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Profit and loss statement template

Download profit and loss template for free

Looking to make accounting simple? We can help! Our profit and loss template and accounting software are incredible tools for businesses. Download the template and try FreshBooks for free!

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What is a profit and loss template?

A profit and loss statement (sometimes called a P&L statement or income statement) is a financial report that summarizes your business’s revenues, expenses, and net profit (or loss) over a given period of time. It’s a useful report for tracking your profitability and assessing your overall financial performance, helping you to make better-informed business decisions.

Often, profit and loss statements from different periods are compared to see the ways the metrics change over time, helping you get a better idea of your business performance. Your profit and loss statement is usually accompanied by your balance sheet and cash flow statement, which are used together to get a more in-depth perspective on your business’s financial health.

How do I create a P&L statement?

Creating profit and loss statements is easy with the free template from FreshBooks! It can be broken down into 6 simple steps:

1

Choose a format

First, choose the P&L statement format that is most useful for you and your business’s needs.

2

Download the template

Next, download your free profit and loss statement template of choice in seconds from the FreshBooks website.

3

Enter revenue

You’ll be prompted to enter revenue information in the relevant field—keep your financial records on hand for this part.

4

Enter expenses

After entering revenue, you’ll input all relevant business operating expenses into the P&L report template.

5

Calculate net income

Simply subtract your business expenses from your business revenue to calculate your total net income.

6

Determine profitability

Finally, look at your bottom line. If your net income is positive, you’re profitable. If it’s negative, you’re currently unprofitable.

Download profit and loss template

Business owners depend on the outstanding templates from FreshBooks because they’re easy to use and simple to customize to their needs. Download the P&L report template in seconds, free of charge, in either spreadsheet or PDF format, and start using it to grow your business right away.

Download profit and loss template for free

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Profit and loss template

1

Revenue

Revenue (also called sales or income) refers to the money your business receives in exchange for goods or services you provide during a given time period.

2

Cost of goods sold

This section details your cost of goods sold, also called COGS. It includes expenses incurred for materials, labor, and overhead which directly contribute to the production of the goods your company sells.

3

Operating expenses

In this field, you enter any costs associated with running your business, such as cost of goods sold (COGS), property rental expenses, and other operating expenses.

4

Operating profit (loss)

Your profit/loss is your revenues minus your expenses. It will either be a positive number (indicating profitability for that period) or a negative number (indicating non-profitability).

Additional accounting templates

Business owners depend on the outstanding templates from FreshBooks because they’re easy to use and simple to customize to their needs. Download the P&L report template in seconds, free of charge, in either spreadsheet or PDF format, and start using it to grow your business right away.

Expense report template

This is a report containing categorized information on expenses incurred by the business, plus amounts, descriptions, and reimbursement details.

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Profit and loss template vs FreshBooks accounting software

What’s the difference between downloading our free profit and loss statement template and using FreshBooks accounting software? Accounting software is invaluable for streamlining your transactions and also helps you stay informed with easily generated reports on demand for any date range.
Here are some of the other advantages of using our all-in-one, cloud-based accounting solution:

Features

Free accounting templates

FreshBooks accounting software

Mobile access

Yes
Yes

Pre-designed templates

Yes
Yes

Downloadable templates

Yes
Yes

Automated data entry

NoManual Entry
Yes

Automated calculations

NoManual formula creation
Yes

Reduced error risk

No
Yes

Cloud data storage

NoLimited
Yes

Automatic report generation

No
Yes

Scalability

NoDifficult
Yes

Automatic recurring reports

No
Yes

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Helpful resources for your business

Ready to take your business to the next level? A quality profit and loss statement template is a great place to start. But there are even more resources that can help you make more data-driven decisions in your business, empowering you to organize your finances and move with confidence:

Frequently Asked Questions