Glossary · Bookkeeping & QuickBooks term
Profit and loss statement
The report that shows revenue minus expenses over a period of time — whether the business made or lost money, and where the money came from and went.
In plain terms
What profit and loss statement means.
The profit and loss statement (P&L), also called the income statement, reports your revenue, your expenses, and the resulting profit or loss over a period of time — a month, a quarter, a year. In simple form: revenue − cost of goods sold = gross profit; gross profit − operating expenses = net profit.
Unlike the balance sheet, which is a snapshot at a single moment, the P&L covers a span of time and resets each period.
It only tells the truth if the books do.
The P&L is the report owners read most — but it is only as accurate as the bookkeeping under it. Miscategorized expenses, revenue recorded in the wrong period, or personal spending mixed into the business all distort it directly. A P&L built on unreconciled books is a confident-looking guess.
It also depends on which basis you read it on: the same period can show a different profit on cash vs. accrual. Reading the P&L on the right basis, with categories that map to how you actually run the business, is what makes it a decision tool rather than a tax artifact.
Profit is not cash.
A profitable P&L does not mean money in the bank. Profit can be tied up in unpaid receivables, inventory, or loan principal that never touches the P&L. This is the single most common surprise for owners — and the reason the P&L is read alongside the balance sheet and cash, not alone.
Put it to work
Does your P&L match reality?
A Certified ProAdvisor checks whether your categories and basis make the P&L a real decision tool — or whether a cleanup is needed first. Written fixed-fee scope.