Gross profit

In accounting, gross profit or sales profit or "credit sales" is the difference between revenue and the cost of making a product or providing a service, before deducting overhead, payroll, taxation, and interest payments. Note that this is different from operating profit (earnings before interest and taxes). Note also that gross margin is the term normally used in the U.S., while gross profit is the more common usage in the UK and Australia.

The various deductions (and their corresponding metrics) leading from Net sales to Net income are as follows:

Net sales = Gross sales – (Customer Discounts, Returns, Allowances)

Gross profit = Net sales – Cost of goods sold

Gross profit percentage = {(Net sales – Cost of goods sold)/Net sales} x 100.

Operating Profit = Gross Profit – Total operating expenses

Net income (or Net profit) = Operating Profit – taxes – interest

(Note: cost of goods sold is calculated differently for a merchandising business than for a manufacturer.)

See also

• CS (Cost of Goods Sold)
• EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation)
• Profit margin (the ratio of net income to net sales)
• Gross margin (the difference between the sales and the production costs)
• SG&A (Selling, General and Administrative expenses)
• Net income
• Income statement