Gross Profit vs. Operating Profit vs. Net Income: What's the Difference? (2024)

Gross Profit vs. Operating Profit vs. Net Income: An Overview

Gross profit, operating profit, and net income are reflected on a company's income statement, and each metric represents profit at different parts of the production cycle and earnings process.

While income indicates a positive cash flow into a business, net income is a more complex calculation. Profit commonly refers to money left over after expenses are paid, but gross profit and operating profit depend on when specific income and expenses are counted.

Key Takeaways

  • Gross profit is total revenue minus the expenses directly related to the production of goods or the cost of goods sold (COGS).
  • Derived from gross profit, operating profit is the residual income after accounting for all costs.
  • Net income reflects the total residual income after accounting for all cash flows, both positive and negative.

The Income Statement

All three financial metrics, gross profit, operating profit, and net income, are located on a company's income statement, and the order in which they appear shows their significance and relationship.

The top line of the income statement reflects a company's gross revenue or the income generated by the sale of goods or services. Using the revenue figure, various expenses, and alternate income streams are added and subtracted to arrive at different profit levels.

Gross Profit vs. Operating Profit vs. Net Income: What's the Difference? (1)

Gross Profit

Gross profit is the total revenue minus expenses directly related to the production of goods for sale, called the cost of goods sold (COGS). COGS represents direct labor, direct materials or raw materials, and a portion of manufacturing overhead tied to the production facility.

Gross Profit vs. Operating Profit vs. Net Income: What's the Difference? (2)

COGS does not include indirect expenses, such as the cost of the corporate office. COGS directly impacts a company's gross profit, which reflects the revenue left over to fund the business after accounting for the costs of production. Gross profit does not account for debt expenses, taxes, or other expenses required to run the company.

Operating Profit

Derived from gross profit, operating profit is the residual income after all costs have been included. Operating profitis also called operating income or earnings before interest and tax (EBIT). EBIT can include non-operating revenue, which is not included in operating profit. If a company doesn't have non-operating revenue, EBIT and operating profit will be the same.

In addition to COGS, fixed-cost expenses, such as rent and insurance, and variable expenses, such as shipping and freight, payroll and utilities, and amortization and depreciation of assets, are included. Operating profit does not account for the cost of interest payments on debts, tax expenses, or additional income from investments.

Gross Profit vs. Operating Profit vs. Net Income: What's the Difference? (3)

Net Income

A company's profit is called net income or net profit. Since net income is the last line at the bottom of the income statement, it's also called the bottom line. Net income reflects the total residual income after accounting for all cash flows, both positive and negative.

Using the operating profit figure, debt expenses such as loan interest, taxes, and one-time entries for unusual expenses such as equipment purchases are subtracted. All additional income from secondary operations or investments and one-time payments for things such as the sale of assets are added.

Net income is the most important financial metric, reflecting a company's ability to generate profit for owners and shareholders.

Why Is Net Income an Important Number for Investors and Businesses?

For business owners, net income can provide insight into how profitable their companyis and what business expenses to cut back on. For investors looking to invest in a company, net income helps determine the value of a company’s stock.

What Is Operating Income vs. Operating Profit vs. EBIT?

Operating income is a company's gross income minus operating expenses and other business-related expenses, such as depreciation. The difference between EBIT and operating income is that EBIT includes non-operating income, non-operating expenses, and other income.

Why Is Net Income Called the Bottom Line?

The bottom line is a company's net income and the last number on a company's income statement. The bottom line isa company's income after all expenses have been deducted from revenues.

The Bottom Line

Gross profit, operating profit, and net income are shown on a company's income statement, and each metric represents profit at different points of the production cycle. Gross profit is total revenue minus the cost of goods sold (COGS). From gross profit, operating profit or operating income is the residual income after accounting for all expenses plus COGS. Net income is the bottom line, or the company's income after accounting for all cash flows, both positive and negative.

