Question
Gross profit is $40,000, operating expenses are $15,000, and interest expense is $2,000. Net profit is:
Scoring
- 40% Account naming / line matching
- 40% Amount correctness
- 20% Structure / section placement
IAS 1 — Presentation of Financial Statements
A multi-step statement earns its name from the subtotals: net sales less cost of sales gives gross profit, less operating expenses gives operating profit, and only then do non-operating items, finance costs and tax appear. Decide for every line whether it belongs above or below the operating-profit line before you place it.
Common mistakes
- Burying interest expense or investment income inside operating expenses — they sit below operating profit.
- Netting sales returns and discounts against nothing, or omitting them so revenue is reported gross rather than net.
- Presenting income tax expense as an operating expense instead of a separate deduction after pre-tax profit.
Further readingIncome statement vs balance sheet