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Revenue



 
 
In business, revenue or revenues is income
Income

Income, refers to consumption opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings received......
 that a company
Corporation

A corporation is a legal entity separate from the persons that form it. It is a legal entity owned by individual stockholders. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate ....
 receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services
Product (business)

The noun product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process", and stems from the verb produce from the Latin produce, lead or bring forth....
 to customers. Some companies also receive revenue from interest
Interest

Interest is a fee paid on borrowed assets. It is the price paid for the use of borrowed money , or, money earned by deposited funds .Assets that are sometimes lent with interest include money, shares, consumer goods through hire purchase, major assets such as aircraft finance, and even entire factories in finance lease arrangements....
, dividend
Dividend

Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be paid to the shareholders as a dividend....
s or royalties
Royalties

Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property right.Royalties can be determined as a percentage of gross or net sales derived from use of the asset or a fixed price per unit sold....
 paid to them by other companies. Revenue may refer to business income in general, or it may refer to the amount, in a monetary unit, received during a period of time, as in "Last year, Company X had revenue of $32 million."

In many countries, including the UK, revenue is referred to as turnover.

Profits or net income
Net income

Net income is equal to the income that a firm has after subtracting costs and expenses from the total revenue. Net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as retained earnings....
 generally imply total revenue minus total expense
Expense

In common usage, an expense or expenditure is an outflow of money to another person or group to pay for an item or service, or for a category of costs....
s in a given period.






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In business, revenue or revenues is income
Income

Income, refers to consumption opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings received......
 that a company
Corporation

A corporation is a legal entity separate from the persons that form it. It is a legal entity owned by individual stockholders. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate ....
 receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services
Product (business)

The noun product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process", and stems from the verb produce from the Latin produce, lead or bring forth....
 to customers. Some companies also receive revenue from interest
Interest

Interest is a fee paid on borrowed assets. It is the price paid for the use of borrowed money , or, money earned by deposited funds .Assets that are sometimes lent with interest include money, shares, consumer goods through hire purchase, major assets such as aircraft finance, and even entire factories in finance lease arrangements....
, dividend
Dividend

Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be paid to the shareholders as a dividend....
s or royalties
Royalties

Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property right.Royalties can be determined as a percentage of gross or net sales derived from use of the asset or a fixed price per unit sold....
 paid to them by other companies. Revenue may refer to business income in general, or it may refer to the amount, in a monetary unit, received during a period of time, as in "Last year, Company X had revenue of $32 million."

In many countries, including the UK, revenue is referred to as turnover.

Profits or net income
Net income

Net income is equal to the income that a firm has after subtracting costs and expenses from the total revenue. Net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as retained earnings....
 generally imply total revenue minus total expense
Expense

In common usage, an expense or expenditure is an outflow of money to another person or group to pay for an item or service, or for a category of costs....
s in a given period. In accounting and financial analysis
Financial analysis

Financial analysis refers to an assessment of the viability, stability and profitability of a business, sub-business or project.It is performed by professionals who prepare reports using ratios that make use of information taken from financial statements and other reports....
, revenue is often referred to as the "top line" due to its position on the income statement
Income statement

Income statement, also called profit and loss statement , is a company's financial statement that indicates how the revenue is transformed into the net income ....
 at the very top. This is to be contrasted with the "bottom line" which denotes net income.

Investments such as stock shares in companies
STOCK

Software for fixed assets management and stock control developed in 2004. Stocktaking process is carried using a hand-held mobile terminal equipped with barcode reader or RFID technology....
. For government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
, revenue includes gross proceeds from income taxes on companies and individuals, excise duties
Excise

Excise tax, sometimes called an excise Duty , is a type of tax. In the United States, the term "excise" means: any tax other than a property tax or Poll tax , or a tax that is simply called an excise in the language of the statute imposing that tax ....
, customs duties, other taxes, sales of goods and services, dividends and interest.

