Difference between Revenue and Income

In accounting, revenue is termed the „top line“ because it’s at the top of the income statement. Net income is called the „bottom line“ because it’s at the bottom. For a company that makes its money by selling things, the terms sales and revenue are identical and used interchangeably. For an individual, income is the total money earned, including salaries, tips, interest, dividends, and others.

New Hampshire has a $2,400 tax exemption for the interest and dividends tax, so tax is due only on the remaining $600 ($3,000 − $2,400) of interest and dividends income.
If you’re looking to unlock revenue growth for your online company, you’ll benefit from our easy-to-use full-service ecommerce platform that supports any subscription-based billing model.
Someone on our team will connect you with a financial professional in our network holding the correct designation and expertise.
A company that knows how to sell, but that is poorly run, can find itself with an alarming difference between the number at the top of its financial statement and the one at the bottom.
Revenue is the sales amount a company earns from providing services or selling products (the “top line”).

Commonly watched margins include the gross margin, operating margin, profit margin, EBIT margin, and EBITDA margin. Bottom-line growth and revenue growth can be achieved in various ways. A company like Apple might experience top-line growth due to a new product launch like the new iPhone, a new service, or a new advertising campaign that leads to increased sales. Bottom-line growth might have occurred from the increase in revenues, but also from cutting expenses or finding a cheaper supplier.

Sales Discounts

Revenue is calculated by multiplying the price to the number of units sold. In 2018, Walmart earned $515 billion in revenue, making it the world’s highest-earning company that year. Once all expenses were accounted for, the company’s net income was only $6.67 billion. This huge disparity between revenue and income illustrates just how important it is to differentiate between the two terms and how big of an impact costs can have on a company’s bottom line.

This overview will help you distinguish between revenue and income and help you understand how they differ. Companies can grow their net income and EPS by cutting costs, even if revenues are flat or decreasing. The investing community often focuses even more on earnings per share (EPS), which is net income divided by the number of shares outstanding.

But there are actually several different types of income in business accounting.
4.“Revenue” and “income” are both involved in the cycle of production.
For instance, during a recession, consumers may reduce their spending, which leads to decreased revenue and income for businesses that rely on discretionary spending.
Both revenue and income can be found in the same financial statement, i.e., the income statement.
Operating revenue is defined as the money a company earns from conducting its central business operations.

However, they differ considerably regarding those rates and how they’re applied—and by the type of income that is taxable and the deductions and tax credits allowed. In basic terms, there’s a gigantic distinction between revenue and income. Regardless of whether many individuals use them reciprocally, assuming you ask a person who has concentrated on finance, one would let you know that revenue is a higher perspective. Interestingly, income shows the monetary bearing or financial direction of an organisation.

Earnings, by contrast, reflect the bottom line on the income statement and are the profit a company has earned for a period. The earnings figure is listed as net income on the income statement. When investors and analysts speak of a company’s earnings, they’re talking about the company’s net income or profit. The discipline of economics takes income and revenue into a wider and bigger picture. Economics looks at the revenue and income of a whole industry or a whole country.

Tax Documents

Our team of reviewers are established professionals with decades of experience in areas of personal finance and hold many advanced degrees and certifications. The information in this article is intended for general information purposes only. You should not rely on it as the sole basis for making any business, legal, or other decisions.

Top line and Bottom line in a Financial Statement

When a company has healthy revenues and operating income, this results in stronger operating margins. However, what is considered a strong operating margin often varies across different industries. Understanding revenue-income dynamics helps demonstrate a broader understanding of operational efficiency to investors. Net income is calculated by subtracting operating expenses from total revenue. This “bottom line” number is a key metric for businesses, as it shows how much profit they are making.

Meaning of Revenue:

Apple posted $99,803 billion in net income (earnings) for 2022 (a $5 billion increase from the same period in 2021). Effectively managing costs against revenues will determine whether a company will have positive earnings (a profit) or a loss. A company’s sales indicate the performance of its core business operations, while its revenue may be padded with one-time events like sales of property. Governments use the term revenue to describe the money they collect from taxes, fees, fines, and publicly-operated services. A company reporting „top-line growth“ is experiencing an increase in either gross sales or revenue or both. Revenue is the total income a company generates by the sale of goods or services that can be attributed to the company’s core operations.

The Future of Revenue: Subscription Revenue

Understanding the difference between revenue and income is essential to accurately assess a company’s financial health and make informed business decisions. In a company’s financial statement (or Profit and Loss statement or income statement), the first line — also called the top line — is revenue. understanding credit cards Sometimes this revenue is broken out by business activity to provide investors more transparency into where the revenue is derived from. The cost of goods sold is listed next, followed by other expenses such as selling, general and administrative expenses, depreciation, interest paid and taxes.

In Revenue vs. Income, revenue is the total amount of money a company makes from its business, i.e., by selling a product or service. In contrast, income is the amount left after removing all the expenses (rent, labor, etc.) from the revenue. Net revenue refers to gross or total revenue minus any discounts, price adjustments or returns. While net income refers to the company’s bottom line profit after accounting for all expenses. Monthly financial statements and reports will give you a clear picture of how your business is doing. Because it gives a picture of how efficient a company is regarding spending and managing operating costs, net income is considered the all-important measure of profitability.

Nonoperating revenue is the money that a business earns from side activities unrelated to its daily activities, such as profits from investments or dividend income. This type of revenue is generally less consistent than operating revenue. Revenue is often called the top line because it’s located at the top of an income statement. When a company is said to have “top-line growth,” it means the company’s revenue—the money it’s taking in—is growing. While a company with robust revenues may show it can sell its product or service, a business with high profits is likely more financially sound.

A company’s income refers to the profit earned by it after deducting all the costs and expenses of a financial year. It is also known as the “Net profit”, “Net income”, or “Bottom line” of a company’s financial statement. Companies must factor in a number of expenses to run a business, and sometimes these costs exceed revenues, resulting in lower operating income and profit.

In the course of doing business, the company incurs various expenses. E.g. raw material for shirts (cloth, buttons etc.), purchase and upkeep of machinery, personnel costs and other capital and operational expenses. Let’s say the total expenses in 2011 for this business were $8 million. So the income, or net profit, for this company in 2011 is $2 million. Operating revenue refers to the revenue generated from the company’s primary business activities.