{"schema":"exacc.help.page/1","url":"https://exacc.au/help/profit-and-loss-report/","title":"Profit & Loss report","description":"Run a Profit & Loss for any period, compare it with earlier periods or years, use the cash method, filter by site, contact or user, and drill into accounts.","category":"Reports","summary":"Open **Reports › Profit & Loss**, set the **Start Date** and **End Date**, choose whether to **Compare this period with** earlier periods or years, and click **Show Report**. Click an amount to see the transactions behind it. **To Excel** and **PDF** export it.","lastVerified":"2026-10-09","apps":["app"],"processIds":["profit_loss"],"start":{"label":"Open Profit & Loss","url":"https://app.exacc.au/{dbId}/reports/profit-loss"},"menuPath":["Reports","Accounting","Profit & Loss"],"steps":[{"step":1,"title":"Choose the period","body":["Open **Reports › Profit & Loss**. In **Profit and Loss Report Settings** (or **Update** on the report) set:"],"url":"https://app.exacc.au/{dbId}/reports/profit-loss","fields":[{"name":"Start Date and End Date","help":"the period to report.","required":true},{"name":"Compare this period with","help":"up to 23 previous periods or years, or **Don't compare**. Comparing periods needs whole calendar months."},{"name":"Show","help":"under **Advanced Options**: **Accounts numbers**, **Zero balance accounts**, **Cash method**, and **Groups only**, **Groups and accounts** or **Accounts Only**."},{"name":"Sort by","help":"**Account Name** or **Account Number**."},{"name":"Restrict transactions to","help":"chosen **Sites**, **Contacts** or **Users**."}],"image":"https://exacc.au/help/profit-and-loss-report/step-1.png"},{"step":2,"title":"Read it","body":["Click **Show Report**. You see **Income**, **Cost of Sales**, **Gross Profit**, **Expenses**, **Profit / -(Loss) from ordinary activities**, **Other Income**, **Other Expenses** and **Net Profit / -(Loss)**, one column per period. **+** adds another earlier period. Only finalised records count; Exacc warns if drafts fall in the period."]},{"step":3,"title":"Drill down","body":["Click an amount to open the General Ledger for that account and period. Right-click for **Open in new tab** or **Copy amount**."]},{"step":4,"title":"Export","body":["**To Excel** downloads a CSV file. **PDF** (when one or two periods are shown) opens **Download to PDF**."]}],"sections":[{"heading":"By site, contact or user","body":["**Profit & Loss by Groups** (in the Accounting tab) splits one period into columns per site, contact or user, side by side."]},{"heading":"Cash method and drill-down","body":["After a cash-method report, clicking an amount opens the General Ledger on the accruals basis, so its totals can differ. Use **Open in new tab** to keep the cash method."]}],"related":["https://exacc.au/help/balance-sheet-report/","https://exacc.au/help/general-ledger-report/","https://exacc.au/help/report-filters/","https://exacc.au/help/export-report/"],"linkNote":"Links containing {dbId} open that screen in the business file whose id is dbId. A person can also open this help page with ?db=<dbId> to get the same links as buttons."}