Accounting Profit

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Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Accounting Profit'

A company's total earnings, calculated according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and includes the explicit costs of doing business, such as depreciation, interest and taxes.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Accounting Profit'

Accounting profits tend to be higher than economic profits as they omit certain implicit costs, such as opportunity costs.

For example, if you invest $100,000 to start a business and earned $120,000 in profit, your accounting profit would be $20,000. Economic profit would add implicit costs, such as the opportunity cost of $50,000 should you have been employed instead during that period. As such, you would have an economic loss of $30,000 ($120,000 - $100,000 - $50,000).

Related Definitions

  • Economic Profit (Or Loss)

    The difference between the revenue received from the sale of an output and the opportunity cost of the inputs used. This can be used as another name for "economic value added" (EVA).
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  • Profit

    A financial benefit that is realized when the amount of revenue gained from a business activity exceeds the expenses, costs and taxes needed to sustain the activity. Any profit that is ...
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  • Net Income - NI

    1. A company's total earnings (or profit). Net income is calculated by taking revenues and adjusting for the cost of doing business, depreciation, interest, taxes and other expenses. ...
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    • Generally Accepted Accounting Principles - GAAP

      The common set of accounting principles, standards and procedures that companies use to compile their financial statements. GAAP are a combination of authoritative standards (set by ...
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    • Explicit Cost

      A business expense that is easily identified and accounted for. Explicit costs represent clear, obvious cash outflows from a business that reduce its bottom-line profitability. This ...
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    • Implicit Cost

      A cost that is represented by lost opportunity in the use of a company's own resources, excluding cash.
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    • Opportunity Cost

      1. The cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action. Put another way, the benefits you could have received by taking an alternative action.2. The ...
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    • Revenue Recognition

      An accounting principle under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that determines the specific conditions under which income becomes realized as revenue. Generally, revenue ...
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