{"id":5542,"date":"2023-08-04T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.test\/en-ca\/blog\/?p=111"},"modified":"2026-01-15T11:29:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:29:45","slug":"profit-loss-pl-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/profit-loss-pl-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Checklist: Create and use a profit and loss (P&amp;L) statement"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/category\/free-guides-templates\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Free guides &amp; templates<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tChecklist: Create and use a profit and loss (P&amp;L) statement\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-8 col-lg-4 entry-header__image\">\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"entry-header__thumbnail js-hero-section\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-547016853_super-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"entry-header__thumbnail-image\" alt=\"non profit worker organises meeting\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-547016853_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-547016853_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-547016853_super-1536x1169.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2019\/01\/GettyImages-547016853_super.jpg 1675w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1064px) 100vw, 1064px\" \/>\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-08-04T07:00:00-04:00\">August 4, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Checklist: Create and use a profit and loss (P&amp;L) statement\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/profit-loss-pl-checklist\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/author\/owen\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/fr-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2019\/04\/Owen_sage-advice-002.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" height=\"40\" width=\"40\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Owen Sweeney<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A profit and loss statement (P&amp;L) provides a financial snapshot of a business over a specific period of time. The statement includes business income, operating costs, and expenses used to calculate total business profit or loss for a specified financial period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">P&amp;L statements can help you manage your business better and keep your financials on track. A monthly statement can be used to help monitor the performance of your business against stated projections\u2014reflecting a profit, loss, or break even situation. If problems are identified within the statement you will have a chance to correct before anything gets out of hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the checklist below to create and use a P&amp;L statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-use-p-amp-l-statement-correctly\">Use P&amp;L statement correctly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How you use your P&amp;L statement affects the level of detail required to create the statement. You may choose to monitor only a high level overview of the business, or you may want to break down data by department or product line in order to pinpoint income and expenditure more precisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-establish-recording-systems\"><strong>Establish recording systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark class=\"highlight-and-share\">Effective systems and procedures need to be set up in order to record the necessary information for inclusion in your P&amp;L statement.<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tip:&nbsp; Using an accounting software solution, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/products\/sage-50cloud\/\">Sage 50cloud Accounting <\/a>an easily automate financial recording procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gather-the-right-information-for-p-amp-l-statements\">Gather the right information for P&amp;L statements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following data needs to be gathered to create a P&amp;L statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>All sales invoiced for the period. Sales are based on the date of the sale or invoice date, and not on the actual date on which the customer pays.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The value of any stock held. The value should reflect the opening and closing balances. The closing balance may be higher or lower than the opening balance, depending on the sales and purchasing activities during the period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All purchases, except capital items (e.g. machinery or furniture)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-check-accuracy\"><strong>Check accuracy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ensure your figures are correct. Do not include purchases of items that are classified as capital expenditures, such as company vehicles or equipment as they are not directly related to day-to-day operations. You can, however, include an amount to cover the depreciation of the capital items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-preparing-the-p-amp-l-statement\"><strong>Preparing the P&amp;L statement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once you have gathered all the information required, you are ready to produce your P&amp;L statement. Look online for template examples or if you use accounting software, a P&amp;L statement template should already be available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ensure-regular-preparation-of-p-amp-l-statements\"><strong>Ensure regular preparation of P&amp;L statements<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To keep tight control on your business financials, a new P&amp;L statement should be prepared at the end of each month. Some small businesses opt to prepare statements more infrequently, for example, quarterly or half-yearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-investigate-discrepancies-and-reconcile\"><strong>Investigate discrepancies and reconcile<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check for any discrepancies revealed by your P&amp;L statement. Careful monitoring will enable you to identify issues that can impact financial results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">The Practice of Now 2020<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We surveyed 3,000 accountants worldwide to reveal how the accounting landscape is changing. Discover how your fellow accountants are preparing for the next decade and learn what you can do now to keep your practice successful.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-feedbf63-dbb1-456b-b933-af06cb4c253e\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Get The Practice of Now 2020<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__downloads\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t2,545 readers have downloaded this guide\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2020\/07\/FloatDigital_FY18_Accounting_307317-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Woman in mustard coloured top standing arms folded in front of desk\" loading=\"lazy\" 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class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-30T06:44:33-04:00\">September 30, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tNet income formula: How to calculate net income\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-12545 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-trends-insights tag-accounting-101 tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-business-strategy tag-cfo tag-financial-insights tag-how-to-grow-your-business tag-investments tag-midsized-business tag-profit-and-loss tag-staying-competitive business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants industry-construction industry-financial-services\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/real-estate-accounting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/01\/iStock-502937784-1024x683-1-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"woman in office\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/01\/iStock-502937784-1024x683-1-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/01\/iStock-502937784-1024x683-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/01\/iStock-502937784-1024x683-1.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-24T11:10:18-04:00\">September 24, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tReal estate accounting: A complete guide\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-15044 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-accounting-101 tag-ai tag-bookkeeping tag-business-continuity tag-business-finances tag-cash-flow tag-payment-processing tag-small-business business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/what-is-ap-automation\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/10\/BrandShootLDN_Jul2022_ProfSvcs_0726-original-684x384.jpeg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/10\/BrandShootLDN_Jul2022_ProfSvcs_0726-original-684x384.jpeg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/10\/BrandShootLDN_Jul2022_ProfSvcs_0726-original-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/10\/BrandShootLDN_Jul2022_ProfSvcs_0726-original-1214x810.jpeg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-16T05:44:56-04:00\">September 16, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAP automation: How it works, key benefits, and why your business needs it\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-14978 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-accounting-101 tag-bookkeeping tag-business-finances tag-business-management tag-profit-and-loss business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/general-ledger-vs-general-journal\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/Sage_BrandShootNC_Feb2024_Accountants_0632-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/Sage_BrandShootNC_Feb2024_Accountants_0632-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/Sage_BrandShootNC_Feb2024_Accountants_0632-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/03\/Sage_BrandShootNC_Feb2024_Accountants_0632-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-09-02T05:46:57-04:00\">September 2, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tGeneral journal vs general ledger: What\u2019s the difference?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore our checklist on how to create and use an accurate and effective P&#038;L statement for your business. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":737,"featured_media":134,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"124","sage_membership_post_content_type":"article","sage_membership_post_featured_video_id":"","sage_membership_post_video_type":"trailer","sage_membership_post_featured_video_duration":"","post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[197,202],"business_type":[3,99],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[127],"persona":[82,73],"imagine_tag":[34,35,67],"coauthors":[310],"class_list":["post-5542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-free-guides-templates","tag-payment-processing","tag-profit-and-loss","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-business","industry-financial-services"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ca","author_name":"Owen 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