Gross Profit vs. Operating Profit vs. Net Income: What's the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Gross Profit vs. Operating Profit vs. Net Income: What's the Difference? ›

Gross profit is total revenue minus the cost of goods sold (COGS). From gross profit, operating profit or operating income is the residual income after accounting for all expenses plus COGS. Net income is the bottom line, or the company's income after accounting for all cash flows, both positive and negative.

Is operating profit the same as net income? ›

Operating profit is a company's profit after all expenses are taken out except for the cost of debt, taxes, and certain one-off items. Net income is the profit remaining after all costs incurred in the period have been subtracted from revenue generated from sales.

What is the difference between gross profit and net profit? ›

Net profit reflects the amount of money you are left with after having paid all your allowable business expenses, while gross profit is the amount of money you are left with after deducting the cost of goods sold from revenue. You need to calculate gross profit to arrive at net profit.

What is the difference between net income and gross income? ›

The terms gross income and net income can be easily confused. Per definition, gross income is the total amount you earn, and net income is actual business profit after expenses and allowable deductions are taken out.

What is the difference between GM and OM? ›

Gross margin measures the return on the sale of goods and services, while operating margin subtracts operating expenses from the gross margin.

Can net profit be higher than operating profit? ›

Yes, it can be. Provided that our indirect expenses (eg. Salary, rent, etc) accrued are lower than the indirect income realised (eg. Interest income, dividends received, etc).

What is the gross profit equal to? ›

Gross profit, or gross income, equals a company's revenues minus its cost of goods sold (COGS). It is typically used to evaluate how efficiently a company manages labor and supplies in production. Generally speaking, gross profit will consider variable costs, which fluctuate compared to production output.

Should net profit be higher than gross profit? ›

This really depends on what you are selling, the market you operate in and what your other costs are. In retail it is traditionally around 50%. This might sound like a lot until you take into account your overheads such as rent.

What is a good gross profit ratio? ›

What is a good gross profit margin ratio? On the face of it, a gross profit margin ratio of 50 to 70% would be considered healthy, and it would be for many types of businesses, like retailers, restaurants, manufacturers and other producers of goods.

What is an operating profit? ›

Operating profit is the net income derived from a company's core operations. Put another way, it is the amount of money that a company has left over after meeting its operating costs (gross profit) but before paying its taxes.

Is my income based on gross or net? ›

Gross income is your salary or wages before deductions like taxes and retirement plan contributions are taken out. Net income is what you're left with after those deductions. On a credit application, you'll use the gross figure.

Do you pay taxes on gross or net? ›

Taxable income starts with gross income, then certain allowable deductions are subtracted to arrive at the amount of income you're actually taxed on. Tax brackets and marginal tax rates are based on taxable income, not gross income.

Is annual income gross or net? ›

Annual income is the amount of money you make in a year. It can be expressed as annual gross income or annual net income, but these differ. Annual gross income is what you receive before taxes and other deductions. And annual net income is the amount that's left after taxes and other deductions are taken out.

Who is higher a manager or general manager? ›

The GM supervises lower-level managers. These lower-level managers may be in charge of several smaller divisions but report directly to the GM. The GM gives specific directions to each department head. As part of this supervision, a general manager oversees lower-level managers' hiring, training, and coaching.

What is higher than GM? ›

Since the CEO is the highest ranking individual in an organization, they often have substantial work experience, sometimes in the role of general manager, before working in this position.

Who is above the general manager? ›

A director of operations holds superiority over general managers and other employees. General managers are often right below directors in the company's ranking.

Is operating profit the same as Noi? ›

One major difference between NOI and profit is that NOI only takes into account operational costs while profit encompasses all costs associated with running a business or property. This includes any debts owed or interest payments that need to be made on loans.

How do you calculate the operating profit? ›

Operating profit is gross profit minus operating costs (except interest on loans) and minus depreciation. When calculating your operating profit, your accountant also makes adjustments for: depreciation – this will be counted as an additional cost.

Is operating profit the same as EBIT? ›

Operating profit is a company's earnings after deducting operating expenses and Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). It's also known as EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes).

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