Statement of Profit or Loss (DP IB Business Management)

Revision Note

Written by: Lisa Eades

Financial accounts detail the financial performance of a business over a trading period
The two main financial accounts are
- The Statement of Profit or Loss
- The Statement of Financial Position
Public Limited Companies (PLCs) have to produce financial reports annually
- Annual reports must comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) allowing straightforward comparisons of performance over time and between companies

The two main financial accounts sometimes go by different titles, though the titles given above are those that will be given in your examination.

The Statement of Profit or Loss is also widely known as the Profit and Loss Account or an Income Statement
The Statement of Financial Position is often referred to as the Balance Sheet.

The Statement of Profit or Loss shows the income and expenditure of a business over a period of time - usually a year - and calculates the amount of profit made
It is divided into three parts
- The trading account
- The profit and loss account
- The appropriation account

The trading account is where the cost of sales is deducted from sales revenue to calculate the gross profit
- In 2022 Head to Toe Wellbeing Limited's sales revenue was $124.65m and its cost of sales were $18.92m
- The gross profit for the period was therefore

$$ 124.65 m - $ 18.92 m = $ 105.73 m$

The appropriations account shows how profits are distributed for the period
- In 2022 Head to Toe Wellbeing Limited distributed $13.75m to shareholders as dividends
- $44.63m was therefore retained as profit

For non-profit organisations some amendments are made to the standard layout of the Statement of Profit or Loss

The word 'profit' is replaced by 'surplus'
Non-profit organisations are usually exempted from the payment of corporation tax so this is not normally recorded or is recorded as a 0 value

The Statement of Profit or Loss is a very useful source of information for stakeholders to evaluate the performance of a business

How Stakeholders use The Statement of Profit or Loss

Shareholders	Employees
Shareholders are interested in revenues, costs and profits earned, business growth and dividend payments Shareholders may use ratio analysis tools to identify profit margins and returns on investment	Employees are interested in profits earned and the potential for wage increases and job stability Employees may look at notes to the accounts that detail levels of executive pay
Managers & Directors	Suppliers
Managers are interested in key performance data such as an improvement in sales revenue and net profit This data can aid business decision making Financial data can provide evidence to support the payment of bonuses	Suppliers are interested in the continued success of the company the are supplying and this information is also used by suppliers to determine the level of trade credit offered to businesses
Government	Local Community
Governments need to determine how much tax is payable The Statement of Profit or Loss can provide an insight into whether the business will continue to provide employment, place orders with other businesses and supply goods and services to the public sector	The local community is interested in the stability of the business and what this may mean for jobs in the community Another interest is to see if the firm is generating enough profit to perhaps approach them for local sponsorship

Last updated: 17 June 2024

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