In general usage, revenue is income received by an organization in the form of cash
Cash

Cash refers to money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.In bookkeeping and finance, "cash" refers to current assets comprised of currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-immediately ....
 or cash equivalents. Sales revenue
Sales (accounting)

In bookkeeping, accounting, and finance, Net sales are operating revenues earned by a company when it sells its products. Revenue are reported directly on the income statement as Sales or Net sales....
 or revenues is income received from selling goods or services over a period of time. Tax revenue
Tax revenue

Tax revenue is the income that is gained by governments because of taxation of the people.Just as there are different types of tax, the form in which tax revenue is collected also differs; furthermore, the agency that collects the tax may not be part of central government, but may be an alternative third-party licenced to collect tax which...
 is income that a government receives from taxpayers.

In more formal usage, revenue is a calculation or estimation of periodic income based on a particular standard accounting practice
Standard accounting practice

Publicly-traded companies are required to follow certain accounting rules when presenting financial statements so that the readers of the statements can easily compare different companies....
 or the rules established by a government or government agency. Two common accounting methods, cash basis accounting and accrual basis accounting, do not use the same process for measuring revenue. Corporations that offer shares for sale to the public are usually required by law to report revenue based on generally accepted accounting principles
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles is the term used to refer to the standard framework of guidelines for financial accounting used in any given jurisdiction....
 or International Financial Reporting Standards
International Financial Reporting Standards

International Financial Reporting Standards are standards and interpretations adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board .Many of the standards forming part of IFRS are known by the older name of International Accounting Standards ....
.

In a double-entry bookkeeping system
Double-entry bookkeeping system

Double-entry bookkeeping is a system of financial accounting where each transaction is recorded in at least two accounts: at least one account is Debits and credits and at least one account is Debits and credits, so that the total debits of the transaction equal to the total credits....
, revenue accounts are general ledger
General ledger

The general ledger, sometimes known as the nominal ledger, is the main accounting record of a business which uses double-entry bookkeeping....
 accounts that are summarized periodically under the heading Revenue or Revenues on an income statement. Revenue account names describe the type of revenue, such as "Repair service revenue", "Rent revenue earned" or "Sales".

Business revenue

Business revenue is income from activities that are ordinary for a particular corporation, company, partnership, or sole-proprietorship. For some businesses, such as manufacturing
Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the use of machine, tool and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to Industry production, in which raw material are transformed into finished good on a large scale....
 and/or grocery, most revenue is from the sale of goods. Service businesses such as law firm
Law firm

A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service provided by a law firm is to advise consumers about their legal rights and Obligation, and to represent their clients in civil case or Criminal law, business transactions and other matters in which legal assistance is sought....
s and barber shops receive most of their revenue from rendering services. Lending businesses such as car rental
Car rental

A car rental, rent-a-car or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time for a fee. It is an elaborate form of a rental shop, organized in numerous local Branch#Organizationses, primarily located near airports or busy city areas and often complemented by a website allowing online Computer reser...
s and bank
Bank

A bank is a financial institution whose primary activity is to act as a payment agent for customers and to borrow and lend money. It is an institution for receiving, keeping, and lending money....
s receive most of their revenue from fees and interest generated by lending asset
Asset

In business and accounting, assets are everything of value that is owned by a person or company. It is a claim on the property your income of a borrower....
s to other organizations or individuals.

Revenues from a business's primary activities are reported as sales, sales revenue or net sales. This excludes product returns and discounts for early payment of invoice
Invoice

An invoice or bill is a Commerce document issued by a sales to the buyer, indicating the product s, quantities, and agreed prices for products or Service s the seller has provided the buyer....
s. Most businesses also have revenue that is incidental to the business's primary activities, such as interest earned on deposits in a demand account
Demand account

A transactional account is a deposit account held at a bank or other financial institution, for the purpose of securely and quickly providing frequent access to funds on demand, through a variety of different channels....
. This is included in revenue but not included in net sales. Sales revenue does not include sales tax
Sales tax

A sales tax is a consumption tax charged at the point of purchase for certain goods and services. The tax is usually set as a percentage by the government charging the tax....
 collected by the business.

Other revenue (a.k.a. non-operating revenue) is revenue from peripheral (non-core) operations. For example, a company that manufactures and sells automobiles would record the revenue from the sale of an automobile as "regular" revenue. If that same company also rented a portion of one of its buildings, it would record that revenue as “other revenue” and disclose it separately on its income statement to show that it is from something other than its core operations.

