Smaller businesses may use the more simplified single-step income statement, unless otherwise required by their creditors or lenders. Typically, larger companies will use the multi-step income statement as it provides more valuable details to its many investors and lenders. This statement is a valuable tool for preparing and analyzing financial performance.

What is a Multi Step Income Statement?

As the revenue and expenses are segregated into operating and non-operating accounts, it provides greater insight into the company’s financial performance. Operating profit can then be calculated by taking the gross profit and subtracting operating expenses. On this multi-step income statement, the operating expenses are listed as selling, general, and administrative expenses.

The net income metric is inclusive of all costs – operating and non-operating costs – in contrast to the operating profit metric, which only accounts for operating costs (i.e. COGS and Opex). A Multi-Step Income Statement is a statement that differentiates among the incomes, expenditures, profits, and losses into two important sub-categories that are known as operating items and non-operating items. Once the non-operating section is totaled, it is subtracted from or added to the income from operations to compute the net income for the period. Tickmark, Inc. and its affiliates do not provide legal, tax or accounting advice. The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal, tax or accounting advice or recommendations.

On this multi-step income statement, there is interest expense, interest income, a non-operating gain, and income tax expense. You should add the interest income and non-operating gain and subtract the interest expense and income tax expense from operating profit. The format of the multi-step income statement contains Non-Operating Head as the third section. The non-operating and the other head list all kinds of business incomes and expenses unrelated to a business’s principal activities. For instance, a retailer is not into the insurance business, and a car hits their store.

In a true single-step income statement with no subtotals, line items for net revenues and costs and expenses are listed with a single total for Net income (loss). Businesses may include a subtotal for Total expenses in a single-step income statement. Management accountants and financial analysts use other types of multi-step income statements, showing separate sections for fixed and variable costs or direct and indirect costs. The multi-step income statement allows for identifying trends and insights through the detailed data provided, enabling stakeholders to understand the dynamics of the company’s financial performance over time.

When you create your document, include the name of your business, the title “Income Statement,” and the reporting period. A multi-step income statement uses several formulas to calculate net profit. To illustrate a typical real life example of a multi step income statement is shown below. Moving forward, you should be able to compute the company’s Net Income before tax by adding the sum of operating income with non-operating income. The Revenue account shows the revenue generated by normal business activities that includes any deductions and discounts given to customers.

Another application for a multiple-step income statement is dividing costs into direct and indirect costs for cost accounting by management accountants. The primary difference between single-step and multi-step income statements lies in their complexity and the level of detail they provide. A multi-step income statement divides a company’s revenue and expenses into operating and non-operating subtotals. 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. 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.

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In the revenue section, you should be able to view the company’s sales and net sales. Get instant access to video lessons taught by experienced investment bankers. Learn financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel shortcuts. Thus, while making any decision, it is essential to look at the benefits, limitations, and other documents, statements, and reports that will help determine the entity’s financial stability.

Accounting software

Most businesses use annual, quarterly, or monthly reporting periods for their income statements. Next, add your total operating expenses to the operating activities section. The top section of your multi-step income statement covers your total operating activities. First, add your operating revenues, which is the sales revenue generated from selling your goods or services. Before you prepare your income statement, you need to select a reporting period.

When to Use Each Format

• If you’re new to preparing income statements or unsure how to structure it, we have a pre-made free income statement template that you can use to simplify the process.
• Gross profit is used by creditors to show the company’s ability to meet arising debt obligations and to pay back outstanding credit.
• Also, its compulsory for publicly traded companies to prepare the multi-step income statements based on the government’s requirements for statutory compliance.
• Overall, using the multi-step income statement benefits companies seeking a more detailed and comprehensive overview of their financial performance.
• It enables a more accurate assessment of business operations and facilitates better decision-making by providing a detailed breakdown of various income and expense components.

By incorporating these elements, a multi-step income statement offers a more detailed representation of a company’s financial activities, aiding the stakeholders in understanding the financial performance more comprehensively. It separates revenues and expenses from activities that are directly related to the business operations from activities that are not directly tied to the operations. 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. The selling and administration expenses from operating activities are captured in the second section of a multi-step income statement. The selling expenses are the costs incurred when selling goods to consumers and may include marketing expenses, the salary of sales personnel, and freight charges. Add the final calculation as a line item at the bottom of your operating activities section, titled Net Operating Income or Income from Operations.

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. The preparation of a multi-step income statement involves several key steps. It begins with the gross profit calculation, derived by deducting the cost of goods sold from the total revenue. Subsequently, operating expenses are deducted from the gross profit to calculate the operating income, representing the profit generated from the core business operations. The income statement format is similar for both, but multi-step income statements contain more information about your company’s financials. Small businesses use them if they need a more detailed breakdown of their financial statements.

What kinds of companies use single-step income statements?

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. A multi step income statement is often used to make GAAP financial statements. This financial report format can be generated automatically by your business accounting software or ERP system. After review and approval by financial management, it can be distributed to authorized internal users. An income statement is a vital financial document that assesses a company’s performance over a specific period by summarizing revenues, expenses, and profits or losses to provide insights into its financial health.

What are the 3 Main Parts of a Multi Step Income Statement?

It is divided into two main headings – Operating Head and Non-Operating Head. Below is a complete multi-step income statement template that will clarify the idea. An example of a multi step income statement is Arrow Electronics, Inc.’s Consolidated Statements of Operations for the calendar years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019. It’s available as a 10-K company filing in the SEC’s EDGAR database dated February 11, 2022. This appears as a line item at the bottom of your operating activities section.

• Big corporations tend to prepare the multi-step income statement due to the size and complexity of their businesses.
• When you create your document, include the name of your business, the title “Income Statement,” and the reporting period.
• 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.
• In the revenue section, you should be able to view the company’s sales and net sales.

In a perpetual system, the Cost of Goods Sold is added at the time of the transaction instead of using a periodic difference. Having the additional breakdown is useful for lenders and investors to understand the business better and decide whether a company is worth working with. However, the choice of the format depends on the type of company, its rules, regulations and needs. It should also take into consideration the requirements and preference of users who will refer to the statements for making financial decisions.

This article explores the key differences between these two financial reporting methods, their formats, and provides Excel examples. This guide will help you understand these two financial reporting methods, including the key differences, formats, and even provide Excel examples. The operating section contains information about revenues and expenses of the principle business activities. The gross profit and the operating profit figures are calculated in the operating section of a multi-step income statement. The operating expenses are sub-classified into cost of goods sold, selling expenses and administrative expenses.

Multi-Step Income Statement Calculation Example

The non-operating and other section lists all business revenues and expenses that don’t relate to the business’ principle activities. For example, our retailer isn’t in the business of receiving insurance proceeds. If a tree hit the building and the insurance company paid out a small settlement, the income would not be reported with total sales. It would be reported multi-step income statement example in the non-operating and other section because it doesn’t have anything to do with sales.