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You can use a single-step income statement for sole proprietorships, corporations, and other types of entities. The single-step income statement is for any business that wants to keep track of the money coming in and going out. When calculating operating expenses, don’t include any expenses already included in the cost of goods sold, such as direct labor and materials purchased. Notice where the three calculations mentioned take place from top to bottom. Finally, by adding or subtracting the total of the company’s non-operating items, we can arrive at the net income, which represents the actual amount of money a company made during the time period. Therefore, the net income factors in non-operating items such as interest expense, other non-operating costs such as non-recurring losses from inventory write-downs, and income taxes paid to the government.

To see some of the best products available, be sure to check out The Ascent’s accounting software reviews. The next step is to subtract the total of your operating expenses from your gross profit in order to arrive at operating income. Operating income measures the amount of income from operations excluding all non-operating income and expenses. A single-step income statement may break down the sources of https://www.bookstime.com/ revenue and expenses, as the following example shows, but it doesn’t go into too much detail. Also, notice how the statement is clearly split into two areas — revenue and gains on the top, and expenses and losses on the bottom. In short, the introduction of stakeholders for the first time is typically the catalyst for private companies to transition from the single-step to multiple-step income statement.

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You will need these end balance figures to create your income statement. You can create your trial balance report using Skynova’s accounting software. A multi-step income statement provides additional details lacking in single-step income statements, categorizing expenses as direct or indirect costs. Whichever option you choose, up-to-date record-keeping single step vs multi step income statement of your income and expenses will be the first step in creating an accurate income statement. Skynova’s accounting software can help you track and manage this financial data, ensuring no details fall through the cracks. Revenue will include sales revenue, interest revenue and other business activities that draw revenue, such as nonoperating revenue.

It breaks down expenses and revenues that are directly related to the business’s operations versus those that aren’t. The multi-step income statement is preferred because it provides more granular financial data. Categorizing revenue and expenses in this format shows the complete company picture.

How To Read A Multi Step Income Statement

The single-step income statement is easier to prepare and provides the information you need. The first calculation on a multiple-step income statement subtracts the cost of goods sold (COGS) from the net sales, which produces the gross profit. Skynova is dedicated to demystifying small business accounting, allowing for more streamlined bookkeeping.