A public company
Public company

A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered Security for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, but also may include companies whose stock is traded Over-the-counter via market makers who use non-exchange quotation services such as the OTCBB and the Pink Sheets....
 reports its total annual revenues based on its fiscal year. Public companies also report quarterly revenues.

Internally, companies break revenue down by operating segment, geographic region, and product line.

Financial analysis

Revenue is a crucial part of financial analysis
Financial analysis

Financial analysis refers to an assessment of the viability, stability and profitability of a business, sub-business or project.It is performed by professionals who prepare reports using ratios that make use of information taken from financial statements and other reports....
. A company’s performance is measured to the extent to which its asset inflows (revenues) compare with its asset outflows (expenses). Net Income
Net income

Net income is equal to the income that a firm has after subtracting costs and expenses from the total revenue. Net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as retained earnings....
 is the result of this equation, but revenue typically enjoys equal attention during a standard earnings call
Earnings call

Earnings Calls are a teleconference in which a public company discusses the financial results of a reporting period. The name comes from the bottom line numbers in the income statement - earnings per share....
. If a company displays solid “top-line growth,” analysts could view the period’s performance as positive even if earnings growth, or “bottom-line growth” is stagnant. Conversely, high income growth would be tainted if a company failed to produce significant revenue growth. Consistent revenue growth, as well as income growth, is considered essential for a company's publicly traded stock
STOCK

Software for fixed assets management and stock control developed in 2004. Stocktaking process is carried using a hand-held mobile terminal equipped with barcode reader or RFID technology....
 to be attractive to investors

Revenue is used as an indication of earnings quality. There are several financial ratios attached to it, the most important being gross margin
Gross margin

Gross margin, Gross profit margin or Gross Profit Rate can be defined as the amount of contribution to the business enterprise, after paying for direct-fixed and direct-variable unit costs, required to cover overheads and provide a buffer for unknown items....
 and profit margin
Profit margin

Profit margin, net margin, net profit margin or net profit ratio all refer to a measure of profitability. It is calculated by finding the net profit as a percentage of the revenue....
. Also, companies use revenue to determine bad debt expense
Bad debt

In financial accounting and finance, bad debt is the portion of receivables that can no longer be collected, typically from accounts receivable or loans....
 using the income statement method.

Price / Sales is sometimes used as a substitute for a Price to earnings ratio
P/E ratio

The P/E ratio of a stock is a measure of the price paid for a Share relative to the annual net income or profit earned by the firm per share....
 when earnings are negative and the P/E is meaningless. Though a company may have negative earnings, it almost always has positive revenue.

Gross Margin
Gross margin

Gross margin, Gross profit margin or Gross Profit Rate can be defined as the amount of contribution to the business enterprise, after paying for direct-fixed and direct-variable unit costs, required to cover overheads and provide a buffer for unknown items....
 is a calculation of revenue less cost of goods sold
Cost of goods sold

In financial accounting, cost of goods sold or cost of sales includes the direct costs attributable to the production of the goods sold by a company....
, and is used to determine how well sales cover direct variable costs relating to the production of goods.

Net income / sales, or profit margin
Profit margin

Profit margin, net margin, net profit margin or net profit ratio all refer to a measure of profitability. It is calculated by finding the net profit as a percentage of the revenue....
, is calculated by investors to determine how efficiently a company turns revenues into profits.

Government revenue

Government revenue includes all amounts of money received from sources outside the government entity. Large governments usually have an agency
Government agency

A government agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency....
 or department
Departmentalization

Departmentalization refers to the process of grouping activities into departments.Division of labour creates specialists who need coordination....
 responsible for collecting government revenue from companies and individuals.

See also

Government revenue may also include Reserve Bank currency which is printed.This is recorded as an advance to the retail bank together with a corresponding currency in circulation expense entry.The income derives from the Official Cash rate payable by the retail banks for instruments such as 90 day bills.There is a question as to whether using generic business based accounting standards can give a fair and accurate picture of government accounts in that with a monetary policy statement to the reserve bank directing a positive inflation rate the expense provision for the return of currency to the reserve bank is largely symbolic in that to totally cancel the currency in circulation provision all currency would have to be returned to the reserve bank and cancelled.

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