Multi-Step Income Statement Overview, Components, Pros

Finance and accounting professionals will also use the multi-step income statement to compare between companies, as it allows for comparisons for the gross profit margin or the operating profit margin. Because of this greater detail, the multi-step income statement is often used for financial ratio analysis. The gross margin computes the amount of money the company profits from the sales of its merchandise. This is simply the cash flow in from the sales of merchandise and the cash flow out from the purchase of that merchandise. This section not only helps measure the profitability of the core business activities, it also helps measure the health of the business.

This is a particularly pernicious problem when multi-step income statements are being compared across multiple periods, and the method of statement compilation is being altered within the presented periods. In this case, a reader might draw incorrect conclusions from the altered presentation of information. Consequently, when such a change is made, the nature of the change should be described in the footnotes that accompany the financial statements. The multi-step income statement includes multiple subtotals within the income statement. This layout makes it easier for readers to aggregate selected types of information within the report, especially in regard to the core operations of a business.

• Another benefit is that a multi-step income statement shows the total revenue that can be attributed to primary business activities, including sales from things other than merchandise.
• Subtract the cost of goods sold from your sales revenue in order to arrive at your gross profit or gross margin.
• When calculating operating expenses, don’t include any expenses already included in the cost of goods sold, such as direct labor and materials purchased.
• One of the biggest differences between a single-step income statement and a multi-step income statement is the ability to calculate gross profit.
• Instead of just having the revenue, expenses, and net income like a traditional income statement, a multi-step income statement has a more detailed breakdown with components such as gross profit and operating profit.

Notice that net income is the bottom line but it includes a provision for income taxes and also interest expense. One of the top three financial statements, the income statement measures company performance. Also known as a profit and loss statement, the income statement provides an overview of revenues and expenses incurred during a specific period of time. The multi-step income statement categorizes operating and non-operating incomes and expenses. The users will know the profit earned from the primary activities of buying and selling goods and how it differs from the non-operating activities.

As discussed above, the multi-step income statement is like a single-step income statement, but the difference lies in the representation part. In a multi-step income statement, the calculation is broken down into several parts to arrive at the net income figure at the bottom line. The gross profit is too separately calculated and shown in such an income statement.

Multi-step vs. single-step income statement

In any case, GAAP gives companies the option of issuing either single-step or multiple-step income statements, depending on how they’re structured. Other income and expenses like interest, lawsuit settlements, extraordinary items, and gains or losses from investments are also listed in this section. Unlike the operating section, the non-operating section is not split into subcategories.

Small businesses with a simple operating structure, including sole-proprietorships and partnerships, can choose between creating single-step or multi-step income statements. Small businesses with simple operations, such as sole proprietors and partnerships, are more likely to use a single-step statement because it’s simple to prepare and read. Income isn’t categorized by source, nor are expenses segmented into production costs, overhead costs, or other non-operating costs. Some small business owners might prepare a single-step statement themselves without using a bookkeeper or an accountant. A multi-step statement distinguishes between a company’s daily operating activities and non-operating activities. Non-operating activities can include a range of things, from interest income on investments to a gain on an asset sale to costs for settling litigation or shutting an inefficient factory.

• However, if you’re considering a bank loan or other investment or are in the middle of a growth period, you should consider adopting a multi-step income statement.
• The document will clearly indicate it’s an income statement rather than another financial statement, such as a balance sheet or cash flow statement.
• The attached example also helped us understand the different components used in such a statement.
• The amount of detail provided in multi-step formats can be a drawback as it’s a time-consuming and more complex way of preparing an income statement compared to using a single-step format.

Yet, from a practical perspective, the insights that can be obtained from the multi-step income statement are ultimately far more insightful to understand and analyze the financial performance of a company. 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. The multi-step income statement is a method of presenting the financial results of a company by segmenting the revenue, costs, and expenses into distinct sections. The Multi-Step Income Statement is a financial reporting format where a company’s revenue, costs, and expenses are classified into separate categories before arriving at net income (the “bottom line”).

Benefits and Drawbacks of a Multi-Step Income Statement

If this margin, called gross margin, is lower than desired, a company may need to increase its selling prices and/or decrease its COGS. The classified income statement subdivides operating expenses into selling and administrative expenses. Thus, statement users can see how much expense is incurred in selling the product and how much in administering the business. Statement users can also make comparisons with other years’ data for the same business and with other businesses. Nonoperating revenues and expenses appear at the bottom of the income statement because they are less significant in assessing the profitability of the business.

Single-Step Income Statements

The document will clearly indicate it’s an income statement rather than another financial statement, such as a balance sheet or cash flow statement. A Multi-Step Income Statement can be used to analyze company performance and allow for a more detailed analysis compared to a single-step income statement. A Multi-Step Income Statement can be defined as an income statement that breaks down the steps required to calculate net income.

For instance, the gross margin of XYZ Company is a total of $340,000 ($490,000 – $150,000). The income statement for a merchandiser is expanded to include groupings and subheadings necessary to make it easier for investors to read and understand. We will look at the income statement only as the other statements have been discussed previously. One of the most important advantages of single-stepping when creating an income statement is that this single-step format is very easy to prepare. It focuses on net income, so it is especially helpful if you need to make an assessment that is based on your business’s bottom line.

Multi-step Income Statement

Also, a non-operating income can be an insurance compensation paid by an insurance firm to the company’s account as settlement proceeds for damage or loss of a company’s asset. Here the operating income obtained is added to the non-operating expense, revenue, gains, and losses, where the final resultant is the net income for the period. A multi-step income statement reports much of the same general information included in a single-step income statement, but it uses multiple equations to determine the net income, or profit, of the company. Income taxes are paid by the company on its taxable income, which is calculated by subtracting deductions (such as business expenses, interest payments, and donations) from revenue. The gross margin portion includes the cost of products sold from operational expenditures. This is critical because it allows investors, creditors, and management to assess the sales and purchase the financial statement’s efficiency.

Shareholders need only focus on the net income figure, to gauge a company’s overall vitality. The multi-step income statement provides detailed reporting of your company’s revenues and expenses using multiple steps to arrive at net income. Multi-step income statement items include revenue, cost of goods sold, and expenses, which are calculated to arrive at net income. The operating section is subdivided into two main sections that list the primary business income and expenses. The first section computes the gross profit of the business by subtracting the cost of goods sold from the total sales. This is a key figure for investors, creditors, and internal management because it shows how profitable the company is at selling its goods or making its products.

One example of a business that benefits from a multi step income statement is a manufacturing company. These companies have several revenue sources because they deal with many companies. They should keep a multi-step income statement to get a clear difference between the primary and non-primary business activities.

Operating Income

Larger businesses, particularly manufacturers and multi-product businesses, use multi-step statements because they’re more informative and useful than a single-step statement. Subtract the cost of items sold from the net sales to arrive at the gross profit. Then, under the cost of goods sold, add the final sum as a line item and call it Gross Profit. Then, in the operational activities column, add the entire operating expenditures. This would include the costs of selling, advertising, wages, and administrative costs like office supplies and rent.

The gain may be a one-time item such as a winning lawsuit or insurance settlement. The gain does not relate to the company’s core business activities, so it is listed in the non-operating section of the income statement. Most publicly-traded companies use multiple-step your online account income statements, which categorize expenses as either direct costs (also known as non-operational costs), or indirect costs (also known as operational costs). Direct costs refer to expenses for a specific item, such as a product, service, or project.