normally show the net amount.

How do you find retained earnings on an income statement?

To calculate retained earnings add net income to or subtract any net losses from beginning retained earnings and subtracting any dividends paid to shareholders.

What is most important on an income statement?

Accounting – The Most Important Parts Of The Income Statement. Here are the most critical parts of the income statement. Gross Profit. This section shows the revenue generated from sale of goods or services minus the cost of the goods sold or the amount of money spent to acquire the goods sold.

Where does retained earnings appear on the balance sheet?

Equity
On the balance sheet, retained earnings appear under the “Equity” section. “Retained Earnings” appears as a line item to help you determine your total business equity.

Can you withdraw from retained earnings?

When a corporation withdraws money from retained earnings to give to shareholders, it is called paying dividends. The corporation first declares that dividends will be paid, at which point a debit entry is made to the retained earnings account and a credit entry is made to the dividends payable account.

Can you debit retained earnings?

The closing entries of a corporation include closing the income summary account to the Retained Earnings account. if the corporation suffered a net loss, Retained Earnings will be debited.

Is revenue the same a income?

Revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods or services related to the company’s primary operations. Income, or net income, is a company’s total earnings or profit.