What is Accounting Profit?

Accounting profit is the net income available after reducing all the explicit cost and expenses from the total revenue calculated in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

Explicit cost is clearly identifiable and measurable and include Material cost, Labour cost, Production & overhead cost, transportation cost, sales and marketing cost, etc. Implicit costs are not considered as the same is not incurred, and it is notional. These are the reported profits of the business (i.e.) as per the financial statements. It is also called as book profits.

Accounting Profit Formula

Below is the formula-

Accounting Profit = Total Revenue – Explicit Cost

Example of Accounting Profit

Example #1

OZ Corp manufactures shirts. Its annual turnover is $1,000,000. Its direct Expenses are Raw Materials – $700,000, Labour cost – $100,000, Production Expenses – $50,000 and Depreciation – $50,000.

Accounting Profit Formula = Total Revenue – Explicit Cost

= $1,000,000 – ($700,000+$100,000+$50,000+$50,000)
= $1,000,000 – $900,000
= $100,000

Example #2

X Corp has prepared its financial statements for the year 2018-19. The details of revenue and profit are given below.

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In the above-presented case, the calculated accounting profit for the year has improved in FY 18-19 over FY 17-18 by $500 (i.e.) 33.3% increase over PY. The revenue has increased by $10,000 (i.e.) a 25% increase over PY. It shows the book profits generated by the business for a particular period. It acts as a check to evaluate the performance and efficiency of the business. Business calls relating to further investment, profitability, market position, etc. can be analyzed with the help of such profits.

Accounting Profit Vs. Cash Profit

Cash profits indicate the profits in terms of real cash inflows and outflow. Accounting profit is the theoretical one, whereas cash profit is the real profit of the business. It is considered to be a better measure of economic viability.

Example

ABC Inc. prepares its financial statements for the year 2018-19, both as per the accounting approach and cash flow approach to analyze its performance.

In the cash flow approach, the profit is more as it does not consider non-cash expenditure, and it reflects the real profits of the business.

Advantages

It has the advantage over cash profits as it can be made favorable for the business as it can be legally manipulated.
It reflects the financial position and performance of the business.
It can be used as an indicator to compare across business and industry.
It helps in decision making in terms of expansion of business, investments, business performance, etc.
If the business is profitable, investors and other stakeholders will be interested in the business.
It is considered as an essential element in measuring the repayment capacity of the business.

Disadvantages

It is a book profit, and it varies from cash profits (i.e.). It is not the real profit as profit does not indicate the real cash inflow.
Accounting Profit includes transactions of extraordinary and exceptional items.
It cannot be used as a proper comparison across the business as various methodologies are used in the areas of depreciation & amortization; Impairment; provisions; accruals and valuation.
Different laws for taxation in various countries and different ways of presenting the financial statements (i.e.) as per IFRS, US GAAP, etc.;
It can be easily manipulated as window dressing can be done in the presentation of the books of accounts.
Profit cannot be considered as the proper benchmark for comparison as there are other indicators like Revenue, gross margin, financial ratios, cash flow position, etc. needs to be taken into consideration.

Limitation

It measures the performance for a single period, so it is possible to manipulate the results favorable to the business/ management based on the yearend targets, huge discounts are provided to improve the top line.
Non-cash expenditure like depreciation, amortization, etc. reduces the accounting profit but does not have any impact on the cash flows.
ROI (i.e.) opportunity cost of capital employed is not considered in the calculation of accounting profits.

Conclusion

Accounting profit represents the profit for the business, and it includes all the revenue and expenses allowable. This profit can be derived from the financial statements of the business. It is useful for management to assess the performance of the business. It acts as a major indicator to compare business performance across the industry.

Accounting Profit